What should you ask a part-time cleaner to do?

A part-time cleaner checklist for a 3-hour visit

A 3-hour visit goes further when the cleaner has a written list in priority order. The list shows what matters most to you, so the important jobs get done even if time runs short.

Here is one way to split the 3 hours. It is a suggestion to adapt to your home, not a standard:

• First hour: the kitchen and the toilets.
• Second hour: the floors in every room.
• Third hour: dusting, the bedrooms and living room, and any extras you have agreed.

A bigger home may need a different split or a longer visit. To see which companies offer regular visits, compare part-time cleaners.

Prioritising by time

Use the order below as a simple room cleaning checklist when time is short.

Kitchen

Start with the counters, the sink and the stovetop, then finish with the floor. HDB's floor trap guide says to keep the floor trap grating closed and not to pour cooking oil or throw food waste and solid items down the floor trap or sink, to prevent chokes.

Toilets

The National Environment Agency (NEA) says to clean bathrooms from high to low (wall to floor) and from cleaner to dirtier areas (shower to toilet bowl). In practice, the toilet bowl and the floor come last.

NEA's cleaning guidelines also recommend letting fresh air in, especially during and after cleaning and disinfection, to reduce the concentration of disinfection products in the air. NEA's ventilation guidance adds that you can open doors and windows, and use fans to help air circulate when needed.

Floors

Do the floors after the kitchen and toilets. Vacuum or sweep first, then mop.

Bedrooms and living room

Dust surfaces, wipe handles and switches, tidy up and empty the bins. If the visit runs short, move these jobs to the next visit.

Tasks to agree separately

These jobs may be priced or agreed separately, so ask the company whether each is included, costs extra or needs a separate booking:

• Cleaning inside the fridge or oven
• Windows
• Curtains
• Laundry and ironing
• Aircon filters
• Deep cleaning

If your home needs a thorough clean rather than regular upkeep, see the deep cleaning checklist and the comparison of part-time cleaner or deep cleaning.

Supplies to prepare

A basic set of supplies covers:

• A mop and pail
• Cloths
• A vacuum cleaner
• Bin bags
• A general cleaner
• A disinfectant

NEA's guidelines say to prepare and apply disinfectants according to the manufacturer's guidelines, give them the stated contact time and use the protective equipment the product's Safety Data Sheet prescribes. NEA names household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) as the most widely used disinfectant.

Agree with the company who provides the supplies before the first visit, and ask whether the price includes them.

What part-time cleaning costs

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published part-time cleaning rates

For the most common unit (per hour), the lowest published part-time cleaning rates from 9 companies run from S$20 to S$24 per hour (middle rate S$22), for a part-time cleaner. The middle figure is a real published rate, not an average. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a quote.

