My Messy Situation

Alright, so my place in Dublin? Total disaster zone. Looked like a tornado hit after a hectic couple months. My partner nudges me constantly: "We gotta get professionals." Fine. I fired up the laptop, typed something like "best cleaning company Dublin" into Google. Man, the list they threw back? Endless. Every single one screamed "Top Rated! Affordable!" Yeah, right.

The Wild Search Begins

Started clicking like crazy. Website after website. Glossy pics, shiny promises. "Deep clean from €65!" Sure, sounds dreamy. Read the tiny print later – that €65 probably covered cleaning just the windowsill or something stupid. Read tons of reviews too. Funny thing: half sounded like they were written by the owner's mum. Too perfect, too glowing. Spotted a few shady red flags on Trustpilot – companies getting caught deleting bad reviews? Oof. Felt like wading through mud.

First Big Mistake: Saw one with flashy ads everywhere. "Premium Clean €79!" Thought, hey, bargain. Booked 'em online. Lady shows up with a dinky little spray bottle and a single rag. Seriously? Took her maybe 90 minutes, whistling while she gave the surfaces a quick wipe. Charged us €150! Partner almost cried. So much for "premium". That €79? Pure fantasy pricing, bait and switch nonsense. Learned the hard way: never trust just the headline price.

How I Actually Found the Good One

Okay, Google clearly wasn't cutting it. Switched tactics. Went old school. Asked the neighbors. Maria next door practically dragged me inside to show off her sparkling tiles. "Used these guys three times," she says, "They don't mess about." Now we're talking! Real, actual proof.

Called Maria's recommended company. Guy on the phone sounded human, not some scripted robot. He asked specific things: How many bedrooms? Got pets? Hard floors or carpet mostly? Told him straight about the previous €150 ripoff. He laughed, sighed like he'd heard it a million times, then gave me the real breakdown:

• Thorough deep clean for a 2-bed flat: Starting around €120 (Depending how bad it is)
• Standard monthly clean after that: Around €85
• Add-ons like inside oven or fridge: Extra €10-€15

No hidden fees nonsense. Just clear numbers. Booked a deep clean immediately.

The Cleaners Show Up

Team arrived Friday morning. Two women, proper gear – big vacuum, big mop bucket, lots of cloths and different sprays. Didn’t chat much, just got stuck straight in. Saw them scrubbing the skirting boards. Like, actually under the sofa? And the bathroom grout wasn't grey anymore! Took them nearly 3 solid hours. House smelled like lemons and pine trees afterward, but the good kind, not chemical headache stuff. Everything felt clean, genuinely wiped down. Charged the exact €120 quoted.

So What Actually Works?

Forget the Google glamour shots and fake "Top Rated" badges plastered everywhere. Forget the cheapest quote – that's usually a trap waiting to spring.

Talk to actual people. Neighbors, friends, that guy you chat to at the coffee shop. Real recommendations from folks who've paid real money? Gold dust. Get quotes based on your actual space, not generic online guesses. Ask over the phone: "What EXACTLY does your ‘deep clean’ cover?" Make them list it. If they won't? Hang up. Finally, be ready to pay decent money for decent work. That magic €150 deep clean unicorn doesn’t exist in Dublin. A good, solid clean costs what it costs. Maria’s recommendation? Worth every penny. Place actually stays clean longer too. Turns out doing the job properly matters.