For most Singapore homes, the best approach to Home Cleaning: DIY Tips vs Hiring Professionals is a hybrid: handle light weekly cleaning yourself, and bring in a trusted house cleaning service or domestic helper for deep or time-consuming tasks every 1–3 months. This balances cost, safety, and cleanliness while fitting busy city lifestyles.
This focused guide from Homejourney sits under our main Home Services pillar, helping Singapore homeowners, landlords, tenants, and investors decide when DIY makes sense and when hiring a professional maid service is safer, faster, and more cost-effective. It is written from the perspective of someone who has lived in HDB estates from Tampines to Queenstown and navigated everything from post-renovation dust to move-out inspections.
DIY vs Professional Home Cleaning in Singapore: Quick Comparison
In Singapore, where many residents juggle long office hours in the CBD or Jurong while caring for children or elderly parents, the choice between DIY home cleaning and hiring a professional cleaner is ultimately about three things: time, standards, and safety.
- DIY cleaning works best for regular upkeep in smaller units (e.g. 2-room or 3-room HDBs in Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun) and for owners who prefer full control over cleaning products and hygiene.
- Professional house cleaning services or part-time maid service are ideal for deep cleaning, move-in/move-out, post-renovation, and larger condos or landed homes where DIY is physically demanding and time-consuming.
- Live-in domestic helpers make sense for families with young kids, elderly parents, or large landed properties, where daily cleaning, cooking, and caregiving are required.
Homejourney’s focus on user safety and trust means we strongly encourage owners and tenants to verify cleaning providers, understand fair market rates, and choose options that minimise health and security risks. For a complete cost breakdown, see: Home Cleaning Cost Guide: Singapore Prices 2025 | Homejourney and Complete Guide to Home Cleaning Services in Singapore | Homejourney .
Typical Home Cleaning Costs in Singapore: DIY vs Pros
To make a fair comparison, it helps to understand typical price ranges for home cleaning Singapore services in 2025.
Professional House Cleaning Service Prices
Based on current market rates from leading platforms and specialist firms, a one-off general home cleaning by a part-time cleaner usually starts from around S$21–S$25 per hour for recurring or one-time sessions in Singapore.[2][8] For example, one major platform lists weekly or fortnightly home cleaning from about S$21/hour, and one-off sessions from about S$24/hour, with a surcharge for weekend bookings.[2] Another provider markets one-time cleaning at about S$25/hour and recurring at around S$22/hour.[8]
Flat-fee cleaning packages for smaller apartments (≤ 2 bedrooms) can start around S$60–S$70 per session, increasing with unit size.[1][5] Deep cleaning or move-in/move-out cleaning for a typical 3-room or 4-room flat often starts around S$300–S$380 for reputable firms.[1][3]
These figures provide a benchmark when evaluating whether DIY or professional help is more economical for your household. Homejourney maintains updated ranges in our cost guides to help you spot prices that are unreasonably low (potential safety or quality risks) or unusually high.Home Cleaning Cost Guide: Singapore Prices 2025 | Homejourney
DIY Cleaning “Hidden” Costs
DIY cleaning may look “free”, but there are real costs to consider:
- Cleaning tools & supplies: vacuum, mop, microfiber cloths, detergents, glass cleaner, bathroom descaler, grout brushes, gloves – easily S$100–S$300 to start, plus refill costs.
- Appliance wear: over-using basic vacuum cleaners on heavy dust (e.g. post-renovation) can shorten their lifespan.
- Time cost: 2–4 hours weekly per average-sized HDB or condo; more for landed homes.
- Health risk: incorrect use of bleach or mixing chemicals in poorly ventilated bathrooms can affect respiratory health.
For investors managing multiple units (e.g. one condo in Jurong East and another in Pasir Ris), these hidden costs multiply. In such cases, professional home cleaning Singapore services coordinated through a trusted platform like Homejourney often become more practical than DIY or ad-hoc arrangements.
When DIY Home Cleaning Works Best in Singapore
DIY cleaning is ideal when you want control, cost savings, and you’re dealing with routine dirt rather than serious stains, pests, or post-renovation dust. Here is where DIY shines.
1. Small to Medium Homes with Light Usage
If you live in a 2-room or 3-room HDB in estates like Bidadari, Queenstown, or Punggol and spend most weekdays in the office, your home typically gathers dust more than heavy grime. In these cases, a simple DIY weekly schedule can be enough.
- Daily (10–15 minutes)
– Wipe kitchen counters and stove with a mild detergent.
– Rinse bathroom floor after showers to reduce soap scum.
– Quick clutter reset in living room and bedroom. - Weekly (1.5–2 hours)
– Vacuum or sweep all floors, then mop with diluted floor cleaner.
– Clean toilet bowl, basin, and shower walls.
– Dust TV console, shelves, and window sills. - Monthly (1–2 hours)
– Deep clean fridge, microwave, and kitchen hood filters.
– Wipe inside of wardrobes and bedroom fans or aircon covers.
Insider tip: In older HDB blocks with corridor-facing units (e.g. in Toa Payoh or Ang Mo Kio), dust from the corridor and nearby roads accumulates faster. Using a microfibre cloth slightly dampened with water instead of a dry duster reduces airborne dust and keeps your windows and grilles cleaner for longer.
2. Owners Sensitive to Cleaning Chemicals
Some residents in dense areas like Tiong Bahru or Kallang who keep windows closed for noise or dust control find that strong chemicals linger longer indoors. If anyone in your household has asthma or skin sensitivities, DIY allows you to choose gentler, fragrance-free products and control ventilation.
Always follow product instructions and keep chemicals away from children and pets. If you are unsure about safe combinations (e.g. bleach and toilet cleaners), err on the side of caution and avoid mixing products. When in doubt, a NEA-licensed professional cleaning company may be safer for intensive disinfection work.[1]
3. Budget-Conscious Tenants and New Owners
Newly married couples who just collected keys to a BTO in Punggol or Tengah often face tight budgets after renovation and furnishings. In these cases, doing most weekly cleaning yourself and bringing in a professional only for move-in or post-renovation cleaning is a sensible compromise. Homejourney’s move-in checklists and cleaning guides can help you prioritise tasks for the first 3–6 months.Homejourney: Common Home Cleaning Problems & Solutions Singapore
When Hiring Professional Cleaners or a Maid Service Is Better
There are situations where hiring a house cleaning service, part-time helper, or domestic helper is not just a convenience, but the safer, more efficient choice.
1. Deep Cleaning, Move-In/Move-Out & Post-Reno Jobs
For resale HDBs or condos in older estates like Hougang, Clementi, or Bedok, long-standing grime in grout lines, ceiling corners, and kitchen cabinets can be extremely tough to remove with basic DIY tools. Post-renovation cleaning in new launches near MRT nodes (e.g. around Woodleigh, Redhill, or Paya Lebar) often involves fine dust that gets into every gap.
Professional cleaning firms offer:
- Move-in/out cleaning packages, often starting from about S$340 for standard units.[3]
- Spring or deep cleaning from around S$380.[3]
- Specialised services such as mattress, sofa steam cleaning, and disinfection.[1][2]
These jobs often require ladders, industrial vacuums, steam cleaners, and strong degreasers. For safety reasons, Homejourney generally recommends leaving this to NEA-licensed and insured professionals.[1]
