The honest answer is that it depends on who lives there, what they leave behind and how much you do yourself between visits. That is not much help when you are about to message a cleaner and need to say "weekly" or "fortnightly". This guide gives you a way to decide, shows what each frequency actually covers, and includes two sample rotas for a London flat and a house that you can adapt.
What decides the frequency
Most London households settle on weekly or fortnightly. Monthly works for some, and a one-off visit suits others. The factors below push you one way or the other.
| Factor | Pushes you towards |
|---|---|
| One or two adults, out most of the day | Fortnightly |
| Three or more people, or a family home | Weekly |
| Children under school age | Weekly; floors, high chairs and bathrooms need it |
| A dog or cat that sheds | Weekly, with floors and soft furnishings prioritised |
| Someone working from home most days | Weekly, or a longer fortnightly visit; kitchens and bathrooms get used all day |
| Dust allergies or asthma in the household | Weekly, with bedrooms and floors first |
| Larger property | More hours per visit, not necessarily more visits |
| Mostly carpet rather than hard floors | More frequent vacuuming, whoever does it |
| You keep on top of the kitchen and bathroom yourself | Fortnightly is usually enough |
| Frequent guests or entertaining | Weekly, or a one-off before events |
A rule of thumb: if the kitchen and bathroom look tired within a week of being cleaned, you want weekly. If they hold up for ten days or so, fortnightly will do. Size mainly changes the length of each visit, not how often you need one.
What a weekly, fortnightly or monthly visit typically covers
The amount of dirt between visits grows with the gap, so a fortnightly three-hour visit does not deliver the same result as two weekly visits of ninety minutes. The longer the gap, the more of each visit goes on catching up and the less on the extras.
| Weekly | Fortnightly | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character of the visit | Maintenance: keeping a clean home clean | Maintenance plus catch-up | Closer to a light deep clean each time |
| Kitchen | Surfaces, hob, sink, cupboard fronts, floor, bins | Same, with more built-up grease on hob and splashback | Same, plus inside microwave and fridge shelves most visits |
| Bathroom | Toilet, basin, shower or bath, tiles, mirror, floor | Same, with limescale taking longer | Same, with limescale and grout needing real attention |
| Living areas and bedrooms | Dust, vacuum, mop, tidy surfaces | Same, more dust to move | Same, plus skirting and under furniture |
| Beds | Changed if agreed | Changed if agreed | Rarely part of the visit |
| Rotating extras | One or two per visit | Occasionally | Little time left for extras |
| Typical visit length | Shorter | Medium | Longest |
| What you do between visits | Very little | Kitchen and bathroom wipe-downs | Most of the routine cleaning yourself |
The "typical visit length" row is deliberately vague because it depends on the property. The two sample rotas below show how the hours are actually spent.
Sample rota: a 2-bed flat, fortnightly, three hours
This is an example for two adults in a flat with one bathroom and mostly hard floors. Adjust it to your own home.
Every visit (roughly two and a half hours)
- Kitchen: surfaces, hob, splashback, sink and taps, cupboard fronts, outside of appliances, floor, bins out and liners replaced.
- Bathroom: toilet inside and out, basin, shower or bath, screen and tiles, mirror, floor, bin.
- Bedrooms: dust surfaces, vacuum, mop if hard floor, change beds if linen is left out.
- Living room and hallway: dust, vacuum, mop, wipe door handles and light switches.
Rotating extra (roughly half an hour, one per visit)
- Inside the microwave and fridge shelves.
- Skirting boards and door frames.
- Inside windows and window sills.
- Under the sofa and beds.
- Kitchen cupboard fronts in detail and the extractor hood.
- Bathroom grout and sealant, tile edges, shower head.
Over twelve weeks every extra gets done once and the flat never needs a separate deep clean.
Sample rota: a 3-bed house with children, weekly, three to four hours
An example for a family with two young children, two bathrooms and a mix of carpet and hard floors.
Every visit (roughly three hours)
- Kitchen and dining area: surfaces, hob, sink, high chair and table, cupboard fronts, floor, bins.
- Both bathrooms: full clean as above.
- Floors throughout, including stairs and landing.
- Bedrooms: dust and vacuum; change beds if agreed.
- Living room and playroom: dust, vacuum, quick tidy of surfaces.
- Door handles, light switches and banister wiped.
Rotating extra (up to an hour, one per week)
- Oven interior.
- Inside windows, sills and blinds.
- Skirting boards, door frames, radiators.
- Fridge interior and bin sanitising.
- Soft furnishings vacuumed, under sofa cushions, under beds.
These rotas are illustrative, not a standard. Cleaners work at different speeds, homes differ, and what you do yourself between visits changes everything. Agree your own version with your cleaner after the first couple of visits.
When a one-off deep clean makes more sense
A regular visit maintains a home that is already clean. If the home is not already clean, the first regular visit turns into a catch-up and the rota slips. A one-off deep clean is the better starting point when:
- you are moving in and want a reset before your things arrive;
- builders or decorators have just left;
- you are starting a regular arrangement and the property has not been cleaned for a while;
- someone in the household has been ill;
- you have guests coming and the place needs a lift;
- it is spring, or the end of a long winter with the windows shut.
Many regular cleaners will do a longer first visit for exactly this reason, and some quote it as a separate deep clean. Our guide to the difference between a deep clean and a regular clean sets out what each includes and how long they take. The common pattern is deep clean first, then a weekly or fortnightly rota to keep it there.
How to brief a regular cleaner
A good brief saves the first month of guesswork. Send it as a message before the first visit so you both have it.
- Priorities in order. "Kitchen and bathroom first, then floors, then dusting." If time runs short, the cleaner knows what to drop.
- What to skip. The study, the box room, the cabinet of ornaments. Saying so saves time and avoids accidents.
- Products. Whether the cleaner brings their own, what you would rather they did not use (bleach on stone, abrasive pads on induction hobs), and anything you supply.
- Where things live. Vacuum, mop, bin liners, spare linen, the stopcock.
- Access and alarms. Key, key safe or you letting them in; alarm code; what to do with pets.
- The rota. Share the every-visit list and the rotating extras, and ask them to tell you which extra they did each time.
- Feedback. Agree that you will send a short message after the first two or three visits with anything to change. Then review after a month and adjust hours or frequency.
What a regular clean costs
Cost is hours multiplied by rate. As an indicative range only, independent domestic cleaners in London commonly quote roughly £15 to £25 per hour with a minimum visit length. Cleaners set their own prices, and where they publish rates on KleanTouch you will see them on the profile and on the area page. Our guide to what a cleaner costs in London covers minimum hours, products, travel and what changes the rate.
The practical point for frequency is this: a weekly visit costs roughly twice a fortnightly one over a month, but each visit can be shorter and the home never gets far from clean. Get a quote for both from the same cleaner, for the same list of tasks, and compare the monthly totals rather than the hourly rate.
Find a regular cleaner in your area
Decide weekly or fortnightly, write your brief, then search by postcode or area on the London cleaners page. Compare the profiles and published rates for cleaners who cover your neighbourhood and message two or three directly. KleanTouch takes no bookings, payments or commission: you agree hours, days and price with the cleaner. Area pages for the pilot neighbourhoods are on the way; the London hub lists everyone until then.