Des Moines area · Iowa · Professional Home Cleaning

House Cleaning in Des Moines

Planned around how central Iowa homes actually get dirty: road salt and snowmelt at the door for months, river water that stays moderately hard after softening, and beetles that wander indoors every fall.

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Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly Recurring Clean

Recurring weekly or biweekly cleaning to the same TotalCare Cleaning standard every visit, with Hotel Finish detail.

From $138 / visit

One-Time Deep Clean

One-time or seasonal deep cleaning. Baseboards hand washed, cabinet fronts degreased, ceiling fans, blinds and vents. Every detail surface your standard clean misses.

From $279

One-Time Moving Clean

Inspection-ready move-out cleaning for tenants, landlords, sellers, and buyers. Interior appliances, all cabinets, baseboards, inspection-ready standard.

From $350

Service Areas

Des Moines area
Cities We Will Serve

Every TotalCare Cleaning professional is background-checked and screened before their first job.

Des Moines

Des Moines area · Iowa

Ankeny

Ankeny is one of the newest housing markets around Des Moines. TotalCare Cleaning will service these homes with attention to large floor plans, rental inspections and a winter that starts at the sidewalk.

Urbandale

Urbandale started as a streetcar suburb and grew into a settled city of owner occupied houses. TotalCare Cleaning will service its homes with an eye on age, water and the lessons of the 2020 derecho.

West Des Moines

From the old railroad streets of Valley Junction to homes built since 2000, West Des Moines has its own water, its own history and its own cleaning issues. TotalCare Cleaning will service both sides of it.

Other places in the Des Moines area: Ashby Park, Clive, Echo Valley, Fox Creek, Hawkwood, Heritage Subdivision, Merle Hay, Mills Civic Parkway, Northview, Ponderosa, Prairie Trail, Rock Creek, Valley Junction, Waukee, Westown, Windsor Heights.

Local Guides

Des Moines
Cleaning Guides

Deep cleaning

A local look at when a deep clean earns its cost in Des Moines: older woodwork, winter salt on entry floors, mineral haze from moderately hard water, and fall insect traces on sills.

Hiring a safe house cleaner

A plain checklist for letting someone into your Des Moines home: what to ask about insurance and screening, what to put in writing, what to tell them about your house, and where Iowa consumers can turn with a complaint.

Move-out and move-in cleaning

For Des Moines renters and sellers: how Iowa handles security deposits, what the city does about rental inspections, how to get rid of bulky items, and what a One-Time Moving Clean will take care of.

Recurring cleaning

How to choose between weekly, bi-weekly and monthly service in Des Moines, with an honest look at how a long snow season, a wet May and June, late summer ragweed and fall insects change the answer.

Seasonal cleaning calendar

A cleaning calendar built on Des Moines weather normals: what to do during the coldest weeks of January, the heavy rain of May and June, the heat of July, ragweed in late summer and the insects of fall.

Winter, snow, salt and mud

A practical winter guide for Des Moines homes: how to stop road salt from reaching your floors, what the metro sidewalk rules ask of you, how to handle wet gear and dry furnace air, and what to do when the thaw finally comes.

A house in Des Moines picks up a different mess in each part of the year. Boots carry in salt and slush through a long winter, May and June bring the heaviest rain, and fall sends lady beetles and boxelder bugs looking for a way inside. TotalCare Cleaning will service the Des Moines area with those cycles in mind.

This page sets out what local housing asks of a cleaning visit, how the seasons change the work, which service suits which home, and where the map will reach. Prices are shown by home size, and the longer guides linked below go further into each subject.

A city of prewar bungalows, big apartment blocks and newer edges

Des Moines has a median year built of 1961. Roughly half of its housing went up before 1960, and more than a quarter is older than 1940. Beaverdale, which was first platted in 1907 under the name Urbandale, is one of the city's long established neighborhoods, and homes of that era often have woodwork, narrow stairways and small baths. Older trim tends to have more ledges to hold dust, and old bath tile needs patient work on the grout lines. The deep cleaning guide covers that work.

About 62 percent of homes in the city are detached houses, while nearly a quarter sit in buildings of ten or more units. Those two groups need different things. A house has entries, and often a garage door or basement stairs, feeding grit into the kitchen. An apartment has less floor but tighter baths and a lease that ends on a known date.

Move outward and the age drops fast. Median year built runs 1994 in West Des Moines and 2006 in Ankeny, and newer homes usually raise questions about keeping up with floor area rather than aged finishes.

Snow on the ground, then the wettest months of the year

Des Moines averages 36.5 inches of snow in a normal year, with about 52 days showing at least an inch on the ground. Add about 128 nights at or below freezing and the result is a long stretch when every trip inside brings moisture and de-icing residue along. Hard floors near the door show it first, usually as a dull white film that ordinary sweeping leaves behind.

Thaw does not end the problem. May and June are the wettest months, at a little over five inches of rain each, and summer as a whole brings more rain than any other season. Mud replaces salt. July highs average near 86 degrees, with about 22 days a year reaching 90, so windows tend to stay shut and air conditioning does the circulating.

Fall has its own visitors. Iowa State University Extension describes Asian lady beetles and boxelder bugs gathering on sunny walls and finding their way indoors, and it advises vacuuming them up rather than crushing them, since crushed beetles smear and smell. The seasonal calendar walks through the year month by month.

What comes out of the tap here

Des Moines Water Works treats water from the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers for about 600,000 central Iowans, and softening is part of that treatment. Even so, its published treated water readings from mid 2026 averaged about 126 milligrams per liter of total hardness at Fleur Drive, roughly 7.4 grains per gallon. West Des Moines reports about 9 grains per gallon from its own blend of wells and river water.

