How Long to Clean a House: A Detailed Guide

According to the National Cleaning Survey results, around 28% of US citizens spend 7 hours a week cleaning their homes. Although dedicating an hour from a day for cleaning purposes seems doable, not everyone has enough time at hand. 

From tiresome office hours to taking care of children and other family obligations, several reasons make up why someone finds it hard to take time out for cleaning. 

As such, many individuals question, “How long does it take to clean a house?” Knowing the precise timings can help you draft a suitable cleaning plan that aligns with your routine and saves time.  

Regular Home Cleaning And What It Includes

Regular home cleaning is not a hard row to hoe – as long as you have time and do not mind putting in the effort. Otherwise, it may appear a daunting task, and you’ll likely procrastinate on getting the job done. 

Nonetheless, learning what a standard home cleaning entails simplifies the process. Knowing the nitty-gritty details of home cleaning encourages you to take action regularly. Also, it clarifies what you need to do to follow basic cleaning practices.

Eventually, it motivates you to draft a cleaning plan that best suits your busy schedule. 

Here’s what you must do regularly to avoid cluttering your home. 

• Doing the dishes 
• Taking out the trash 
• Sweeping and mopping the floors 
• Dusting the surfaces 
• Vacuuming 
• Arranging the sheets 
• Disinfecting and sanitizing surfaces (for better cleaning practices)

If you prefer a tidy home like most people, you must do these tasks daily. Delaying them will only aggravate the dust and debris around your property. 

Types of Cleaning that Require Additional Effort and Time

While typical house cleaning doesn’t appear time-consuming, how long does it take to deep clean a home? Of course, certain types of cleaning require extra time and effort. Perhaps this explains why most homeowners keep delaying the task. 

However, it only takes a few additional hours to cleanse a home deeply. These include. 

• Cleaning the refrigerator 
• Doing the laundry 
• Cleaning clogged gutters 
• Vacuuming curtains and drapes 
• Cleaning the oven 
• Dry cleaning the carpets 
• Washing the windows 
• Cleaning the debris in the backyard 

Note that your home requires these types of cleaning only occasionally. Ideally, you may need to do them once a month. Tasks like dry cleaning the carpets might require annual cleaning. 

However, you might do the laundry more often – typically if you’re a large household. 

But the question remains, “How long does it take to clean a house?” Generally, it wouldn’t take more than 2-3 hours to do deep cleaning. 

But again, this may differ per the cleaning type. Essentially, cleaning the refrigerator and oven may take an hour, but unclogging a blocked gutter might take up to 3 hours. 

Differences Between Deep and Regular Cleaning

Understanding the difference between deep and regular cleaning will allow you to schedule your cleaning routine more effectively. Regular cleaning is aimed at everyday activities—dust surfaces, vacuum floors, wipe down countertops, and clean bathrooms. Such maintenance keeps your home looking good at all times and is usually performed in shorter time intervals, making them well-suited for weekly upkeep.

On the other hand, deep cleaning focuses on the details. It involves scrubbing tight spaces, sanitizing appliances, and dusting behind furniture to eliminate built-up grime that standard cleaning might not pick up. Although deep cleaning requires more energy and time, it provides your space with a thorough renewal. Maintaining standard regular cleaning between deep cleans not only keeps your home fresh but also makes each deep clean simpler.

Standard Cleaning Time Based on Home Size

The time you spend on regular or deep cleaning depends significantly on your home size. Of course, a larger property would require more hours. 

So, how long does it take to clean a house? We’ll discuss average timings based on your home size. 

• Single bedroom home. A 1 bedroom home typically comes with a single bathroom. It won’t take you more than an hour to clean the entire place. However, expect to spend at least 3.5 hours during the deep cleaning week. 
• 2 bedroom home. A residence with 2 bedrooms typically contains a single bathroom. It will take you no more than 4.5 hours to clean the home. 
• 3 bedroom home. These generally come with 2 bathrooms. Allow yourself 5-6 hours a week to properly clean the place. A more deep cleaning depends on the amount of stuff you own. But it won’t take more than 6.5 hours. 
• 4 bedroom home. They typically fall into the category of larger homes. So, how long does it take to clean a house with 4 bedrooms? Expect to dedicate around 6-6.5 hours a week. 
• 5 bedrooms home. Cleaning a 5 bedroom home is indeed an arduous task. Pretty inconvenient without professional help and equally time-consuming. It would take you at least 7 hours when clean a large house. 

Make sure you follow the best hygiene practices and remain cautious about overall home maintenance to avoid running into unexpected cleaning tasks. 

How Long Does It Take to Clean a House? 

While an average time calculation gives a general idea about home cleaning time, it doesn’t shed light on the exact time needed to clean a particular area around your home. 

For instance, bathroom cleaning and washing may require more time than cleaning the bedroom, or it can be the other way around. 

So, how long does it take to clean a house? We’ll curate a list of separate rooms to clarify it further. 

