If you are looking for a credible business that can be started with little investment with recurrent demand, then consider going into cleaning services.  With determination and hard work, you can make extra money providing cleaning services. Get basic materials like sponges, cleaners, mops and other heavier cleaning equipment such as a vacuum cleaner. You’ll need the best vacuum for high pile carpet, as well as a vacuum more suitable for hard floors. It may seem unnecessary to have both, but they’ll help you to achieve a professional finish. Other costs such as transport, advertising, promotion, insurance and so on should be worked out.
 The guidelines listed in this article will help you to succeed.

• How Can I Start a Cleaning Business?
• How Can I Increase my Cleaning Business?
• How Can I Make Money as a Housekeeper?
• How Much Should I Charge to Clean a House?
• Do Housekeepers Get Tips?
• How do I Get my First Cleaning Client?
• How do I Start a Small Cleaning Business From Home?
• Where Can I Promote my Cleaning Business?
• How do You Price Cleaning Contracts?
• How Much Can You Make Owning a Cleaning Business?
• What Materials do I Need to Start a Cleaning Business?
• Where Can I Advertise my Cleaning Business For Free?
• How Much Should I Charge to Clean a Bathroom?
• How Much Should I Charge to Clean a Church?
• What is The Most Effective Cleaning Product?
• What Cleaning Tools Are Best For Cleaning a Home?
• How Can I Promote my Cleaning Business on Facebook?
• How do I Start a Cleaning Business With no Money?
• What Are Some Good Cleaning Business Names?
• How to Get Commercial Cleaning Clients
• Unique Cleaning Business Ideas
• How to Start a Cleaning Company in South Africa
• Cleaning Services Business Plan
• Most Profitable Cleaning Services
• What Makes a Cleaning Service Unique?

How Can I Start a Cleaning Business?

Decide on your preferred cleaning area

The first thing to do is to know exactly what area of cleaning you want to focus on. If you are interested in residential cleaning, you will be required to work in your clients’ homes. Commercial cleaning is usually done in office buildings, factories, restaurants and construction sites.

Read Also: Easy Ways To Make Money With Tips On Motherhood

With residential cleaning, your work will be done mainly during the day while commercial services will be done at the close of work. Decide on a niche to begin with and with time you can become adept and proficient to successfully handle both areas.

Set your prices

You need to set your prices. You will have to know what your competitors charge. One way to do this is to go through the local directories, speak to the owners on phone, asking to know the services offered and what they charge.

You will have to pretend to be a prospective client to successfully pull this through. You can also check adverts in local papers and do the same. This will give you a fairly good idea on what fees to charge. Also find out about the market trends, investment opportunities and profit margin that are available in the sector.

Decide on a business name

Give your business a catchy name. Do not simply use your name and add cleaning services to it. It has become common practice. The only way this may work is if you tie it to your neighborhood. For instance, if you live in Queensdrive, you could adopt the name “Queensdrive cleaning services” as long as you are the first person to use it. If you want to stand out of the crowd, get creative.

Work out the initial cost

Get basic materials like sponges, cleaners, mops and other heavier cleaning equipment such as a vacuum cleaner. Other costs such as transport, advertising, promotion, insurance and so on should be worked out.

For transportation, you will have to transport your workers and equipments to the cleaning destination. It is more cost effective if you have a vehicle of your own. Find out the legal requirements that you have to comply with before you begin. Documents like licenses and insurance are a few of the important requirements that local authorities require.

Advertise

Advertise the service you offer through free and paid media. You can start with word of mouth to friends, neighbors and family. Place adverts in local dailies, distribute brochures and pamphlets in your community and place notices on public boards. The use of the telephone directory for advert is a good option you can employ if you want to make extra money providing cleaning services.

Do a few free cleaning jobs

Let people have a feel of what you can do. This will require doing some free cleaning jobs. When you do, you will get references for future paying clients. Visit organizations in your community to offer free services.

How Can I Increase my Cleaning Business?

Starting and building a new residential cleaning business or a commercial cleaning business takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and most importantly, customers.

Finding your place in the market and building your reputation is important but simply providing great service and quality work isn’t enough on its own.

A little research and putting in some leg work can make building a strong client base easier and give you some ideas you might not have thought of.

There are lots of ways to build your customer base when you’re starting out, but it’s important to think about growing on an ongoing basis too. Here are just a handful of ideas for how to gain customers and spread the word about your business.

Improve your networking skills

The heart of any business is having a strong network, whether you’re dealing with your suppliers, your clients or even your accountant, the majority of your work day revolves around people. Even if you’re networking with people that won’t necessarily become customers, leaving a good impression can go a long way towards getting referral business.

Making connections through networking helps grow your business but sometimes finding the right place or situation can be a challenge. Some things that you can try are:

• Trade shows – Trade shows are a great place to meet both clients and other business owners. Consider renting a booth and displaying your products and services. You could even try catching people’s attention by having a contest for a free cleaning package, and who knows, you might just have some fun too!
• Join a Community Association – Every community has lots of associations, and joining one is a great way to meet people. Many communities even have associations specifically for businesses and business owners. Joining one of these associations opens up new possibilities for advertising and helps you keep your finger on the pulse of your community.
• Community Events – Community events are great business opportunities. Volunteering or contributing is a great way to build your reputation while helping your community out and getting some cheap advertising. Every event needs cleaners so if you have some spare time throw on your company T-shirt and get helping!

Set up a referral program

Big companies have known for a long time that a referral program is a great way to build your customer base. This works for almost any business, whether it’s cleaning, landscaping or even software.

Try a discount incentive or a free service if your customer sends you new business. While it may seem expensive in the short run, in the long run, it’s a great way to extend your client list. There’s a reason they say word of mouth is the best source of advertising.

If you want to keep track of your referral customers, you may want to consider a client manager (CRM).

Attach tags to clients in your field service management software so you know that they came from a referral or another channel. View, manage, and act on leads, so you can close jobs quickly and grow your business.

Canvas in your community

This might not seem like much fun, but it’s actually a good way to get your name out there, and can be very effective in gaining new business.

Door knocking is a great way to create face-to-face contact and leave a lasting impression. Canvas in the evening to ensure people are home, but make sure you’re respectful of their space if they don’t want to chat or have a sign indicating they’re not interested.

If nobody’s home, make sure you have a flyer or brochure to leave so that when they need a cleaner they think of you and have your phone number on hand. This is also a great opportunity to include a discount offer.

Partnerships with other businesses

Building partnerships with other service providers can be a great way to build a mutually beneficial business relationship. For example, a window washing company can refer you to their customers and you can do the same for them. Other good options are carpet cleaning companies, landscaping and nanny services, just to name a few.

Besides referrals, partnering with other companies can increase the value of your service to your customers. You save them the time and headache of finding and hiring someone to perform additional services and can vouch for your partner companies, providing ease of mind for your customer. Just make sure that you’re confident in the quality of the work your partners provide.

Advertise on a budget

Advertising can be expensive, but there are lots of opportunities available to get your message out on a shoestring budget:

• Put up posters in local businesses and community centers.
• Print company T-Shirts and give them to your employees and customers.
• Get active online! Customers research services online, so make sure you’re managing your online presence.

Word of mouth

This point bears repeating. The cheapest possible way to advertise is to have someone else do it for you. While that may seem like a pipe dream, the reality is that successful businesses get this right — every time.

The trick is to get people talking. The only catch is that “local cleaning services” and the “best maids in town” aren’t very common dinner conversations, so what can you do to get people excited about your business?

First and foremost, maintain the highest quality service. Make sure your clients aren’t just content with your work — amaze them. After the work’s over try going above and beyond to really connect with your clients to make sure they’re happy.

Remember birthdays, share a funny joke, or making a small gesture of appreciation around the holidays to increase the likelihood of people mentioning you to their friends and family.

Remember word of mouth has as much positive power as it does negative. If you’re rude or perform poor a service, you can bank on your customer letting their friends know.

Ensure top level security

The nature of the cleaning business means you and your team will often be working unsupervised in people’s homes or offices. This can make your clients nervous so doing everything you can to make sure they feel safe is a great way to outclass the competition.

Try getting background checks done on all of your team members and on any prospective employees, and make sure your customers know that you’ve done this. Another thing you could consider is offering a personal guarantee in writing.

Here at Jobber we deal with our customers’ sensitive data every day, so to ensure that they feel safe we hold our security standards to the same level you would expect of online banking. This means our customers feel completely at ease, and they pass this sense of security onto their clients.

