How to Start a Cleaning Business: The Definitive Guide and Checklist 

1. Choose what cleaning services you’ll offer

Your cleaning business can offer a wide variety of services for clients. Here are some types of cleaning services your business might offer:

• Basic residential cleaning
• Deep cleaning
• Spring or seasonal cleaning
• Sanitization services
• Move-out cleaning
• New home or construction cleaning
• Dishwashing
• Laundry services
• Eco-cleaning services

When you first create your cleaning services list, look at competitors’ websites to see what they’re offering. This will show you which services are missing in your service area or market. It also helps you decide what you can offer to stand out and attract more business.

Start small with just a few core options for your final services list. Think short and long term: what can you do now, and what can you do later when you have more money to invest?

READ MORE: Unique cleaning business ideas to kickstart your company

Choose your focus area or speciality services

It’s also important to decide if you’d like to focus on residential (house cleaning), or if you want to be a commercial cleaning business by serving businesses in your local area.

You could also offer one-off speciality services that give clients more flexibility. Speciality add-ons can include things like:

• Carpet cleaning
• Window cleaning
• Pool cleaning
• Pressure washing

PODCAST: Listen and learn how to turn a side hustle into full-time income

2. Register your company name and choose a business structure

The first step is registering your cleaning company’s name. If you don’t have one, here are some tips on naming your cleaning business.

Once you’re ready, here’s how to register your business depending on which country you’re in:

• United States: Make sure nobody else in the state is using your name, then trademark it and register your domain name.
• Canada: Does your business have the same name as you? If so, you don’t need to register it. But if not, register the trade name and trademark it to protect your brand.
• United Kingdom: Set up as a sole trader or business partnership, check your name availability, search for a trademark, and register your company name and business.
• Australia: If your business isn’t using your personal name, you’ll need to register your business name through the Business Registration Service, ASIC, or a private service provider.

Part of the registration process is deciding what your business structure will be:

• If you’re in the U.S. and you want complete control over your business, you might want to register as a sole proprietorship.
• If you’re opening your cleaning business with two or more people, you’ll have to register as a partnership.
• A limited liability company (LLC) is best for medium or higher-risk businesses. This setup protects your personal assets and separates them from the company.

When you’re registering your company, you may need an employment identification number (EIN) for federal tax purposes. Depending on location, your city or state may require similar business identification to file taxes in your area.

Pro Tip: Not sure what the local ordinances and regulations are for cleaning businesses? Just Google “YOUR CITY NAME + business laws”.

READ MORE: Should I incorporate my small business?

3. Get a business license

You must have a business license before you clean a single house. This is what legally allows you to run your business. You can face serious consequences (including fines and legal action) if you don’t have one.

To get a business license, you’ll often pay an up-front cost that varies depending on where you live. You’ll also need to renew this license in your city or county every year.

Not sure where to start? Check out our guide to getting your cleaning business license in each state.

4. Get cleaning business insurance

When it comes to protecting your business and your future employees, cleaning insurance is non-negotiable.

The last thing you want as a new entrepreneur is to accidentally cause damage to a client’s home and not have protection from insurance. In this scenario, you risk getting into debt when you cover the property damage out of pocket.

There are different types of insurance available, with variations based on your level of protection and the assets your business needs:

• General liability insurance
• Health insurance
• Vehicle insurance
• Business owners’ policy
• Workers’ compensation
• Employment practices liability

Insurance is an essential part of running your cleaning business. Shop around for the right insurance plan for your business and check out various providers in your area.

5. Set up accounting and bookkeeping

You can’t run your business out of your personal bank account, so get a business bank account where you can accept payments and monitor cash flow separately from your personal assets.

From there, create an expense budget for purchases, equipment, gas, marketing, and any additional overhead. This is the budget you’ll stick to every month. Don’t worry, you can adjust over time if you need to!

One of the most important expenses is your own personal paycheck. Decide what you’ll be paid, then set up an automatic bi-weekly withdrawal so you can pay yourself from your profits (and do the same for employees, if you have them).

Track all of your income and expenses carefully so you can report accurately when it’s time to file your taxes. Depending on where you live and work, you’ll follow these avenues:

• United States: You’ll file business taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
• Canada: Go through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to file your business taxes.
• United Kingdom: The UK offers the Companies House online portal for you to send your company tax return.
• Australia: Lodge your business taxes with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

READ MORE: 30 small business tax deductions to save money when filing

6. Stock cleaning supplies and equipment

While starting a residential cleaning business is a relatively low-cost venture, you need to buy items from this cleaning equipment list before your first job.

