Regular, deep or tenancy clean — which do you need?

Cleaning companies sell three distinct products, and booking the wrong one is the most common source of disappointment on both sides. Here's what each actually covers.

The regular clean

A maintenance service — weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Covers the visible, touchable surfaces: vacuuming and mopping, bathrooms, kitchen benches and sink, dusting, mirrors, rubbish out. It keeps a clean house clean; it is not designed to rescue a neglected one. Most companies size it at a consistent number of hours per visit, which is why the price settles once they know your home.

The deep clean

Everything in a regular clean, plus the places a weekly clean never reaches: inside the oven, behind appliances, skirting boards, door frames, light fittings, window tracks, tile grout, under furniture. It takes several times longer than a regular clean of the same house. Book one as a reset — before starting a regular schedule, after renovations (ask specifically for a builders clean if there's dust), before hosting, or seasonally.

The end of tenancy clean

A deep clean aimed at a specific audience: your property manager's final inspection. It prioritises the checklist items inspections fail people on — oven, window tracks, walls, carpets — and comes with a receipt you can show. If you're moving out, say "tenancy clean" when you book, not "deep clean"; the checklist differs and the company guarantees different things. Our tenancy checklist guide covers exactly what inspectors look for.

Matching the clean to the moment

Moving out → tenancy clean. House got away on you, or starting fresh → deep clean first, then regular. House basically under control → regular clean at whatever frequency keeps it that way. When in doubt, describe your situation honestly to any of the local companies in the directory — recommending the right service is in their interest too; mis-scoped jobs are how cleaners lose money and customers in one move.