Finally, always follow up with your new contacts. Make a quick phone call or send them an email. Don’t be afraid to follow up a few times, don’t stop at just one. People are busy just like you and I and sometimes don’t have time to respond, but one day they’ll be looking for the service you provide, and you want to make sure you’re at the top of their mind!

How Can I Make Money as a Housekeeper?

Whether coming back from a long meeting-fueled work day or on a getaway vacation, guests want everything to be to their satisfaction. These guidelines can help increase the amount of money you will receive from you housekeeping job.

1. Making yourself visible 
   1. Greeting guests with a warm smile and asking how you can improve their stay will likely make guests more inclined to remember you.  If a guest has not met or seen you, they will not be likely to tip according to the numbers.
2. Look professional 
   1. Having neatly ironed uniformed, well-kept hair, and fingernails cut show guests that you take your job seriously, and make the guest feel like they’re staying at an establishment with high standards. 
3. Get to know the guests, especially the regulars 
   1. Guests will love if you remember their names and their preferences when cleaning and will be likely to leave big tips.
4. Leave kind notes that are uplifting if you see a guest having a bad day 
   1. A heartfelt note can go a long way if a guest is experiencing a bad time.  Simply leaving a “have a lovely day” or some other heartfelt message can improve a guest’s mood, and your tips.  
5. Never forget to lock a guests door
   1. Leaving a guest’s door unlocked can lead to their items being stolen and have negative ramifications towards yourself. This is a huge mistake to make.

How Much Should I Charge to Clean a House?

The average cost of house cleaning is $90 to $150 and the average national hourly rate is $25 to $90 per cleaner. A single family home should cost $120 to $150 to clean, according to Home Advisor.

Estimating a house cleaning job isn’t as simple as quoting whatever your competitors are charging. Each business has unique costs they should factor into their prices.

So, while there is no “one size fits all” answer for how to estimate house cleaning jobs, if you follow the seven easy steps below you should be able to come up with a profitable and reasonable hourly rate.

It might take a new cleaning business a few rounds to get comfortable with the estimating process. That said, it’s important to learn how to do it properly so you can earn a decent living wage.

1. Visit the House

First tip: don’t give estimates over the phone. You must see the house in question when estimating all private house cleaning jobs, according to Cleaning 4 Profit.

Why? You need to estimate how long it will take your company to clean the house, not how long the customer thinks it’ll take you. The customer may try to mislead you to try to get a lower bid. Or they simply don’t know how long a professional cleaning job takes.

In any case, you must visit the house before you provide an estimate in order to evaluate the task at hand. Otherwise, you’ll end up consistently paying yourself less than you deserve.

While you’re there, measure the space with a laser distance measurer to get an accurate idea of what you’re dealing with or ask the customer what the total square footage is. Or eyeball it, if you’re more experienced.

2. Estimate Time

Now that you’ve seen the house, it’s time to estimate how long you think the job will take. As a general rule, 1,000 square feet of the house should take 1.5 hours to clean, according to Cleaning 4 Profit.

So a 3,000 square feet home should take 3 hours to clean, and so on. Different types of jobs like deep cleaning or vacant house cleaning will obviously take more or less time. You might want to double or triple your rate for first-time cleanings, especially if the space has been neglected and needs some serious TLC.

Then you can charge your regular rate for subsequent cleanings, since you’ve gotten it back to normal.

Whatever the case, get in the habit of keeping a log of how long each type of job takes you so you can adjust your pricing accordingly.

3. Calculate Labor Costs

Calculate labor costs even if you’re the one doing the cleaning. This way, you always pay yourself. You need to establish an hourly rate.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that cleaners who service buildings and dwellings make $11.24 per hour on average. Of course, this number is higher in top-paying states like Hawaii, D.C., New York, Massachusetts and Nevada, where the average is between $18.41 and $14.16 per hour.

Now multiply the number of hours you estimated the job will take by the hourly rate to find labor costs.

• For example, a 3,000 square foot house that takes three hours to clean. You’re in Nevada, so you’re paying one cleaner the average hourly rate of $14.16. 
  • $14.16 x 3 = $42.48

4. Factor in Taxes

Payroll taxes are another consideration if you have a staff. Payroll taxes are officially called FICA taxes. You can estimate that payroll taxes will cost 18 percent of your labor cost, according to Cleaning 4 Profit.

• Taking the example above, your labor cost is $42.48 
  • $42.48 x 0.18 = $7.65 payroll cost
  • $42.48 + $7.65 = $50.13 total hourly rate so far

5. Factor in Supplies

Supplies like cleaning products are obviously a typical expense in house cleaning jobs. You need to add about six percent to factor in supplies costs.

• $50.13 x 0.06 = $3 
  • $50.13 + $3 = $53.13 total hourly rate so far

6. Factor in Overhead

Overhead is any cost not specifically associated with the job at hand, such as office rent, marketing etc. You should add 50 percent to cover these costs.

• $53.13 x 0.50 = $26.57
• $53.13 + $26.57 = $79.70 total hourly rate so far

7. Add Your Markup

You want to make a profit on this job, so you need to add a markup. Add 33 percent on top of your cost. Of course, you can reduce this number if you really need the money, want to be competitive or especially want to land this client. But, remember not to undersell yourself.

• $79.70 x 0.33 = $26.30
• $79.70 + $26.30 = $103 final hourly rate

Now you have the hourly rate you’ll charge your client: $103 per hour.

If your state requires you to charge sales tax, add that on top in the estimate. Thankfully, in Nevada (our example state) service-based businesses don’t need to charge sales tax.

Do Housekeepers Get Tips?

According to our research, 48% of women tip almost all the time versus. 33% of men. However, men typically pay a higher percentage, 15 – 20% (20% is more likely), versus women paying out 5 – 15% (with 10% being the average).

A further breakdown shows couples on a date, middle aged adults and people with families are most likely to tip above average. On the other end, foreign visitors, teenagers, and the elderly are more likely to tip below average.

The industry is very female orientated, with the breakdown showing 89% female and 11% male.  Typically in the tipping industry, males are tipped $3 more than females.  However, in the housekeeping industry this changes due to them not being actively seen as much.  As a result, this has caused females and males to share around the same amount of tips.

It might seem that as a housekeeper, you just won’t get tipped very often. However, there are steps you can take to change that! By ensuring a guest’s happiness, your housekeeping tips will increase significantly. The three biggest takeaways are to make yourself visible, get to know your guests, and remember to always have a positive attitude.

How do I Get my First Cleaning Client?

Getting your first commercial cleaning clients is probably always a major focus for your business, but are you coming off desperate in your attempts at bringing on new cleaning clients?

Identify who your ideal customers are

The first step to getting new commercial cleaning clients is going to be understanding who your ideal client actually is. Simply showing up randomly at different businesses and asking them to hire you won’t get the best results. 

Most people make the mistake of trying to market to everyone. While this sounds like a good idea, in reality when you market to everyone you are really marketing to no one. 

Well before you start prospecting new commercial cleaning clients, you need to understand them. What are their pain points, what are their biggest problems, what questions do they have in relation to your services, what are their goals?  

If you don’t know these things yet, you need to do some research and figure out what those are. A major key to getting commercial cleaning clients without appearing desperate is positioning your business in the form of what’s in it for them. People care about the benefits they will receive from your service not how great your company is or how long you have been in business. Those things are important but you need to position them with benefits to your customer. 

Network at local events and networking groups

As the old saying goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Networking events and groups are a great place to meet people who have the right connections to help you get commercial cleaning clients without appearing desperate. 

A great group to become a part of is the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce events are usually full of business owners and leaders in the community. If anyone is going to know who handles the cleaning contracts or can direct you to the people that do, they are likely at these events. 

Most Chambers of Commerce also have Ambassador programs.  This group is like the welcoming committee for new members, so they get to call them up to welcome them and introduce their own business. 

Typically ambassadors will be very active within the community and can be great people to network with. 

You need to be active and participate in networking if you want it to result in more commercial cleaning clients

Most people who struggle with networking to get commercial cleaning clients do so because they aren’t really active in networking groups. They maybe show up one time and hand out a few cards, and wonder why they aren’t getting new clients flooding in. 

You need to participate and attend these networking events on a regular basis so you can start to develop relationships with people. Just like in the online world, you don’t want to be spammy. 

Certainly, let people know what you do, but wait for a meeting or two to start finding out who handles the cleaning contracts at their business or workplace. Once you have that information you can try and reach out to that person, or ask an introduction if the connection you know, knows that person well.

Build a list of ideal clients 

You want to start by building out a list of prospects. If you have specific companies and businesses in mind that’s ideal but you could also choose some general categories as well. 

