Frequently Asked Questions

Specialist Cleaning Limited provide a wide range of specialist cleaning services. Specifically:

• Biohazard Cleaning

• Extreme Cleaning

• Crime Scene Cleaning

• Hoarder Clearance and Hoarder Support

• Void Property Clearance and Void Property Cleaning

• Flood Cleaning, Flood Drying, and other Flood Remediation

• Sewage Cleaning, Sewage Sanitisation and other Sewage Remediation

• Fire Cleaning, Post-Fire Drying, and other Fire Remediation

• Waste Removal

• Hazardous Waste Removal

In essence, if you are faced with a cleaning task that you, an ordinary domestic or commercial cleaner can’t tackle, we are able to step in.

We pride ourselves on our professionalism and can-do attitude. Whilst many of the situations we face are inherently traumatic or offensive, we have the experience and know-how required to approach them with empathy, decency and respect.

We often think of ourselves as ‘problem-solvers’, not ‘cleaners’. We have helped hundreds of clients get through some of the most difficult times of their lives, by being pragmatic and candid in our approach, and providing a simple solution.

It certainly helps that in our hiring processes, we specifically look for the right people, often with no cleaning background. This sounds wild, but those that have left the emergency services, and other similar professions can often face these situations with less personal effects, whilst still providing a personable service.

Our specialist cleaning services are available nationwide, delivered from our base in Oxfordshire.

Our typical response time to an emergency request is a maximum of 4 hours, with most attendances being around 2 hours from first contact. For a list of the areas included in this service level, see our ‘Coverage Area’ page.

Our planned-services (such as extreme cleaning, hoarder clearance/cleaning and void property clearance/cleaning work) are usually delivered within 3 to 4 days, which allows for the additional planning required. The initial assessment could be as soon as same-day or next-day, however.

If the property is some distance from you, we can collect and hold keys, or meet you at the property as preferred. For added convenience, we can even install a secure key safe (£50 + Key Safe RRP) at the property for you, if you want the keys to remain there for family/companies/trades to have future access with minimal hassle.

We largely leave this to you - we understand that many of our clients struggle with anxiety, whether through mental health issues or embarrassment. Whilst we assure you that all communications with us will be respectful and kind, we completely understand if you have preferences in how you get in touch with us, and how we continue that conversation.

Please feel free to chat with us over email (contact@specialist.cleaning), text or WhatsApp (0775 993 0011) or telephone (0333 533 0011).

We aim to respond to text/WhatsApp within 1 hour, and emails within 12 hours.

We provide our full range of services 24/7/365 - yes, really. The world of biohazard cleaning is not nine-to-five, so our working hours aren’t either.

Moreover, we do not provide regular cleaning services, or standard end-of-tenancy cleaning. That means our schedule is free for reactive cleaning needs, emergency response (needle sweeps, blood-spills etc) and planned works that require us (hoarding clearances, void property clearances, etc).

For emergency call outs, we can be expected in as little as 4 hours or less.

We aim to visit properties for planned-works within 48 hours to make our assessment, and be undertaking works within 4 days - though same-day attendance is possible.

So, if you’re facing an unconventional cleaning need, we can help faster than you might expect.

We don’t have a set price list for the work we do - every job is judged on it’s own merits.

What we can say, is that we are not the cheapest option on the market - we invest in our team, on-going training, equipment and materials, and ensure all waste produced is disposed of through legal means. Our services do cost considerably more than a standard domestic cleaner.

We are also not the most expensive - we keep overheads slim, don’t have large offices or impractical vans, purchase professional products without the supermarket mark-up, and charge reasonably for the circumstances, following an in-person assessment.

When you contact us, we will ask questions regarding what has happened, what hazards are present, and when you need assistance by. We will arrange to visit you (or ask for pictures to document the scene), and then provide a break down of costs for you to consider. All of this, with zero obligation to go ahead with the work.

As an example, a 1 bedroom flat, that requires an ‘extreme’ deep clean (dirty kitchen, large quantities of rubbish throughout, all fixtures affected by limescale, fridge with rotting food, toilets affected by biohazard), might cost in the region of £1200-£1600 inclusive of VAT.

We accept payment through a wide range of means:

• Bank Transfer

  details can be found at the bottom of your invoice

• Debit/Credit Card

  in-person (card reader), by telephone (0333 533 0011), our website (www.specialist.cleaning/pay-invoice) or a link in your invoice.

• Cheque

  This must be presented in-person following completion of works - we cannot accept a cheque by post.

• PayPal

We know that ‘cash is king’, but for a service business like ours, that doesn’t provide ‘discounts’ for cash, electronic payment is ideal.

Our team are constantly learning on-the-job, because new challenges are faced daily. A strong foundation is important, though, so all staff undergo a range of role-specific training to ensure their safety, and the safety of our clients.

Qualifications and continued development undertaken by our team thus far include:

• Pest Control at a Trauma Scene (Killgerm Training)

• Decontamination and Biohazard Cleaning (CPD Accredited - Ultima Cleaning Academy)

• Insect Control at Scenes of Crime (Killgerm Training)

• Textile Insect Pest Technician (Restormate)

• British Cleaning Certification Award (BCCA)

• IICRC Water Restoration Technician (UK Flood School)

• Healthcare Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste Management (CPD Accredited)

We deal with dangerous situations in homes and businesses across the United Kingdom, so we hold the following insurances:

• Public Liability

• Product Liability

• Employer’s Liability

• Professional Indemnity

We are insured by Hiscox Ltd, and are able to provide all relevant documentation to clients upon request.

Most importantly, our insurance is properly curated for the work we undertake. There are companies operating in our field under generic policies - ours is specific to the hazards we are faced with daily, meaning should a claim be required, however unlikely, we and our clients are protected.

Waste is our second largest business expense after staff wages - and for good reason. We as a company will never contribute to the epidemic of fly-tipping seen around the United Kingdom. We work with a number of waste contractors and facilities, specifically selected for attributes such as their sorting prowess (ensuring as much is diverted from landfill as possible), and reliability.

For medical, and other biohazard waste, we rely on collections from PHS Services. Where larger items require disposal via incineration (e.g. whole mattresses), these are taken to a local pet crematorium. This might sound unusual, but is standard practice and prevents the environmental contamination that these biohazard-affected materials would otherwise cause.

For local waste disposal, we primarily use M&M Waste Solutions, because their waste-sorting procedures are second to none. Waste can be taken to them in our own vans, disposed of in their skips, or collected by their fleet of zero-emissions vans, before being sorted. They divert 98% of waste to recycling/recovery, with excess waste going on to produce energy through ‘Energy from Waste’.

Our waste solutions are as bespoke as us - we use the method that best suits the client we’re working with. Most importantly, though, we check all relevant permissions and certificates are in place, before releasing any waste to our contractor(s). Tick boxes are great for our planet!

We are registered and approved Environment Agency waste carrier licence holders (upper-tier). Registration Number: CBDU470620

Download waste carrier certificate.