It’s that time of year when people are moving house, and coming to the end of their tenancy agreements. If you have been renting and are moving, then you may be worried about getting your security deposit back. If you want to get it back in full, then it’s best not to rely on most ordinary house cleaners. Instead, you want to rely on an end of tenancy cleaner who is experienced in getting homes back to the squeaky-clean state the landlords require.  But what’s the difference between domestic cleaning and end of tenancy cleaning really?

What are domestic and end of tenancy cleaning services?

Before we go further into the differences between domestic and end of tenancy cleaning, we need to establish what the two different services are. Then we can go into a deeper explanation of the main differences between them.

What is domestic cleaning?

If you are looking for cleaners near me, then you will probably find that the majority of them offer domestic cleaning services. This means they offer a one-person cleaning service to help you with your weekly chores, such as cleaning floors and surfaces, dusting, cleaning mirrors and glass, and so on. It is not so much a deep clean, rather just keeping on top of the regular cleaning jobs that need to be done.

You can opt for a weekly or fortnightly or even monthly visit – which is great for helping you keep your home clean when you just don’t have time – or a one-off visit for help with the spring cleaning or when you have had a party.

What is end of tenancy cleaning?

End of tenancy cleaning is a cleaning service that is usually provided by at least two people, if not more. Their job is to clean your rental property to the required standard of your letting agent and/or landlord before they return your security deposit. They will usually follow a strict end of tenancy cleaning checklist to ensure your property is in the best possible condition before you return the keys to the landlord.

Main differences between domestic and end of tenancy cleaning

Are you wondering why domestic cleaning services don’t often cover end of tenancy cleaning? Well, there are a few differences between the two services, such as:

• Cleaning products used. More often than not your average domestic cleaner will use your cleaning products and equipment when they are cleaning your home. On the other hand, end of tenancy cleaners will usually have their own cleaning products and equipment that they bring with them, including specialist equipment for cleaning floors and carpets
• Schedule, checklist and prices. End of tenancy cleaners will usually follow a specific checklist provided by the landlord or letting agent, unlike domestic cleaners. Domestic cleaners do sometimes follow checklists but these tend to be provided to them by the client. End of tenancy cleaners will also have a strict schedule and price list and won’t leave until the job is done, whereas domestic cleaners are paid by the hour and so will only clean for the amount of time they are paid for
• Light fixtures. These tend to be easily overlooked by domestic cleaners as most people generally forget about them when they live somewhere. Light switches, light sockets, lamp shades and bases will all be included on an end of tenancy cleaning checklist, on the other hand
• Cleaning other often forgotten things. As we have said a few times now, end of tenancy cleaners tends to follow a strict checklist and are experienced in finding dirt in even the smallest and unlikeliest places. Domestic cleaners often follow a checklist left for them by clients and so can miss places that need cleaning as they are not on the list
• Carpet cleaning. End of tenancy cleaners will use a hot water extraction method to freshen up badly stained carpets, whereas domestic cleaners will usually just hoover – unless their client requests a steam clean
• Limescale. Domestic cleaners don’t usually bother with chores such as removing limescale – unless the client specifically asks them too whereas end of tenancy cleaners will undertake this chore as part of their specified jobs

What specific areas differ on end of tenancy cleans?

Bathrooms and kitchens tend to be the areas in the home that differ most between domestic and end of tenancy cleans.

Kitchen end of tenancy cleaning

The kitchen is one of the most important areas to be cleaned at the end of a tenancy, as it is one of the places where dust and grime accumulates the most easily.

The kitchen sink will be given extra attention by end of tenancy cleaners, as it usually requires some work with non-scratch scourer’s and some specialist cleaning liquid. The hob will also be another place they pay special attention to as this can become extremely grimy quite quickly.  They will need to use a lot of elbow grease on it, but the results should speak for themselves.

Bathroom end of tenancy cleaning

The bathroom is usually the other place in a house that takes the most time for end of tenancy cleaners, as there are a lot of different areas that all require different equipment – such as the bath, the bathroom sink, the tiles and of course, the toilet. If the bathroom also has a shower, then the cleaner will need to take care of the shower head and grouting as well.

Other important areas for end of tenancy cleaning

There are a number of other things that end of tenancy cleaners will focus on that domestic cleaner won’t, such as

• Cleaning windows inside and out
• Washing scuff marks off walls
• Cleaning curtains and curtain rods
• Dry washing furnishings

If you are looking for a cleaning job, or are looking for someone to keep on top of your domestic cleaning for you, then download our FREE Maid App today to find cleaners, or cleaning jobs, that are local to you.