What do Hamilton and Burlington cleaning companies actually charge?
Most companies quote privately, so an honest answer has to rely on the ones that publish. These three publish prices on their own websites, which makes each page the primary source for that company's price. They are a sample, not a survey of the market.
| Company and area | Hourly price | Minimum or crew | Package prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellamaid, Hamilton | $55 per cleaner per hour | 3-hour minimum | From an $89 base; 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms listed at $298 before adjustments and HST |
| Urban Sparkle Cleaners, Hamilton (deep cleaning) | $40 per hour | Minimum of 2 technicians | Deep cleans from $120 (apartment), $160 (townhouse), $200 (house, 3+ bedrooms) |
| Hyperclean, Burlington | $45 per hour per cleaning person | "Usually the job requires 2 people" | Not published |
Klein's Cleaning and Maintenance does not publish a price list; each home is quoted after a short conversation. The table is here so you can judge any quote, including ours, against what the market publishes.
Hourly, per room or flat package: which is better?
Hourly is transparent about labour but open-ended: a slow crew costs more. It suits one-off jobs where nobody can predict the time, like a first deep clean. By size (bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage) gives a fixed price up front, which suits regular cleaning once the home is known. Flat packages are easiest to compare, but read what is included, because "from $89" rarely describes a family home.
Whatever the model, ask two questions: how many cleaners, for how long, and what exactly is in scope. Two cleaners for three hours is six hours of labour; one cleaner for three hours is half that for a similar-sounding booking.
What makes a cleaning quote go up or down?
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Bathrooms | The slowest rooms to clean well. Bathroom count moves time more than bedroom count. |
| Condition and last clean | A home that has not been cleaned in months takes several times longer the first visit. This is why first visits are often deep cleans. |
| Type of clean | Deep and move-out cleans cover inside appliances, cupboards, baseboards and grout. See deep vs regular cleaning. |
| Frequency | A weekly or every-two-weeks home stays close to clean, so each visit is shorter than a monthly one. |
| Pets, flooring, extras | Shedding pets, lots of hard floor, inside the oven or fridge, interior windows. |
Is HST charged on house cleaning in Ontario?
It depends on the business. Ontario's harmonized sales tax rate is 13%, and a registered business charges it on cleaning. A business whose taxable sales do not exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters is a "small supplier" under CRA rules and does not have to register. When you compare quotes, check whether each one includes HST.
How do I get an accurate quote?
Give the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the rough square footage, the floors, pets, how long since the last professional clean, and anything specific you want included. With that, a quote can be a price rather than a range. Klein's quote form asks exactly those questions, and the regular house cleaning page lists what a standard visit covers.