Cleaning by the Hour in Edinburgh: you set the hours, you set the list
Choose the hours, give your provider the list when they arrive, and pay only for the time you booked. Useful for a regular once-over, help before a flat viewing, or a busy household in Edinburgh or West Lothian.
From 2 hours. You supply the products and equipment.
Or call 0141 488 00 88 (Mon–Fri 9:30–17:30)
- From 2 hours
- £17–£25 an hour
- You choose the tasks
- Payment held until done
- 4.9 ★Google rating from 113 reviews
Live figures from the platform. Read our Google reviews.
Hourly or fixed price? Pick the one that fits.
Both are booked and paid through Cleanifiq, with the same vetted providers. The difference is who decides the scope and who brings the kit.
| Compare | Hourly (this page) | Fixed price |
|---|---|---|
| You book | A number of hours (minimum 2) | The rooms and the level of clean |
| Who decides the tasks | You, on the day | An agreed scope, set before booking |
| Equipment and products | You supply them | The provider brings them, plus a ladder and a pole |
| Price | Hours × the provider’s hourly rate | A fixed quote before you book |
| Best for | Regular help, mixed chores, changing priorities | One-off cleans, move-outs, a defined result |
| Running over | Extra hours by an in-app request you approve | Extras by an in-app request you approve |
Want a defined result for a set price instead? See fixed-price house cleaning.
Your hours, your list. No surprises on either.
You see the rate before you book
Providers set their own hourly rate, never below £17 an hour on Cleanifiq. You choose by rate, availability and reviews, and the total for your hours is shown before you pay.
The hours are the hours
Book 2, 3 or more hours. If you would like your provider to stay longer and they are free, they send a request for the extra time, and you approve it in the app or you don’t.
Have the kit ready
Hourly providers don’t bring equipment or cleaning products. Lay out the hoover, the mop and your products before they arrive, so the first hour is spent cleaning, not looking for a sponge.
Write the list, then put it in order
Put the jobs that matter most at the top. If the time runs short, the important rooms are done and the rest waits for next time, rather than everything being half-finished.
Hourly works well for
- A regular tidy and clean of the whole home
- Kitchens and bathrooms wiped down and refreshed
- Hoovering, mopping and dusting
- Getting ready for visitors or a viewing
- Catching up after a busy week or an illness
Book something else for
- Moving out of a rented home: book a fixed-price end of tenancy clean
- A one-off deep clean with a defined result: book a deep clean
- Repairs and odd jobs: that is handyman work
- Biohazards or hoarding: specialist decontamination
See each provider’s rate and your total before you book.
Have the kit ready. Every minute goes on cleaning.
On an hourly booking you supply the equipment and the products. A short checklist, so nothing has to wait for a trip to the shop:
Floors
- A working hoover with an empty bag or bin
- Mop and bucket
- Floor cleaner suited to your floors
Kitchen & bathroom
- Multi-surface spray
- Bathroom cleaner and a toilet brush
- Degreaser if the hob or extractor needs it
Everything else
- Clean cloths and sponges
- Rubber gloves
- Bin bags
- A step stool if you want high shelves dusted
Tell your provider in the booking where things are kept, and mention any surfaces that need a particular product (natural stone, wooden worktops, a delicate floor). If something on your list needs equipment you don’t have, a fixed-price clean, where the provider brings everything, may suit that job better.
How much is hourly cleaning in Edinburgh?
Your price is the hours you book multiplied by the provider’s hourly rate. Providers set their own rate, never below £17 an hour, and on Cleanifiq hourly rates typically run from £17 to £25. The minimum booking is 2 hours unless a provider sets a different minimum, and by default a provider can be booked for up to 8 hours in one day.
| Hours booked | £17/h | £20/h | £25/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | £34.00 | £40.00 | £50.00 |
| 3 hours | £51.00 | £60.00 | £75.00 |
| 4 hours | £68.00 | £80.00 | £100.00 |
| 8 hours | £136.00 | £160.00 | £200.00 |
These are worked examples, not Edinburgh averages: hourly bookings don’t appear in our quote data yet, so we don’t publish a typical local total. When you search, every available provider shows their own rate and the total for your hours before you pay, and there is no booking fee on top.
Three steps. Then a hand with the house.
- 01
Choose the date and the hours
Enter your postcode, the date and how many hours you need (2 at least).
- 02
Pick a provider
Providers who cover your area and are free that day show their hourly rate and reviews, with the total for your hours.
- 03
Book and pay through Cleanifiq
Pay a deposit or in full. Your provider is paid after the visit, and extra hours need your OK.