Some of the best options are places like schools, doctor’s offices, dentist offices, office buildings, government buildings, or even churches to name a few.  

You can also find some local businesses near you while building out your prospect list with some help from Google. Simply type something like “doctor’s office near me” and you’ll get a list on Google maps of places near you, which could be great options for potential customers. 

Do Your Research Before Contacting Your List of Potential Customers

The first step before you reach out to a potential client is to do some research about them in advance. One of the major reasons you will appear desperate or needy when approaching new cleaning clients is that you are only talking about your business features. 

People aren’t as concerned with the great features of your company as they are with their own business needs and problems. So instead of saying “we use the latest in cleaning technology”, explain why they should care. For example, “our auto scrubbers use the latest technology so we use less water from your facility to clean the floors”.

Take some time to research what are your potential client’s problems, goals, and struggles and then position your commercial cleaning business as the solution. 

Focus on things your cleaning business can do to save them time or money. Often those are the biggest concerns for the management of any business and that will resonate most with the people that are in control of hiring a cleaning company. 

In addition to that, another benefit of doing research on your list of potential clients is you can figure out who you should contact within the organization. A common mistake people make when marketing their cleaning business is that they don’t actually reach out to the decision maker. 

Reaching out to someone in the company is better than nothing, but if you aren’t contacting the decision makers the likelihood you will get the cleaning contract is low. Typically most websites will list people like their CEO or top management, and those would be a great place to start for people to reach out to. 

Set up a walkthrough and ask good questions

After you set up a call with the decision makers and position the benefits of your cleaning company you want to schedule a walkthrough of their facility. This way you can further develop a customized plan for your new potential customer. 

Often people make the mistake of bashing the current cleaning company that handles that business. This is one thing you want to avoid and instead, focus on asking questions and finding additional pain points or issues the business is dealing with. 

Some great things to ask would be, 

• “what are the price points you are looking to hit for your cleaning budget?”
• “what are the top 3 things you wish you could change with your existing cleaning company?”

The best response you can get from a potential customer during this process is, “No one has ever asked me that before.” When you get that response that shows that you are truly interested in their business and their needs and it is a great way to get them to hire your business for their cleaning contract.

How do I Start a Small Cleaning Business From Home?

If you are ready to  start a house-cleaning service, follow these eight steps to ensure your new business is a success.

Step 1: Decide Your Game Plan

Decide whether you want a side business to generate extra cash each month or if you want a full-time, house-cleaning business. For years women have been successfully using house-cleaning work as a part-time way to make extra cash. If you are looking for a small gig on the side, start out with one or two clients to service each week.

A brief cleaning may offer the basics: dusting, vacuuming and mopping.If you decide to make it your full-time job, your house-cleaning business can offer a more in-depth cleaning in addition to the standard dusting and vacuuming. A list of extras include: blind cleaning, window washing, polishing silver and mildew removal.

The additional items will require more time at each job, and the rate should reflect this.Whether you run a part-time or full-time business, you will have to accurately predict how much time it will take you to complete each home. It is best if you have a standard set of services to offer, making your time calculation easier. 

Step 2: Research the Competition

The next thing you need to do is research the market. What is the going rate for housecleaning services in your area? Do you want to charge the going rate or come in a little lower? Your first instinct might be to come in lower to draw business, but be cautious.

While the start-up costs for the cleaning business are low, you be driving to each location and the cost of gas is significant, not to mention your time.Which days you are willing to work? If it is part-time, you may only offer Saturday morning cleaning or one evening a week.

If you are doing housecleaning as a full-time job, you may still be able to have weekends off if you could do all your cleaning during the week. Most of your clients will probably want you to clean their house while they are at work.Though it is an obvious suggestion to research the competition, many people skip this step.

Look online at cleaning businesses. Call them and ask questions regarding price, services offered, time spent cleaning and transportation. Check with office buildings in the area to learn the cleaning companies they use. Can you offer a lower price? Are they happy with the work?

Step 3: Setting Boundaries

Long before your first job, know how far you are willing to travel for work. If you only serve a certain area, keep that in mind when accepting new clients. In your enthusiasm for more work, you may agree to jobs that cost too much time (and gas) getting to. Or, if you are willing to spend more time on the road, agree to come out if the customer can refer you to two more clients in the same area.

At least you can get a day’s work in at the location. Setting these boundaries early will keep more money in your pocket.Think about the conditions you are willing to work in and those you are not. Will the owner will be home or at work? Do you need a code to enter the building?

Step 4: Market and Advertise

Now you can decide on your marketing strategy. Instead of offering general housecleaning, you can specialize in an area like pre- or post-party cleaning. Team up with local real estate agents in you area who can recommend you to sellers. They will want their homes in tip-top shape prior to a showing. Contact local builders and offer your services to clean new homes.

You can send individual emails mentioning your availability, create flyers or mail postcards.Are you Web savvy? If so, start a website for your housecleaning business. It can list the services you provide, the areas you will service, the discounts you will offer and contact information. When you get business cards made, list your website so customers can look you up and email you with questions.

Put an ad in your local paper with instructions to see your website for more information. This is the area where you will invest most of your start-up money.  Advertising is expensive, but necessary. Even if you decide to just make flyers at home to hang on local bulletin boards, you have to factor in the expense of the ink, paper and photocopying.

Professional advertising can also include yellow page ads and direct mail. Yellow page ads can be quite pricey, but they do work, especially for those who don’t use the Internet.  If direct mail is out of your budget, have a brochure professionally printed and canvas neighborhoods.

Step 5: Obtain a License

Check with your state regarding licensing. A professional cleaning service will need to be registered with the state. Information and forms can be found on your state’s Department of Commerce website.Insurance is also a consideration. Insurance can protect you in the event you should damage or break and expensive piece of decor at a client’s home.

Clients will be reassured if you tell them that you are both licensed and insured. You may also have to change your automobile policy for business if you plan to shuttle around other cleaners to their jobsites.

Step 6: Consult with an Accountant

If you are going to do housecleaning as a full time profession, you should consult with an accountant to determine the tax implications for your family.If you have established a large client base, you may need to become a sole proprietorship or even incorporate to save yourself from heavy taxation.

Plus, if you should ever need to hire someone it will be easier to report the taxes you withhold and remit. Never underestimate how fast your business will grow. Before you know it you could need one or two employees. It is good to be prepared.

Step 7: Professional-Associations

You should give consideration to joining your local Chamber of Commerce or Lions Club. These organizations will give you a chance to network, plus, you never know where a business lead will come from.Be open to exchanging services with other professionals.

You could clean the local print shop in exchange for discounted or free flyers. You also may be able to receive discounted insurance rates for being part of one of these organizations. Don’t forget to join your community’s small business owners’ association, if they have one.

Where Can I Promote my Cleaning Business?

There is no one definitive answer when it comes to how to promote your cleaning business. You may be wondering why you need to bother figuring out how to advertise your cleaning business.

The simple answer is that even if your schedule is full at the moment, you should always be open to new business and opportunities. Customers come and go, and you want to be prepared. Plus, it’s one of the only ways to get your business to grow. So how to market your cleaning business?

1. Distribute flyers 

Many people are looking for cleaners. That’s why flyers are particularly effective for your type of service. You can post them in the local supermarket, community center, or anywhere with a notice board.

You can also print up something to put in people’s mailboxes, or if you have the budget, pay someone to distribute door to door. Just make sure to remember to include a description of your services, company name, price and contact details.

2. Spread your brand via social media

Social media (like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) is a great place to reach people and promote your small business. You can use it to keep your current customers up-to-date, or as a tool for attracting new customers.

To be effective, it’s good to keep your messages short and relevant. Before and after pictures can have a significant impact when it comes to marketing for cleaning business so make sure to start your grow your portfolio.

3. Create a refer-a-friend program

Lots of business is likely to come your way through recommendations. To give customers an incentive to recommend you to their friends and family, consider creating a refer-a-friend program that rewards each successful referral. For example, you can offer them a 20% off your next cleaning voucher, or two hours free when they sign up three friends.

4. Use digital marketing

Digital marketing for cleaning business, with its ability to geo-target ads to specific customer profiles in exact regions can be an excellent tool for your business. As such, you may want to consider paid posts through services such as Facebook Ads, Yelp, or Google AdWords.

If you don’t know how to do this effectively, it could be worth consulting with a digital advertising specialist, at least to get started. Also keep in mind, in order to use digital marketing, you will need to have a website, or at least a single landing page for customers to see when they click on your ad. You can easily create this yourself, or again, hire a freelancer for a quick gig.

