Congratulations to Marlucy! We are delighted to announce that Marlucy has won this year’s Housekeeper of the Year award and a £150 prize. 

Each year we ask customers to nominate their housekeepers for the award. We received a great response acknowledging the valuable work done by housekeepers from all across the city. Marlucy, this year’s winner,  received the most votes and many outstanding reviews from her customers, such as:

"Marlucy has been a wonderful and reliable fortnightly cleaner for my flat. First rate. I count on this to be a long-term relationship."

"Marlucy is a very responsible ,honest lady and 100% reliable. Marlucy is somebody I always trust to look after my home."

"I am very happy with Marlucy, she is quite responsive and flexible to adjust to our requests. Very reliable and trustworthy. I am happy with the service she has been providing."

"Great job, very professional and always good...

Introduction

We have created the definitive guide to cleaning kitchens. We share expert advice on cleaning frequency, supplies, methodologies and techniques. In this article you will learn: 

1. Why do you need to clean your kitchen?

2. How often should you clean your kitchen?

3. What cleaning materials are needed?

4. What is the optimal methodology for cleaning kitchens

5. How to clean your kitchen appliances

• How to clean a microwave
• How to clean a toaster
• How to clean a coffee machine
• How to clean a stovetop
• How to clean a refrigerator
• How to clean a dishwasher
• How to clean an oven

6. How to clean your kitchen sink and bin

7. How to clean your kitchen floor

• How to clean laminate floors
• How to clean hardwood floors
• How to clean tiled floors
• How to clean vinyl floors

1. Why do you need to clean your kitchen?

We believe that the kitchen is the most important room in the home. The kitchen is the heart of any home. It's where we cook and eat, gather with friends and...

In this article, we share fridge cleaning tips, to prevent it from smelling and protect your food from harmful bacteria.

From milk spills and funky odours to jars sticking to the glass shelves, fridges can soon start to look messy and release unpleasant odours. Cleaning your fridge is your best bet for preventing icky smells and the spread of germs. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to clean your fridge:

Empty the fridge

Before cleaning the fridge, take the food out and set aside two areas for setting items down: one area for anything that is expired and another area for items that need to be put back into the fridge.  

Take all your shelves and drawers out

Next, switch off the appliance, let it come to room temperature and remove interior shelving, drawers and door racks. Wipe the surface of each shelf with a sponge dipped into a solution of hot water and liquid dish soap. If there are spills or food build-up that are harder to clean up, soak the shelf or drawer...

Congratulations to Silviya! She beat hundreds of housekeepers across the whole of London to win this year’s Housekeeper of the Year award and a £150 prize.

Every year TidyChoice celebrates the most skilful, competent and reliable cleaner in our Housekeeper of the Year Award. Customers were asked to nominate their housekeeper for the award. 

We received a huge response in recognition of the valuable work that house cleaners do across the city. Silviya received the most votes from customers and got some amazing comments from her customers.

We are delighted to give the award to Silviya who is a very worthy winner. We spoke to her shortly after presenting her with the award.

How did you feel when you found out you had won the competition?

I was very excited to have won the Housekeeper of the Year 2021 award. I am thankful to all my customers who nominated me.

You got huge support from your customers who are clearly very happy with you. What is your secret?

I truly love...

1. Summary

• According to our survey, the average price for a weekly clean in London is £17.69 per hour

• Average hourly cleaning rates in London for a weekly clean increased by 8.7% in 2022 and by 11.4% in 2021

• London hourly cleaning prices of £17.69/hour are higher than other UK cities: £16.39/hour in Bristol, £16.05/hour in Birmingham and £15.91/hour in Manchester

• 33% of London cleaning companies charge a premium for one-off bookings resulting in an average rate of £20.24 per hour for one-off bookings compared to £17.69/hour for weekly bookings

2. Hourly cleaning rates in London

Introduction

UK house cleaning prices have been increasing. How much does a cleaner cost per hour in the UK?

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of domestic cleaning prices in the UK. We have conducted the most comprehensive analysis of domestic cleaning prices in the UK. We conducted our own proprietary research to establish the cost of...

Today is Clean Your Floors Day! Floors take the greatest amount of wear and tear in our homes. Allowing your floors to get too dirty can cause them damage but also spread dirt around the house. Here, we have teamed up with Stories Flooring to share our top tips on how to keep your floor looking spic and span.

How to clean wood floors naturally

Cleaning floors with vinegar is eco-friendly and cost-effective. It is also one of the best ways to get the job done. We Buy Any House suggest that before you start mopping, you need to make sure you have removed furniture, appliances and other objects that might be damaged by water.

