Written by MaidEX Cleaning Services Editorial Team · Reviewed by Milad Hoseini, Founder & CEO · Published September 6, 2026 · 4 min read
The short version: the best price on house cleaning isn't the cheapest quote — it's the lowest price that's still insured, background-checked and guaranteed. You get there by comparing flat-rate, not hourly, using a recurring plan (up to 15% off from your 2nd clean), and checking you're only charged 5% GST — no PST. See your exact price →
How do you get the best price on house cleaning?
Get the best price by comparing flat-rate quotes (not hourly), booking a recurring plan, and confirming the company is insured and charges only 5% GST. Cleaning is a competitive category — Canada counted 35,305 cleaning & janitorial businesses in 2024, up 7.4% year over year (IBISWorld Canada) — so you have real choice, but also real variation in what a low price actually buys.
Why "cheapest" isn't the same as "best price"
A rock-bottom quote usually means a corner is being cut. The best price is the lowest one that still protects your home. Watch for these red flags behind a suspiciously cheap number:
- No insurance — if something breaks or someone is hurt in your home, you could be on the hook.
- No satisfaction guarantee — a missed job becomes your problem, not theirs.
- Cash-only, no invoice — no record, no recourse, and often no GST number.
- Vague hourly pricing — the final bill can climb well past the "from" rate.
- Unvetted workers — no background checks on the person you're letting into your home.
5 ways to lower your cleaning price without lowering quality
- Book a recurring plan. The biggest lever: from your 2nd clean, MaidEX takes up to 15% off weekly, 10% bi-weekly, 5% monthly.
- Pick the right frequency. A maintained home cleans faster; bi-weekly is the popular sweet spot between cost and results.
- Declutter before the visit. Five minutes of tidying means more of the clean goes to actual cleaning — see how to prepare for a cleaner.
- Choose flat-rate over hourly. You lock the price before the clean, so it can't balloon on the day.
- Confirm GST-only pricing. In BC you should never pay PST on residential cleaning — that's 7% you shouldn't be charged.
The BC tax angle: only 5% GST, never PST
General residential house cleaning is PST-exempt in British Columbia, so a fair quote adds only the 5% federal GST — not the extra 7% provincial tax. That one rule keeps an honest BC price meaningfully lower than it would be with PST on top. If a quote adds PST to a home clean, ask why (why cleaning is PST-exempt in BC).
How MaidEX keeps the price fair
MaidEX shows an exact flat-rate price before you book — 5% GST included, no PST — and lowers it with recurring plans, so you see the best price for your home up front instead of chasing quotes. Every clean is insured, the cleaners are background-checked, and a satisfaction guarantee means anything missed is re-cleaned within 24 hours. See how it's built on the prices page, or read affordable house cleaning prices by home size.
Best price house cleaning — FAQ
What's the cheapest way to get your house cleaned?
The lowest price per visit comes from a recurring plan on the right frequency for your home — with MaidEX the discount kicks in from your second clean (up to 15% weekly, 10% bi-weekly, 5% monthly). A quick declutter before the cleaner arrives also means more of the visit goes to actual cleaning. Beware quotes that look unusually cheap: they often skip insurance and a satisfaction guarantee.
Is hourly or flat-rate cleaning cheaper?
Flat-rate is usually the safer value because you know the total before you book — an hourly rate can balloon if the clean takes longer than estimated. MaidEX shows an exact flat-rate price for your home size and service up front, so there's no surprise on the day. (An hourly option at $37.50/hour for your first clean, 3-hour minimum is available when you'd rather buy a block of time.)
Do recurring cleans actually save money?
Yes. Recurring plans are the single biggest lever on price: from your second clean onward MaidEX applies up to 15% off for weekly, 10% for bi-weekly and 5% for monthly. A maintained home also takes less time to clean than one cleaned once or twice a year, so you get more for each visit.
Why are some house cleaning quotes so cheap?
A price well below the market usually means a corner is being cut — no insurance, no satisfaction guarantee, cash-only with no invoice, or a rushed clean by an unvetted worker. If something goes wrong in your home, those savings disappear fast. Look for insured, background-checked, guaranteed cleaning at a fair price rather than the rock-bottom number.
Is cheap house cleaning worth it?
Only if 'cheap' still means insured, background-checked and guaranteed. The best price is the lowest one that still protects your home and gets the job done right the first time — not the cheapest quote on the page. In BC, make sure you're only charged 5% GST (cleaning is PST-exempt), which already keeps an honest price 7% lower than it would be with PST.
See your best price — GST included, no PST — in about 60 seconds.
Flat-rate, insured & guaranteed · Serving Metro Vancouver & the Lower Mainland
Get my instant priceSources
- IBISWorld — Janitorial & Cleaning Services in Canada, Number of Businesses (2024) — ibisworld.com/canada
About the author
Milad Hoseini
Founder & CEO, MaidEX Cleaning Services
Written by the MaidEX Cleaning Services Editorial Team and reviewed by Milad Hoseini, who founded MaidEX in Vancouver. MaidEX provides insured, background-checked cleaning across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. More about MaidEX →
How this guide was made
This guide draws on MaidEX's hands-on cleaning experience across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, along with publicly available sources. It was drafted with the help of AI tools, then reviewed and fact-checked by our editorial team and approved by Milad Hoseini, Founder & CEO, before publishing.