How long does a bond clean take?
Hours by property size for a professional crew and for one person on their own, what makes a clean run long, and how to fit it between the removalists and the final inspection.
Skip to the hours tableThe short answer
A professional two person crew takes about 2 to 5 hours on site for most 1 to 3 bedroom rentals: roughly 2 to 2.5 hours for a one bedroom unit and 3.5 to 5 hours for a three bedroom, two bathroom house. A studio is closer to 1.5 to 2 hours, and a five bedroom home can run 6 to 8 hours or more.
Cleaning on your own takes at least the person hours in the table below, so a three bedroom house is 7 to 10 hours of work for one person, before carpet steam cleaning and before any time lost to a heavily baked oven.
How many hours does a bond clean take by property size?
| Property size | Crew of two, hours | One person, hours |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 1.5 to 2 | 3 to 4 |
| 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom | 2 to 2.5 | 4 to 5 |
| 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom | 2.5 to 3.5 | 5 to 7 |
| 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom | 3.5 to 5 | 7 to 10 |
| 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom | 4.5 to 6.5 | 9 to 13 |
| 5 or more bedrooms | 6 to 8 or more | 12 to 16 or more |
Typical hours for an empty property in average condition, no add-ons. One person on site takes the full person hours. Carpet steam cleaning is on top, typically 30 to 45 minutes a room plus 4 to 8 hours of drying.
Why do websites give different answers for how long a bond clean takes?
They measure two different things and call both hours. One site says a three bedroom bond clean takes 4 hours, another says 8 to 10, and both can be right: the first is elapsed time for a two person crew, the second is total labour, people multiplied by hours.
What makes a bond clean take longer?
The table assumes an empty property in average condition with no add-ons. These are the things that push a clean past it, roughly in order of how often they do.
| What adds time | Why |
|---|---|
| The oven and rangehood | Usually the single longest job in the kitchen. Grease baked on over a whole tenancy can take an hour or more on its own, and the rangehood filter needs soaking, not wiping. |
| Soap scum, limescale and mould | Shower screens, grout and tracks with years of build up need a product to sit and work. Each extra bathroom adds time, and a neglected one can double it. |
| Furniture still in the property | Cleaners work around it, then the removalists leave marks and dust behind it. Book the clean for after the last box is gone. |
| Pets | Hair in carpets, vents and window tracks takes longer to lift, and a pet tenancy often brings a carpet steam clean or flea treatment clause with it. |
| Carpet steam cleaning | Typically 30 to 45 minutes a room, then 4 to 8 hours of drying before the property is ready to inspect. This is the add-on that most often changes the plan for the day. |
| Wall washing, blinds and exterior windows | Each is quoted separately because each adds real time: walls room by room, blinds one at a time, and outside glass needs access and the right gear. |
| No power or hot water | A clean slows right down without electricity, lights and hot water. Keep the utilities connected until the day after the clean. |
| Two storeys, stairs and access | Stairs, balconies, a long walk from the parking and a lift booking all add time that a floor plan does not show. |
How do I fit the bond clean into my move-out?
The order matters more than the hours. Working back from the day you hand over the keys:
- 1Move everything out first. An inspector looks behind where the furniture stood, so the clean comes after the removalists, not before.
- 2Keep the power and water connected until the day after the clean. Disconnecting on moving day is the most common reason a clean runs late.
- 3Book the clean for the day before or the morning of your key handover. An empty house still gathers dust, so the closer to the inspection the better.
- 4If the carpets are steam cleaned, leave 4 to 8 hours of drying before the inspection, so book the carpet first thing or the day before.
- 5Ask for the inspection result in writing. The 72 hour re-clean guarantee window runs from the final inspection, so the date on that report matters.
Can I do a bond clean myself in one day?
For a studio or a one bedroom unit, usually yes: 3 to 5 hours of work is one long morning. For a three bedroom house, 7 to 10 hours on your own is a full day before carpets, and it is easy to run out of energy in the bathrooms, which is where inspectors look hardest.
If you are doing it yourself, split a larger home over two days. Do the kitchen, bathrooms and anything that needs product to soak on day one, then walls, windows and floors on day two, finishing at the front door. The room by room checklist lists every item an inspector checks.
The room by room bond cleaning checklist, printable Rules for all eight states and territories: what your lease can and cannot demand
Who gives me the time estimate?
Local Bunch Cleaning arranges a network of independent, insured, police-checked local cleaning providers. It is not the cleaner. When you request a quote you are matched with a vetted provider near the property, who gives the fixed quote and an estimated time window for your property, cleans to the move-out checklist and honours the re-clean guarantee.
Prices by property size are on the pricing page.
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