Add ½ cup white vinegar to a gallon of warm water in a bucket. Place your mop in the bucket and wring it out to remove the excess water. Work your way toward a door, mopping in a circular or side-to-side direction. Once you have mopped the floor thoroughly, empty the bucket and refill it with clean, warm water. Go back over the floor once...

As many companies adopt a permanent transition to remote working, employees are spending more time at home. Home cleaning and decluttering have become more important than ever. Keyboard, mouse and phone contain high levels of bacteria that pose a risk to health. We created a handy infographic showing the importance of keeping your home workplace clean.

The average keyboard and phone have 3.5 million and 1.6 million bacteria per square inch, respectively. By comparison, the toilet harbours about 3.2 million bacteria per square inch. Pathogens like MRSA could survive for up to 180 days on hard surfaces, while other common but less deadly pathogens, such as flu can survive for 24 hours. 

Introduction

It is timely that April is Stress Awareness Month. After a year in a global pandemic, the strain of repeated lockdowns and uncertainties have increased stress and impacted mental wellbeing. However, stress can be controlled in our daily lives. In this article, we look at the connection between a clean house and mental health and how cleaning can help stress levels.

Clutter increases stress

Because of lockdowns and working from home, we are spending most of our time stuck at home. Over the past year, 74% of UK adults have experienced problems with mental or emotional pressure. Researchers have found that clutter and mess are strongly associated with increasing stress and anxiety. According to a study clutter starts with loosing pens and papers, filling your desk with unnecessary clutter and leads to low quality work environment and increased anxiety levels.

Over 82% of Brits’ mood is impacted by clutter in some way....

In this article we review cleaning industry trends in the UK house cleaning sector. We examine growth trends in the UK domestic cleaning services industry.

Introduction

The UK domestic cleaning industry market has grown at an impressive pace in recent years with a 21% increase in turnover between 2013 and 2020. Structural and secular trends have driven strong growth. However, the cleaning sector, along with the rest of the UK economy is facing a number of challenges from the impact of COVID-19, Brexit and a likely economic recession. 

In the first part of this article, we examine the factors driving recent growth in the sector. In the second part, we examine the impact of COVID-19 on demand for home cleaning services. Finally, we explore the outlook for the sector and consider the potential impact of COVID-19, Brexit and an economic recession on domestic cleaning in the UK.

1) Growth in the UK house cleaning market 

Introduction

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the...

Introduction

The cleaning industry in the UK is enormous and makes an important contribution to the UK economy. This article takes an in-depth look into the sector.

In the first part of this article we provide an overview of the size and structure of the overall cleaning industry in the UK. In the second section, we outline the growth in the sector and analyse growth drivers. Finally, we do a deep dive on the cleaning activities sub-sector which includes domestic cleaning.

Most of the data in this article is from 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the UK economy as a whole, including the cleaning sector. In a separate article, we explore structural trends in the sector and the likely impact of Covid-19. 

(A) Overview of the UK cleaning industry

Size and importance of the cleaning industry in the UK

According to recent data from the BCC (British Cleaning Council), the cleaning industry contributes £55.5 billion to the UK economy every year. For...

Before the lockdown

We first heard about coronavirus in early January. We began to take serious notice on 23^rd January when the Chinese government locked down Wuhan province. As the first cases were identified in the UK, we began to seriously think about the implications of a lockdown on the UK domestic cleaning sector. We have hundreds of independent cleaners using our platform. Would home cleaners be able to go to work? Would cleaners be able to support themselves?

House cleaners permitted to work during lockdown

We were expecting some form of lockdown before Boris Johnson made his announcement on 23^rd March 2020. After the announcement, we read and reread the rules and government guidance.

There was no specific guidance on working in people’s homes. The government rules said that you could leave home if you...

Each year, the British Cleaning Council produces a report on the UK cleaning industry. The cleaning sector is often overlooked so it is great that this report champions the vital services provided to UK workplaces, hospitals, schools, public spaces and homes.

The most striking aspect of the report is the sheer size of the sector. The cleaning sector contributes £55.5 billion to the UK economy and employs 1.6 million people. The British Cleaning Council divides the industry into four sub-sectors: Cleaning activities, Facilities management, Waste and resource management and Landscape service activities.

We have created a summary infographic to highlight the most important data. We have focused on the Cleaning activities sub-sector and summarised the key trends in commercial and domestic cleaning.

