Deep cleaning and sofa cleaning in Dubai: prices and what's included

As of November 2026, a deep clean of a one-bedroom flat in Dubai typically costs AED 350 to 700, a three-bedroom villa AED 800 to 2,000, and sofa cleaning around AED 40 to 70 per seat. Prices from licensed cleaning companies in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and Al Ain are usually similar or a little lower.

Before you book, check two things. First, the company holds a trade licence with a cleaning activity. Second, the cleaners who come to your home are employed by that company on its own work permits. Those two checks protect you more than any discount.

This guide covers what a deep clean should include, how move-out cleaning works with your deposit, how sofas, carpets and mattresses are cleaned and how long they take to dry, what moves the price, and the red flags to watch for.

A regular clean keeps a home tidy: dusting surfaces, vacuuming and mopping floors, wiping the kitchen counters, cleaning the bathroom and emptying bins. It usually takes three to four hours for a one-bedroom flat with one or two cleaners.

A deep clean goes where a regular clean does not. It reaches inside cupboards and appliances, behind and under furniture, into grout lines and window tracks, and onto surfaces above head height. A team of two to four cleaners usually spends most of a day on a villa.

Book a deep clean when you move in or out, after renovation, before a new baby arrives, after a long trip in summer when dust has built up, or once or twice a year to give a regularly cleaned home a thorough refresh.

Room-by-room checklist

• Kitchen: inside and outside the oven, hob and extractor hood, fridge and freezer inside, inside all cupboards and drawers, tiles and grout, sink and taps descaled, bins washed.
• Bathrooms: limescale removed from taps, shower screens and tiles, grout scrubbed, toilet cleaned inside and behind, exhaust fan cover wiped, mirrors and cabinets inside.
• Bedrooms and living areas: wardrobes inside, skirting boards, door frames, switches, light fittings, ceiling fans, under and behind beds and sofas.
• Windows and balcony: inside glass, frames and sliding tracks, balcony floor and railings. Outside glass on high floors is usually the building's job.
• AC grilles: vents wiped and dusted. A full AC coil or duct clean is a separate service.

Ask the company to send its own checklist in writing. If an item you care about is missing, such as the oven or the balcony, agree it before the day.

Move-out cleaning is a deep clean of an empty home, timed for the handover. It matters because the deposit is at stake. Under Dubai's rental law, the tenant must return the property in the condition it was received, except for normal wear and tear. Many tenancy contracts add a specific clause on cleaning, and some landlords or agents require a professional clean with an invoice before they return the deposit. Read the clause in your contract, and in the other emirates check the local rental rules.

A few habits make the handover easier:

• Book the clean after the movers have left and before the inspection, ideally the day before.
• Use the move-in photos or the inspection report as your standard, room by room.
• Make sure the cleaners do the oven, fridge, bathrooms and balcony well, because inspectors check those first.
• Keep the invoice and take dated photos of every room when the cleaners finish.

If you are moving in, a move-in clean before your furniture arrives is easier and cheaper than cleaning around boxes. If you are also moving furniture, our guide to furniture movers in the UAE explains how to time the two.

Normal wear, such as faded paint or light marks on walls, is not a cleaning issue. Stains, burns or broken fittings are damage, and a cleaner cannot fix them.

Upholstery cleaning is a separate service from house cleaning, often done by a technician with a machine. There are three main methods.

• Shampoo cleaning: a foaming cleaner is worked into the fabric with a brush or machine, then extracted. It lifts general dirt well. Drying usually takes 4 to 8 hours.
• Steam or hot-water extraction: hot water and cleaning solution are injected into the fabric and sucked out with a powerful vacuum. It is the usual choice for deep dirt, odours and dust mites, and it is common for mattresses and carpets. Drying usually takes 4 to 12 hours, longer for thick carpets.
• Dry or low-moisture cleaning: a solvent or dry compound is applied and brushed out with little water. It suits delicate fabrics, velvet and some sofas labelled for dry cleaning only. Drying usually takes one to two hours.

Check the care label under the cushions before you book. A "W" means water-based cleaning is fine, "S" means solvent only, "WS" means either, and "X" means vacuum only. Leather needs a leather cleaner and conditioner, not steam.

Drying time depends on the fabric, the AC and the humidity. Run the AC and a fan, keep the curtains open and do not sit on the sofa or put sheets back on a mattress until it is fully dry. A sofa that stays damp for more than a day can smell musty.

