house-cleaning

House Cleaning Cost in Washington: 2026 Rates From Seattle to Spokane and What Drives Them

House cleaning cost in Washington for 2026: Seattle, Eastside, Tacoma, and Spokane rates, standard versus deep clean pricing, add-ons, and hiring tips.

House Cleaning Cost in Washington: 2026 Rates From Seattle to Spokane and What Drives Them

A standard house cleaning in Washington costs $140 to $260 per visit for a typical three-bedroom home in 2026, and a deep clean of the same house runs $300 to $600. Hourly rates for a single cleaner sit between $45 and $80, and two-person teams from established companies charge $90 to $150 per hour. Seattle and the Eastside pay the most in the state, and Spokane, Yakima, and the Tri-Cities pay the least.

The gap between the west side and the east side of the state is wider than in most places because of wages. Seattle's minimum wage is among the highest in the country, and cleaning companies in King County pay accordingly. A weekly cleaning in Bellevue or Kirkland can cost 30 to 40 percent more than the same service in Spokane Valley, and that difference is labor, not markup.

Washington homes also get dirty in their own way. Nine months of rain on the west side means mud tracked in from October to June, moss and mildew on windowsills, and bathrooms that never fully dry out. East of the Cascades, it is dust and wildfire smoke residue in August and September that drives the deep cleaning calls.

Prices by Region

Seattle proper runs $160 to $300 for a standard clean of a three-bedroom house and $350 to $700 for a deep clean. Hourly rates for a solo cleaner are $55 to $85, and companies with two-person teams charge $110 to $160 per hour. Parking and building access in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and Ballard add time, and some companies charge a $15 to $30 parking fee in neighborhoods with no legal spots.

The Eastside, from Bellevue and Redmond to Issaquah and Sammamish, prices similarly to Seattle, with larger homes pushing totals up. A 3,500 square foot house in Sammamish with four bathrooms is a $250 to $400 standard clean and a $600 to $900 deep clean.

Tacoma, Everett, Olympia, and the rest of the Puget Sound corridor sit 10 to 20 percent below Seattle. A three-bedroom standard clean in Tacoma or Federal Way runs $130 to $230, and hourly rates for solo cleaners are $45 to $70.

Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Wenatchee, and Walla Walla have the lowest rates in the state. A standard three-bedroom clean costs $110 to $200, a deep clean $250 to $450, and solo cleaners charge $40 to $60 per hour. Bellingham and the San Juans have fewer companies and moderate rates, with island jobs adding ferry time.

What Each Type of Cleaning Costs

A standard or maintenance clean covers the surfaces people see: kitchen counters and appliance exteriors, bathroom fixtures and mirrors, dusting, vacuuming, and mopping. It assumes the house was cleaned recently and takes two to four hours for a typical home. Weekly and biweekly clients pay $120 to $260 per visit depending on region and size.

A deep clean adds baseboards, door frames, light fixtures, ceiling fans, window sills and tracks, inside the microwave, cabinet fronts, grout scrubbing, and behind and under moveable furniture. It takes twice as long as a standard clean and is what most companies require as the first visit before starting a recurring schedule. Prices run $300 to $600 for a three-bedroom home on the west side and $250 to $450 east of the mountains.

Move-in and move-out cleans are deep cleans of an empty home with the inside of every cabinet, closet, and appliance included. They cost $350 to $750 for a three-bedroom house in Puget Sound and $280 to $550 in Spokane, and landlords across the state require them to release a deposit.

Add-Ons That Change the Price

Inside the oven and inside the refrigerator are $30 to $60 each when not included. Interior windows run $5 to $12 per window, laundry $20 to $40 per load, and wall washing $50 to $150 per room. Organizing, which is often confused with cleaning, is priced separately at $50 to $90 per hour.

Pets add 10 to 20 percent at many companies because of hair and the extra vacuuming. Homes with more than two bathrooms, homes over 3,000 square feet, and homes that have not been cleaned in months carry surcharges as well.

