FAQs

Two or more, depending upon length and type of cleaning booked.

The entire mainland of the UK.

Yes, we do. We pride ourselves on the quality of our service delivery and our supervisors carry out frequent, unannounced spot-checks.

No. We can use your products and equipment but we generally use our own. If you have any special requirements or requests, please tell us. However it is essential that an electrical supply is available at the property and preferably hot water too.

Yes. We do not carry bleach (for safety reasons) nor do we supply black bin bags. If you require us to use either, please leave these out for our cleaners. We also do not supply oven cleaning products.

Yes. However you will need to supply the oven cleaning product. Please note that we DO NOT DISMANTLE OVEN DOORS.

Yes. In some areas we provide a professional oven and hob cleaning service at an extra cost. Please note that we DO NOT DISMANTLE OVEN DOORS.

Yes, of course we can. We have special professional products and equipment to help with most allergy sufferer's requirements.

Yes, we do. In most areas this is a single 12 cleaning hour booking, that's usually two cleaners for six hours each. However, occasionally we are able to reduce this to a single 10 cleaning hour booking, that's usually two cleaners for five hours each.

We know from our experience that a complete top-to-toe Spring Clean of a fairly well-kept three bedroom house can take around 12 hours; however, we will advise you of what can realistically be achieved in the hours you choose to book when we discuss your requirements.

Yes, we are fully insured. But Mel’s Cleaning will not be liable for any liability caused by or arising out of or from: Damage to windows, articles of glass, china porcelain, earthenware, wooden flooring, worktops, stone or other articles of a brittle nature. Full details can be found in our Ts&Cs.

No. ALL our operatives are paid considerably more than the minimum wage. We aim to keep our staff team happy and highly motivated; we believe that paying people the minimum wage is tantamount to robbery!

We know from experience that this can be the MOST variable type of cleaning that we do! Every property is different which is why we must inspect it before we can give you an accurate indication of our fees. Here are some recent examples... A complete deep-clean of an extremely filthy nine bedroomed student house can take over 30 hours, equally we have cleaned a six bedroom student house in Newcastle in under 10 hours. A top-to-toe clean of a small, and VERY dirty studio flat has taken 10 hours. What we can assure you of, is that you'll get a first rate clean as we are used to working closely with commercial landlords and letting agents and we can provide trade references on request.

Yes, of course. However, the time taken to complete these actions will be deducted from the cleaning hours booked.

Very occasionally the hours pre-booked are insufficient to complete the cleaning. This is most likely with extreme, hoarder, sparkle and after-builders cleaning, but not exclusively. Our cleaning operatives will inform us as soon as they are aware of this situation and we will immediately contact you to alert you to the possible shortfall. Any extra hours must be paid for in advance, the details of payment will be emailed and/or texted to you. You cannot instruct the cleaning team to work for additional time, extra hours can only be booked through the office.

The short answer is no, there are far too many factors totally beyond our control to make guarantees or promises around time. However, we do make every endeavour to get to all appointments on time, with an allowance of an hour either side of the stated start time. If we know that the cleaning team are likely to be delayed or are early, we’ll contact you to let you know. Our punctuality rate is very high; in the whole of 2023 we achieved a staggering 97% 'on-time' score and we intend to maintain this high standard going forward. But please be aware that traffic problems and weather issues are, unsurprisingly, something that we can do nothing about. And if we are ever delayed, there will be a good reason why and we'll keep you in the picture.

Yes, of course you can. We have built up a very high reputation for both reliability and excellent quality, and many of our existing customers will be more than happy to provide references for us.

Yes, of course we can. Many customers have dogs or cats and we are VERY experienced in managing your pet whilst we clean your house. We also have specialist vacuum cleaner attachments to deal with stubborn pet hair too.

Call the main office number, 03333 44 83 84 to make a booking if you wish to confirm the booking, we will require payment to be made in advance of the service being completed.

We work when you need us. Most of our cleaning takes place between 0830 and 1700, Monday to Friday, but again, we clean when it suits you. Simply call us to discuss your requirements.

This is easy to understand we charge an hourly rate PER CLEANER! This means that if, for example, you book four hours cleaning, this could be one cleaner for four hours or two cleaners for two hours each or four cleaners for an hour each.

You will need to call the main office number, 0330 043 9303 to make a booking. When you call us we will go through the property details and your specific requirements so we can give you the best possible estimate. Please do not leave this to the last minute, as we are often fully booked.

Yes, but ONLY when SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED for DEEP CLEANS or END OF TENANCY CLEANS. We DO NOT work above head height unless SPECIFICALLY requested and agreed at the time of booking.

