A regular house clean in Melbourne typically costs $54 to $71 per hour in 2026, or $190 to $330 flat for a 3-bedroom house. This guide breaks down real 2026 prices for regular, deep and spring cleans, what is actually included, why period homes cost more, and the complaint that comes up more than any other: the price changing on the day. Cleaning an apartment instead? See our apartment cleaning cost guide.
Written by Metecan Kalkan, founder of OneDrop FM (ABN 74 499 285 939), a Melbourne cleaning company. We clean houses across Brunswick, Bayswater, Reservoir, Preston and more than 20 other suburbs. Last updated: 22 October 2026.
The Short Answer: Melbourne Prices
Regular cleans (mainstream professional companies):
- Hourly: $54 to $71 per hour, averaging about $58 to $61
- 2-bedroom flat rate: $150 to $260
- 3-bedroom flat rate: $190 to $330
- 4-bedroom flat rate: $220 to $380
- 5-bedroom flat rate: $280 to $430
- Minimum: 2 hours is near-universal, with minimum call-outs around $115
Deep cleans: add $70 to $160 over the standard rate at the same size, roughly 35 to 45 percent more. A 3-bedroom deep clean runs $275 to $470.
Spring cleans: priced the same as deep cleans at most providers. It is usually the same service with a seasonal label, not a different clean.
Recurring maths (one major operator’s published Melbourne rates): a 3-bed, 2-bath house at $317 one-off drops to $271 fortnightly (15 percent off) and $255 weekly (20 percent off). Most other companies offer 10 percent for weekly or fortnightly, often only from the second visit.
The first clean costs more. Build-up charges are real: one operator adds $93 for some build-up and $185 for a full reset clean on a 3-bed, 2-bath. A house that has not been professionally cleaned in months takes longer the first time.
Extras that move the price: an extra bathroom adds $25 to $32 at most flat-rate companies, an extra living room $45 to $60. Storeys are a split market: one operator charges a $25 multi-storey surcharge, another charges nothing extra by storey. Ask before you book.
What Is Included in a Standard Clean?
A proper regular clean in a Melbourne house covers:
Kitchen. Benchtops, stovetop, rangehood exterior, sink, floors.
Bathrooms. Scrubbed and sanitised: showers, baths, toilets, mirrors, floors.
Bedrooms. Dusting, vacuum, mop, bed-making if you ask.
Living areas. Dusting, vacuum, mop, glass and mirrors spot-cleaned.
Often missed: the laundry. Many checklists skip it entirely. If you want the laundry done, say so when you book.
A deep clean adds inside the oven, wiped skirting boards and door frames, window tracks, grout and limescale work, and cleaning under and behind furniture.
What Costs Extra?
Common add-ons with typical Melbourne prices:
- Inside oven: $46 to $79 as an add-on ($84 to $210 standalone).
- Inside fridge: $34 to $60. It must be empty.
- Interior windows: $64 to $79.
- Exterior windows: $119 to $209.
- Carpet steam cleaning: $32 to $69 per room, with job minimums of $125 to $160. See our carpet cleaning cost guide.
- Walls: $35 per wall to $93 per room.
- Blinds: $20 to $35 each.
- Inside cupboards: $40 to $64.
- Balcony or deck: $29 to $70.
Get add-ons priced in the quote. The most common billing fight in this industry is extras appearing on the invoice that were never agreed.
Period Homes and High Ceilings: The Melbourne Difference
No other guide covers this, and it drives real price differences in Melbourne.
About 68 percent of Melbourne homes are separate houses, and the inner suburbs are full of Victorian and Edwardian stock: 3 to 3.3 metre ceilings, ornate cornices, verandahs, fireplaces and timber floors. That changes the job:
High ceilings cost more. At least one major marketplace excludes high ceilings from standard cleans and charges $50 to $200 extra. Dusting cornices and reaching cobwebs at 3 metres is ladder work, not a quick wipe.
Fireplaces and wood heaters. Ash removal appears on almost no standard checklist. If your heater is in use over winter, ask explicitly.
Ducted heating vents. Cleaners wipe vents and returns, but nobody cleans inside ductwork on a house clean. That is a technician’s job, from about $299 per system.
Delicate surfaces. Marble, unsealed stone, and old timber need the right products. Damage to period features is a recurring complaint theme, so ask what they use before the first visit.
If your home is a period property, say so at quote time. A flat rate quoted on a standard 2.4 metre ceiling house will not survive contact with a Brunswick terrace.
Prices Across Melbourne Suburbs
OneDrop FM is based in Taylors Lakes, near Watergardens. These are the areas our house work concentrates in:
- House cleaning Brunswick: Victorian terraces and weatherboards. High ceilings, cornices and fireplace work are the norm.
- House cleaning Bayswater: family homes on bigger blocks. More bathrooms and living areas per house than the inner city.