The protection that comes with every booking
Your payment is held
You choose at checkout: pay a deposit (20% of the job, or the provider’s minimum call-out fee if that’s higher) or pay in full. If you pay a deposit, the balance is due by 7:30am on the day of the job; if it isn’t paid by then, the booking counts as cancelled. Your money goes to Cleanifiq, not the provider, and is released to them only after they’ve completed the job on the platform. There is no booking fee on top: the price you’re shown is the price you pay.
Something not right?
Tell us within 48 hours of the job, with photos or a short video of what isn’t right. Your provider comes back to put it right at no cost to you, and we hold their payment until it’s settled. If they can’t or won’t, you choose: the value of the unfinished items back as a refund or Cleanifiq credit, a new, smaller job for just those items with another provider (you see the price before confirming), or both.
If your provider cancels
If your provider cancels, you never pay a cancellation fee. You choose a replacement provider (you see their price first) or a full refund. If you rebook the same service for the same date, any same-day or next-day surcharge on the replacement is covered.
Pay through Cleanifiq
Always pay through Cleanifiq, including for anything added on the day. Work paid for privately falls outside our guarantee, our insurance cover and our dispute resolution.
Hourly help in Edinburgh: practical notes
The Edinburgh districts with the most Cleanifiq jobs over the last year were EH3, EH7 and EH11, with steady work in West Lothian too. These notes come from that mix of city flats and family homes.
Parking zones
Much of central Edinburgh is a controlled parking zone. Answer the parking question in the booking (free, paid, none or not sure), so any parking cost is agreed upfront rather than raised on the day.
Shared stairs and main doors
In a tenement, put the entry details and your floor in the notes. A provider waiting at the main door is booked time not spent cleaning.
Leaving a let?
An hourly clean doesn’t carry the end of tenancy inspection promise. 18 providers quoted for end of tenancy cleans in Edinburgh in the six months to October 2026, so a fixed-price check-out clean is usually the safer choice.
Hourly cleaning in Edinburgh: your questions
- Yes. On an hourly booking the provider brings no equipment or cleaning products; you supply them. That is the main difference from a fixed-price clean, where the provider brings everything, including a 3-step ladder and an extension pole.
- Some do. Livingston and Bathgate postcodes (EH54 and EH48) were among the Edinburgh-area districts with the most Cleanifiq jobs last year. Enter your postcode to see who is available on your date.
- 2 hours, unless a provider sets a different minimum. By default a provider can be booked for up to 8 hours in one day.
- Your total is the hours you book multiplied by the provider’s hourly rate. Rates on Cleanifiq typically run from £17 to £25 an hour and are never below £17, so the smallest booking, 2 hours at £17, comes to £34.00. You see the rate and the total before you pay.
- Each hourly booking is for one day, with no subscription or contract. If you liked your provider, book them again for your next date when they are available.
- Your provider can send a request for extra hours in the app, if they are free to stay. You accept or decline it; nothing is added without your OK.
- Cleaning and tidying jobs in your home that can be done safely with the equipment and products you provide. Repairs and odd jobs are handyman work, and biohazards need specialist decontamination.
- Usually not. A fixed-price end of tenancy clean has a defined scope and an inspection promise: if your landlord’s or agent’s inspection flags something within 7 working days, the provider goes back to fix it. An hourly booking has no defined scope, so it can’t carry that promise.
- Before a provider can take bookings we check photo ID, proof of address and public liability insurance, plus a criminal record check (Basic Disclosure Scotland or equivalent) and right to work where it applies. For companies we check a director’s ID, the business address, public liability insurance and Companies House status. Documents with expiry dates are re-checked when they expire, and a new provider’s first three jobs are covered by Cleanifiq’s insurance while their own cover is verified. Every review on a provider’s profile comes from a booked, paid job. No check is perfect, so read the reviews and pick someone with a track record for your type of job.
- Yes, you can cancel your booking, but cancellation fees may apply depending on timing. More than 2 weeks before: full refund with no deductions. Between 2 weeks and 2 days before: a payment processing fee of 1.69%–5% (depending on payment method) is retained and the rest is refunded. Less than 2 days before (or failing to pay by 7:30 AM on cleaning day): your deposit is retained as a slot reservation fee. After the provider starts: you owe the minimum callout fee or work completed, whichever is greater. Whenever money comes back to you, you can take it as Cleanifiq credit instead of a refund, sometimes with a bonus on top. This policy keeps things fair for both customers and Edinburgh providers.
Book hourly cleaning in Edinburgh
Enter your postcode, the date and the hours, see who is free and what they charge, and book. You hand over the list on the day.
- From 2 hoursminimum booking
- £17–£25 an hourtypical provider rates
- Payment helduntil the visit is done
Phone support Mon–Fri 9:30–17:30. Out of hours, SparkleBot, our AI assistant, answers 24/7 on 0141 673 9380.