How to Start a House Cleaning Business in Seven Simple Steps
By Fayola Peters
One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it’s a
blessing to make money doing something they love. I’m not saying that you have to
love house cleaning in order to have a successful house cleaning business; however
it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it.
How much money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could
be a one person operation where you set up at home and service areas close to home,
or you could set up a commercial office and hire people to work for you.
Here are 7 simple steps to get you started on your own house cleaning business.
1. Decide exactly what kind of house cleaning services you will offer. Here you
decided what cleaning you will do, like making beds, vacuuming, mopping and waxing
floors, dusting and so on. Also note what you won’t do, e.g. laundry. You can also
decide to specialize, e.g. by cleaning carpets only, or cleaning suspended ceilings only.
2. Pricing your housecleaning service. To have an idea of how to charge for your
housecleaning service, use your competition. Check your telephone directory and the
classified ads section in your local newspapers for cleaning businesses, call them up
(pretend to be a prospective client) and find out exactly what cleaning services they
offer and how much they charge. With this information gathered decide the best price
to charge for your cleaning service.
3. Workout startup costs. For this you need to consider, tools, material, transport,
advertising, insurance etc. Write down a list all the tools and material you need,
like cleaners, sponges, mops, carpet cleaning equipment etc. Next find out the cost
of each item on the list and write it down next to the item.
Transport: you will have to estimate your costs here. You see it depends on where
your client is located and your means of transportation to get to your client.
(Having your own vehicle would be to your advantage).
Advertising: You can use free advertising (word of mouth) and paid advertising
(classifieds, telephone directory ads etc). Phone calls to your local newspaper
and the telephone company who publish your telephone directory will tell you the
cost of placing ads.
Once you’ve gathered all this information, calculate your total startup costs.
4. Name your business. Choosing an appropriate name for your house cleaning business
is important. Here are a few examples I got of the internet, "Maid Brigade",
"All Shine Cleaning","White Glove Cleaning Service". Please avoid using "Your Name
Cleaning Services". Using your own name as part of your business name is over done
by many house cleaning businesses. Brainstorm and come up with a name that helps
you stand out of the crowd.
5. Learn the zoning regulations of your community. Check the city clerk’s Office or your
local library for a copy for a copy of the zoning laws governing your community. Your
reason for doing this is that some zoning regulations prohibit home businesses in a community.
6. Do a few free cleaning jobs. Well you’re not actually doing them for free. You’re
doing them in exchange for references (these add to your credibility for future
paying clients and are invaluable). You can offer these free cleaning jobs to friends,
non profit organizations in your communities etc.
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