How Often Should You Have Your Home Professionally Cleaned?
/There’s no single answer to how often a home should be professionally cleaned.
For some households, weekly housekeeping makes life considerably easier. For others, fortnightly housekeeping provides the right balance between professional help and keeping things under control themselves. And sometimes, occasional housekeeping is all that's needed.
The right frequency depends on your home, your lifestyle, the number of people living there and how much time you want to spend managing household chores.
At Divine Assistance Home Help, we understand that every household is different. Our housekeeping services can be tailored to the type and frequency of support that works best for you.
So, how often should you have your home professionally cleaned?
Weekly, fortnightly or occasional housekeeping?
Before deciding how often you need help, it can be useful to understand the three most common options.
Weekly housekeeping
Weekly housekeeping means your home receives professional attention every week.
This can be particularly useful if:
You have children
You have pets
Several people live in your home
You entertain regularly
You have a busy working life
You prefer your home to be consistently clean and tidy
You don't want household chores to build up
Weekly visits can also mean that each visit is more manageable because there is less time for dirt, dust and household jobs to accumulate.
Fortnightly housekeeping
For many households, fortnightly housekeeping provides a good balance.
You have professional help every two weeks while taking care of lighter day-to-day jobs yourself between visits.
Fortnightly housekeeping may suit:
Smaller households
Couples
People who work from home
Homes with less foot traffic
People who don't mind doing some cleaning between visits
Households where the main aim is to stay on top of regular cleaning
We've also written a more detailed comparison of the two options in Weekly vs Fortnightly Housekeeping: Which Is Best for Busy Families?
Occasional housekeeping
You don't necessarily need a regular weekly or fortnightly service.
Occasional housekeeping can be useful when life gets particularly busy or you need help with a specific situation.
For example:
Before or after visitors
Before a special occasion
After entertaining
During a particularly busy period
When preparing a home for sale
When moving house
When you simply need an extra hand
Sometimes a little help at the right time can make a big difference.
What Determines How Often Your Home Needs Cleaning?
The size of your home isn't the only consideration.
Several factors can influence how frequently you may benefit from professional housekeeping.
1. How Many People Live in Your Home?
The more people living in a home, the more quickly everyday mess tends to accumulate.
A family with children will generally have different housekeeping needs from someone living alone.
More people can mean:
More laundry
More dishes
More bathrooms being used
More floors to clean
More general activity throughout the home
If your home seems to need attention almost as soon as you've finished cleaning it, weekly housekeeping may be worth considering.
2. Do You Have Pets?
Pets bring enormous joy to a home, but they can also mean additional housekeeping.
Dogs and cats can contribute:
Pet hair
Dirt and mud
Paw prints
Dust
Bedding that needs regular cleaning
If pet hair is a particular problem, take a look at How to Remove Pet Hair from Your Home: Simple Tips That Actually Work.
3. How Busy Is Your Lifestyle?
Perhaps the biggest factor is simply how much time you have.
If you're working long hours, running a business, raising children or constantly juggling commitments, cleaning may be one more thing on an already long list.
Regular housekeeping can take some of that pressure away.
Instead of spending your weekend catching up on bathrooms, floors and dusting, you can use that time for family, friends, hobbies or simply relaxing.
You may also enjoy How Regular Housekeeping Saves You Time, Money and Stress.
4. Do You Entertain Often?
If you regularly have family and friends over, you may prefer your home to be consistently ready for visitors.
Weekly housekeeping can make this easier because cleaning doesn't have to become a major project before every gathering.
And if you're preparing for a specific event, our article Preparing Your Home for Visitors Without the Stress has more practical ideas.
5. Do You Have Children?
Children can make a home wonderfully busy—but they can also create a lot of extra housekeeping.
Toys, fingerprints, crumbs, laundry and general mess can accumulate quickly.
If you're constantly cleaning only to find the house messy again a few hours later, regular professional help can take some of the pressure off.
What About Older People?
Housekeeping isn't only about appearance.
For older people, some household tasks can become physically tiring or difficult.
Vacuuming, mopping, changing bed linen, cleaning bathrooms and carrying laundry can all require bending, stretching or lifting.
Regular household assistance can help keep these jobs under control while allowing an older person to continue managing the things they enjoy doing themselves.
For more information about keeping the home safe and manageable, see How to Create a Safe Home Environment for Seniors.
How Much Cleaning Do You Do Between Visits?
Another important question is how much you're prepared to do yourself.
If you don't mind doing a quick vacuum, wiping down the kitchen and keeping the bathrooms tidy between visits, fortnightly housekeeping may be enough.
If you'd rather leave most of the household cleaning to a professional, weekly housekeeping may be a better option.
The important thing is finding a routine that is realistic for your lifestyle.
Trying to maintain a cleaning schedule that you simply don't have time for can quickly become frustrating.
How to Make Your Home Easier to Maintain
Whatever frequency you choose, a few simple habits can make a big difference between professional housekeeping visits.
Try:
Putting things away after using them
Keeping kitchen benches clear
Making the bed each morning
Dealing with laundry regularly
Cleaning spills promptly
Having a place for everything
Decluttering regularly
For more ideas, read 15 Simple Ways to Keep Your Home Organised All Year Round.
You don't need to keep your home perfect between visits. The aim is simply to prevent small jobs from becoming overwhelming.
How Do You Know If You Need Weekly or Fortnightly Housekeeping?
Here's a simple guide.
Weekly housekeeping may suit you if:
You have children
You have pets
Several people live in your home
You entertain regularly
You're very busy with work
You want your home consistently maintained
You don't want cleaning and household jobs to build up
Fortnightly housekeeping may suit you if:
You have a smaller household
You don't mind doing some cleaning yourself
Your home doesn't get heavily used
You can keep things reasonably tidy between visits
You mainly need help staying on top of regular cleaning
Occasional housekeeping may suit you if:
You only need help from time to time
You're preparing for visitors
You're hosting a special occasion
You're going through a particularly busy period
You're preparing to move house
You simply need an extra pair of hands occasionally
The important thing is finding a housekeeping routine that fits your lifestyle and is realistic for you to maintain.
These are simply guidelines. Your ideal cleaning frequency depends on your individual home and circumstances.
What If You Still Aren't Sure?
You don't have to work it out on your own.
A professional housekeeping service should be able to listen to what you need and help you decide what type and frequency of assistance makes sense.
At Divine Assistance Home Help, we can discuss your household, your priorities and the type of help you're looking for.
Whether you need weekly housekeeping, fortnightly housekeeping or occasional household assistance, the goal is the same: to make your home easier to manage and give you more time to enjoy your life.
How Divine Assistance Home Help Can Help
For more than 19 years, Divine Assistance Home Help has been providing practical household assistance across Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Our clients have different homes, lifestyles and priorities, which is why we don't believe housekeeping should be a one-size-fits-all service.
Depending on your needs, assistance can include regular cleaning as well as laundry, changing bed linen, tidying, organisation and other agreed household tasks.
If you're spending too much of your time thinking about what needs cleaning next, it might be time to consider some regular help.
Contact Divine Assistance Home Help to discuss what frequency and type of housekeeping could work for you.
You May Also Find These Articles Helpful
Weekly vs Fortnightly Housekeeping: Which Is Best for Busy Families?
How Regular Housekeeping Saves You Time, Money and Stress
10 Signs It's Time to Hire a Housekeeper
10 Things a Housekeeper Can Do That You May Not Have Considered