Deep Cleaning Costs per m² 2026: Price List for Residential, Office and Medical Practice

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An office floor with linoleum, mopped every week for years but never deep-cleaned: the floor is not dirty, it is dull. In the high-traffic areas between the lift and the kitchenette, a grey film of old floor polish, street dirt and fine scratches has built up that no mop can remove. The questions that follow are always the same: how much does it cost to restore the floor – and isn’t that included in the monthly cleaning?

It is not. This is exactly where the confusion begins that underlies almost every quote comparison: deep cleaning, regular cleaning and post-construction cleaning are three services with three pricing logics. And the question is not limited to offices: anyone who wants to hand over or move into a flat after a move or renovation is looking for a price list for deep cleaning of a residential property – which is further down, with examples for 60, 80 and 100 m².

We are Kleibrink window and building cleaning GmbH from Gladbeck, family-run since 1983 and operating in the Ruhr area – from Bottrop and Gelsenkirchen to Essen and Bochum. This guide shows what a deep cleaning costs per square metre, what the price depends on, how long your business will be out of action and what to look for in a quote.

Deep Cleaning, Regular Cleaning, Post-Construction Cleaning: The Distinction

Regular cleaning is ongoing maintenance: mopping, vacuuming, sanitary areas, bins, usually weekly to daily, billed as a monthly flat rate. It maintains a condition; it does not restore one. That is precisely why its costs are not comparable to a deep cleaning – how ongoing cleaning is calculated is covered in our guide to the costs of stairwell cleaning and on the page about regular cleaning.

Deep cleaning is the periodic deep-cleaning of an existing, in-use property. Old care and wax films are removed down to the surface layer, the substrate is intensively cleaned, and the protective layer is then rebuilt. It is not a mopping pass with more pressure, but a distinct workflow involving machinery, chemicals and drying times. In commercial settings it is carried out once or twice a year; in private households, every two to three years.

Post-construction cleaning (also known as fine cleaning) is carried out once following construction work. It deals with mineral construction residue: cement haze, fine gypsum and screed dust, labels, film remnants, silicone, paint splatters. The goal is a „move-in-ready“ condition, not the restoration of a care film – for details, see the page on construction cleaning and the guide on the costs of post-construction cleaning.

As a rule of thumb: regular cleaning maintains, deep cleaning restores, and post-construction cleaning hands over. The two often overlap – after post-construction cleaning, the new surface is treated for the first time, and this initial treatment is technically the final step of a deep cleaning.

When a deep cleaning is due

The frequency is determined less by the calendar than by the condition of the floor. These signs indicate that regular cleaning has reached its limit:

• Dull traffic lanes. The shine is missing exactly where foot traffic is heaviest, while edge areas still look good.
• Layer build-up. Care products applied over the years accumulate into a cloudy, often slightly sticky layer in which dirt becomes embedded.
• Grey mopping water despite a clean floor. A clear sign that the mop is dissolving care film rather than picking up dirt.
• Dark grout lines. With tiles, dirt becomes lodged in the grout rather than on the surface.
• Reduced slip resistance. Unevenly degraded care films alter the surface – a safety concern in commercial settings.
• One-off occasions: tenant change, practice takeover, renovation, water damage, property handover.

As a rough rule: office spaces once a year, high-traffic areas such as entrance halls, schools or medical practices twice a year, private households every two to three years. Those who stick to the schedule pay less per session, because fewer old layers need to be removed.

What happens during a deep clean

The process for resilient floor coverings has been the same for decades, and every step has a reason:

• Preparation. Move or lift furniture, secure outlets and skirting boards, demarcate the area and put up warning signs – the marking of hazard areas in the workplace is governed by ASR A1.3.
• Apply the floor cleaner. An alkaline product is used on PVC and vinyl; on linoleum, a product formulated specifically for it, because strongly alkaline solutions can attack the binders. The solution needs time to work and must not be allowed to dry out.
• Machine treatment. A single-disc machine with the appropriate pad lifts the softened layer; corners, skirting areas and door frames remain hand work – this is where a significant portion of the labour time is spent.
• Extract the dirty solution. The wet vacuum picks up the dissolved layer, followed by clear-water rinses until the water runs clean and the floor is neutralised. Residues are the most common cause of streaking and poor adhesion of new layers. Work only continues once the substrate is dry.
• Re-seal. Two to three thin coats of polymer dispersion, applied crosswise, each coat must dry through. For tiles, this step is replaced by intensive grout cleaning and, on request, grout sealing; for natural stone, a breathable impregnation rather than a film; for parquet, an oil or lacquer care system without standing water; for carpet, spray extraction.
• Handover. Walk the area together and record the release time in writing.

Deep clean costs per m²: indicative rates for 2026

The table below shows market-standard ranges for 2026 as a guide to help you assess a quote. These are not quote prices: we only quote fixed „from“-prices where they are reliable, for example window cleaning in a private household from €85. For a deep clean, the condition of the floor is the deciding factor, and that can only be assessed on site.

The figures below are market-standard guidance for the Ruhr area and do not constitute a quote. Every property has its own characteristics – layout, floor covering, access and intensity of use can shift the price in either direction. A binding price is confirmed after the on-site visit. All amounts are gross, inclusive of VAT; commercial clients can reclaim the included VAT as input tax.

