What does a part-time cleaner do in Singapore?
A part-time cleaner cleans bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, living areas and balcony, and can do laundry and ironing. Here is what is in scope and what is not.
By the HomeMaster team · · Updated · 5 min read
A part-time cleaner does the regular cleaning of your home in a booked session, usually 2 to 4 hours: bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, living and dining areas and the balcony, plus laundry and ironing if you ask. They clean what can be reached safely. What you need to have ready depends on the service; with HomeMaster, it is a working vacuum cleaner and mop, and the cleaner brings the rest of the kit.
What they do not do is just as useful to know. Specialist jobs such as sofa shampooing, floor polishing, pest control and aircon servicing need other trades, and anything involving care, such as minding children, is a different kind of help. This guide goes room by room, then through the grey areas and the jobs to hand to someone else.
What a cleaner does, room by room
The lists below follow the written standard our own cleaners work to. Other services draw the line in slightly different places, so it is worth asking any provider for their list.
Bathrooms
- Toilet inside, outside and underneath, including the seat, hinges and bidet spray
- Basin, taps, counter and mirror
- Shower walls, tiles, grout and glass, and the fittings
- Drain cover cleared of hair, floor and corners, bin emptied and relined
Bedrooms
- Beds made, and linen changed if you leave fresh sets out
- Surfaces, bedside tables and dressing tables dusted and wiped
- Fan blades, aircon vents, sockets and cables dusted where reachable
- Wardrobe fronts and handles wiped, mattress vacuumed, under the bed and corners cleaned
Kitchen
- Counters, including under the kettle and jars, sink, tap and drain
- Hob, knobs and backsplash
- The outside and underside of the cooker hood and its oil tray
- Cabinet fronts and handles, microwave inside and out, a wipe of the fridge inside and out
- Small appliances, walls near the cooking area, floor and bin
Living and dining areas
- Sofa surface and the floor underneath, dining table and chairs
- TV console, shoe cabinet, window grilles and sills
- Door frames, light switches and floors
Balcony
- Floor, corners and drain area, outdoor furniture
- Sliding door glass, rails and tracks
For the full version, see our home cleaning checklist.
Laundry and ironing
Washing, hanging, folding and ironing can all be part of a visit if you ask. Done properly, it is more than putting clothes in the machine: sorting by colour and fabric, checking pockets, wiping the drum and rubber seal, and only folding clothes once they are fully dry.
The catch is time. Laundry and ironing come out of the same session, so every half hour of ironing is half an hour less of cleaning. If you want both a full clean and a basket of ironing, book a longer visit.
The grey areas: agree these before the visit
These are jobs where a household and a cleaner can easily have different expectations. None of them is unreasonable to ask about, but each one needs time, tools or a decision from you.
| Task | Usually | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the oven | Not part of a standard clean | Ask ahead, allow extra time, and provide an oven cleaner you are happy to use |
| Inside the fridge | A wipe of shelves and surfaces fits a normal clean | A full clear-out, with every shelf removed and food sorted, is a bigger job. Empty it first or make it the priority |
| Ceiling fans | Blades within reach are dusted | Provide an extendable duster so blades can be done from the floor |
| High cabinet tops and light fittings | Need a stool or ladder | Many services, ours included, keep cleaners working from floor level for safety. Plan to do these yourself |
| Inside cupboards and wardrobes | Fronts and handles are standard | Empty the ones you want wiped inside and put them on the list. Sorting belongings is a separate job |
| Windows | Inside glass, grilles, sills and tracks within reach | The outside of high-rise windows is work at height, not part of a home clean |
| Heavy furniture | Cleaned around, not moved | Move it beforehand if you want the floor underneath done |
A good rule: if a task needs special equipment, a chemical you have not used before, or climbing, raise it before the day rather than on arrival.
What a home cleaner does not do, and who does
Some jobs look like cleaning but need equipment or training a home cleaner does not carry.
- Sofa, mattress and carpet deep cleaning. Extraction and shampooing use machines that wash the fabric and pull the water back out. Upholstery and carpet cleaning specialists do this. A home cleaner can vacuum the surface.
- Curtain cleaning. Curtain cleaning services take curtains down, clean them and rehang them. A cleaner can dust the rails.
- Floor polishing. Marble polishing and timber floor restoration are specialist trades with their own machines.
- Pest control. The National Environment Agency (NEA) says only companies registered with NEA as vector control operators can be engaged for vector control work, such as cockroach treatment, and publishes a list of registered operators on its vector control operator page.
- Aircon servicing. A cleaner can dust the vents, but cleaning the coil, fan and drainage properly is a technician's job. HomeMaster does this separately; see our aircon servicing page.
- Repairs. Leaks, blocked pipes and electrical faults need a plumber, an electrician or a handyman.
- Care. Cooking, minding children and looking after an elderly relative are not cleaning. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) notes that household services under its Household Services Scheme are meant for households that need help from time to time, and points households that need a higher level of care, such as home nursing, to specialised caregiving companies. If you need daily help at home, our guide to a part-time cleaner or a live-in helper compares the two.
How to get the most from a visit
A cleaner's time goes furthest when the home is ready for cleaning rather than tidying.
- Clear clutter from surfaces and floors, and put away anything you do not want handled.
- Check what you need to have ready. With HomeMaster that is a working vacuum cleaner and mop; your cleaner brings the cloths, brushes, scrub pad, bin liners and a multi-purpose cleaner.
- Leave fresh bed linen out if you want beds changed.
- Write a short priority list, two or three items, so the most important work is done first.
- Mention pets, fragile items and anything that must not be touched.
How it works with HomeMaster
HomeMaster sells two things: home cleaning by the hour and aircon servicing by the unit. Cleaning sessions are 2, 3 or 4 hours, one-off or on a weekly or fortnightly slot, with one cleaner per visit. We do not sell separate deep cleaning or end-of-tenancy packages. A bigger job is a longer session, or two sessions close together.
Tell Helen, our AI assistant on WhatsApp, what you need in a sentence. If it is something we do not do, she will say so rather than send someone who cannot do it. Our cleaning services page sets out what we do and do not sell, and the home cleaning page shows what a session includes and costs.
Frequently asked questions
Does a part-time cleaner bring cleaning supplies?
It depends on the service, so ask. With HomeMaster, your cleaner brings seven colour-coded cloths, a window squeegee, a non-scratch scrub pad, a detail brush set, bin liners and a multi-purpose cleaner. You provide a working vacuum cleaner and mop, plus any special product your surfaces need, such as a natural stone cleaner.
Can a cleaner clean the outside of my windows?
Not on a high floor. Cleaning the outside of high-rise windows is work at height and is not part of a home clean. A cleaner can do the inside glass, grilles, sills and sliding door tracks that can be reached safely from inside the home.
Do I need to be home while the cleaner works?
No. Many households are at work during the visit. With HomeMaster, Helen arranges access with you beforehand and messages you when your cleaner is on the way. Put away valuables and anything you do not want handled, and leave your priority list somewhere easy to find.
Can I ask for different things on each visit?
Yes. Priorities can change from visit to visit: bathrooms and kitchen one week, ironing and windows the next. Tell your cleaner or Helen before the visit, and keep the list to two or three items so it fits the time you booked and the most important work is done first.
Sources
- Vector Control Operator, Vector Control Technician and Vector Control Worker, National Environment Agency
- What is the Household Services Scheme?, Ministry of Manpower
Need a hand at home?
Tell Helen what you need on WhatsApp. She replies with real open times and the exact price, GST included, and weekends cost the same as weekdays.