5. Set yourself apart from the competition

Whichever strategies you use for how to market your cleaning business, you should always be emphasizing what are called your unique selling points (USPs). These are the type of things that set you apart from your competition.

For example, if you focus on eco-friendly cleaning with all natural products, that’s a great differentiator. If you’ve positioned yourself as low-cost or a premium service, make sure to let people know. Similarly, you want to promote all your inherent advantages.

So if you have some form of general liability insurance or, even better, insurance for cleaners covering your business, make sure that’s clearly stated on your website. Clients will be glad to know that if the unexpected does happen, you’re insured.

How do You Price Cleaning Contracts?

Office spaces are as distinctive and varied as the people and businesses that occupy them. Pricing cleaning services for an office must begin with an assessment of the actual office.

You need to take into account the types of rooms, features, size and client needs to determine the price to charge. Keep in mind that office cleaning is a service, so labor cost is probably going to dominate your pricing strategy.

Inspect the Office

Before you can accurately price a cleaning job, you need to consult with the prospective customer and do a walk-through of the premises. Ask the client how large the office is in square feet. Note whether there are restrooms or other areas that may take more time to clean. It’s common for a small business to want a cleaning service to empty trash, vacuum floors and dust.

Some clients want windows cleaned. Ask the client about the cleaning budget and how often the office requires cleaning – weekly or several times a week. This is all information you need to estimate the time a cleaning visit will require.

Find out what times a cleaning crew can work and if there is an alarm system. Ask about special features such as an on-site collection bin for recyclable items that you should use for trash.

Estimate Costs for Cleaning

Costs for services such as office cleaning are usually based on an hourly labor rate. Strictly speaking, this should be a standard figure that you use for all clients. To create a standard labor charge per hour, start with the average wage paid to workers. Include payroll taxes and other labor costs. Add an allowance for overhead, cleaning supplies and profit.

For instance, if workers earn an average of $15 per hour and you add another $15 for other costs, you get an hourly labor charge of $30 per hour.

Create a list of tasks the cleaning crew is expected to do. This list should include estimates of the time to dust, vacuum a given area, clean bathrooms, wash windows and collect trash.

Determine a Price for Office Cleaning

There are three ways to set a price for office cleaning services. For a small office that takes only a short time to clean, some services charge a flat rate. More often, you need to refer to your list of the times needed for various tasks. Include the time required to travel to the work site.

Add up the time required to clean the office based on your walk-through and the client’s needs. Multiply the time by the hourly labor charge. For example, if you find it will take two hours to clean an office suite and your labor rate is $30 per hour, the price per visit works out to $60.

For large offices, it may be appropriate to convert the hourly rate to a rate per square foot. Suppose you know that it takes an average of an hour to clean 1,000 square feet and the office area contains 20,000 square feet. In this situation, it may make sense to charge three cents per square foot. This can save you the trouble of individually estimating each of the many tasks that cleaning a large space requires.

Special Considerations when Estimating

In some situations, you may want to adjust the basic hourly labor charge. This could be worthwhile if a customer is willing to sign a long-term contract in exchange.

Customers may want special cleaning services from time to time. Examples include carpet cleaning, stripping and waxing floors, and cleaning upholstery. If you choose to offer services like these, list them separately even if you use the same hourly labor charge.

How Much Can You Make Owning a Cleaning Business?

The average yearly income and salary for a cleaning business will depend on the stage your business is in. In the beginning, your business can range from $30,000 to $50,000 a year as you start to secure clients.

Once you’ve hired additional cleaners, you can make from $50,000 to $70,000. However, commercial cleaning businesses have the most revenue potential and can make over $100,000 a year.

When it comes to operating a cleaning business, the highest potential for income is focusing on commercial cleaning. This is due to the higher rates you can charge for contracts and the size of commercial buildings. You will have to secure fewer clients in commercial cleaning than you would in residential cleaning in order to make a similar amount of income.

Commercial cleaning businesses generally start making around $70,000 a year once they’ve secured clients. However, this amount can easily increase to over $100,000 a year depending on the size of the buildings you’re cleaning and the number of employees you have.

Once you’ve created a successful residential cleaning business and hired additional cleaning professionals, it is common for a cleaning business owner to change their focus to commercial cleaning instead of residential. Commercial cleaning can be more stable and offers a larger range of income for your business.

If you are securing clients with large office buildings, your contract can include a much higher rate than what you were charging for residential cleaning. For example: If you are cleaning a three-story office building once a week, your contact could include a rate between $1,000 to $1,500 per month for the one client! In residential cleaning, it would generally take a minimum of 3 clients to equal that amount per month.

What Materials do I Need to Start a Cleaning Business?

Below you’ll find a cleaning business product checklist. It includes all the crucial supplies, equipment, and tools you need to run an efficient and profitable cleaning business.

Essential Cleaning Business Supplies

• Vacuum cleaner, with attachments for hardwood and carpet
• Bucket or container to carry supplies
• Mop and bucket
• Duster (both long and short)
• Dustpan and broom
• Paper towels
• Microfibre cloths (have separate, color-coded ones for the kitchen and bathroom)
• Glass cleaning cloths
• Protective rubber gloves
• Cleaning brushes (use disposable toilet brushes or ask the customer to provide one)
• Laundry bag (for old rags)
• Disinfectant wipes (perfect for bathroom and kitchen surfaces)
• Shoe covers (to keep floors clean)
• Spray bottle (to store homemade products and all-purpose cleaners you need to mix with water)
• Trash bags

Essential Cleaning Products

• Multi-purpose cleaner (look for bottles that explicitly say they are suitable for appliances and different hard surfaces like walls, counters, desks, and floors)
• Disinfectant (necessary for bathroom and kitchen surfaces)
• Glass and window cleaner (commonly a spray and-wipe solution used for mirrors, glass, perspex, and windows)
• Air freshener
• Heavy-duty detergent or degreaser
• Furniture polish
• Oven cleaner
  Stainless steel cleaner (for modern kitchen appliances which are stainless steel)
• Toilet and shower cleaner (buy as a separate or all-in-one solution to remove mold, mildew, and grime)
• Dishwashing liquid (use to clean plates, stovetops, refrigerators and more)
• Descaling agent or chemical descaler (removes limescale in kettles)
• Carpet cleaner
• Laundry detergent
• Stain remover
• Wood cleaner (you can make your own wood cleaning solution using one part Murphy Oil to eight parts water)

Cleaning Business Marketing and Office supplies

• Laptop or PC
• Printer
• Phone line
• Business cards
• Cleaning business insurance
• Cleaning business software

Where Can I Advertise my Cleaning Business For Free?

You’ve created a business plan and decided on the services you want. Now it’s time to bring business in and give some lucky people out there some amazing service. Low cost options don’t always mean you can’t get high quality use out of them. There’s no need to fear. Free advertising options are here.

Places you can advertise your cleaning business for free include (but are not limited to) LinkedIn, Yelp, Youtube, Craigslist, and Canva. Other types of advertising, like business cards or brochures, work just as well, especially if you have places to distribute these in your community.

LinkedIn

This site is purely business, and that’s what it is primarily known for: Professionalism. You can create your professional profile, search for and post jobs, and invite others to your network. It’s completely free for many essential basics, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be downgrading that opportunity anytime soon.

You can use it to update your resume, interview potential candidates for an open position if you don’t want to handle your business alone, and find the right fit for your business needs. If you’re not an expert in an area your business needs, hiring someone through LinkedIn is an incredibly easy process.

You can also create a page specifically for your business, to share professional updates with your customers. If you’re an administrator of the page, you can invite those you’ve added through LinkedIn to follow you, and stay updated on the page. Creating a business page allows you to schedule posts in advance, and make sure you’ll make your business goals a reality in no time.

Yelp

Yelp has a free membership that offers a page you can control and edit as you need to (and the option to claim your business if there’s a pre-existing page). This includes a place to post photos and have your customers share them. Adding pictures will help potential customers see what they’d be paying for, and it helps them decide if your service is what they are looking for.

Reviews and ratings can add to the credibility of your business as well, and they attract attention, especially on this platform, because Yelp is often the first website people go to to find reviews. You’ll be able to display the price range of your products or services as well, with $ being the most inexpensive and $$$ being the most expensive.

Keeping your customers happy is important, and responding to their reviews will ensure that they feel both seen and heard by your company. If they feel you’ve thoroughly addressed their concerns, you are more likely to keep their business.