- House cleaning Reservoir: post-war homes and newer builds side by side. Scope varies street by street.
- House cleaning Preston: a mix of period homes and townhouses. Two-storey homes are common.
We also cover more than 20 suburbs across Melbourne. Every quote starts with bedrooms, bathrooms and ceiling height, because those three set the real price.
Booking Terms: Minimums, Cancellation and Guarantees
What is common in Melbourne in 2026:
- Minimum booking: 2 hours for hourly work; some deep and spring cleans carry a 3-hour minimum.
- Free cancellation: to 24 hours out is common. Harsher terms exist: one operator charges $50 for cancelling after 5pm the day before, then 50 percent of the job.
- Guarantee windows are short: 24 to 48 hours at several big operators. One 200 percent guarantee still needs photos within 48 hours. Read the window before you book, not after a bad clean.
- Insurance: established firms carry $5M to $20M public liability.
- Lock-in: no lock-in contracts is the market norm for regular cleans.
- Products: most companies supply everything, but a few expect your products and equipment. Confirm which model you are booking.
Red Flags: How to Spot a Bad House Cleaner
The complaints Melbourne homeowners report most:
- Quote creep on the day. The number one pattern. One Melbourne case went from $396 to $560 and ended in VCAT. Another added $500 mid-job. A separate laundry and toilet got reclassified as extra rooms in one $498 to $625 dispute.
- No-shows and last-minute cancellations. Sometimes repeatedly, with the booking fee already taken.
- No regular cleaner. One major operator left a customer without a regular cleaner for 2 months while keeping the booking alive.
- Rushed hourly cleans. 40-minute visits sold as full cleans, with the clock doing the quality control.
- Missed areas and refused re-cleans. The guarantee exists on the website but not when you claim it.
- Damage denied. An oven door damaged on a clean, $215 to repair, with the company denying responsibility.
- Hire machines on carpet cleans. Supermarket hire machines used instead of professional equipment, in one case costing a renter $800 of bond.
A fixed written quote with the room list and exclusions written down prevents most of these.
How to Choose a House Cleaner
Before you book, check these:
- Fixed quote for one-off, deep and spring cleans. Hourly only for regular cleans, with pre-approval for extra time.
- The room list and exclusions in writing: oven, fridge, windows, walls, blinds, laundry.
- Public liability insurance sighted, and police checks for staff.
- Period home experience if yours is one: ask about high ceilings, cornices and delicate surfaces.
- Same cleaner each visit, plus cover when they are sick.
- The guarantee window and exactly what triggers a free re-clean.
- Products and equipment confirmed. Who brings what?
- GST-inclusive total in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does house cleaning cost in Melbourne?
$54 to $71 per hour at mainstream companies in 2026, averaging about $58 to $61. Flat one-off rates run $150 to $260 for a 2-bed, $190 to $330 for a 3-bed, and $220 to $380 for a 4-bed house.
How much does it cost to clean a 3-bedroom house?
$190 to $330 for a standard clean, and $275 to $470 for a deep clean. On a recurring plan, one major operator charges $271 fortnightly or $255 weekly for a 3-bed, 2-bath house.
Is it cheaper to pay hourly or a flat rate?
Flat rate for one-off, deep and spring cleans, because the price cannot creep. Hourly suits regular cleans in homes that stay tidy between visits. Never accept open-ended hourly on a first clean.
What is not included in a standard house clean?
Inside the oven and fridge, interior and exterior windows, walls, blinds, inside cupboards, and often the laundry. High ceilings are excluded by some operators entirely. All of these are priced add-ons.
What is the difference between a deep clean and a spring clean?
On price, almost nothing. Most providers sell them as the same service at the same rate. A deep clean targets build-up in kitchens and bathrooms; a spring clean is the same work framed as a seasonal reset, sometimes adding windows and walls.
Why does the first clean cost more?
Build-up. A house that has not been professionally cleaned in months needs a reset first: one operator charges $93 extra for some build-up and $185 for a full reset on a 3-bed, 2-bath. Recurring rates apply once the standard is set.
Do cleaners bring their own products and equipment?
Most do, but not all. A few established companies expect your products, vacuum and mop. Confirm before booking so the first visit does not start with a trip to the supermarket.
How much do I save with weekly or fortnightly cleaning?
Typically 10 percent at most companies, up to 15 percent fortnightly and 20 percent weekly at the best published rates. On a $317 one-off 3-bed clean, weekly at $255 saves about $62 a visit, over $3,200 a year versus paying one-off rates weekly.
Book Your House Clean With OneDrop FM
Fixed written quotes with the room list and exclusions upfront. Get in touch with OneDrop FM to get a fixed quote.
We are local. Based in Taylors Lakes, cleaning houses across more than 20 Melbourne suburbs.
Call 0402 160 946 for a fixed quote.