By Pol Allingham

Pictures show a filthy house before and after receiving its first deep clean in 20 years.

Cleaner couple James Kilburn and Kimberley Trevett mopped up the property in one day – but at one point, wondered if they had bitten off more than they could chew.

A hoarder lived in the blackened property, where the bathroom and kitchen were caked in limescale and dirt.

It had been left for so long that the toilet and sink were unusable.

Mr Kilburn, 26, and Ms Trevett, 21, set up Hygenia Cleaning just four months ago and were excited to tackle one of their toughest missions yet.

Mr Kilburn, from Ashford, said: "We got sent a series of videos and pictures, but we still wanted to see it in person.

"It was exactly like the before pictures, we were just really up for sticking our teeth into something that big, it was definitely one of the biggest jobs that we've taken on.

"Someone was living there, it was just neglected and he was a hoarder at some point, so I think over time he didn't realise what he was living in.

"But we understand sometimes cleaning itself is a long and tiresome process, so for some people not wanting to do that is completely understandable."

Builders didn't want to set foot in the property because it was in such a state, Mr Kilburn said.

Hygenia's task was to clear up anything potentially harmful before tradesmen came in to renovate.

The couple billed the landlady 16 hours - eight for each of them - but feared that might not be enough.

Mr Kilburn said one of the toughest parts of the clean was the smell, though the pair quickly overcame that.

Most of their energy had to go into the kitchen and bathroom - 80% of Mr Kilburn’s time was spent in the two rooms.

He said: "About half way through the job I said to my partner, 'do you think we have bitten off more than we can chew here?

"She said 'absolutely not' - I had a moment of doubt and she pulled me through.

"I was still in the bathroom at that point, but dedication paid off and we got through it.

"I was real happy with the results, all in just eight hours.

"We just love seeing the good results, we love going in and making a good relationship with our clients.

"Since we started the company we've been rushed off our feet.

"We're looking to get into more hoarders' houses and crime scene cleaning.

"It's just great to get your teeth into something big."

Mr Kilburn said he cannot reveal the location of the property beyond south Kent, but the project was started and finished on September 28.