See 26 published part-time cleaning rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Go Cleaners Pte Ltd	Hourly cleaning	S$18 per visit	gocleaners.sg
J+U Envirolution Pte Ltd	Explore hourly cleaning	S$18	juenvirolution.com
6 Days Cleaning	Weekly/ Fortnightly Part Time Cleaning	From S$20 per hour	6days.sg
Avalon Services	Part-time helper, weekly / fortnightly (min. 3 bookings)	From S$21 per hour	avalon-services.com.sg
Easyclean SG	Hourly cleaning service	From S$22 per hour	easycleansg.com
Natural Clean	General Weekly Bi-weekly Home Cleaning	From S$22 per hour	naturalclean.com.sg
Part Time Home Maid Service Singapore	Best Weekly Maid Service & Part Time Cleaner Services	From S$22 per hour	parttimehomemaid.com
Sureclean	General weekly home cleaning	From S$22	sureclean.com.sg
KleanSG	Part-time maid, per cleaner (incl. GST, min 2 hours)	S$23.98 per hour	kleansg.com
Beck And Call	Weekly cleaning, made easy.	S$24 per hour	beckandcall.com.sg
Clean Off	Weekly home cleaning, day slot (min 3 hrs/session, 4 sessions)	S$24 per hour	cleanoff.com.sg
Helperoo Pte Ltd	Your Reliable House Cleaning Agency	From S$24 per hour	helperoo.com.sg
BUTLER Housekeeping	Regular Housekeeping	From S$27	housekeeping.sg
Cleanhub Facility Pte Ltd	Hourly Rates	S$40	cleanhub.sg
CleanAxisCo. Pte Ltd	Home cleaning, 3 hours	From S$66 per visit	cleanaxisco.com.sg
Arkin Pte Ltd	Weekly Home Care · 3 / 4 hours	S$69	arkin-sg.com
Mycleanhome	Part-time cleaner, 3 hours	S$70 per session	mycleanhomesg.com
Nimbus Homes	3 Hours Housekeeping	S$81 per visit	nimbushomes.com
Cleano Services	Weekly cleaning, from	From S$150 per month	cleano.com.sg
Superb Cleaning Pte Ltd	Bi-Weekly (2 sessions per month) - (3 hours)	S$150 per month	superb-cleaning.com
Comfy Homes Singapore	Part-time cleaning, 2 sessions/month, 4 hours weekday	S$218 per month	comfyhomes.com.sg
Just Clean Lah	House cleaning, standard one-bedroom HDB flat	From S$288	justcleanlah.com
Household Service Elite Pte Ltd	Weekly cleaning, once a week, 3 hours per session (4 sessions)	S$336 per month	homecares.sg
Home Carely Cleaning Services	Weekly cleaning, 4-room HDB or condo (1,001-1,200 sq ft)	S$380 to S$400 per month	homecarelycontract.sg
Part Time Maid	Domestic Cleaning Services in Singapore FAQ	From S$427 per month	part-time-maid.com
Auntie Cleaner Pte Ltd	Weekly part-time maid cleaning, 4 hrs/session, 1 cleaner	S$474 per month	auntiecleaner.com.sg

The table lists 26 companies that publish a part-time or regular cleaning line. Of these, 9 price per hour. Their lowest published hourly rates run from S$20 to S$24 per hour as printed, with S$22 per hour in the middle. That middle figure is one company's published rate, not an average.

The other companies use other units, such as per visit, per session or per month, or are printed without a unit, so do not compare them with the hourly figures. Several hourly lines also need a minimum, for example "min. 3 bookings" or "min 2 hours".

For more detail, see part-time cleaner hourly rates and home cleaning prices.

The full task list template

Copy this cleaner task list and adjust it to your home. Write the one job that matters most on the "Today's priority" line.

Three every-visit checks come from NEA's mozzie-free checklist: remove water from plant pot plates and change water in vases, turn pails over and store them under shelter, and make sure no trays or containers sit under or on the aircon unit. NEA says to do the plant pot and vase checks every other day, so keep them up between visits too.

Today's priority: .................... (do this first)

Every visit

• [ ] Kitchen: counters, sink and stovetop, then the floor
• [ ] Toilets: clean from high to low and from shower to toilet bowl
• [ ] Floors: vacuum or sweep, then mop
• [ ] Bins: empty them and fit new bin bags
• [ ] Bedrooms and living room: dust, wipe handles and switches, tidy up
• [ ] Doors and windows open during and after cleaning
• [ ] Water removed from plant pot plates and vase water changed
• [ ] Pails turned over and stored under shelter
• [ ] No trays or containers under or on the aircon unit
• [ ] Floor trap gratings closed, no food waste or oil in the sink

Every other visit

• [ ] Change bed sheets and pillowcases
• [ ] Wipe mirrors and the shower screen
• [ ] Wipe the outside of kitchen cabinets and appliances
• [ ] Dust fans, lamps and shelves within safe reach

Monthly

• [ ] Clean the inside of the microwave
• [ ] Wash out the bins
• [ ] Wipe door frames and skirting
• [ ] Any extras agreed with the company, such as windows or the inside of the fridge

For jobs to keep up between visits, see the home cleaning checklist.

Questions