Bedroom

Your bedroom is a haven where you relax and unwind after a tiring day. Naturally, a clean bedroom makes up for a peaceful and relaxing place. It enhances its aesthetics, but it also uplifts your overall experience. 

Consequently, you catch a better sleep and prepare yourself to take on the most daunting days at work. 

Fortunately, there’s no secret sauce to cleaning your bedroom. A few simple steps and BOOM, your bedroom is tidy, clean, and clutter-free. 

• Begin by picking up the trash lying around your room.
• Next up, gather extra stuff lingering on your bed. It could be your books, notes, or clothes.
• Pile the notes and books neatly on the bookshelf and place the clothes in your wardrobe. 
• Put the dirty clothes in the laundry basket and pick up any clutter hiding in the nooks and crannies of your bed.
• Dust the surfaces and sweep the flooring.
• Consider using a quality vacuum to suck the dust hidden deep within the carpet layers if you have carpet flooring. 

So, how long does it take to clean a house when breaking down the time per the steps mentioned above? Generally, it would take around 2 hours. But it varies per the size of your home. 

Bathroom

If there’s one area that gets dirty quicker than any other place on your property, it’s your bathroom. Your washroom collects dirt and grime in no time. 

Even if it appears squeaky clean, there could be germs and bacteria hiding in the flooring, washbasin, shower, and toilet seat without you even knowing it. 

Therefore, to prevent infections and ensure optimal health for your family, you must take appropriate steps to clean your bathroom.  

• Pour multi-purpose bathroom cleaner on your shower, tub, and toilet seat.
• Let it soak for a few minutes, then scrub off the surfaces.
• Make sure you use different scrubbers for the toilet seat and the shower and tub.
• Use a disinfectant wipe to clean bathroom counters and wipe off the mirrors.
• Do not forget to clean the shower drain as it likely contains hair and hair product buildup. 
• Following this, sweep and mop the bathroom floor.
• Finally, take out the trash, and you’re good to g!

Bathroom cleaning is an extensive task, and you might need around 1.5 hours to make it incredibly clean. 

Kitchen

If you love food or cooking, for that matter, you’ll naturally expect a cleaner kitchen. A well-maintained kitchen promotes hygienic cooking practices. Beyond that, it keeps your food bacteria-free. 

Because food is one of the primary sources that carry germs to your gut, you should never compromise on your cleaning practices. 

• Begin by de-cluttering your counters. Even if they are neat with things in place, you need to remove everything to clean the surfaces. 
• Use a disinfecting cloth to wipe the surfaces of your kitchen. 
• Clean the stovetop using a quality cleaning product. Stoves are prone to numerous oil and food stains, and they may require extra effort to make them shiny and spotless.
• Lastly, wipe down the dust on your kitchen cabinets and appliances like the coffee maker, microwave oven, and blender. 

So, how long does it take to clean a house when de-cluttering the kitchen? Overall, standard home cleaning will take up to 2 hours. Expect to spend additional 15 minutes when cleaning the kitchen. 

How Long Does It Take to Clean a House Professionally?

If you have a busy schedule and cannot clean your home regularly, you may want to consider professional cleaning. The experts are well-versed in home cleaning and would ease the burden for you. 

Yes, you’d need to pay for the purpose, but you’ll get a sparkly home. After all, professionals have years of experience in the field, and they follow the best cleaning practices to sweep and mop your home. 

Plus, they use professional-grade equipment and unique solutions that do not match the common home tools. 

But, how long does it take to clean a house when hiring professionals? Generally, trained cleaners take less time to clean your entire property because they have a team. Expect them to spend half an hour less than what you take to clean your home. 

Bonus Tips to Reduce Cleaning Time

Reduce cleaning time by planning ahead and being strategic. Start by creating a cleaning schedule that breaks tasks into daily, weekly, or monthly increments. Not only will this keep your home consistently clean, but it will also prevent overwhelming, marathon cleaning sessions. Invest in quality equipment—think efficient vacuums, all-purpose cleaners, and microfiber cloths—that allow you to work smarter, not harder. Techniques like two-handed cleaning, where you dust with one hand and wipe with the other, can double your productivity. Finally, insert fast daily touch-ups in high-traffic areas to give you a measure of cleanliness between deep cleans. This habit cuts down buildup so that when you actually do a full clean, it takes less time and energy overall.

Bottom Line

Regardless of how careless you might be when it comes to home cleaning, you’d want a clean home, nevertheless. However, dedicating a few hours out of your tight schedule might not always be possible. 

Therefore, you may question, “How long does it take to clean a house?” Essentially, it can take as long as you may want to spend. However, expect to give at least 2 hours a week per room for standard cleaning.

If that isn’t feasible for you, consider hiring professionals!

If you need assistance with your apartment or house cleanup, feel free to contact us today. We provide deep cleaning services that can help you, book now!!