This will also help other customers if they have similar questions. With more satisfied customers, you increase the potential of having your one-time customers become repeat ones, and increasing your income.

Make sure you address customer concerns as soon as possible, and follow up if they still need additional assistance or clarification. Not doing so can cost you business, and for a company just starting out, that could cost you dearly. Failing to respond within a few days may be excusable, but after a week or two, your customer is going to feel as if you don’t care about their needs.

YouTube

Another option, and one you should definitely consider if you’re good at video marketing, is YouTube. It is completely free to upload videos, and you can include links to your other social media platforms on your channel. A channel is the home of all your videos and playlists. You can interact with your customers in the comments section and answer questions about your products through messages.

You will usually find many different types of people on this platform, including the potential audience that needs your cleaning services! (There are other websites that charge for job postings, like Glass Door, but they cost between $64.90-249, depending on the package you sign up with. You’d be better off finding a free alternative!)

Your customers can stay up to date with your products by subscribing, and this allows them to get an email every time you upload new content. Like a “like” on a Facebook page, it’s a way for your customers to be the first to see new content, even if they don’t regularly check the platform.

While the number of followers you have on social media doesn’t automatically translate to sales, the amount of interaction on your content is a good way to measure interest in your services.

Craigslist

With Craigslist, you can post job openings, products, and services, all for free. For those who may find other websites too difficult to navigate, Craigslist is very easy to use. Just choose the location you’re in, sign up for an account, confirm your email, and create your first post!

Another plus (especially for cleaning businesses!) is that you can identify the cities in your service area and how far you’re willing to travel to get the job done. This feature is great for companies that are exclusively brick and mortar.

Because you’ve taken the time to legitimize your company, you take your work  very seriously. You’re in good hands with Craigslist! Craigslist takes down users or content if they detect a spammer or an over-poster, so you can focus on standing out to your audience. All the hours you put into each advertisement are not a waste of resources.

To ensure your advertisements are high quality, and enough to stand out among other competitors, keep your descriptions succinct and to the point. Readers won’t appreciate walls of text if the content within them doesn’t add to their understanding of the product or service.

How Much Should I Charge to Clean a Bathroom?

These estimates are for BASIC work performed in serviceable conditions by qualified trade professionals using MID GRADE materials.

These estimates are NOT substitutes for written quotes from trade professionals. Homewyse strongly recommends that you contact reputable professionals for accurate assessments of work required and costs for your project – before making any decisions or commitments.

The cost estimate includes:

• Costs for local material / equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site.
• Costs to prepare the worksite for Bathroom Cleaning, including costs to protect existing structure(s), finishes, materials and components.
• Labor setup time, mobilization time and minimum hourly charges that are commonly included for small Bathroom Cleaning jobs.

The cost estimate does NOT include:

• Costs for removing, relocating, repairing, or modifying existing framing, surfacing, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems – or bringing those systems into compliance with current building codes.
• Costs for testing and remediation of hazardous materials (asbestos, lead, etc).
• General contractor overhead and markup for organizing and supervising the Bathroom Cleaning. Add 13% to 22% to the total cost above if a general contractor will supervise this project.
• Sales tax on materials and supplies.
• Permit or inspection fees (or portion thereof) required by your local building department for your overall project.

How Much Should I Charge to Clean a Church?

Commercial cleaning companies will charge between $25 and $75 per hour to clean a church. Or they will charge $0.05 and $0.20 per square foot. The rate will be on the higher end if the cleaning company provides the cleaning supplies.

A small church requiring light cleaning probably will receive a flat rate of $30 to $40 per visit. In this instance, light cleaning refers to emptying trash, dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping. Adding duties such as bathroom cleaning raises the rate.

Charges for cleaning larger facilities – both in terms of size and amount of traffic – usually appear as either hourly or per square foot. Hourly rates range between $25 and $75 per hour. Square footage rates range between $0.05 and $0.20 per square foot.

In addition to their regular rates, cleaning companies often charge extra for non-standard tasks, such as cleaning carpets or polishing floors. Ask about these tasks when obtaining a quote.

What is The Most Effective Cleaning Product?

Finding the right cleaning product for the job—whether that’s removing stubborn pet hair or making the bathroom a little less mildewy—can be tough, which is why we turned to cleaning experts for their advice.

Here we’ve compiled the best cleaning products for floors, kitchens, bathrooms, and more, all recommended by professional cleaners. So, whether cleaning feels like a joy or a duty, these are the must-haves for keeping your house spick and span.

All-Purpose Cleaning: Quickie All Purpose Microfiber Cloths

Various cleaning experts recommend using microfiber cloths to clean most surfaces: Stainless-steel appliances, televisions, glass and mirrors, countertops, and bathrooms. Eric Emms, co-owner of Rise and Shine Cleaning Service in Portland, Oregon, says that’s because microfiber actually removes dirt and dust by capturing it, rather than just moving it around, like most cotton cloths. 

JamiQuan, a Sacramento, California, based Tasker with TaskRabbit, agrees, adding that these reusable and washable cloths are “highly absorbent,” making them ideal for sopping up spills too.

When using a microfiber cloth, Melissa Maker of cleanmyspace.com, applies the appropriate cleaner directly on the surface, then uses an S-pattern to wipe from top to bottom. For glass and mirrors, Anna Harasim, founder of Anna’s Cleaning Service in NYC, recommends using only water to clean and then drying the surface with a second cloth to avoid streaks.

All-Purpose Cleaning: Seventh Generation Professional All-Purpose Cleaner Spray

This all-purpose, biodegradable cleaner is designed to spray away grease, dirt, and grime from most surfaces. “It’s great if you’re looking for something plant-based,” without harsh ingredients, says Dawna Boone, founder of Valet Maids in Dallas. Boone loves that it’s free of chlorine bleach and fragrances, too, meaning it “won’t leave your home smelling like chemicals.”

All-Purpose Cleaning: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner

Here’s another easy to use all-purpose spray that Boone recommends; the plant-derived alcohols in Mrs. Meyer’s products work to clean and cut grease on nonporous surfaces. To use, spray the product directly on the surface and wipe away with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. Once the bottle is empty, consider refilling it with concentrate and water to create your own spray mixture.

All-Purpose Cleaning: Grove Glass Spray Bottle + All Purpose Concentrate

This all-purpose cleaning concentrate is all-natural and can be used on most hard surfaces, says Lorrisa May, a lifestyle expert at TaskRabbit. Dispense the concentrate into the bottle, fill with water, and shake gently before using on everything but aluminum, brass, and wood.

May also loves that the glass bottle is reusable, to help reduce plastic waste. But if you already have your own 16 oz. spray bottle, you can buy the all-purpose concentrate separately.

All-Purpose Cleaning: Green Gobbler Ultimate Vinegar

For general cleaning, the acetic acid in vinegar can help break down dirt and grime with ease. JamiQuan loves that it’s “a versatile cleaning option for your entire home,” including carpets, furniture, and most other surfaces.

She recommends using this vinegar at full strength for tough jobs, and diluting it with five parts water for everything else. “It’s a lot safer than store-bought cleaners, as it’s biodegradable and additive- and chemical-free,” she says.

All-Purpose Cleaning: Fabuloso All Purpose Cleaner

Harasim loves this degreasing agent for the fresh lavender scent, and the fact that there’s no need to rinse off the product after use. The brand also claims it won’t leave streaks or visible residue behind. To use, add a splash to a bucket of water, submerge a microfiber cloth or mop, and run it over surfaces like toilets or tile floors. 

Floor Cleaner: Method Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner

Sayeh and May both use this wax-free cleaner, which is biodegradable and made from plant-based materials, on sealed hardwood and laminate floors. “My favorite thing about using this product?” says May. “You don’t need a bucket of water! You can squirt it directly on the floor and clean.” Sayeh agrees, adding that the cherry and wood scents keep the whole house smelling fresh.

Kitchen Supplies: Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap + Non-Scratch Sponge

This versatile dish soap can be used to wash pots and pans—one of its main ingredients, lauryl sulfate, bonds with grease to easily break it down in water—but can also be diluted into a handy all-purpose cleaner for the majority of surfaces in your home, says Maker. She keeps a bottle in the kitchen for doing dishes and a spray bottle filled with two cups of water, ½ teaspoon of dish soap, and 20 drops of essential oil for general cleaning.

Kitchen Supplies: Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Advanced Soap Control Dish Wand

Maker says this dish wand has saved her a lot of time in the kitchen by making it easier to “power through the toughest of dishes.” She uses the heavy duty sponge for pots and pans that are impervious to scratches, and the built-in scraper to pry stuck-on food from nonstick surfaces, or any other surfaces that can be easily scratched.