Ask whether stain removal is included. Old coffee, ink and pet stains may fade but not disappear, and an honest technician tells you that before starting.

These are typical prices from licensed cleaning companies in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and Al Ain they are often similar or somewhat lower. VAT of 5 percent is added where the company is VAT-registered.

By the hour

• Regular or deep cleaning: AED 35 to 50 per cleaner per hour, usually with a minimum of three to four hours.

Deep clean by home size

• Studio: AED 300 to 500
• One-bedroom flat: AED 350 to 700
• Two-bedroom flat: AED 500 to 900
• Three-bedroom villa: AED 800 to 2,000
• Larger villas: often quoted after a site visit, and commonly above AED 2,000

Move-out clean

• Flats and small villas: AED 400 to 1,200, depending on size and condition

Sofas, mattresses and carpets

• Sofa, per seat: around AED 40 to 70, with steam usually costing more than shampoo
• Three-seater sofa: around AED 150 to 300
• Mattress or rug, per item: AED 80 to 250, depending on size and method

Our cleaning price guide lists more items and is reviewed every quarter.

Two homes of the same size can get very different quotes. These are the usual reasons.

• Condition: a flat left empty for months, or one with heavy grease in the kitchen, can take twice the hours of a home that is cleaned weekly.
• Empty or furnished: an empty home is faster to deep clean. Moving furniture adds time.
• Post-construction dust: paint splashes, cement film and stickers after a fit-out need more time and different products.
• Team size and hours: more cleaners finish sooner at the same hourly rate, but the total hours decide the bill.
• Add-ons: oven degreasing, balcony pressure washing, inside windows on several floors and upholstery are often priced separately.
• Location and timing: weekends, evenings and the busy end-of-month moving dates can cost more. Some companies charge a little extra for Al Ain or remote communities.

Send photos of the kitchen, bathrooms and sofa with your request. You get a more accurate quote, and fewer surprises on the day.

A cleaning company in the UAE should hold a trade licence with a cleaning activity from the emirate's economic department: DET in Dubai, ADDED in Abu Dhabi (which also covers Al Ain), SEDD in Sharjah and the Ajman Department of Economic Development in Ajman. Ask for the licence number and check that the name and activity match the company you are dealing with.

The second check is about the people. In the UAE a worker may only work for the employer named on their work permit, unless they hold a separate MOHRE freelance or part-time permit that covers the job. A cleaner sent by a licensed company should be that company's employee, in uniform, with a company ID. A freelance cleaner on a visit visa or another sponsor's permit is working illegally, and the person who hires them carries a risk too. Our guide on hiring cleaners: company vs freelance and the visa rules explains this in detail.

Then ask:

• What exactly is included, and is there a written checklist?
• How many cleaners will come, and for how many hours?
• Are products and equipment included? Which products are used on marble, wood and leather?
• What insurance covers breakage, and how do you claim?
• Is there a re-clean if something is missed, and within what time?
• Is VAT included in the price?

If you have seen signs of cockroaches or bed bugs, a deep clean will not solve it. Book a treatment first and the deep clean after. Our guide to pest control prices, bed bugs and cockroaches explains the order.

Be careful with:

• A "company" that exists only as a WhatsApp number, with no trade name, no address and cash-only payment.
• A deep clean price far below the market, such as AED 150 for a two-bedroom flat. It usually means one cleaner for a few hours, which is a regular clean.
• A sofa offer that promises every stain will vanish, or that uses steam on a fabric labelled for dry cleaning only.
• Cleaners who arrive without uniform or ID, or a different team from the one you were promised, with no explanation.
• A request for your Emirates ID or a full payment in advance by bank transfer to a personal account.
• A quote that grows on the day, with new charges for products or "extra dirt" that were not mentioned.

1. Decide what you need: regular clean, deep clean, move-out clean or upholstery only.
2. Send photos and the home size, and ask for a written quote with a checklist.
3. Check the trade licence and ask who employs the cleaners.
4. Check the sofa and mattress care labels and agree the method.
5. Confirm the number of cleaners, the hours, the products and whether VAT is included.
6. For a move-out, book the day before the inspection and keep the invoice.
7. Walk through the home with the team leader before they leave, and note anything missed.
8. Plan drying time for sofas and carpets before guests arrive or furniture goes back.

When you are ready, compare licence-checked cleaning companies near you. To narrow it down by emirate, see cleaning companies in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and Al Ain. Wherever you start, the cleaning services page lets you request free quotes from businesses whose licences we have checked.