A deep clean is priced on condition, not floor area. Two identical houses can be a five-hour job and an eleven-hour job, and the difference is almost entirely the oven, the bathrooms and how long it has been.
What it costs in New Zealand
| Property | Typical range | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bedroom unit | $280–$420 | 4–6 hrs |
| 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom | $420–$600 | 6–8 hrs |
| 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom | $480–$700 | 7–10 hrs |
| 4 bedroom | $600–$900 | 9–13 hrs |
| 5+ bedroom | $850+ | Quoted per property |
Waikato figures excluding GST. Auckland and Wellington typically 15–25% higher.
The five things that drive the number
Time since the last one. The dominant factor. Build-up is not linear, grease that has been baked and re-baked for three years takes far more than three times the effort of one year's worth.
Bathroom count. Bathrooms are the densest work in a house. A second bathroom adds more hours than two extra bedrooms.
The oven. Consistently the single longest task in a deep clean. Two to three hours on a neglected one, and it cannot be rushed because the chemistry needs dwell time.
Pets. Hair in carpet edges, skirting gaps and upholstery adds hours, and it is work that does not look like much until you try to do it.
Ceiling height and window count. Anything requiring a ladder is slower, and high windows in a stairwell can be a job on their own.
Where cheap quotes make their margin
By omission, almost always. The tasks quietly left out are the expensive ones: inside cupboards, behind appliances, grout, window tracks, and the oven done properly rather than wiped.
Ask for the scope in writing and check those five specifically. A real deep clean quote will have them listed because that is what you are buying, see deep cleaning vs regular cleaning for the full comparison.
When it is worth it
- Before starting regular cleaning, so maintenance starts from a real baseline
- Before selling or listing, where presentation converts directly into money
- After renovation work, though a builders clean is a different and more specialised job
- Once a year for most homes, twice with pets or heavy cooking
What we do
We quote deep cleans after seeing the property, list the added tasks explicitly, and photograph the work as it is done. If we think you need a deep clean rather than a spring clean, or the other way round, we will say so before quoting, not after.