To help make the most of your time during the four day “lockdown” over Easter, we have compiled a list of cleaning projects. We will admit that at first glance they don’t seem like a lot of fun, but you will feel so good when you finish them and experience the results! To ensure we were giving you the best advice possible, we asked some domestic cleaners in Hampstead to run through their best ideas. Additional input came from someone who is, in our opinion, the best cleaner in Tottenham. Here's what they had to say!  

We surveyed over 3,000 cleaners on our database to find out what cleaners really think about their customers. We discussed the cleanest habits, the worst habits and their view on people’s overall attitudes towards cleaning. We want to understand the cleaner’s perspective and get insights that might help us improve the service for both cleaners and customers.

The great news is that 98% of our cleaners felt valued and respected by their clients. In addition, 85% of cleaners said that their clients were lean and tidy. This indicates to us that relationships between customers and cleaners are generally very good.

We then asked about client cleaning habits to see if there are any ways that we can help cleaners in their jobs. According to respondents in our survey, 56% of householders do very little or no cleaning between scheduled sessions. It seems that some customers could help cleaners do a better job by doing some tidying up...

Congratulations to Maria Helena! She trumped hundreds of housekeepers across the whole of London to win this year’s Housekeeper of the Year award and a £150 prize.

Customers were asked to nominate their housekeeper for the award. We received a huge response in recognition of the valuable work that house cleaners do across the city. Maria Helena received the most votes from customers and got outstanding reviews.

We spoke to Maria Helena when she came to our offices to collect the award.

How did you feel when you found out you had won the competition?

I was very surprised and very happy! I remember reading about last year’s winner, Bilyana and wishing that it could be me one day. I am very pleased to win this award.

You got huge support from your customers who are clearly very happy with you. What is your secret?

I really enjoy the work which is why I give it my best. I like and respect my customers and treat their home as I do my own. I am not perfect but if I...

We hope that you have a great Halloween with the kids trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, attending or hosting Halloween parties and lighting bonfires.  It is a fun time of year but can also be a messy one for your house!

We have compiled a list of cleaning tricks and treats to help you solve the stickiest and scariest cleaning problems. Enjoy our seasonable guide.

Pumpkin stains on floor and carpet

Carving pumpkin is not only a hard thing to do, but also a very messy one. If you decide to do everything in your kitchen, the best tip would be to lay down a newspaper under the pumpkin. This would make the cleaning much easier and less tricky. 

If you have pumpkin stains on the floor or the carpet, we have a solution. Firstly, immediately remove any pumpkin pulp that you see on the floor. You don’t want it to dry out as it would be harder to clean. 

If you have pumpkin stains on any carpeted area, there are a couple of steps you...

THE UK CLEANING INDUSTRY

Figures provided by the British Cleaning Council (“BCC”) show that the cleaning industry contributes over £55.5 billion to the UK economy. The BCC commissioned market research company, Firedog to compile a report on the industry.

Since 2013, turnover from the sector has increased by 30%, which is higher than the turnover for the whole economy, which has increased by 13%.

As well as making a significant contribution to the UK economy, the cleaning industry also employs over 970,000 people. Wage growth in the sector is higher than the national average, with a growth of 6.4% compared to a national average of 2.3%.

The report also shows that the number of foreign-born workers in the industry is higher than the national average with 41% of the general cleaning subsector being foreign-born compared to an average of 17% across the UK workforce.

TRENDS IN THE UK CLEANING SECTOR

Global themes in technology and the environment are...

Everyone knows that they have to eventually wash their dishes if they want something to put their food on. Hopefully, they also dust, vacuum, mop the floor and clean their bathrooms habitually. However, besides these common cleaning tasks, many items requiring sanitary attention are left dirty in houses. We may believe that these items are not meant to be cleaned, or the idea of washing them may simply not have ever come into our mind.

Today, TidyChoice’s blog introduces our readers to a list of household items that you should start considering including in your cleaning routines as well as some tips on how to go about cleaning them.

1. Rubbish Bin

It’s one of those things that we avoid touching whenever possible. However, leaving it uncleaned would just make it dirtier, smellier, and more harmful to your health over time.

If you are courageous enough to clean your bin, here are some tips on how to go about doing it:

1. Put on a...

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today is dedicated to celebrating the amazing achievements of women around the world, from politicians and businesswomen, to all of the great women in our own lives.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #BalanceforBetter, which reminds us that today is also an opportunity to support the campaigns for greater gender equality.

Whilst campaigns striving to close the gender pay gap and promote greater equality in the workplace tend to receive much attention, the inequality in our own homes is often overlooked!

So, we have decided to mark this important date by highlighting the realities of the housework gender gap.

Who cleans most in your home?