In practice that means slow mineral haze on shower glass and a crust around faucet bases rather than the heavy scale of the hardest water markets. It builds quietly, which is why the deep scope includes treating shower glass and detailing faucets.

Choosing a service for a Des Moines home

TotalCare Cleaning will offer three kinds of work here, each priced by the home, not by the hour.

Where TotalCare Cleaning will service around Des Moines

The map will take in the city and the suburbs around it. Three suburbs have their own pages, since their homes and local rules differ enough to need it. West Des Moines began as the railroad town of Valley Junction and now has a large share of homes built since 2000. Ankeny is among the newest housing markets in the area and registers every rental. Urbandale began as a streetcar suburb and is mostly owner occupied detached houses.

The service area will also include Clive, Waukee, Windsor Heights, Ashby Park, Echo Valley, Fox Creek, Hawkwood, Heritage Subdivision, Merle Hay, Mills Civic Parkway, Northview, Ponderosa, Prairie Trail, Rock Creek, Valley Junction and Westown. Windsor Heights stands out for its age: about 61 percent of its housing dates from 1950 through 1969. Waukee is the opposite, with about 55 percent built since 2010.

Inside city limits, Des Moines recognizes 46 neighborhood associations, so a street's character can shift quickly from one block of the map to the next.

More for Des Moines homes

Sources

  1. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), Des Moines city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1921000-des-moines-ia/
  2. City of Urbandale, Urbandale's History: www.urbandale.org/412/Urbandales-History
  3. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), West Des Moines city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1983910-west-des-moines-ia/
  4. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), Ankeny city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1902305-ankeny-ia/
  5. NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 annual and seasonal normals, Des Moines International Airport: www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/normals-annualseasonal/1991-2020/access/USW00014933.csv
  6. NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 monthly normals, Des Moines International Airport: www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/normals-monthly/1991-2020/access/USW00014933.csv
  7. Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/ladybug-multicolored-asian-lady-beetle
  8. Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden, Boxelder Bug: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/boxelder-bug
  9. Des Moines Water Works, 2026 Drinking Water Quality Report: cms9files.revize.com/desmoineswater/2026%20CCR.pdf
  10. Des Moines Water Works, Treated Water Quality Data by Treatment Plant: www.dmww.com/water_quality/water_quality_data.php
  11. West Des Moines Water Works, Frequently Asked Questions: www.wdmww.com/faq.aspx
  12. Historic Valley Junction Foundation, Valley Junction History: valleyjunction.com/about-valley-junction/valley-junction-history/
  13. City of Ankeny, Rental Housing: www.ankenyiowa.gov/201/Rental-Housing
  14. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), Windsor Heights city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1986250-windsor-heights-ia/
  15. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), Waukee city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1982695-waukee-ia/
  16. City of Des Moines, Neighborhood Associations: www.dsm.city/departments/neighborhood_services/neighborhood_associations/index.php
  17. Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020 to 2024), Urbandale city: censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1979950-urbandale-ia/
  18. Des Moines Water Works, Treatment Process: www.dmww.com/water_quality/treatment_process.php
  19. City of Clive, Garbage and Recycling: www.cityofclive.com/connect/city_manger_s_office/administrative_services/corrugated_cardboard/garbage___recycling.php
  20. City of Urbandale, Garbage, Recycling and Yard Waste: www.urbandale.org/193/Garbage-Recycling-Yard-Waste
  21. City of Des Moines, Snow Removal: www.dsm.city/departments/public_works/streets/snow_removal/index.php
  22. Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden, House Centipede: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/house-centipede

Frequently Asked Questions

Des Moines Cleaning
FAQ

On the current Des Moines rate card, a bi-weekly Recurring House Clean starts at $138.00 per visit for a 1 bed / 1 bath home of about 800 sq ft, $229.00 for a 3 bed / 2 bath home of about 2,000 sq ft and $441.00 for a 5 bed / 4 bath home of about 4,500 sq ft. Prices are by the home, not by the hour, with supplies included, and your exact price is shown online before you book.
Yes, in most homes. Salt and melted snow leave residue on entry floors and baseboards, and hand washing baseboards is part of the deep scope. With about 128 freezing nights a year in Des Moines, this tends to be a yearly chore, so many people plan a deep clean once the snow is gone.
Moderately, yes. Des Moines Water Works softens at its plants, and its published treated readings from June to mid October 2026 still averaged about 7.4 grains per gallon at Fleur Drive. You should expect a slow haze on glass and fixtures, though nothing like an unsoftened well supply.
Leave them alone rather than crushing them. Iowa State University Extension notes that crushed lady beetles leave a smear and an odor, and boxelder bugs are best vacuumed or swept. Tell your cleaner which windowsills collect them so those get attention during the visit. Sealing gaps from outside is a separate job for a pest professional.
Prices are set by the home's size, not its age, and the tables show starting prices by bedroom and bath count. An older house with heavy buildup may benefit more from starting with a deep clean, but its table row is chosen the same way as any other home's.
The plan covers West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Waukee and Windsor Heights, along with neighborhoods across the city itself. Each suburb handles water and trash a little differently, and the local pages explain the differences that affect how a home stays clean.
Having a cleared walk helps anyone reaching the door, and it is already expected locally. Des Moines allows 48 hours after snowfall ends to clear a sidewalk. Beyond that, it helps to leave wet boots in one spot and let your cleaner know which entry you use most.
Tell us about a finished basement when you request a quote, so it is counted as living space. Iowa State University Extension links house centipedes to damp basements and baths, so a drier and regularly vacuumed basement is worthwhile. Cleaning will not address leaks or moisture problems, which need a qualified repair trade.

Ready for TotalCare Cleaning
in Des Moines?

TotalCare Cleaning will service Des Moines and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.