Cleaning
House and apartment cleaning
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
House and apartment cleaning: what the job involves
Regular or one-off cleaning of a house or apartment — kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors and beds — to a checklist agreed with you. Most households book weekly or fortnightly visits; a first visit is often a deeper clean to bring the home up to a standard that is then kept.
Also asked for as: house cleaner · cleaning lady · weekly cleaner · domestic cleaner · deep clean house
How the job is usually done
- Agree a checklist, the time per visit, and who supplies products and equipment
- Arrange access: key, key safe or someone home, and the alarm code if needed
- Kitchen: worktops, hob, sink, outside of appliances and cupboard fronts, floor
- Bathrooms: toilet, sink, shower or bath, tiles, mirrors and floor
- Dust surfaces, skirting and sills, vacuum and mop floors, change beds and empty bins
- Note anything not finished or found broken, and lock up
House and apartment cleaning: what is included
Usually included
- Kitchen and bathroom cleaning
- Dusting reachable surfaces
- Vacuuming and mopping floors
- Emptying bins into your own household bins
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Inside the oven, fridge or kitchen cupboards, unless added
- Inside windows and outside glass
- Ironing and laundry, unless agreed
- Carpet shampooing or upholstery cleaning
- Clearing clutter or heavy lifting
Materials and who supplies them
- Cleaning products and cloths — either the cleaner’s or yours; agree which
- Vacuum cleaner and mop — often the household’s for regular cleans
- Any special products for natural stone, wooden floors or induction hobs — usually yours
How long it takes
Two to four hours a visit for most homes; a first deep clean, pets, or a large house with several bathrooms take longer.
When to book
Book regular cleaners well ahead of Christmas and the summer holidays, when diaries fill with one-off deep cleans.
House and apartment cleaning: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
A cleaner who works for one household on the household’s terms may legally be its employee rather than a contractor, with the right to a written statement of terms, the minimum wage, holidays and payslips. A householder paying a domestic employee €40 a week or more must register as an employer with Revenue.
Applies to: the householder who employs a cleaner directly
Citizens Information; Workplace Relations Commission; Revenue · citizensinformation.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
The Code of Practice for Protecting Persons Employed in Other People’s Homes sets out what a household employing a domestic worker must provide, including terms in writing, rest breaks and safe working conditions.
Applies to: the householder who employs a cleaner directly
Workplace Relations Commission — Code of Practice (S.I. 239 of 2007) · workplacerelations.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What house and apartment cleaning costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- How often: weekly, fortnightly or a one-off
- Size of the home and number of bathrooms
- Condition at the start, especially for a first clean
- Extras such as ironing, inside the oven, fridge or windows
- Whether the cleaner brings products and equipment
- Pets, which mean more hair and more vacuuming
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- A written checklist of what is done each visit
- An invoice or receipt for each payment, from a self-employed cleaner or agency
Safety
- Never mix bleach with limescale removers or other acidic cleaners — it gives off chlorine gas
- Agree how keys and alarm codes are kept, and change codes if a cleaner stops working for you
- Point out any surfaces that need special products: marble, oiled wood, induction glass
- Ask whether the cleaner or agency has public liability insurance for breakages
House and apartment cleaning: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- What is on your checklist for each visit, and what is extra?
- Do you bring products and equipment?
- Are you insured for breakages and damage?
- Are you self-employed or with an agency, and do you give receipts?
- What happens if you are sick or on holiday?
What you can do yourself
Everyday cleaning is what most people do themselves; a cleaner earns their place on time, a first deep clean, and the jobs nobody gets round to.
What to put in your task
- How often would you like a clean?
- How many bedrooms?
- How many bathrooms and toilets?
- Anything extra?
- Who supplies the products and equipment?
- Are there pets in the home?
Photos that help
- The kitchen and each bathroom as they are now
- Any area that needs special attention: limescale, grease, mould
- Floors, so the cleaner knows what surfaces to expect
House and apartment cleaning by county
Choose your county for house and apartment cleaning close to home.
- House and apartment cleaning in Dublin
- House and apartment cleaning in Cork
- House and apartment cleaning in Galway
- House and apartment cleaning in Kildare
- House and apartment cleaning in Limerick
- House and apartment cleaning in Meath
- House and apartment cleaning in Tipperary
- House and apartment cleaning in Donegal
- House and apartment cleaning in Wexford
- House and apartment cleaning in Kerry
- House and apartment cleaning in Wicklow
- House and apartment cleaning in Mayo
- House and apartment cleaning in Louth
- House and apartment cleaning in Waterford
- House and apartment cleaning in Clare
- House and apartment cleaning in Kilkenny
- House and apartment cleaning in Westmeath
- House and apartment cleaning in Laois
- House and apartment cleaning in Cavan
- House and apartment cleaning in Offaly
- House and apartment cleaning in Sligo
- House and apartment cleaning in Roscommon
- House and apartment cleaning in Monaghan
- House and apartment cleaning in Carlow
- House and apartment cleaning in Longford
- House and apartment cleaning in Leitrim
Cleaning
Need house and apartment cleaning? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about house and apartment cleaning
Does house and apartment cleaning need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Is my cleaner my employee?
It depends on the arrangement. A self-employed cleaner or an agency sets their own way of working, has other clients and invoices you. A cleaner who works only for you, on your terms and hours, may be your employee in law, with employment rights and tax registration for you as the employer.
Should I be home for the first clean?
It helps. Walk the cleaner round, show which products to use where, and agree the checklist. After that most regular cleaning happens with a key or key safe.
How long does a regular clean take?
Most homes take two to four hours. The first visit takes longer because it brings everything up to a standard; after that a regular visit keeps it there.