We only work at head height unless a SPECIFIC REQUEST is made AT THE TIME OF BOOKING as we will need to organise the correct equipment and suitably trained operatives. If a specific request is not received, we will only clean to head height.

This is to ensure that the client is completely satisfied with the cleaning. Clients are required to walkround the entire premises before signing. A signed satisfaction form confirms that we have completed our contractual obligations and will therefore not subsequently consider complaints or claims of any type.

If you are unable to attend, inspect and sign off the cleaning as being totally satisfactory, using our customer satisfaction form, immediately the works have been completed it will be assumed that you are completely satisfied with the works completed and that we have fulfilled and satisfied our contractual obligations. You will be made aware of this condition when you book.

All of our end of tenancy cleaning jobs are signed off by the tenant immediately after completion. Once the client has inspected the property and confirmed they are satisfied with the service, the job is considered complete in accordance with our Terms & Conditions. To protect both ourselves and our clients, we document every end of tenancy clean with high-resolution photographs and a full walkthrough video of the property once the cleaning has been finished.

If the tenant is not present at the property at the time the clean is completed, the job is automatically deemed to have been completed to a fully satisfactory standard. This policy is clearly stated in our FAQs, Terms & Conditions, and booking confirmation emails. Occasionally, landlords or letting agents may raise minor issues several days after the clean has taken place. In many cases this occurs after the property has remained vacant, been ventilated, or been accessed by third parties. Because the condition of a property can change once our team has left, we are only able to guarantee the condition and standard of cleaning at the exact time the service is completed.

If a tenant's landlord or letting agent attempts to withhold part of their deposit due to alleged cleaning issues, we can provide a Deposit Dispute Evidence Certificate.
This document confirms:
• the date and time the clean was completed
• that the property was professionally cleaned
• that the tenant signed off the work as satisfactory (or that completion occurred in their absence under our sign-off policy)
• that the property condition was documented with time-stamped photographs and video evidence
Where necessary, we can also supply the supporting photographic and video documentation showing the condition of the property at the time the cleaning service was completed. This evidence can often assist tenants in resolving disputes with landlords or deposit protection schemes.

Yes. They must have a current DBS check.

We monitor the location of our cleaners at all times. ALL our cleaners are GPS tracked and must electronically log on and log off at every job. This is accomplished using an online app with GPS tracking that precisely locates the cleaners and both time and location stamps their actions. This data is automatically stored and can be checked for any discrepancies.

Yes, we offer a commercial cleaning service. Please call the office to discuss your needs and to discuss pricing.

These are intensive cleaning services generally for contractors or developers of premises when the BUILDING WORKS HAVE FINISHED and THE BUILDERS HAVE LEFT THE SITE. Clients who book this type of cleaning when the builders are still on-site risk paying extra to call us back once the dust has resettled. If you have had home improvements or the decorators at your home, you MUST book an after builders clean as the services you will require fall outside of the scope of our general domestic cleaning. For example paint, putty and mastic removal etc.. We are unable to use scrapers, abrasive materials or solvents to remove paint or other coatings from any surface.

No we are not. Our general terms of service apply to all works including those in the building and construction sector.

We will Clean all worktops and clean and polish all kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room surfaces and woodwork. We will sweep and wash hard surface floors, clean sinks, window ledges and door frames. We’ll clean all skirting boards and wash the doors and clean window frames too. We wash all sockets and switches. We’ll clean the windows inside. We clean the inside and outside of all kitchen appliances including ovens on request. We also clean the inside and outside of all kitchen cupboards. In some areas we can also offer a carpet cleaning service.

We can generally remove most areas of black mould but the staining will often persist and will require further remedial decorative treatments. We do not provide decoration services but these works can usually be handled as a small DIY project. The best thing to do is head to your local B&Q/ScrewFix store for product advice.

Black mould will often return unless the affected area/s are properly ventilated. Insufficient or inadequate ventilation when combined with high concentrations of water vapour are the main causational factors of this problem. Simply wiping it away will not stop it from coming back.

We can attempt to remove light rusting from oven racks and associated cooker parts, but the truth is that if it’s rusty, it probably needs to be replaced. Rust staining, like many other stains, for example; blood (and other bodily fluids and matter), wine, oils and grease etc can prove to be impossible to completely remove. Much depends upon the nature of the stained surface and the staining agent. We will always do our very best to remove staining, but sometimes it is just not possible, just as similarly we can't magically make old things new again. If you have a particular staining or mould issue you MUST inform us from the outset. As otherwise we will not be unable to attempt to deal with these issues on the day.