In the 1960s women did at least 85% of the housework almost everywhere in the world! Luckily, we have come a long way since then, but women are still doing the bulk of the chores.

In fact, according to a recent study by Oxford University’s Centre for Time...

Will cleaning services in London be impacted by Brexit?

There are over 3.5 million EU nationals currently living in the UK. What happens if they decide to leave post-Brexit? Will the economy shrink? A no-deal Brexit could trigger a UK recession but we only really start thinking about it when we are impacted personally.

My housekeeper keeps my home from descending into chaos and I would be devastated to lose her! With the deadline only 35 days away, we wanted to know what EU cleaners and housekeepers would do in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

We surveyed over 3,000 cleaning and child care professionals on our database to understand their feelings towards Brexit and their intentions post-Brexit.

Key survey findings

Only 13% of cleaners say that they would leave the UK over a no-deal Brexit but a further 34% said that would leave if their earnings were impacted. Housekeepers that have lived in the UK for more than five years are more likely to stay regardless of what...

2019 is here and the annual tradition of setting New Year’s Resolutions and vowing to break bad habits has begun!

The new year is the perfect time to start afresh and set yourself a few personal goals. This year, why not try setting some resolutions for your home too? From monthly decluttering, to cleaning the fridge once a week, these can be a great way to improve your family’s wellbeing and the general cleanliness of your home.

Once you have decided on your resolutions, the hard part is sticking to them! By late February, many of us begin to lose motivation.

Make this year different – we have gathered six tips that are sure to make your New Year’s cleaning resolutions a success!

1. Keep it simple

It is easy to get carried away when making resolutions, especially when filled with the optimism and determination of the new year. In reality, establishing new cleaning habits will take time and willpower. So, the best approach is to settle for a few, simple...

Bilyana (left) accepting her award from TidyChoice co- founder Ana (right)

The Home Care Professional of the Year Award celebrates the most skilful, professional and reliable housekeepers and child carers. The 2018 winner, Bilyana, received the most votes from customers and outstanding reviews.

We spoke to Bilyana to find out why her customers love her so much.

Hi Bilyana, congratulations on winning our Home Care Professional of the Year award 2018! 

How did you feel when you found out you had won the competition?

Absolutely thrilled and surprised! (laughs) When they called me and said I was a winner, I couldn’t believe it, because I am not a lucky person.

When I told my husband that somebody had called me and told me about this award, he said are you sure? (laughs)  Nobody believed it because I never win anything!

You certainly deserved this award because all of your customers voted for you! What do you think makes you good at doing the...

The Salt Institute recorded 14,000 ways salt can be used. It just might be the most versatile mineral. Salt though abrasive actually works as an effective cleaning agent.

Combined with other ingredients salt can serve multiple purposes and become a regular cleaning solution. A simple paste of salt, baking soda and dish soap can make the dirtiest appliances crystal clean. Here are some ways salt can become your favourite eco-friendly cleaner.

Restores a sponge with salt
Problem: Ratty, broken-down sponge.
Solution: Leave the sponge overnight in a mix of ¼c of salt and 1q hot water, in the morning it’s restored.

Removes lipstick marks from glassware with salt
Problem: Girlfriend left her ruby red on your wine glass.
Solution: Rub the lipstick-stained glass with salt, and wash the glass as usual.

Clean cast iron pans with salt
Problem: Burnt bottom of your frittata left in the skillet.
Solution: Grab 1c coarse salt and pour it into a warm skillet, use a folded...

In the past few years, companies have developed more efficient ways to clean homes with cleaning robots, but should you leave your cleaner for a robot? We've looked into it for you. 

There are now more robotic cleaners than ever before! You have the robot vacuum cleaner, the robot mop, and even the robot window cleaner, that’s a lot of robots for one household. Now I know most people think well if they can cut down on the time it takes to clean their homes then the technological advancements might be worth the investment, but I wouldn’t rush to make that purchase just yet.

The surge of robotic cleaners has come with a price, a high price most robots starts at around £700 and yes they do call it an investment, but if your investment breaks you will be reconciling with your old cleaner to get your house up to par not to mention there have been various test that show the bots just can't catch them all.

No matter how great the...

2017 has ended and 2018 has arrived. The beginning of a new year is a great time for us to reevaluate our life choices and habits and start afresh. We may regret some past decisions or want to change our lifestyles. But among all the possible new year’s resolutions that you can think of, what are some of the things you could do to improve the well-being of your own house?