Two size brackets complement the table. Most companies price small areas on a time basis: below approximately 50 square metres, travel time, set-up and drying intervals weigh so heavily that a per-square-metre rate is misleading. The usual rate is then around €42 to €57 per hour, including machine and materials, plus a minimum job value. And: one operator covers roughly 30 to 60 square metres per hour with a single-disc machine, depending on soiling and layout – if you want to check a quote, convert it to minutes, not euros.

Pushing prices down are large contiguous areas of approximately 500 square metres or more, vacated rooms, a maintained cleaning schedule, a booking during the annual closure period, and a combination with an ongoing cleaning contract, because the same call-out carries more output. Pushing prices up are years of accumulated soil, numerous built-in fittings and small rooms, weekend or night work, lack of power or water supply, and any additional sealing.

Deep Cleaning for Apartments: Costs and Price List 2026

The most common private request is the apartment: after moving out, so that handover to the landlord or buyer goes through without deductions; before moving into an existing apartment whose floors carry years of cleaning product residue; or after a renovation, when paint dust and sanding residue have settled in grout lines, door frames and radiator recesses. A distinction to make first: if the apartment has pure construction dust from a refurbishment or new build – cement haze, screed dust, film residue – that is a post-construction cleaning with its own pricing logic. For a previously occupied apartment with renovation dust, it remains a deep clean, usually with a surcharge for fine dust removal.

A deep clean of an apartment typically includes: all flooring including skirting boards and edges, tiles and grout in the kitchen and bathroom, sanitary fixtures and taps, door leaves and frames, radiators, switches and light fittings. Windows, inside and out, are quoted separately – indicative prices are in our guide Window Cleaning Prices, from €85 for a private household with us.

The price list below converts the per-square-metre rates from the table above into typical apartment sizes. The assumption is a vacated apartment with tiles in the kitchen and bathroom and vinyl or laminate in the living areas. All amounts are a market-standard indicative rate for 2026, gross including 19% VAT, and are not a quote.

How to read the price list: the lower figure applies to an unfurnished flat with a normal build-up of dirt and easy access without having to carry equipment up stairs; the higher one to years of accumulated grime, dirty grout lines and numerous small rooms. A furnished flat, an upper floor without a lift and renovation dust push the price towards the higher end. An apartment under 50 m² is charged on a time basis, at the aforementioned rate of approximately €42 to 57 per hour, subject to a minimum job value. Small rooms and a high proportion of bathroom and kitchen space cost more per square metre than large living areas.

In terms of timing, a 100-square-metre flat, including drying time, can be completed in one day; the new protective coating is fully ready for furniture after 24 to 48 hours, so plan your move-in date accordingly. We will provide a firm price for your flat after a free on-site survey – you will receive the written quotation within 48 hours.

Drying times and operational downtime

The second, often more costly element is not the bill but the downtime. These guidelines help with scheduling:

These times are based on experience with typical floor coverings and room conditions; temperature, humidity and coating thickness can shift them in either direction.

A 200-square-metre office is typically finished within one to two days, including drying time; a 100-square-metre apartment in one day. We therefore schedule from Friday afternoon, during company holidays, or section by section, so that part of the area always remains usable. In practice cleaning this means treatment room by treatment room between consultation hours; in industrial cleaning, lane by lane during shift breaks. Factor in the downtime: two days with the practice closed usually cost more than the entire cleaning.

What to check in the quotation

Price differences of a hundred per cent almost always stem from different scopes of work, not from hourly rates. These points should be included in the quotation:

• Area per room group and flooring type rather than a single total figure. Only then is the per-square-metre price transparent.
• Re-sealing: included or not, and with how many coats. The most common gap in a cheaper quote – cleaning without a new protective film looks good for three weeks.
• Product system or the note „in accordance with the flooring manufacturer’s specifications“. For new flooring, the warranty depends on it.
• Furniture: who clears, who lifts – is this charged separately?
• Edge zones explicitly named: skirting boards, door frames, under radiators, lift guides.
• Electricity, water, access and disposal of the waste water arranged.
• Time window, drying time and release in writing, with sign-off.
• Change order clause, in case the floor is significantly more soiled than was apparent during the inspection.

Legal framework: business, landlord, owners’ association

Employers are subject to Section 4(2) of the Workplace Regulations: workplaces must be cleaned in accordance with hygiene requirements, and soiling and deposits that may give rise to hazards must be removed without delay. The regulations do not specify a fixed deep-cleaning frequency – more on this in the article on the Workplace Regulations in office cleaning.

For landlords, the distinction is decisive. Under Section 2 No. 9 of the Operating Costs Ordinance, building cleaning costs are recoverable from tenants, and Section 1(1) of the Operating Costs Ordinance requires that these be recurring costs; in addition, the duty of economic efficiency under Section 556(3) of the Civil Code applies. A one-off catch-up cleaning after years of neglect is therefore maintenance and does not belong in the service charge settlement, whereas regularly recurring measures are more likely to qualify as recurring costs. In a condominium association, common costs are to be borne by the unit owners in proportion to their ownership shares under Section 16(2) sentence 1 of the Condominium Act; under Section 16(2) sentence 2 of the Condominium Act, they may resolve a different allocation for individual costs or cost categories. We are a trade business, not a law firm: these notes do not constitute legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions or a quote?

What exactly does a deep clean of your flat or your premises cost? We inspect the floor on site free of charge and provide a written quotation with a schedule of works, timeline and drying times within 48 hours. Available by phone Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00.

Phone 02043 41100 Request a no-obligation quote now