Condition guide

How clean is it, really?

Almost everyone says the same thing when they ask for a quote: it's pretty clean, it's not too bad. It is meant honestly and it is almost never how the house reads on the day, which is how a job that should take five hours turns into eight and somebody ends up out of pocket.

So instead of asking you for an adjective, we ask you to pick a level. Four levels across thenine things that actually drive how long a clean takes. Tick one per section as you go and we will put the answer together at the bottom for you to copy into your reply. It takes a couple of minutes and it is the difference between an estimate you can rely on and a number we both guessed at.

Nobody is being marked. This describes the job in front of us, not how you keep your house. A heavy kitchen after a rental handover, a renovation, a new baby or a long illness is the most ordinary thing in the world, and it is exactly the job we are here for.

Kitchen surfacesLightBenches clear and wiped in the last few days. Cooktop free of burnt-on marks. Sink and tapware free of scale. Cupboard fronts clean.

StandardA week or two of ordinary use. Splash marks on the splashback. One or two burnt rings on the cooktop. Light marks on cupboard fronts.

HeavyBurners crusted. Grease on cupboard fronts and wall tiles that is tacky to touch. Sink stained. Food residue behind or under appliances.

SevereGrease has run and set on vertical surfaces. Cupboard interiors need emptying and wiping out. Mould or pest evidence present. Some staining may not fully lift.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

OvenLightGlass clear enough to see the racks through. Base clean. Racks clean and unstained.

StandardGlass hazy. Some browning on the base. Racks stained but not crusted.

HeavyBaked-on deposits on the base that catch a fingernail. Racks blackened. Spills burnt onto the floor of the oven.

SevereInterior carbonised, deposits thick enough to flake off. Racks welded with build-up. Some staining may not fully lift.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

RangehoodLightFilter not greasy to the touch. Hood surface clean.

StandardA light grease film on the hood and filter. Wipes off without soaking.

HeavyGrease on the hood that is tacky to touch. Filter needs soaking rather than wiping.

SevereGrease set hard and running down the hood. Filter clogged solid. May need replacing rather than cleaning, which is a part, not a clean.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Bathrooms and wet areasLightShower screen clear, no water spotting that stays after a wipe. Grout its original colour. No visible mould. Toilet clean under the rim. No soap build-up in the shower base.

StandardWater spotting on the screen that needs a proper going-over. Light soap film in the shower base. Grout darkened in the corners. Some scale on tapware. A ring in the toilet bowl.

HeavyAn opaque film of soap and mineral scale on the screen. Black spotting in the silicone and along grout lines. Scale on tapware and the shower rose you can feel. Toilet bowl and base need scrubbing rather than wiping. Exhaust fan cover dusty.

SevereMould across silicone, grout and ceiling. Scale heavy enough to obscure chrome. Staining at this level may not fully lift, and cleaning alone cannot guarantee a result: resealing or regrouting is a trade job, not a clean.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Floors, hard (timber, tile, vinyl, laminate)LightSwept or vacuumed in the last week. No grit underfoot. No sticky patches. Edges and under furniture clear.

StandardOrdinary household dust and crumbs. A few marks near doorways and under the table. Tile grout slightly darker along the traffic lines.

HeavyGrit across the walking line. Dried spills. A dull film that needs more than one pass. Grout lines clearly darker than the tile. Skirting boards dusty.

SevereBuild-up that needs scraping or machine work. Set-in spills. Pet or renovation residue. Grout will need separate treatment and may not return to its original colour.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Floors, carpet and rugsLightVacuumed in the last week. Pile lifts. No visible marks.

StandardOrdinary traffic flattening. A couple of small spots. Crumbs at the edges and under furniture.

HeavyTraffic lanes clearly darker than the rest. Several spots or stains. Pet hair worked down into the pile. Edges and under-furniture not reached in some time.

SevereWidespread staining, odour, or heavy pet hair. Extraction cleaning is a separate service, and some marks may be permanent.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Windows and tracksLightGlass clear on the inside. Tracks free of grit. No cobwebs at the frames.

StandardFingerprints and a light film inside. Some grit and leaf litter in the tracks. Cobwebs in a few corners.

HeavyFilm or spotting on the glass both sides. Tracks packed with grit and debris. Cobwebs at most frames. Flyscreens dusty.

SevereMineral deposits, paint or render splatter on the glass. Tracks that need digging out. Screens that need removing to clean. Exterior glass that needs pole or ladder access is a separate service.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

General clutter and surfacesLightSurfaces mostly clear. Everything can be wiped without moving much. Floors clear to walk and vacuum.

StandardEveryday items on benches and side tables. A few things to move and put back. Laundry or toys in one or two rooms.

HeavyMost flat surfaces carry items that have to be moved before anything can be wiped. Floors partly obstructed. A real share of the time goes on shifting rather than cleaning.

SevereSurfaces and floors need clearing before cleaning can start. Access to some rooms is restricted. A sort-and-clear is a different job from a clean, and we will say so up front rather than absorb it.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Walls, skirtings and fittings

Grade this one on how clean the walls are, not on marks. Scuffs and small marks are fair wear and tear under the Consumer Affairs Victoria guidelines, and holes left by hooks or shelves are damage, so neither is a cleaning job and neither should end up in your price. What counts here is dust, cobwebs, grease, soot and handprints. Two things we would rather say now than on the day: smoke or soot staining that will not wash out needs a repaint, and a dead globe is a globe. Both are a part, not a clean. Cobwebs around window frames are counted under Windows and tracks, so you are never charged for the same thing twice.

LightWalls free of dust and cobwebs. Skirting boards wiped. Ceiling corners and cornices clear. Light fittings and switch plates free of dust.

StandardA film of household dust along skirtings and architraves. Cobwebs in a few ceiling corners. Fingerprints around switches and door frames. Light shades hold visible dust.

HeavyDust ridged along the tops of skirtings. Cobwebs through most ceiling corners and cornices. Greasy handprints around switches, door frames and the kitchen wall line. Light fittings hold insects and dust that need removing rather than dusting.

SevereA sticky film across wall surfaces from cooking grease, wood smoke or cigarette smoke, needing washing rather than wiping. Cornices and ceilings discoloured. Light fittings need dismantling to clean. Staining from smoke or soot that does not wash out is a repaint, not a clean.

Not applicableThis one does not apply to my place. Tell us why in a line and the estimate gets sharper, not weaker.

Why not? (one line)

Your answer

Pick a level in each of the nine sections above. If the summary box does not appear, just write the nine levels into your message: kitchen, oven, rangehood, bathrooms, hard floors, carpet, windows, clutter, walls and skirtings.

How to pick

One level per section, and a mix is completely normal. A light bathroom and a heavy kitchen is a very common house. Nobody has the same answer all the way down.
If you are between two, pick the higher one. It costs you nothing: you pay for the hours actually worked, not for the estimate. An estimate pitched a bit high is money back in your pocket on the day. An estimate pitched too low is the awkward conversation on your doorstep, and that is the one worth avoiding.
Not applicable is a fine answer, with a line saying why. "No carpet anywhere" or "the oven was replaced last month" makes the estimate sharper, not weaker.
Send a few photos with it. The kitchen, inside the oven, each bathroom, the main living floor. Four or five on your phone, and no need to tidy first. Without photos or a look at the place in person we will not put a fixed number on it, because a number we guessed at helps neither of us. You would get an hourly rate and a minimum instead, which is a fair offer but a vaguer one.

These written descriptions are what your estimate is based on. Any photographs or illustrations alongside them are there to help you picture a level, and are not part of what is agreed.

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