Here’s a sample checklist of cleaning supplies you might need:

• Face mask
• Rubber or latex gloves
• Trash bags
• Paper towels
• Sponges
• Cleaning towels or rags
• Microfiber cloths
• Scrubbing brushes
• Duster
• Extendable pole
• Vacuum cleaner
• Broom and dustpan
• Mop and bucket
• Bleach or disinfectant
• All-purpose cleaners
• Soap scum removal cleaner
• Toilet cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• Spray bottle

If you’re starting your business on a budget, you don’t have to buy everything right away. Here’s how to set that budget to decide your non-negotiable supplies.

• Decide on an equipment budget that you can afford right now. (Remember, the profit from your first few jobs might help with reinvesting into your business.)
• List the tools, equipment, and chemicals you need to complete each of the services you plan to offer (e.g., gloves, microfiber towels, extendable pole, bleach, glass cleaner).
• Determine how many of each item you’ll need for each job.
• Assign costs to each item, including the price total.
• Prioritize which items you need right now. Make decisions based on importance, price, budget, and how soon or how often you’ll use them.

7. Learn how to price your cleaning services and estimate jobs

Next, it’s time to decide how much to charge for house cleaning. First, choose your pricing structure. Cleaning companies charge for services using:

• Hourly rate
• Flat rate
• Room rate
• Square foot rate
• Specialty service rate

8. Market your cleaning business and get your first customers

Marketing is key to attracting potential customers and getting your first jobs.

There are many ways to start advertising your new business.

Try a few of these ideas to start drawing attention to your new venture.

• Create a strong business brand. Part of being a professional business is looking the part, from your business logo, signage, uniforms, and online presence. Building a strong brand will help you generate more trust with new clients.
• Use your personal network. Tell family and friends about your cleaning business and get them in as your first clients (don’t forget to ask them to spread the word, too!)
• Create door hangers and deliver them to residents in your desired service area.
• Referral programs are also helpful for encouraging clients to recommend your business to others. You can thank them with a service discount or other incentive.
• If you have a company vehicle, apply decals or a vehicle wrap so it becomes a moving billboard. Park it in public spaces so people passing by will learn about your business.

You can also try these helpful marketing tips from successful cleaning business owners:

9. Learn how to manage your cleaning business and client relationships

Next, you have to work out how you’ll run your business and give your clients a positive experience. You can make adjustments based on what works and what doesn’t.

Here’s how cleaning software like Jobber can help you run your business every day:

• Get new business – Potential clients can contact you through the online booking form on your website. This gives you all the information you need to get in touch and talk about job details (size of space, type of cleaning, frequency of cleaning, etc.).
  
• Manage clients – Store your clients’ details in Jobber’s CRM, including their name, address, contact information, and service needs.
  
• Send quotes – Create a quote with custom line items for all your cleaning services and email it to the client. You can automatically send a customized follow-up if you don’t hear from the client in a while.
  
• Manage jobs – When a client approves your quote, convert it into a job and schedule the job in your calendar. Then, when you get to the job site, use a house cleaning checklist on the mobile app to help you provide consistent service.
  
• Communicate with clients – Send a reminder text or confirmation email a day or two before the cleaning. You can also follow up after the job, ask the client to book their next visit, and request a review on Google or Yelp.
  
• Invoice clients and get paid – With user-friendly invoicing software, you can send an invoice when each cleaning job is complete. To make the process faster, you can use a cleaning invoice template and offer your clients contactless payments through an online portal like client hub. With a tool like Jobber Payments, you’ll get paid almost four times faster than if you collected manual payments by check.

10. Hire and train cleaners so you can grow

Once the work picks up and becomes too much to manage on your own, it’s time to branch out and start hiring cleaners. 

“When hiring potential employees, it’s very important to create an efficient process for screening the applicants,” says Katie Pearse, an industry expert and cleaning business mentor.

Although the process of recruiting, interviewing, and screening applicants can feel daunting, bringing on new team members is a proven way to expand your business. Here’s how to approach the process so that it’s beneficial for you and your future team:

• Figure out who your ideal employee is, what they need from a job, and how you can find them.
• Write a house cleaner job description so you (and your future employee) understand the role and responsibilities.
• Create a job posting and share it on job-finding websites like LinkedIn or Indeed, or other places where your ideal employee spends time.
• When you start getting applications, shortlist the best ones and interview the candidates. Include a paid audition as part of your hiring process to see how candidates work.
• Hire the best candidate for the job and do your best to keep them on the team.

Invest time and effort in training cleaners, too, so they’re prepared to work out in the field. Tools like job checklists, employee handbooks, and regular evaluations will help you keep your cleaners’ skills sharp.

READ MORE: Housekeeping interview questions every cleaning business owner should ask

Ready to start your own cleaning business?

A cleaning business is one of the simplest types of businesses you can run. It’s easy to get going and start earning revenue right away, and you don’t need to take out a business loan.

You also get to be your own boss, set your own standards, and do work that makes a real difference for your clients and your community.