How much house cleaning costs in Ottawa in 2026, and what changes the price
Updated
Indicative 2026 prices for house cleaning in Ottawa, and the things that move a quote up or down: square footage, how often you book, the condition of the home, and tax.
Indicative 2026 ranges
These are the indicative 2026 ranges from the price guide on this site, before tax. They are for planning. A real quote follows a short call or visit.
A recurring clean of a two-bedroom condo: $130 to $190 per visit. A recurring clean of a three-bedroom house: $190 to $300 per visit. A deep clean, for a first visit or a seasonal clean: about 40% to 60% more than the standard price. A move-in or move-out clean: $300 to $550. Office cleaning: from about $0.12 to $0.25 per sq ft per month.
A first-time deep clean of that same three-bedroom house, at 40% to 60% above the standard range, works out to roughly $266 to $480 before tax.
For a three-bedroom house cleaned every two weeks, the standard range works out to about $380 to $600 a month before tax.
What a standard clean usually covers
A standard recurring clean usually covers the kitchen counters, sink, stovetop and the outside of appliances, bathrooms top to bottom, dusting of reachable surfaces, making beds, emptying garbage, and vacuuming and washing floors.
It usually does not cover the inside of the oven or fridge, interior windows, walls or inside cabinets. Those are the extras that raise a quote. Ask for the checklist in writing so you know what the price includes.
Size, layout and how often you book
Size is the starting point, because time is what you pay for. But the number of bathrooms and the kitchen matter more than bedrooms. A bathroom takes far longer to clean properly than a bedroom of the same size.
Layout counts too. Three floors mean carrying equipment up and down stairs. Lots of hard flooring, glass and open shelving all add time. A condo with an elevator and parking is quicker to reach than a house on a street with no parking.
Frequency has a large effect on the price per visit. A home cleaned weekly or every two weeks stays at a level where each visit is maintenance. A home cleaned once in a while needs more time each visit.
That is why most companies price the first visit as a deep clean. Built-up grease, soap scum and dust take far longer than a regular pass. After that, recurring visits usually drop back to the standard rate.
Condition and extras
The state of the home when the cleaner arrives moves the price more than anything except size. Pets, especially shedding dogs and cats, add time. So does clutter, because surfaces have to be cleared before they can be cleaned.
Common extras that are often priced separately: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows, inside cabinets, baseboards and walls, and laundry. Post-renovation cleaning is its own service, since fine construction dust gets everywhere and takes several passes.
Labour and tax
Most of the price is labour. Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.60 an hour until September 30, 2026, and rises to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026. Employers also carry payroll costs, insurance, supplies and travel time between homes, so the rate you pay is well above the wage.
Tax is the other difference between quotes. Ontario's HST is 13%. A business that is a small supplier, with taxable sales of no more than $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, does not have to register for or charge HST. So one quote may include tax and another may not. Compare the totals. On a $250 visit, 13% HST adds $32.50, for a total of $282.50.
Getting quotes you can compare
Give each company the same details: square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, pets, how often you want the visits, and which extras you want. Ask whether the price is a flat rate or hourly, whether supplies and equipment are included, and whether the cleaners are insured.
Ask how the price is reviewed. If the home gets bigger, a pet joins the family or you switch from weekly to monthly visits, expect the quote to change. A walk-through in person, or a video call around the home, gives a more reliable number than square footage alone.
Ask what happens if something is missed. A company that will come back to fix it is worth more than a slightly lower price.