Cleaning Costs in Washington, DC (2026): What Affects the Price

Ask three cleaning companies in Washington, DC for a price and you may get three very different answers, because a one-bedroom condo in Navy Yard and a four-floor Capitol Hill rowhouse with an English basement are very different jobs. This guide explains our published starting prices, the things that move a quote up or down in DC homes, and how to get a price that won’t change on the day. Across our 3 deep cleans in Washington, DC so far, the median job total was $508, add-ons included; that is a small number of jobs, so treat it as an example rather than a city average.

Our starting prices in Washington, DC

Starting prices are published for every service and are the same in DC as everywhere we work. They are the floor for a small, tidy home; your own price depends on size, condition and the extras you choose, and it is confirmed in writing before you book.

Hello Cleaners starting prices, Washington, DC, 2026

Service	Starting price	Best for
Regular house cleaning	$160	Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly visits
Move-in cleaning	$180	Sanitizing a new home before the boxes arrive
Move-out cleaning	$190	Empty homes before the inspection and deposit
Deep cleaning	$200	A top-to-bottom reset of a lived-in home
Pre-sale cleaning	$220	Listing photos and showings
Post-construction cleaning	$250	After renovations and basement conversions

Carpet cleaning is not offered in Washington, DC, so it is not part of any DC quote.

What moves the price up or down

• Bedrooms and bathrooms. Bathrooms take longer than bedrooms. A two-bedroom, two-bath condo costs more than a two-bedroom with one bath.
• Floors and stairs. A rowhouse spreads the same space over three or four levels, plus an English basement. Every flight of stairs, landing and railing adds time that a one-level condo doesn’t have.
• Condition. A home cleaned regularly takes far less time than one where grease, soap scum and dust have built up.
• Inside the appliances. Ovens and fridges are add-ons because a heavily used oven alone can take an hour.
• Walls, windows and radiators. Wiping walls, cleaning interior glass and detailing old radiators are priced so you only pay for what the home needs.
• Building logistics. Elevator bookings, loading-zone limits and parking can add time; tell us about them up front.

Condo, apartment, rowhouse or English basement

Condos and newer apartments around Navy Yard, NoMa and the Southwest Waterfront are usually quickest per bedroom: one level, modern kitchens, stacked laundry. The time goes on kitchens, bathrooms, glass and balcony doors. Older apartment buildings in Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle often have radiators, older windows and smaller kitchens with more detail to clean. Rowhouses on Capitol Hill, in Shaw, Petworth and Brookland add stairs, several bathrooms and a basement. English basement units are compact but often damp, so bathrooms and closets need mildew attention.

Move-out cleaning in DC

Move out cleaning starts at $190 for a small apartment. DC landlords must give at least 10 days’ notice of the move-out inspection, and within 45 days after the tenancy ends they must either return the deposit with interest or say in writing what they will withhold. That makes the clean worth timing carefully: after the movers, before the inspection. Our checklist covers what DC inspections look at:

• Kitchen: inside the oven, fridge, microwave and cabinets, range hood degreased, sink and counters
• Bathrooms: tub and tile descaled, mildew removed from grout, caulk and ceiling, fixtures polished
• Radiators, baseboards, vents, doors, frames and switches
• Window sills and tracks, balcony and sliding-door tracks
• Closets, shelves and drawers wiped inside
• Floors vacuumed and mopped throughout

See the full move-out cleaning checklist and our DC deposit guide.

Extras worth adding

• Inside the oven and fridge: the most common item on a move-out list
• Walls: scuffs along stairwells and hallways, cooking film in kitchens
• Radiators: dust baked between the fins and the wall behind
• Pet hair: along baseboards, on stairs and in vents
• Mildew treatment: bathroom grout and caulk, especially in basements

Regular cleaning: how often, and what it costs

Regular house cleaning starts at $160 a visit. Weekly suits families, pets and busy households; bi-weekly is the most common choice; monthly suits smaller apartments and condos kept tidy between visits. The more often we come, the less time each visit takes, because dust, grease and soap scum never get a chance to build up. Most people start with one deep clean so the home is at a clean baseline, then switch to a regular schedule with the same team each time.

Renovation and pre-sale cleans

DC homes change hands and get renovated often, and both bring their own cleans. After a rowhouse renovation or a basement conversion, a post-construction clean clears the fine dust that settles for days in vents, cabinets, window tracks and on every ledge; it starts at $250 and should be booked after the last trade has gone. Before a sale, a pre-sale clean from $220 gets kitchens, bathrooms, glass, radiators and the stoop or balcony ready for the photographer. Tell us about any debris or leftover belongings when you ask for a quote, so the price covers them from the start.

Is a professional clean worth it?

For a move-out, do the deposit math: a DC deposit can be up to a month’s rent, and each item left dirty can be itemized against it. A professional clean usually costs a fraction of that and comes with a checklist built around what inspections notice, plus our promise to come back within 36 hours if anything was missed.

How to compare cleaning quotes

• Ask whether the price is fixed or hourly, and what happens if the job takes longer
• Check what is included: inside appliances, cabinets, walls and radiators are often extras
• Ask whether supplies and equipment are included
• Ask what happens if something is missed; we come back within 36 hours to put it right
• Check that the company can meet your building’s insurance certificate rules if required
• Get the price in writing before you book

How to keep the price down

• For a move-out, empty the home completely, including closets, the basement and storage cages
• Defrost and empty the fridge the day before
• Send photos with your quote request so the price is confirmed first
• Book the elevator and a loading spot so the team isn’t waiting
• Point out problem areas in advance: heavy grease, mildew, pet hair or debris
• Go recurring after a deep clean; regular visits cost less each time because the home stays clean

When to book

Leases in DC turn over all year, but month-ends, late spring and late summer are busiest, and so is the run-up to the holidays for deep cleans. Book one to two weeks ahead for those dates. For a pre-sale clean, book a day or two before the photographer; for a renovation, after the last trade has gone and the punch list is done.

What to do next

Tell us the size of the home, the number of floors and what needs attention, and we will confirm a price before anything is booked: get a free quote, or book move-out cleaning in Washington, DC, deep cleaning or cleaning in the Navy Yard area.