Limescale consists primarily of calcium carbonate and other mineral deposits resulting from hard water exposure. When allowed to accumulate over time, these deposits can chemically bond to and/or etch into surfaces such as glass, ceramic tile, grout, chrome, stainless steel, and natural stone.

Removal may require the use of acidic descaling agents, mechanical agitation, scraping tools, or mild abrasives. While these methods are effective in reducing mineral buildup, complete restoration of the original surface finish cannot be guaranteed if etching, pitting, or substrate degradation has occurred.

In cases of advanced buildup, cleaning may expose pre-existing surface damage (e.g., permanent clouding, micro-scratching, or loss of finish) that was previously concealed by mineral deposits.

Results will depend on the severity, age, and composition of the buildup, as well as the condition and material of the underlying surface.

Yes, we do. And we generally will provide a credit line to most Local Authorities and NHS services provided the works booked are accompanied by a PO or other formal order reference or communication. We do not provide a credit line to Housing Associations.

Jobs that are raised and ultimately paid for by Social Services, NHS or Housing Associations are most often completed in an occupied home. It is essential that the commissioning authority fully assess any risks to our operatives BEFORE works commence and it is equally important that they ensure that any occupant/s is/are fully informed as to the scope and nature of the works, and of course the date/time of the booking.

Sometimes it is appropriate that someone who has worked with or knows the client be present at the start of the booking. It is the responsibility of the commissioning authority to decide if this is appropriate, as if our operatives are threatened, abused or refused entry or in any way hindered from conducting the works as outlined in the booking confirmation, the full fees become payable whether or not the works have been completed.

Call us or complete the 'new request form you'll find behind the contact us tab..

Payment for ALL cleaning is made in advance by using online banking. We have a strict 'no pay - no cleaning' policy. We regret that we no longer accept cheques or cards. The ONLY exceptions are works for Local Authorities and NHS recognised services. Payment account details will be sent to you when booking.

We will ask you to send photos or videos of EVERY room that requires attention. The quote cannot include any rooms or areas that we haven’t received photos or videos of. Please take both photos and videos in LANDSCAPE format which is using your phone on its side so we get a clear and wide image. Both photos and videos should, where possible, give as a 360-degree, all-round view of all areas that require attention.

Instructions as to how to send images or videos will be sent to you immediately following the submission of our new request form or a phone call to us. If you are unable or unwilling to provide photographs or videos we can still provide a quote but we will assume that it is a ‘worst possible scenario’ booking.

Please note: in order to reduce our carbon footprint we DO NOT send assessors to inspect premises prior to quotation.

No, and quite rightly so, as we are fully compliant with all the current anti-discrimination legislation. Our cleaners are only selected on their ability to perform the functions allocated to them regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender.

We reserve the right to withdraw our cleaners from any job that has been misrepresented whilst retaining the full fees paid, should our teams attend a booking that has been misrepresented or one where important information has been withheld. We will, of course, make every endeavour to contact you immediately in order to seek an equitable resolution. Issues of this nature are thankfully very rare and mostly apply to extreme or hoarder cleaning, but not exclusively. Customer supplied images must CLEARLY show every area that requires attention and the full extent of the issues to be dealt with. Similarly, the presence all bio-hazards, pets etc must be made clear to us prior to our cleaners attendance.

Our cleaning operatives must be treated respectfully at all times. If you have a specific work-related issue this should be raised with the office immediately.
We do NOT tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour including shouting, insulting or degrading language, including inappropriate humour, innuendo or malicious allegations, nor do we tolerate any form of physical violence or threats of physical violence or derogatory, racist, sexist, ageist, or homophobic remarks.
Unreasonable behaviour means behaviour that a reasonable person, having considered the circumstances, would see as unreasonable including behaviour that is victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.
In the event of any of the above, our operatives will be withdrawn from the property, the full fees will be payable and where appropriate the matter will be referred to the Police.

Yes, simply click here to access our Terms & Conditions page.

Yes, simply click here to see our Privacy Policy page.

In the unlikely event that we have failed to provide a first-rate service you MUST contact the customer services team immediately by clicking HERE. Any problem or issue must be raised within 24 hours of attendance at the property. Please do not delay as there is nothing that we can do if you raise issues days after our operatives have cleaned your property. Please be aware of the limitations stated in our T&Cs and here in the FAQs with particular reference to signed satisfaction forms, We take extreme pride in the quality of our service delivery and take all valid complaints very seriously and assure you that these will be investigated thoroughly.