The short answer
In 2026, hiring a domestic cleaner in Cheshire and South Manchester costs:
| Type of cleaner | Typical hourly rate | What is usually included |
|---|---|---|
| Independent (self-employed, found via Facebook or word of mouth) | £15 to £20 | Their time. You often supply products, and cover if they are ill is your problem |
| Introduction agency (matches you with a self-employed cleaner) | £15 to £19 per hour plus a £40 to £60 agency or booking fee, sometimes monthly | The match and a replacement if the cleaner leaves. Products and insurance vary |
| Managed cleaning company (employs or vets and insures its cleaners) | £20 to £28 | Vetting, insurance, products, cover, someone to call if something goes wrong |
| ReadyClean | £24.99 weekly, £28.99 fortnightly, £30.99 deep clean, £32.99 move-out | DBS-checked and interviewed cleaner, insurance, all products, holiday and sickness cover, no booking fee, invoiced after the clean |
Bark's 2025 price guide puts the UK average at about £17 an hour with a range of £15 to £25, and Checkatrade's 2026 guide quotes roughly £25 an hour for a vetted independent and £27.50 for an agency-managed cleaner. Our own experience across Wilmslow, Altrincham, Warrington and Knutsford matches that: the honest local range for a properly vetted, insured cleaner who brings everything is £22 to £28 an hour.
What a typical home actually costs per visit
Hourly rates only matter once you know the hours. A regular clean of a typical home takes:
| Home | Regular clean | Deep clean or end of tenancy |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat | 1.5 to 2 hours | 3 hours |
| 2-bed house or flat | 2 hours | 3.5 hours |
| 3-bed house, 1 bathroom | 2.5 hours | 4 hours |
| 4-bed house, 2 bathrooms | 3 to 3.5 hours | 5 to 6 hours |
So at a vetted-company rate of around £25 an hour, a 3-bed semi in Sale or Padgate costs about £62 per regular visit, or around £125 to £135 a month on a fortnightly plan. The same house as a one-off deep clean is about £125 at our rate, and a fixed-price end of tenancy clean from a specialist firm is typically quoted at £185 to £300.
Rule of thumb: work out your hours from the table above, multiply by the rate, and compare like for like. A £16 an hour cleaner who needs you to buy products, is uninsured, and cannot be replaced when they are off sick is not cheaper than a £25 an hour cleaner who comes with all of that included. It is a different product.
What pushes the price up or down
Rooms, not square footage. Bedrooms take about 25 minutes each in a regular clean, bathrooms 30, the kitchen 40, living rooms 30. That is how we price, and it is why a 3-bed with three bathrooms costs more than a 4-bed with one.
Frequency. Weekly cleans are usually cheaper per hour than fortnightly because the home never gets far from clean. We charge £24.99 weekly against £28.99 fortnightly for exactly that reason. Monthly cleans are effectively small deep cleans and are priced that way.
Type of clean. Deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans take roughly 75% longer per room because they include the inside of the oven, limescale, skirting boards, inside windows and the tops of cupboards. Expect the higher hourly rate and the longer time.
Products and equipment. Independents commonly ask you to supply everything, which adds £2 to £5 an hour in practice once you count cloths, sprays and hoover bags. Companies include it.
Location. There is a small premium in Hale, Bowdon, Alderley Edge and Wilmslow compared with Warrington and Sale, mostly because homes are larger and standards are higher, not because rates are wildly different. Well Polished, a national franchise, quotes about £19 an hour for Warrington and £21.95 for Wilmslow, which shows the gap.
Extras. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, inside windows and ironing are add-ons almost everywhere. Ask what is in the base price before comparing quotes.
The agency fee trap
A lot of the "from £18 an hour" adverts around Warrington and Altrincham are introduction agencies. The cleaner is self-employed, you pay them £15 to £19 an hour, and the agency charges a separate fee of £40 or more to make the match, often repeated each month. Once you add products and the fact that insurance is frequently on you, the real cost per visit is very close to a managed company's rate, without the cover.
Nothing wrong with the model if you understand it. Just compare the total per visit, not the headline.
What the cleaner actually earns
For context, the Office for National Statistics puts the median gross pay for cleaners at £12.63 an hour in 2025. A company charging £25 an hour is paying its cleaner roughly £14 to £17, then covering insurance, products, travel, vetting, admin, holidays, and the cover that lets you keep your slot when your cleaner is off. We pay cleaners a flat £17 an hour, every Monday, which is above the local going rate, because reliable cleaners who stay with the same homes are the whole point.
How to get a price without phoning anyone
Most companies now quote online. Ours takes about two minutes: enter your postcode, choose weekly, fortnightly, deep or move-out, add your rooms, and the exact price appears before you confirm. We do not take card details, and you are invoiced by email after the clean with seven days to pay.
If you are in one of our areas, the local pages have prices and typical examples for that town: cleaners in Wilmslow, cleaners in Altrincham, cleaners in Warrington, Lymm, Knutsford, Hale, Sale, Alderley Edge and Stockton Heath.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a cleaner for 2 hours?
Between £30 and £40 with an independent, £45 to £56 with a vetted company that includes products and insurance. Two hours covers a one or two-bed flat comfortably or a quick maintenance clean of a small house.
How much is a cleaner for 3 hours?
Roughly £45 to £60 independent, £66 to £84 with a vetted company. Three hours is the usual slot for a 3-bed house with one bathroom plus a living room.
Is a weekly cleaner worth it?
If you value your weekend and can afford around £60 a week for a 3-bed home, most people who try it keep it. Fortnightly is the most popular compromise: the same 2.5 hours every two weeks for about £72 a visit at our rates.
Do cleaners charge more for one-off cleans?
Yes. One-offs, deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans carry a higher hourly rate and take longer per room. Some firms quote a fixed price instead; check what it includes, because the oven and inside windows are common extras.
Should I tip my cleaner?
It is not expected in the UK. A Christmas card and a small gift for a regular cleaner is common and always appreciated.