She also likes that its valve is designed to be leakproof, which prevents dish soap from spilling out of the handle, and that there’s a button that allows detergent to be dispersed into the sponge as needed.

Kitchen Supplies: Grove Collaborative Coconut Scrubber Sponge

May loves that these sponges are made of absorbent, 100% vegetable cellulose, and finds that they’re nonabrasive while still effective in removing stubborn, stuck-on food. She uses them in the kitchen to clean cookware, glassware, countertops, and appliances. 

What Cleaning Tools Are Best For Cleaning a Home?

Every home must have certain cleaning tools; hardworking tools that will help the cleaner get the job done quickly and efficiently.

There is no doubt that if you don’t have home cleaning tools or if you don’t keep your home clean, it will expose the inmates to health hazards and may discourage few friends, colleagues and associates from visiting.

The beauty of having these must-have home cleaning tools is that they will enable you to manage, organize, and stay on track daily, weekly, monthly and annual cleaning assignments.

Broom, dustpan and mop

This is very important because if you have any hard surfaces like linoleum, cork, tile and wood, then you will need a broom, dustpan and mop to get them clean efficiently and on time. One of the best reasons why people use dustpans is because it enables them to clean all kinds of spills, or dirt in their homes.

Scrub brush

Cleaning your home with a simple cloth or sponge is good for simple stains, but it is not the ideal especially if you want to clean tough stains. You need to invest some funds in getting a scrub brush with a grip handle.

One of the reasons why this is good is because it is easier to hold as well. Scrub brushes can be used to clean the walls of your shower, bathtub, grout on the floors, and sink. Always look for a medium sized one, which can perfectly clean those hard to reach corners.

Spray bottle

Spray bottles is one of the things you really need to keep around your home always. So that, if you have to rinse anything in your home, you can use spray bottle successfully anytime, any day without stress.

Microfiber cleaning cloths

It is important to have microfiber cleaning cloths- they are as important as having white towels.

It could be super helpful to keep them in your home at all times. With microfiber you can keep the surfaces clean with just a little water. It won’t scratch or leave streaks behind.

Vacuum cleaner

You need vacuum cleaners around your home- these machines will help in keeping allergies at bay and floors clean. If you don’t have this machine, it might be extremely difficult for you to keep your home sparkling.

If you browse through the internet, you will read many amazing stories shared by users on how vacuum cleaners have helped them to keep their homes in a top form. Thus, the importance of having vacuum cleaners in your home can never be overemphasized.

Even if you don’t have money to buy other machines mentioned above, make sure you keep vacuum cleaner around your home at all times. You will never regret doing this.

How Can I Promote my Cleaning Business on Facebook?

The first step in promoting your business on facebook is to create a page, which is essentially the same as profile page but for your business.

The design of your Facebook page is important, it must be in line with the image of your company. Use your business logo as the profile photo for your page, and choose a cover that is attractive and shows off what your business does. These two elements must give users a good first impression of your company.

Now we’ll look at the “About” section. Your visitors want to know all the details about your business: where you are based, what services you offer, your hours and so on. Fill in every section so they have all the information they need.

Write a bio in the “More Info” section that details the services you offer. You can also use this as an opportunity to show off your values and your benefits, to give people something to relate to and align themselves with.

Facebook scans this info when trying to find relevant search results for its users. For this reason, it’s important to use ‘keywords’ in this section.

Keywords are the words people type into the search bar on Facebook when they are looking for your service (think “Window Cleaner Brighton”). Placing your targeted keywords in the most important parts of your page, such as the “More Info” section, will help more people find your business page.

Examples of keywords for a window cleaning business in Brighton would be words such as window cleaning Brighton, cleaning, cleaners, windows, frames, Brighton. You should try to use them in other places too, like the title of the page, your URL and in the captions of your pictures and videos. 

Posting Content

Now your page is up and running, but looking a little bit empty! It’s time to start posting content, such as photos and videos, on your page. It’s important that any photos or videos you share look professional and offer value to your customers. We’ll be looking at creating a social media strategy in a later lesson, but for now, you should just ask yourself this question: “Does what I’m posting reassure customers of the quality of my service and encourage them to buy from me?”

Try to respond to comments and messages as quickly as possible; people will see you as reliable and efficient.

Check out your competition to see what they’re posting and if your target audience is responding well to it – you can use this as inspiration that way. 

Promoting your page. 

First off, you should start sharing your page among local friends and family. It’s key that they are local. Facebook analyses your audience and will show your page to more people in your area if it believes you are truly based there.

Next, get into local Facebook Buying and Selling groups and share your page!
These days, growing your Facebook Page organically is quite tough, as Facebook tries to encourage users to pay to promote their page. Facebook Ads can reach potential customers by targeting them by age, location or even their interests, so are effective.

How do I Start a Cleaning Business With no Money?

The cleaning industry generally targets the consumer market by providing residential maid service or the commercial market by providing janitorial services for businesses. Some cleaning businesses specialize in areas like move in/move out cleanup, post-renovation cleanup, or window, carpet or upholstery cleaning.

Not only is a residential cleaning service the simplest kind of cleaning business to start in terms of the necessary cleaning skills, it requires much less equipment starting a janitorial service or niche cleaning service.

Here are a few ways to start your business with no money:

• Use credit cards.
• Borrow from friends and family. Remember to be professional and put everything in writing.
• Find a partner who’s willing to invest in the business.
• Apply for funding from the Small Business Administration and other government programs. There are special financing options available for women, veterans and minorities.

Once you have some start-up money, here’s what you need to do:

• Decide what kind of cleaning company you want to run.
• Decide whether you’re going to do the cleaning yourself or hire cleaners, and hire employees if necessary.
• Get insurance for your company.
• Find out if you need a license or if you need to get bonded, and do so if necessary.
• Set up a bank account for your business.
• Meet with an accountant to find out how to run the financial part of the business.
• Set up an office. You might want to find out whether zoning ordinances and land restrictions allow you to run the business out of your home.
• Print up business cards and marketing materials.
• Advertise your business to get customers.

What Are Some Good Cleaning Business Names?

Here are a few tips that should be used when thinking of cleaning company names:

• Use your name: You are boss, you started this, so flaunt it!
• Pick a “clean” name: You should have a name that has cleaning written all over it.
• Be specific: If you only do residential, only do commercial, or only do new construction cleaning, this should be specified somehow in your business name.
• Sound positive: People don’t want grumpy strangers in their homes, so having a friendly, happy-sounding name might help!

So, what should you look for in cleaning company names? The question you should be asking is, what do customers look for in a cleaning company? Customers want a cleaning company that is good at what they do and is happy to do it, and they want a company that they can trust to be around their valuables when the customer isn’t there.

Here is a list of 50 examples of good names:

Pixie Dust Cleaners	Squeaky Cleaners
The Cleaning Fairy	In the Groove Cleaning Service
Rags to Riches Cleaning Service	House Stars Maid Service
Raggedy Ann’s Maid Service	Rain or Shine Residential Cleaning
Bippity Boppity Boo Cleaning Service	American Maid Cleaning Service
Magic Rags Cleaning Service	The Clean Thumb Maid Service
Shirley Clean Maids	Spotless Cleaning
Magic Maids	We’ve Got Maids!
Sparkling Clean Maid Service	Cheers Cleaning Service
Hot Mops Cleaning Service	White Glove Maid Service
Floor to Ceiling Cleaning Service	Maid 2 Clean
Carly’s Commercial Cleaning	Suds Up Cleaning Service
Anytime 24-Hour Maids	The Cleaning Bee
Happy Maids Cleaning	Spring Maids Cleaning Service
The Glass House Cleaners	After You Cleaning Service
Many Maids Cleaning Service	A2Clean Maid Service
Kompletely Klean Maid Service	Your Neighborhood Cleaning Service
A Deeper Clean Maid Service	Community Cleaning
Gettin’ Dirty Cleaning Service	Peppy Cleaning Service
Reflections Cleaners	Filth Fighters Cleaning Service
Squeegee Clean Maid Service	Dust Be Gone Maid Service
Washed Up Cleaning Service	Life is Maid
A New View Cleaners	Minute Maids
Wall-2-Wall Cleaners	MagiClean Maid Service
Scrub-a-Dub-Dub Maid Service	Any Mess Cleaning Service

How to Get Commercial Cleaning Clients

One of the biggest issues with getting more clients is not actually getting them — but keeping them or ‘converting’ them into the customer stage as quickly as they get to know your brand. Therefore, it is essential for every cleaning owner to understand that marketing is an ongoing function that needs to be happening all the time.

