An end of season deep clean is the one big clean a holiday let gets after the last guests of the year leave and before the house closes or goes quiet for winter. It covers everything a changeover skips: inside the oven and fridge, limescale and grout, cupboards, shutters, terraces and the textiles. Book it for the week after your last checkout, and expect four to eight hours of work depending on the size of the house.
From May to October, a holiday let in Tavira, Cabanas or Santa Luzia lives on changeovers: strip, wash, clean, remake, check, in a few hours between one guest and the next. That keeps the house presentable, but it never has time for the slow jobs. By the end of the season they add up, and if the house then closes for three months with them still there, they are worse in March.
What a changeover leaves behind
A changeover is designed for speed. Its job is to make the house right for the next arrival, which means beds, bathrooms, surfaces, floors and the kitchen as a guest sees it. A deep clean is designed for the things a guest does not see but that wear the house down.
The checklist, room by room
Kitchen. Oven inside and out, the extractor hood filters, the fridge emptied and cleaned with its door left open afterwards, the dishwasher filter, the microwave, and every cupboard emptied and wiped. Anything food related that guests left behind goes, including the half bottle of oil and the open packet of rice, because over a winter they attract ants and moths.
Bathrooms. Limescale is the main enemy here. Water around Tavira is hard, and a summer of showers leaves a white crust on taps, shower heads and glass screens. Grout lines get scrubbed, the toilet is cleaned behind and below, and drains are cleared of hair before the house goes quiet.
Bedrooms and textiles. Beds are stripped completely, including mattress protectors and pillow protectors, which changeovers rarely wash. Curtains, cushion covers and throws are washed if they are washable and fully dried before they are stored. Mattresses are vacuumed and left to air.
Living areas. Detail dusting from the top down, then sofas vacuumed, windows inside and out, the roller shutter slats wiped, and floors done last.
Terrace and outside. A summer of sea air and the occasional calima leaves a fine layer on everything outside. Railings, tables and chairs are washed, cushions brought in, and the terrace swept and washed.
When to book it
The best moment is the week after your last checkout. The house is empty, nothing needs to be ready by a set time, and the work can be done at the right pace. Book it in early October if you can, because the same weeks are when every other owner wants the same thing.
If the house is closing for the winter, do the deep clean before the plumbing shut down, not after, because the team needs water and electricity. Our checklist for leaving an Algarve house empty for winter covers the steps that come after the clean. If the house stays open for winter guests, a deep clean in November still pays off, because it resets the house before the slower months.
Leaving the house dry before it closes
A clean house can still be in poor shape by March if it closes damp. A few things make a difference:
- Textiles go into cupboards only when they are completely dry, never slightly damp from the dryer.
- The fridge, freezer and washing machine doors are left open so their seals do not grow mould.
- Bins are emptied, washed and left dry.
- Internal doors and wardrobe doors are left ajar so air can move.
- Rugs are rolled and stored off the floor if the house is on the ground floor.
A closed house on the coast can still get damp in winter, and mould on walls in an empty house is usually condensation, not dirt. Cleaning removes it, but ventilation is what stops it coming back.
For owners abroad: what to ask for at the end
If you are not in Portugal when the season ends, the deep clean is also your best chance to find out the state of the house. Ask for three things when you book.
The first is a photo report, room by room, taken when the work is finished. It shows you the house as it will be when it reopens, and it gives you something to compare against in spring.
The second is a list of anything that needs fixing. Cleaners see every corner of the house during a deep clean, so they are the first to notice a cracked tile, a loose towel rail, a shutter strap that is fraying or a damp patch behind a wardrobe. A short list in October lets you book the repairs for the quiet months instead of discovering them a week before the first booking.
The third is a linen count. Two or three full sets per bed is the usual stock for a holiday let, and the end of the season is when you find out how many sheets and towels survived the summer, so you can order replacements before prices and delivery times go up in spring.
What it costs in 2026
On the prices published by our cleaning team for 2026, a deep clean starts at 140 euros for a one or two bedroom apartment and at 220 euros for a three or four bedroom house or villa. It can also be booked by the hour, at 22 euros per cleaner per hour, with a minimum of four hours of team time. Products and equipment are included.
These are indicative starting prices. Every house is different, and the final price depends on the size, the condition after the season, the number of bathrooms and what you want included, so ask for a quote for your property before booking. You can see what is covered on our page about deep cleaning in Tavira.
What a deep clean does not cover
A deep clean is cleaning, not repair. A dripping tap, a shutter that sticks or a stain on the ceiling under a terrace are jobs for a handyman, a plumber or a builder, and the end of the season is a good time to have them done while the house is empty. A house that has just had building work is also a different job: builders’ dust gets everywhere and usually needs more than one visit, so tell us if there has been work in the house.
If the house runs changeovers all year, the routine side of it is covered in our guide to turning a holiday let around in six hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is an end of season clean for a holiday let?
It is a full deep clean after the last guests of the year: appliances inside, limescale, grout, cupboards, shutters, terraces and textiles. It covers the jobs a quick changeover never has time for.
When should I book the end of season clean?
For the week after your last checkout, and ideally in early October, because the same weeks are busy for every holiday let in the area.
How long does a deep clean take?
About four to five hours for an apartment and up to about eight hours for a larger house, often with two cleaners working together.
How much does a deep clean cost in Tavira?
On our published 2026 prices, from 140 euros for an apartment and from 220 euros for a three or four bedroom house. Every property is different, so ask for a quote for yours.
Should I clean before or after closing the water for winter?
Before. The cleaning team needs water and electricity, so the deep clean comes first and the plumbing shut down comes last.