Frequency Discounts

Weekly service gets the best per-visit rate, typically 15 to 25 percent below a one-time clean. Biweekly is 10 to 15 percent below one-time, and monthly is close to one-time pricing because the house needs more work each visit. A Seattle family paying $200 per biweekly visit is spending about $5,200 a year, which is the number to weigh against doing it yourself.

Independent Cleaners Versus Companies

Independent cleaners charge $40 to $70 per hour across most of Washington and are 20 to 35 percent cheaper than companies for the same work. The tradeoffs are that they may not carry insurance, they cannot send a substitute when they are sick, and you may be responsible for employment taxes if the arrangement looks like employment rather than contracting.

Companies charge more and provide insurance, bonding, background checks, and a replacement cleaner when someone is out. For a recurring schedule in a home with valuables or a family that needs reliability, the extra cost buys something real. For a one-time deep clean before a party, an independent with good references is often the better value.

Washington requires cleaning businesses to have a state business license, and most cities require a local license as well. Neither guarantees quality, but a company that has both is at least a real business, and it is fair to ask for the UBI number.

Seattle's domestic workers ordinance sets minimum wage and rest break rules for house cleaners working inside the city, and companies and independents alike have to follow it. A cleaner quoting well below the going rate in Seattle may not be.

Rain, Mud, and Wildfire Season

West-side homes from October through May see a level of tracked-in mud that surprises newcomers. Entryways, mudrooms, and the first ten feet of every floor take the brunt, and a cleaning company that knows the region will spend extra time there. Many Seattle and Tacoma homeowners move to weekly service for the winter and back to biweekly in summer.

Moss and mildew are the other west-side issue. Bathroom grout, window tracks, and the north-facing sills grow black mildew in the damp months, and a deep clean twice a year that includes a proper scrub of those areas keeps it from becoming a paint-and-caulk project.

Wood floors, common in Seattle's older Craftsman homes in Wallingford and Ravenna, need a cleaner who knows not to soak them, and a company that mops hardwood the way it mops tile will leave cupped boards by spring.

East of the Cascades, wildfire smoke in late summer leaves a fine ash residue on every horizontal surface, and dust from the surrounding farmland blows in year-round. Spokane and Yakima companies see a spike in deep clean requests every September once the smoke clears.

Getting an Accurate Quote

Most Washington companies quote by square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms, and a phone or online quote is usually accurate for a standard clean. For a deep clean or a move-out, ask for a walkthrough or send photos, because the condition of the house matters more than the size and a crew that arrives to a heavier job than described will add a surcharge on the spot.

Ask what is included and what is extra, whether the cleaners bring supplies, how cancellations work, and whether the same cleaner comes each time. Consistency matters for a recurring schedule, and companies that rotate crews every visit tend to produce uneven results.

Recurring clients usually get a locked rate for a year, and companies raise prices in January when Washington's minimum wage adjusts. Ask whether the quote is guaranteed and for how long.

Compare two or three quotes for anything recurring. Prices in the Seattle area vary by 40 percent or more between companies for the same house. You can find licensed and insured companies in our Washington house cleaning directory, and our home services blog has more on move-out cleaning checklists and how to prepare a house for a cleaning crew.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a house cleaner cost per hour in Seattle?

Solo cleaners charge $55 to $85 per hour in Seattle in 2026, and two-person teams from companies charge $110 to $160 per hour. Most jobs are quoted flat rather than hourly once the company knows the house.

Is house cleaning cheaper in Spokane than in Seattle?

Yes, by 30 to 40 percent for the same home. A standard three-bedroom clean that costs $220 in Seattle typically runs $140 to $160 in Spokane because of the difference in labor costs.

How often should I schedule cleaning in Western Washington?

Biweekly works for most homes, and many families switch to weekly from November through March when tracked-in mud and closed-up rooms make the house dirtier faster.

Should I tip a house cleaner in Washington?

Tipping is appreciated but not expected for recurring service from a company. A $20 to $40 tip for a one-time deep clean or a move-out is common, and many clients give a holiday bonus equal to one visit for a regular cleaner.