How to start a cleaning business

How to start a cleaning business, step by step

1. 01

   Choose homes or offices first

   Residential and commercial cleaning are different businesses. House cleaning happens in the day, in someone's home, and the best clients book every week or two. Office cleaning happens after hours, under a contract, and the buyer is a property or office manager who will ask for proof of bonding and insurance before you walk in.

   Start with one. Homes are easier to win with referrals and a good first clean. Offices pay on a steady contract but take longer to land. You can add the other side once your schedule has a few fixed slots.

2. 02

   Write a checklist for every clean

   Sell three cleans, not a vague hourly service: a standard clean, a deep clean, and a move-out clean. For each one, write a room-by-room list of exactly what's included. Kitchens: counters, sink, outside of appliances. Bathrooms: toilet, tub, mirrors, floors. Deep and move-out cleans add the inside of the oven and fridge, baseboards and cabinet fronts.

   The checklist does two jobs. It tells the client what they're paying for, and it stops arguments when someone expected the inside of the fridge in a standard clean.

3. 03

   Price by the home, not the hour

   Clients compare cleaners by what a clean costs, so quote a flat price by bedrooms and bathrooms for homes, and by square foot for offices. Time your own first few cleans with a stopwatch, then set prices that cover your hours, supplies, driving between jobs and the gaps in your week.

   If you plan to hire, build their pay into the price now. The median wage for janitors and building cleaners is $17.71 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and that's before payroll taxes and supplies.

4. 04

   Register, get bonded and insured

   Get a free EIN from the IRS and register with your state. In Washington, for example, opening a new business costs a $50 processing fee through the Department of Revenue's business licensing service, plus any city endorsements.

   Then buy a janitorial bond and general liability insurance. A bond protects your clients if someone on your team steals while on the job. SuretyBonds.com prices a $10,000 bond at $125 a year for companies with five or fewer employees. Put both on your site: clients search for "bonded and insured" before they let you in.

5. 05

   Buy a kit for the first ten homes

   You need less than you think: one good vacuum, a stack of microfiber cloths, a caddy, and the products you already trust. Decide early whether you bring all supplies or use the client's. Bringing your own makes every clean consistent and is easier to price.

   Wash microfiber after every job and keep separate colors for bathrooms and kitchens. Restock the caddy the night before, not in the client's driveway. Both are small habits, and clients notice them.

6. 06

   Put up a site that takes quote requests

   Your site needs your three cleans with "from" prices, the checklist for each, the area you serve, reviews, and a quote form that asks for bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage and preferred day. Replo builds that site from a description of your business and puts it live on your domain.

   Replo doesn't book or schedule cleans itself. If you want clients to pick a slot, embed a booking calendar from Jobber, Calendly or Cal.com on the page.

7. 07

   Turn first cleans into recurring visits

   Your first clients will come from people who already know you: neighbors, friends, local community groups. Move-out cleans are a good way in, because property managers and real estate agents need them on short notice and refer you again.

   After every first clean, offer a weekly or every-other-week slot at a slightly lower price per visit, and ask for a review the same day. Ten recurring homes is a steady week.

What it costs to start a cleaning business

What it costs to start cleaning homes in Washington with your own supplies. Use the client's vacuum at first to cut the biggest line.

Your first 30 days

1. Week 1

   Decide and set up

   • Choose homes or offices and name the three cleans you'll sell.
   • Write a room-by-room checklist for standard, deep and move-out cleans.
   • Get your EIN and file your state business license.
   • Buy a janitorial bond and a general liability policy.

2. Week 2

   Price it and go live

   • Clean two homes of friends for free and time every room.
   • Set flat prices by bedrooms and bathrooms from those times.
   • Launch your site with prices, service area and a quote form.
   • Photograph a before-and-after kitchen and bathroom for the gallery.

3. Week 3

   Book the first clients

   • Post your launch offer in two local community groups.
   • Email five property managers and agents about move-out cleans.
   • Reply to every quote request within one hour.

4. Week 4

   Make them recurring

   • Offer every first-time client a weekly or biweekly slot.
   • Ask each client for a review the day of the clean.
   • Add new reviews to your site and fill your open weekday slots.

Build your cleaning business site

Frequently asked questions

Is $50 an hour good for house cleaning?

Often, for an owner. That $50 has to cover supplies, driving between homes, insurance, taxes and unbooked hours. If you hire, compare it with the $17.71 median hourly wage the BLS reports for janitors and building cleaners, which your price must cover too.

Should I charge by the hour or by the job?

By the job, for most homes. Clients compare flat prices, and a flat price rewards you for getting faster. Set it by bedrooms and bathrooms after timing your own cleans, and keep an hourly rate only for unusual jobs like post-renovation cleanups.

Is a cleaning business worth starting?

Yes, if you want low startup costs and repeat customers. The kit, bond and paperwork in our table come to about $640, and a recurring client pays you every week or two without new marketing. The work is physical, so price for your time.

Do I need to be bonded to clean houses?

Usually not by law, but many clients and most offices expect it. A janitorial bond pays clients back if someone on your team steals on the job. One seller prices $10,000 of coverage at $125 a year for small companies.

Do I need a license to start a cleaning business?

You need a general business license in most places, not a cleaning-specific one. In Washington, opening a new business costs a $50 state processing fee, plus any city endorsement. Check your city's rules too, since many add their own license.