Professional carpet cleaning in the UK typically costs £35 to £60 per room, or roughly £75 to £175 for a whole two bedroom property. Most companies apply a minimum charge, commonly £60 to £90, so cleaning a single small room rarely costs less than that regardless of its size.
Larger jobs are often priced per square metre, usually £1.50 to £3.50, which works out cheaper per room on bigger properties.
Typical prices
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Minimum call-out charge | £60 to £90 |
| Single room | £35 to £60 |
| Hallway, stairs and landing | £45 to £85 |
| 2 bedroom flat, throughout | £75 to £175 |
| 3 bedroom house, throughout | £140 to £260 |
| 4 bedroom house, throughout | £200 to £350 |
| Rug, per square metre | £8 to £20 |
| Commercial, per square metre | £1.50 to £3.50 |
Stairs are priced separately by most companies and cost more per square metre than flat floors, because they are slow, awkward and cannot be done with a standard wand.
What changes the price
Room size, but only in bands. Most companies price small, medium and large rather than measuring, unless the job is commercial.
Stairs. Almost always separate. Expect £2 to £4 per step, or a flat £30 to £60 for a standard flight.
Furniture. Some companies include moving light furniture, some charge, some clean around it and note it on the paperwork. Ask, because "clean around" in a bedroom means the visible parts get done and the rest does not.
Soiling level. Heavily soiled carpets need more pre-spray, more agitation and a slower pass. Expect a supplement, disclosed in advance if you described the condition accurately.
Pet treatment. Urine requires enzymatic pre-treatment, more dwell time and sometimes subfloor work. A genuine extra, commonly £15 to £40 per affected area.
Fibre type. Wool needs specialist chemistry, lower moisture and longer drying. Some companies charge more. Natural fibres like sisal and jute often cannot be wet cleaned at all, so they need a different and sometimes more expensive method.
Access and parking. Truck-mounted systems need vehicle access. Upper floor flats without lifts, or central London parking, can attract a supplement.
Region. London and the South East run 15% to 30% above the national average.
Common extras
| Extra | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Stain protector, per room | £10 to £25 |
| Deodoriser or anti-allergen treatment | £10 to £30 |
| Pet urine treatment, per spot | £15 to £40 |
| Moving heavy furniture | £10 to £30 |
| Protective tabs and blocks | Usually free |
| Same-day or emergency | 20% to 50% |
| Rug collection and return | £20 to £50 |
Stain protector is the extra most often upsold. It genuinely works, giving you longer to blot a spill before it becomes a stain, but it is not essential and it wears off over about 12 to 18 months. Decide in advance rather than on the doorstep.
Doing it yourself
Machine hire from a supermarket or DIY store runs roughly £25 to £35 a day, plus £10 to £20 for solution. So a two bedroom flat costs around £40 to £55 to do yourself against £75 to £175 professionally.
The saving is real. The result is not equivalent, for three reasons.
Heat. Hire machines heat far less than professional equipment, and heat is what breaks down oily soil. This is the biggest single difference.
Vacuum recovery. Professional machines pull far more water back out. A hire machine leaves considerably more moisture behind, which means drying times of 12 to 24 hours rather than two to six, and a genuine risk of over-wetting.
Pre-spray and dwell time. Most of the cleaning happens before the machine touches the carpet. Hire kit typically comes with a single all-purpose solution and no pre-spray step.
The over-wetting risk
This is the main hazard of doing it yourself, and it is worth understanding. Too much water can cause:
- Shrinkage, particularly on natural fibres
- Delamination, where the backing separates
- Brown watermarks wicking up from the backing as it dries
- Mould underneath, in bad cases
- Rippling that needs the carpet re-stretching
If you do hire a machine, use less solution than the instructions say, do more dry passes than you think you need, and get serious air movement going afterwards.
Do it yourself if: the carpet is synthetic, lightly soiled, and you have time to dry it properly.
Pay for it if: it is wool or a natural fibre, there are pets, there is heavy soiling, it is an end of tenancy clean, or the carpet is under a warranty requiring professional cleaning with receipts.
End of tenancy specifically
If you are moving out, budget for it as part of the total. An end of tenancy clean runs £180 to £420 and carpets are almost always quoted separately at £75 to £175.
Check your tenancy agreement. Many agreements that permit pets require professional carpet cleaning with a receipt at the end of the tenancy, and a requirement attached specifically to pet permission is generally more likely to be enforceable than a blanket cleaning clause. Doing it yourself will not satisfy a clause requiring a professional receipt.
Cleaning is the largest single cause of deposit deductions in the UK, at 29.38% of claims according to DPS data reported in 2026, so the arithmetic against a five week deposit usually favours paying.
Getting a fair price
1. Give an accurate room count including stairs and landings, so the quote holds on the day.
2. Mention pets, stains and fibre type up front. These are the three things that change a quote, and disclosing them gets you an accurate price rather than a revision on arrival.
3. Ask what is included: furniture moving, pre-spray, protective tabs, deodoriser, and what happens if a stain remains.
4. Bundle rooms. Per-room prices drop substantially above three or four rooms.
5. Combine with a deep clean or end of tenancy clean to avoid a second minimum charge of £60 to £90.
6. Be sceptical of very low per-room advertising. A headline of £15 a room almost always escalates through compulsory extras on the day. This is a well-established pattern and the extras are where the actual price lives.
7. Ask about drying time, which tells you something about their equipment.
The most reliable signal of a fair quote is a company that asks questions before giving a number: fibre type, soiling, pets, access, stairs. One that quotes instantly from a room count alone has not priced your job, it has priced an average one.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a minimum charge? Travel, setup and equipment mobilisation cost the same whether they clean one room or four.
Is per square metre cheaper than per room? Usually for larger properties, and usually not for small ones. Ask for both if the property is over about 100 square metres.
Do I pay before or after? After completion is standard for domestic work.
Are the cheapest companies always worse? Not necessarily, but check what the price includes and whether the headline survives contact with your actual property. Ask what the total will be, in writing.
Does the price include VAT? Smaller operators below the threshold do not charge it. Larger companies do. Confirm which figure you are being quoted.
Can I get rugs cleaned off site? Yes, and for valuable or delicate rugs it is usually better, since off-site plants can wash and dry them under controlled conditions. Expect collection and return charges.
