Kitchen floor cleaners near you

After you get new floors installed in your home, make sure you maintain them. Use these tips to keep your floors clean, shiny and polished. 

How to Clean Concrete Floors

Start by sweeping or vacuuming the entire surface to remove loose debris. Mopping will require different substances based on the type of concrete floor. For a polished concrete floor, use a specialized polished concrete cleaner. For a painted concrete floor, use a mild all-purpose cleaner. A sealed concrete floor can be cleaned with dishwashing liquid, while an unsealed floor is best cleaned with trisodium phosphate and stain removers. Use kitty litter or cornstarch for grease stains, and distilled white vinegar for rust stains. 

For more tips on how to clean and maintain your concrete floors, consult with your professional concrete flooring contractor.

How to Clean Hardwood Floors

Cleaning hardwood floors typically requires a mop, bucket and some type of hardwood floor cleaner. Start by removing furniture and objects. Vacuum up all debris (or use a dust mop), moving with the grain. Spray your cleaner on a small section of the floor, and mop in a figure-eight motion, working backward. Make sure there are no puddles. 

In high-traffic areas, you should mop one or two times per week. Low-traffic areas should be mopped at least once per month. 

To ensure you're cleaning and maintaining your hardwood floors properly, speak with your hardwood flooring installation specialist.

How to Clean Laminate Floors:

Start by vacuuming to remove dust, dirt and other debris. The best mop for laminate floors is a microfiber mop with a sprayer feature. Spray and mop one small area at a time to avoid standing liquid on the floor. Go over the floor with a dry microfiber cloth after mopping to make sure all liquid is gone. 

Although you can use a damp mop, never use a wet mop on laminate floors. Moisture can cause the flooring to bubble, swell and buckle. Instead, use a dedicated laminate floor mop with a laminate floor cleaner spray. The best mop for laminate floors is typically made with microfiber, which picks up dirt and absorbs moisture well.

Consulting with your laminate flooring installer is a good idea if you've never had laminate floors and need more tips on how to clean them properly.

How to Clean Vinyl Floors

Cleaning vinyl plank flooring is easy. Start by sweeping and vacuuming up dirt, dust and debris. Then use a damp — not wet — mop or rag with warm water. While vinyl is waterproof, an excessive amount of water can leak between the seams and affect the glue bond with the floor. When you feel a chemical is needed, make sure to choose cleaning products safe for vinyl planks.

Reach out to your vinyl flooring installer for tips on how to further maintain and care for your vinyl floors.

For more tips, read our guide on how to clean and maintain all types of flooring.

Deep cleaning a house goes beyond the surface level to clear out the dust, grime and gunk that’s collecting on the fan blades, hiding in the blinds, and built up inside the refrigerator drawers. Deep cleaning of a home or apartment costs more than regular house cleaning because it takes more time, effort, and cleaning products. You may choose to have a deep cleaning once or several times a year in addition to your standard cleaning services. You may have a one-time deep cleaning to prepare for company or to clean after a house party. Companies may charge an hourly rate or a price per square foot, or may offer you a flat rate after they have visited your home and estimated work time. The national average house cleaning price is $110-$150, with rates ranging higher for deep-cleaning services. Here are some examples of how a company may calculate their deep-cleaning prices:

• 10 cents per square foot (compared with 5 cents per square foot for standard house cleaning).
• $300 for a 3,000-square-foot home.
• $25 per hour per worker for deep-cleaning services.

There are many questions to ask a cleaning service before you hire them to make sure they’re the right fit. These questions might include:

• How much do you charge?
• How do you set your prices -- per hour or per square foot? Or, do you charge a flat rate?
• What is your past work experience? Can I see a list of references?
• Are you accustomed to working with different home or apartment types and sizes?
• Can you work with children or pets in the house?
• What types of cleaning products do you use?
• Do you bring your own cleaning supplies and products?
• How often can you clean my home?
• Is there anything you recommend I do (or don't do) to my home before you arrive?

For more tips on how to hire the best maid or house cleaning service, read our smart hiring guide.

A basic house cleaning typically includes tasks like carpet cleaning, wiping countertops, taking out the trash, doing the laundry and washing dishes. A deep house cleaning is a much more involved process, where all aspects of the home are given full attention for a cleanout. In a deep house cleaning, the cleaners will wet-wipe everything from door frames to light switch plates, making sure to also clean walls, windows, air vents, ceiling fans, furniture and more.

Cleaning an epoxy floor is an extensive job in any warehouse or larger space, making it a job best left to a professional who can get it done quickly and effectively. However, there are several bits of maintenance you should perform by yourself in between professional cleanings. For example, you can remove grit from the floor with a broom, dust mop and/or shop vacuum.  Make sure you wipe away chemical spills like automotive fluids before they become permanent spots on the floor. 

You may benefit from hiring a professional move-out cleaning service, depending on your budget, time frame and whether you will be getting a deposit back. Hiring a cleaning service takes the stress out of your move. But if you’ve had your house regularly deep-cleaned, or if your landlord will charge you for cleaning anyway, you can save costs by DIY-ing it.

Generally, getting your house cleaned professionally can take several hours. The time it takes for house cleaners to complete their job depends on the size of your home, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you have, the type of service you require and the condition of your house. It also might depend on how many employees are cleaning and the supplies they are using. If you get recurring cleaning services, the first visit might take a bit longer than the subsequent visits. 

When choosing the best house cleaner for you, ask for an estimate about how long their services will take.

The national average cost for house cleaning ranges between $25 and $50 per hour, per cleaner. However, the cost of house cleaning services near you might be different.

House cleaning prices vary based on how many square feet your home is, how dirty your house gets and how often the cleaning service comes. And, prices can be lower in areas with a lower cost of living, higher in big cities or affluent regions.

Some companies charge a set amount — such as 5 cents — per square foot, with a minimum amount, such as $100. You may save money by increasing the frequency of your house cleaning visits. Often a company will charge you less per cleaning when you schedule more cleanings per month. The cost advantage rewards your loyalty, and also reflects the fact that more frequent cleanings make it easier to maintain a high level of cleanliness in your home. A housecleaning service may charge more for the first visit or for one-time services than for recurring cleanings.

To learn more about the cost of house cleaning, visit our House Cleaning Cost Guide.

When searching for the best house cleaning service near you, consider the depth of your cleaning needs, your budget and the size and condition of your home. Read reviews from verified customers of any cleaning service that you’re looking to hire. Also, check out the reviewers’ photos and do background checks on reviewers to ensure they’re not employed by established cleaning firms or maid agencies. 

When viewing house cleaners on Thumbtack, you might see a Top Pro badge. This indicates that the service is one of the most popular and highly-rated professionals using the platform.

There are several things you can do in preparation for a house cleaning to improve the efficiency and quality of the job. If you’re unfamiliar with a cleaning service, hiding and locking away any obvious valuables lying around can offer great peace of mind.

Depending on the preference of the cleaner, you may need to lock up your pets before the cleaners arrive. Washing dishes and decluttering the house allows a house cleaner to do their job more effectively. And leaving special notes for the cleaners about certain areas in your home that need attention is also helpful.

Ask house cleaners near you about their tips to help you prepare for their services.