Guide to Starting a Cleaning Business

If you’re looking to venture into a new business without maxing your credit card with upfront investments, then you are in the right spot because we have a lucrative proposal for you: a cleaning business. 

Commercial cleaning services are a never-ending source of income for people who don’t want to bother with formal certification and education. 

The supplies you need to start are basically the same ones that you use for your house chores, and to be honest, if you are unfamiliar with a chemical, you can always check that online and get a full idea of how, when, and where to use it. 

Research the Cleaning Industry

If you’re planning on starting a cleaning business just because have nothing else to do, then at least make sure that you are fit for the job. 

First, decide what kind of services you are going to offer, is it only you working or are you planning to ask your cousin to help you out, do you do light cleaning or include windows? Is there industrial carpet cleaning and pressure washing involved? 

Of course, if it’s only you with a new business idea and a limited budget, you’d like to avoid pressure washers and stick to your hands. 

It also depends on your finances if you’re going to start as an individual cleaner or as a group providing cleaning services. We recommend you figure these things out before you even start organising the details. 

Guide to Starting a Cleaning Business? 

Funding 

First things first, the funding of your cleaning business. For starters, this can be a low upfront investment depending on the size of the business. If it’s only you and you have some money stashed or you can borrow from granny, then you’ll spend less money.

However, have in mind that you need sufficient funds for cleaning supplies, business licenses, permits, insurance, and of course advertising. 

You can also get a loan but be careful with how much you invest in the beginning. Start low and then increase your investment as you generate more money.

Products to consider for the business to start rolling are latex gloves, mops, glass cleaners, paper towels, brushes, and floor detergents, which you can always buy from a retailer and save up money right there. 

Choose the Right Market 

If you’re someone without a car, then you’d need to limit your clientele to a walking distance from your home or include transportation expenses in the cleaning price, which is not a good idea as you might run into a lot of competitors who do own their vehicles. 

For individual newbie cleaners, it’s best to start with smaller homes rather than mansions, it would be more convenient for the effort. If you’re ambitious and want to expand your cleaning service, do it as soon as you increase your budget. 

For the start, be realistic with what you can actually do by yourself and stick to that plan. 

Also, don’t forget about doing your homework on other cleaning businesses in the area and see what services they’re missing that you could offer. Checking out your competitors will also help you figure out the fee for your services. 

Do What You Do Best 

Let’s be real, you may want to do commercial kitchen cleaning, but you have no means to provide the equipment for that. Therefore, stick to the general home cleaning services and always pay attention to what you do best.

Is it the tiles, the carpet, the windows, or maybe the floors and the bedroom areas? When starting a business, you’d always have the urge to do more, but trust me, it’s better to start low until you have the economic power to expand. 

Budget Planning 

Budget planning is crucial when starting a cleaning business. 

Cleaning Supplies

First of all, you need to plan your supply budget, which has to be provisional at the beginning because you still don’t know the right number of clients you have. 

Transportation 

Next, you need to calculate transportation costs, which can also vary depending on if it’s your own vehicle, if you pay for transportation, or if you have a larger cleaning service and you have a company cleaning van. Whatever the case may be, transportation costs will always fall on you, so you must be prepared. 

Equipment 

Well, this one can come along down the road. As for now, you are not required to have any industrial floor cleaners or specialised carpet cleaning devices, but nevertheless, you can consider adding the renting costs to your budget. 

Registration 

You can’t skip this step if you’re serious about your cleaning business, but you can maybe hold off for a bit if your only clients are your aunt and your sister. 

You see, $20 on hand for cleaning a kitchen is not something you’d report unless you have 20 of those per month, then you must register your business and pay taxes. 

The best thing you can do to save money is to look up online advice on all the registration paperwork you need to file to set up your cleaning business. 

Running a legal business will give you more credibility and confidence to move forward and eventually expand. 

Finding Clients… and Keeping Them Happy 

Talking about confidence, let’s have a word about finding clients. In the virtual era we live in, people usually search for domestic services online, but word-of-mouth advertising still plays an important role in cleaning businesses. 

Obviously, if you are an individual cleaner, your first clients will be people you know that would later refer you to other clients. 

It would be great to build a simple website for your business and set a review option so your clients can rate your work.  

The more happy clients you have, the more people would require your cleaning services. 

Make an Online Presence 

Finally, as we said, a simple website would be great, but if you can’t invest in that, just create a professional Facebook page for your business, and, connect to sites that offer cleaning services.

About the Author