In other words, every successful cleaning service business must continuously focus on getting new clients instead of seeing this technique as a one-time job every once in a while.

In order to help you get more clients for your cleaning business, we are listing our list of tips.

1. Build an email list

Email marketing is not dead. In fact, it won’t be as long as people are opening their emails. From big commercial clients to regular homeowners, almost everyone opens their email daily. The thing you need to do is to be valuable and relevant enough to ‘sneak’ inside their email list.

Now, the best way to do that is to offer them a free incentive such as a discount, free ebook or a nice infographic in exchange for their email address. That way, you will offer value and get something in return — a list full of emails you can regularly send updates to.

2. Postal mail campaign

Offline marketing should also be part of your marketing strategy. As outdated as it may sound, offline marketing campaigns like postal mailing actually work, especially locally — and may get you a nice first impression to a potentially interested client.

Sending out nice banners, flyers or any type of promotional content (even infographics with attractive titles may work) will ensure that you got their attention — and are only waiting for their call.

3. Paid advertising

The digital world has turned to paid advertising nowadays. Popular websites are charging for a mention, and the same goes with media outlets publishing press releases. Believe it or not, paid advertising has shown great results over the past few years. Cleaning businesses are eager to even pay per lead and show them what they got.

On top of that, paid advertising is easier and more targeted than ever. If you are advertising on Google, for example, all you need to do is focus on certain local keywords, there’s software that can help with that. On the other hand, advertising on Facebook can be done by filtering different interests and demographics that fits your ‘ideal’ customer.

4. Display advertising

Even though they are another form of offline advertising, it doesn’t mean those display ads are dead. The only trick with them nowadays is their relevancy. For example, you should run display ads in places where your customers can actually notice your advertisement and consider it.

For cleaning businesses, this means posting display ads next to laundry services, washing tools, detergents etc. Instead of going with random ads next to food shops, coffee shops, bars etc.

5. Local promotions

Another great form of advertising for your cleaning business is local promotions. Assuming you are serving a specific area, offering them an incentive like a discount for every local in that area can show some serious results.

Plus, it will build your authority in your local area and make sure that every potential customer notices you.

6. Irresistible offers and bonuses

Crafting irresistible offers with bonuses is a psychological marketing strategy that has worked for many cleaning businesses so far. The trick is to offer a bonus and make the price irresistible. For example, a carpet cleaning service with a bonus window washing can be a great deal in autumn just before the cold days kick in.

The key here is to make most of the needs of your audience and adapt to them, following the season and deeply investigating the trends.

7. Recurring jobs

A lot of successful cleaning business owners will agree that the true art of growing your cleaning business lies in recurring jobs. Selling your cleaning services on a retainer basis is what will help you establish solid cash flow and always know that there will be work.

But what is the best way to ‘hook’ your customers into being recurring ones?

It’s simple — all you need is to ask for their email address or phone number — or offer an irresistible discount if they consider using your service for 3-months, 6-months or 1-year straight. Only that way, they won’t see your services as a one-time job. There is software that can help you organize all of that.

8. Referrals

After every finished job, you can ask your customers for any potential referrals. If you don’t want to be so aggressive with this method, you can use a cleaning service software, such as Genio, where your customers can log in through a simple link and refer your company.

9. Strategic alliances

If you are specialized in only one area of cleaning — and know a company that is an expert in another — a great way for you to both grow is form a strategic alliance. For example, a residential cleaning company partnering with a car washing company can run promotions like ‘Complete Autumn Cleaning For Your Home & Car’ an ally in order to capture the interest and up-sell their clients. It’s a win-win strategy for both businesses and clients.

10. Online Reviews

If you want your cleaning business to get noticed online, the best way is to ask for as many online reviews as possible. You can even give discounts to your recurring or new clients if they are eager to submit a great review for you on Google Places, Yelp or Facebook. Genio software for cleaning companies actually has its own review system built in, which just makes your life easier.

Online reviews are a great thing to build your authority and get noticed in the area. Plus, they make your business more professional in the eyes of the public.

Unique Cleaning Business Ideas

The cleaning industry is massive with lots of opportunities for entrepreneurs to key into.

Starting a cleaning company requires knowing what services you wish to provide. The niche areas for cleaning are almost inexhaustible and that is what we seek to provide you with.

1. Equipment Cleaning and Repair

Many times, electronic equipment gets clogged with dirt. These include both specialized and non-specialized equipment. Such may require cleaning or both cleaning and repair services. You can venture into this cleaning niche if you feel you possess the required skill sets.

2. Pool Cleaning

Swimming pools need care. A major part of this care involves cleaning. This business idea has witnessed a growing interest among entrepreneurs and continues to do.

3. Boat Cleaning

This cleaning business idea is great if you live around coastal regions or places with large water bodies. In other words, areas frequented by boat owners are a good choice.

You can start a cleaning service that takes care of their boats. An added advantage is that there is little competition in this niche.

4. Apartment Cleaning

People are increasingly becoming busy. This may be due to work schedules and other reasons. The point is that such people hardly find time to tidy up. This is where you come in. You can start a cleaning service that takes care of their apartments.

5. Dry Cleaning

There are many ways to get into a dry cleaning business.

A few include buying into a cleaning franchise, buying an existing business, or like most entrepreneurs, starting one from scratch.

6. Hospital Cleaning

Hospital cleaning is a risky niche and should only be ventured into if you know what it entails. There are several hospitals within major cities that are likely to give you the nod if you have a compelling cleaning proposal.

7. Waste Disposal

Wherever humans live, waste is inevitably generated. You can solve this problem by providing efficient waste disposal services. You only need to provide quality solutions by finding ways to beat your competition.

8. Air Duct Cleaning

Some general cleaning businesses will bundle air duct cleaning into their services.

However, clients that have air duct issues prefer to patronize specialized duct cleaning businesses. You should consider this business niche if you have the know-how.

9. Oven Cleaning

Ovens used in residential kitchens and commercial facilities like bakeries require care. The latter is more viable due to size and the higher demand it has over the former.

Therefore offering quality oven cleaning is a great idea that can be profitable if you manage the business well.

10. Road Cleaning

Road cleaning businesses are on the rise. This is due to the growing demand facilitated by the construction of new roads, all occasioned by population growth.

You can implement this idea by finding out what’s required and where to apply for such contracts.

How to Start a Cleaning Company in South Africa

Here are some steps to follow when starting a cleaning company in South Africa.

1. Register your business

We strongly recommend registering your business, registering a business in South Africa only costs R175. You will also get a business account if you register through the FNB app.

2. Invest in professional branding

Branding is very important for every business, you will need to invest in getting a logo, a website, uniform and other things that will boost your brand. You will not get any tenders if you don’t seem credible and professional. A good logo costs anywhere between R150 and R1 500 in South Africa. A standard business website will set you back anywhere from R1 200 to R 2 500.

Building your brand and making your business appear professional will make it easier for you to get clients, and tenders. Try to get uniform for your staff and make sure that your public image is professional.

3. Operating premises

Luckily, this business doesn’t require you to operate out of a commercial space. This is a business that you can start from home. This will save you some money when it comes to start-up costs.

This is mainly because most clients will not come to your offices, everything will be done electronically. They don’t need to come to your offices, ever.

4. Initial costs

These are some of the initial costs of starting a cleaning company in South Africa.

• Uniform: Helps shape the business image, can cost between R120 – R600.
• Window cleaner: R100 and up.
• Paper towels: R80 and up.
• Cloths.
• Latex Gloves: R40 and up
• Scrubbing brushes: R30 and up.
• All-purpose cleaner: R50 and up.
• Duster: R60 and up.
• Sponge: R50.
• Disinfectants: R80

These are not hefty initial costs, what might contribute to these costs is labour. Which shouldn’t be a problem if you are not hiring anyone permanently.

5. Insurance

A liability insurance will protect you in case your employee causes damage to a client’s home or valuables. This can cause a massive burden and financial strain to the company. Especially when the company is just starting out.

Try to get insurance as early as possible, but be aware that this will be a monthly expense. You can do without it if you rarely get any clients. Some cleaning companies barely get three clients in a year, paying for insurance in that case would be a waste of time.

6. Labour requirements

The labour requirements will depend on the scale of your company, you will probably need one or two employees when starting out.  Employees are paid anywhere between R40 and R120 per hour, depending on your geographical location. It would be wise not to hire anyone permanently when starting out. This is because you will have the burden of paying salaries even when you didn’t get any clients.

