Builders Clean Cost Australia (2026): Price Guide

Builders clean cost in Australia usually works out at $3–8 per square metre for a final clean in 2026, or $45–75/hr per cleaner through a cleaning business. A typical four-bedroom new home costs roughly $1,200–2,600 across rough, final and sparkle stages. These are indicative market observations; confirm award minimums on Fair Work.

This guide breaks down each stage, gives price ranges, a checklist and a crew-sizing example. Yakka Labour is the marketplace where builders hire cleaners directly, not the workwear brand with a similar name.

What does a builders clean involve?

A builders clean removes construction dust, adhesive, paint splatter, labels and debris so a new or renovated property can be handed over. Builders usually book it in up to three stages:

• Rough or initial clean: after lock-up and fit-out trades finish. Sweep and vacuum, remove offcuts and packaging, wipe down surfaces so painters and floor layers start clean.
• Final clean: once trades are done. Detailed cleaning of every surface, inside cupboards, windows and tracks, bathrooms, appliances and floors.
• Sparkle or touch-up clean: just before handover or inspection. Removes dust that settled after the final clean and fixes any marks from defect repairs.

Small renovations, such as a single bathroom or kitchen, often need only one combined clean at the end. Commercial fit-outs, by contrast, may need several progressive cleans as each floor or tenancy is completed, plus a final clean before the client walks through. Agree the number of stages up front, because a quote for a final clean only will not include returning after the electrician patches a ceiling the day before handover.

How much is a builders clean per square metre?

Per-square-metre pricing is common on project homes and commercial fit-outs because it scales with the job. Ranges below are labour for a residential job in a metro area.

All figures are indicative 2026 market observations. Commercial fit-outs with large open floors often price lower per square metre; small high-spec apartments price higher.

What affects builders clean pricing?

• How clean the trades left it: a site where trades took their rubbish and protected floors can be cleaned in half the time of one covered in plaster dust and offcuts.
• Glass: floor-to-ceiling windows, glass balustrades and frameless showers are slow to clean without streaks, and paint or render on glass needs careful scraping.
• Finishes: stone benchtops, matt black tapware and timber floors need specific products and more care than laminate and chrome.
• Grout haze and silicone: removing residue left by tilers can add hours to each bathroom.
• Access and parking: CBD apartments with loading dock bookings, lifts shared with residents or no parking add cost.
• Deadlines: next-day or weekend cleans before a handover usually carry a premium.

Ask for a site walk or a set of photos before accepting a fixed price, and agree in writing what counts as an extra.

What is the builders clean hourly rate?

Cleaning businesses typically charge $45–75/hr per cleaner for builders cleans, depending on city, after-hours work and whether they bring industrial vacuums and scrapers. Hiring casual cleaners directly to work under your supervisor costs less per hour, commonly $34–45/hr to the worker as an indicative market range, but you supply equipment and handle the obligations of engaging them.

The award floor for employed cleaners is set by the Cleaning Services Award 2020, which includes a 25% casual loading. Cleaners employed directly by a builder may fall under a construction award instead. Check the current rate in the Fair Work pay guides before agreeing a rate.

Builders clean price list: what does a whole job cost?

Many builders want one figure per dwelling. These are typical total prices for a final clean only, labour included, in a metro area.

Indicative 2026 market observations. Queensland and Western Australian prices sit close to these bands in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth; regional jobs add travel. Paint on glass, heavy silicone residue and grout haze are often charged as extras.

How many cleaners does a 4-bed new build need?

Take a 260 m² double-storey home in Box Hill, NSW, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, stone kitchen and 22 windows. A realistic plan:

• Rough clean: 2 cleaners for 4 hours (8 labour hours).
• Final clean: 3 cleaners for 7 hours (21 labour hours), including inside windows, tracks and all joinery.
• Sparkle clean: 2 cleaners for 3 hours (6 labour hours) the day before handover.

That is 35 labour hours. At $40/hr agreed directly with casual cleaners, labour is about $1,400 before super and other on-costs, plus consumables. At $60/hr through a cleaning company, the same hours cost about $2,100 with equipment included. Price by the hour for the first job, then convert to a per-square-metre rate once you know your crew's pace. Builders running several homes in the same estate, such as a row of townhouses in Schofields or Rouse Hill, often book the same crew for every handover, which speeds up each clean because the crew learns the floor plan and finishes. Related rates are in our cleaner hourly rate guide.

Builders clean checklist

• Remove stickers, protective film and labels from glass, appliances and fittings.
• Scrape paint and render splatter from glass and frames without scratching.
• Vacuum and wipe window tracks, door tracks and sliding robe tracks.
• Clean inside and outside all cupboards, drawers and wardrobes.
• Remove grout haze and silicone smears from tiles, showers and vanities.
• Clean light fittings, switch plates, skirting boards and architraves.
• Clean oven, cooktop, rangehood filters and dishwasher interior.
• Vacuum and mop all hard floors; vacuum carpets twice for fine dust.
• Sweep garage, porch, balcony and alfresco areas.

If cleaners will enter an operational construction zone, they need a white card. SafeWork NSW states that people who access operational construction zones unaccompanied need one. More on that in what is a white card.

How do I book builders cleaners on Yakka?

Before posting, confirm the handover or inspection date with your site supervisor and work backwards: final clean two to three days before, sparkle clean the day before, and a buffer in case a trade runs late. Note any areas that must stay untouched, such as freshly sealed floors.

Post the job with the site address, stage of clean, square metres, number of bathrooms and windows, white card requirement and an AUD hourly rate or fixed budget. Cleaners apply directly and you message them to confirm availability and equipment. Agree the price in writing in the app and pay through the platform; there is no agency margin on top. Browse commercial cleaners near you or cleaning labour hire in Sydney.

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