Keeping your house clean and tidy is not only good for the aesthetic presentation of your home. It is also beneficial for your mental and physical health. In an organised house, you will be able to find lost items more easily. In a properly cleaned home, you will also be less likely to catch illnesses or experience allergic reactions caused by germs and dust.

So what are some resolution ideas to improve the state of your home this new year?

• Dust and hoover your house once a week

Dust does not only make your house look bad and cause allergic reactions. It can also...

Christmas is coming in less than two weeks, and many people are now in their full Christmas-preparation mode. However, besides doing your Christmas shopping and decorations, readers should consider adding a small but highly rewarding task to their festive to-do list. This extra task that we are referring to is pre-Christmas decluttering.

Why Declutter Pre-Christmas?

Christmas provides a perfect reason to declutter your house. As the holiday season arrives, you may be expecting many guests to visit your home. Cleaning your house thoroughly is not enough to present your living space to invitees in its most inviting state. Clean houses can still look messy and unorganised, and you don’t want guests to perceive your house that way. Pre-Christmas decluttering is the key to improving your home’s appearance through the removal of unnecessary items from your house.

Ensuring the organisation of rooms which guests will be making...

Trick or Treat?

That is the phrase that is most associated with the Halloween season. However, do not get overjoyed by the nice little smiles directed at you by cute dressed-up children as they stand in front of your house asking for sweet treats. It is common knowledge that tricking is a relatively standard practice, even among the loveliest-looking zombie in town.

This October, TidyChoice’s blog brings you some advice on how to deal with the most scary thing about Halloween – the tricksters’ mess.

Eggs

Eggs are among the most common instruments used by Halloween pranksters. When your house is egged, its wall will be left with a sticky liquid mess that requires special cleaning techniques to deal with.

To resolve this situation, clean the mess as soon as possible, as sunbaked yolks can easily stain your wall. Begin by applying warm water to the bottom of your siding and work upwards to the eggs’...

Considering its size, London is one of the cleanest cities in the world. At TidyChoice we are proud of this and, as a result, we have taken the liberty to list what we consider to be the cleanest boroughs of London.

Hackney

Hackney is one of London’s cleanest boroughs because of its high cycling population. In 2014 more residents cycled to work than who drove. Additionally, more residents cycled to work than in any other London borough. This is because the area is very cycle-friendly. All Hackney’s residential streets are 20mph zones and pavement parking has been removed from over 60 streets in the borough. These factors along with many others have made cycling much safer and the environment much cleaner. At TidyChoice we are very impressed!

Croydon

Croydon understands that first impressions matter. As a result, they have a zero tolerance policy to littering. In 2013/14 they spent £300k on cleaning-up fly-tips and picking-up 354kg of...

We spend billions on coffee and chocolate which can be considered luxuries. We don’t mind paying a little more to make sure that farmers and workers in less developed countries get paid fairly. The Fairtrade brand is hugely successful and is supported by millions of us when we do our shopping.

Paying someone to clean your home is also a luxury because it frees up our valuable time. Few of us give a thought as to whether or not our cleaner is being paid fairly. Some cleaners earn less than £6/hour, far below a fair rate for someone we trust and rely upon. Shouldn’t apply the same Fairtrade principle to trusted professionals working in our homes?

Most cleaning companies and agencies don’t pay cleaners fairly. In a recent article by the Independent, Ms Rojas, a professional cleaner, commented on the negative reaction from her employer when she asked to get her pay increased to the living wage: “My country is called a Third World country but there they...

The day has come to mourn the summer months and welcome this busy time back into our lives. Yes, it’s back to school!

With the infinite amount of tasks that need to be done, from buying new uniforms and planning lunchbox ideas, how does one have the time to think about domestic cleaning? Well, to start with we have composed a list of the three essential ‘to-dos’, if you may, that will ensure a smooth back to school transition.

1. Lunchbox planning: to make life a little easier, prepare lunches the night before so they are packed and ready to go in the (way too) early mornings!

2. Set bedtimes: not just for your nocturnal children, but for you as well! This will help you avoid the half-awake delirium that ensues forgetting to pack your children’s P.E kits!

3. Be organised: in every sense of the word. By allocating a space for your children to dump their school bags, planning times for dinner and (the always dreaded) homework and by keeping your...

We are happy to announce that TidyChoice is now directly accessible via its own tablet/mobile app for Android devices.

With this app, customers and cleaners will have the full functionality of the website with the convenience of having everything at the tip of their fingers fingers anywhere they go.

No more Google search, no more typing web addresses.

The app can be downloaded from the Play Store.

It is completely free. iPhone and iPad, Windows phone/tablet and BlackBerry apps will be coming soon.