What's included in a standard house clean in Sydney
Room by room, what a standard clean covers and what it does not — including the four things most people assume are included and are not.
2 min read
Most disputes about a house clean aren't about effort. They're about scope: the resident expected the oven done, the cleaner priced a standard clean, and nobody said so out loud until afterwards. So here's what a standard clean covers on ProperLink, and what it doesn't.
What a standard clean covers
Bathrooms are fully included. Every fixture, every surface.
The whole property gets vacuumed and mopped.
Bedrooms get dusted throughout, and bed linen is changed.
The kitchen gets its surfaces cleaned, the fridge wiped inside and out, and dishes loaded into the dishwasher.
Balconies are vacuumed.
The four things people assume are included
These are the usual source of a surprise, so they're worth knowing before you book:
- The oven. It's a separate add-on.
- The rangehood. Also a separate add-on.
- Bed linen is changed, not laundered. Fresh sheets go on; the used set is left for you.
- Windows. Balconies are vacuumed, but glass is priced per pane as an add-on.
Two smaller ones, both deliberate:
- Drawers and cupboards stay shut. A standard clean doesn't go inside them.
- Fridge contents aren't moved. Surfaces and the interior get wiped around what's there.
Why the scope is fixed rather than negotiated
ProperLink prices from the property — bedrooms, bathrooms, the add-ons you pick — and shows the GST-inclusive total before you publish the job. There's no quote to wait for and nothing to haggle over. That only works if everyone knows what the price buys, which is why the scope is written down.
If you need something outside it, add it when you post the job.
What to do about the exclusions
Four of them are add-ons you can select while posting a standard clean:
- oven
- rangehood
- glass, priced per pane
- carpet — living room, or by the room
You can also add extra bedrooms and bathrooms. The total updates as you go, still GST-inclusive, still shown before you commit.
The other two aren't options: drawers and cupboards stay shut, and fridge contents aren't moved, on any standard clean. If you need either, say so in the job description and treat it as a request rather than something you've paid for.
Either way, sort it out when you post the job rather than on the day. The cleaner accepted a specific job at a specific price, and they're an independent professional, not a ProperLink employee.
One more scope note: a standard clean is not a bond clean. If you're moving out of a rental, End of lease vs standard clean explains which one your final inspection actually needs.