Paying employees per hour worked is often the best option when starting out. You can hire employees permanently when you get clients consistently.

7. Pricing

Factors like location, competition, clientele, size and other conditions tend to influence the price. Cleaning companies usually charge anywhere between R500 and R900 per hour.

You will get clients that try to negotiate and bargain for lower prices, it’s important to make sure that it doesn’t end up costing you. Make sure that you will be able to pay your employees and still keep a profit, anything below that will hurt you.

8. Vehicle

You will need a company vehicle to transport all your equipment and supplies. It can be very difficult to transport all your supplies in a public transport like a bus or taxi. Try to hire a vehicle every time you get a gig, this will also make you seem more trustworthy, clients won’t hesitate to pay your asking price.

9. Marketing

A lot of cleaning companies get most of their clients by word of mouth, but this is difficult when starting out. Most cleaning companies tend to use local newspapers to advertise their services. This can be a very effective way to spread awareness about your business.

Cleaning Services Business Plan

If you have started your cleaning business and did not have the time to develop a sound business plan, you definitely need to sit down and start mapping your objectives.

the idea of writing a business plan should be welcoming to every cleaning business owner with a vision in mind. However, not everyone knows how to write an effective, action-driven business plan. That is why today, we are starting from the basics, teaching you about all the topics that need to be included and all the details a business plan must consist of.

‘What To Include In My Cleaning Company Business Plan?’

First and foremost, let’s look at some of the crucial topics you need to include in your cleaning company business plan — listed below:

• the name, address and contact details for your business
• information about the management of your business (who is in charge, is it a partnership etc.)
• a clear Mission Statement for your company that sums up the general aim of your cleaning business
• a location where you will operate from (where you will be based, even if it’s a home)
• information on any overhead costs associated with the business premises
• information about your start-up costs, cleaning equipment, and supplies that you have plus the ones you need to buy
• the everyday costs of running your business (how much you will spend weekly or monthly) including all overheads and outgoing costs like gas, wages, and supplies
• funding and financial projections about your cleaning company startup, as well as the source of obtaining this money from
• projected profits/losses for the next year, 2 years, 5 years etc.
• the working hours of your business
• the local competition of your cleaning business and the unique selling proposition (USP) that is meant to make it stand out from the crowd
• your marketing strategy, in case you developed one
• your pricing strategy and all the costs you are planning to charge for your services
• information on the paying methods, invoices (if any), monthly subscriptions etc.
• other relevant information about logistics and additional costs

The Outline Of The Perfect Cleaning Startup Business Plan

Basically, the outline of your cleaning company business plan should include the following sections:

1. Executive Summary
2. Objectives
3. Mission
4. Company Summary
5. Services
6. Market Analysis Summary
7. Strategy and Implementation Summary
8. Management Summary
9. Financial Plan
10. Appendix

Once you develop this outline and start filling the points mentioned above, you will have all the information to get started and make your cleaning company business plan organized and ready to go.

In the end, the main purpose of a business plan is to guide your cleaning company to success. It helps to define your business and setting all the goals you wish to achieve in the future. This type of forwarding movement is very important for every business and its products or services.

Additionally, sorting out all the legal requirements help you stay prepared and scale your cleaning business.

Most Profitable Cleaning Services

Looking for profitable cleaning business ideas? Find here the top most popular cleaning business ideas you can start with low investment. Some of the businesses listed here can be started from home too.

The cleaning business is generally an urban-driven business. This business flourishes mainly in urban cities and towns. The startup cost to start a cleaning-related business is not much. Some cleaning businesses even you can operate from home.

1. House Cleaning

House or residential cleaning is a profitable business in big cities and towns. If you can apply effective and innovative marketing techniques, even having a tie-up with few residential apartments will bring in good profit.

2. Window Cleaning

Both offices and residential apartments look for expert cleaning window cleaners. If you have the necessary equipment and trained personnel for doing this job, you must consider window cleaning as it has the potential of fetching high returns.

3. Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning is a profitable business in big cities and big towns. It is an all-weather business. If you have a retail space in an affordable residential location, consider starting this business.

4. Vehicle Cleaning

Most car and vehicle owners are in need of car cleaners. This is a specialized job. If you have expertise in vehicle cleaning, getting customers is not difficult.

5. Boat Cleaning Service

There is a huge demand for boat cleaning services all across the globe. It becomes extremely difficult to clean and maintain boats and small ships for boat owners around the year. You can start the boat cleaning business initially even with two to three members and scale it ups as you earn profits.

6. Pool Cleaning

Pool cleaning is again a specialized cleaning job. Owners of pool waterbodies look for expert cleaners. The pool cleaning job is a much profitable business proposition.

7. Commercial Cleaning

Commercial offices and establishments are always looking for good cleaning personnel. Though the market is competitive if you have the necessary skill and expertise, with effective marketing getting clients is not so difficult. The profit in commercial cleaning is worth working for.

8. Waste Disposal

The disposal of waste is a major concern for people residing in cities. If you have manpower trained in disposing of waste, starting a waste disposal business is a money-spinning venture.

9. Carpet Cleaning

Almost all offices and commercial complexes keep carpets on the floor for comfort. As a result, carpet maintenance is a must. If you can learn the tricks of carpet cleaning, getting customers and making a profit won’t be difficult.

10. Grafitti Cleaning

We see unwanted graffitis all around in cities and towns. Removing or repainting graffiti is required throughout the year.

What Makes a Cleaning Service Unique?

Building a professional cleaning service that stands out above the rest only requires creativity and a willingness to be true to who you are.  Here are 6 simple and easy ways to make your house cleaning service business unique starting today.

1.  Offer a powerful selling proposition with your residential cleaning service.

This would be called your unique selling proposition. You won’t have to go so far, but you might be willing to offer one FREE man hour of cleaning for the initial cleaning.  Most competitors offer 10% – 15% off of their first cleaning.  So stand out and be different from your competition.  Make a different type of offer.

2.  Impeccable customer service with your house cleaning company. 

Above everything else, Elbert and I, are proud of ourselves on providing excellent customer service.

This does not mean that we never did anything wrong in the 25 years we’ve been in business.  Nope. We made plenty mistakes.

This just means that we gave way more than what was asked.  We assisted customers beyond our scope of services and made adjustments to our cleaning schedule to accommodate their schedule.  We even changed cleaning prices to address financial difficulties with some customers.

3.  Establish quality cleaning systems with your house cleaning service business.

Creating systems for every facet of your business will prove to your customers that you have high standards and that you’re willing to implement them no matter what.

Having a good cleaning system in place is one factor to never overlook.  But there are others like an employee training system, or an employee hiring system.

Read Also: Earn Cash With Coffee Making In Your Local Area 

Make sure to apply a systematic way of doing things every time.  The best way to do this is to start off right.  You’ll want to collect accurate information at the initial walk through.

4. Do something just a little different with your residential cleaning service.

There are so many options with this.  You can make origami shapes with toilet paper.   Leave a sticker on the toilet paper in the children’s bathroom.  Fold the hand towels in a certain way.  Or, make the beds with the pillows in a decorative fashion with a mint on top.  By the way, the Dollar Tree has the best and least expensive kid stickers for their bathrooms.

Become creative in some small way that leaves a signature mark.  It could be the way you vacuum the carpet leaving a very distinct pattern.  Maybe even the way you fluff the pillows on the couch.  Better yet, go crazy with a child’s bed in situating their stuffed animals.

All of these are tiny signatures simply stating that your company was there.  Just get creative.

5.  Fulfill the promises you make when cleaning

No matter if your house cleaning customer agreement is written down or verbal, do what you said you would do.   If you have promised to service a customer’s home every Monday morning at 9 a.m., do so.  If you’ve promised to use all “green” products, do so.  Be honest and fulfill your promises.

6.  Ask and respond to feedback

It’s one thing to ask customers every so often for feedback regarding your company’s performance.  It is another thing to ask after every cleaning.

Try leaving a postcard sized business feedback request at every home after cleaning.  On the front of the card put your business’ name and logo. And on the back ask for feedback regarding your services.

Encourage your customers to reply.  This says a lot about your cleaning service business.

Finally

Making your professional cleaning service unique doesn’t have to be hard – you don’t have to recreate the wheel. Just incorporate a few small things that won’t hurt your profit margin or stress yourself and your staff.

Think of things like mints on pillows, or carpet lines, or beautifully folded towels in the bath and kitchen. They are all special ways that signify you’ve provided cleaning services and that everything is ready for the homeowner.