Professional Cleaning Business Checklist – How to Start Immediately

A cleaning business is one that is constantly in demand. The more people get busier with work, schedules, and meetings, the more the demand for someone who can take care of their housekeeping duties.

To start a cleaning business, you don’t need to have a bunch of money stacked up somewhere. With just your basic tools, you can start something.

These are the steps you can follow to establish your very own cleaning business, excited? Let’s dive in.

Note that the list below is a complete beginner’s guide to starting a professional cleaning business from scratch and with low capital.

10 Straightforward Steps to Start a Professional Cleaning Business

1. Choose the type of cleaning service to start with

The first thing to mark on your checklist is what type of cleaning service you want to offer.

Some of them are:

• General house cleaning
• Spring cleaning/Deep cleaning
• Regular cleaning
• Move-in/Move-out cleaning
• Upholstery and carpet cleaning services
• Window cleaning services
• Pressure washing services
• Janitorial cleaning
• Office cleaning services

You can check other cleaning companies to know what they offer and think of one that hasn’t been started and use it to stand out. Here you also need to know how many services you will offer and if you will be rendering the service to residential house owners or serving businesses around you. Think of the locations you want to cover.

You should also decide if you have the resources to employ other people or if you are just going to start alone and then scale up later.

If you are starting out solo, you should not worry but just focus on getting things done properly. Many cleaning businesses started out as one-man ventures but turned into big thriving companies with hundreds of staff.

Even if it might take you much longer to get things done, you have to persevere and save up to get enough capital for technical tools.

You should also check if you will be going for highly technical cleaning tools and get the money ready for purchase.

Once you have checked out this list, then move to the next.

2. Get the necessary kit and tools

Before starting at a job, you need the necessary kits. If you are starting out solo, there are required tools you should have that are low cost.

They are:

• Face Mask
• Rubber gloves
• Rubber boots
• Trash bags
• Sponges
• Cleaning towels or rags
• Scrubbing brushes
• Broom and dustpan
• Microfiber cloths
• Detergent
• Bleach and disinfectant
• Soap Scum removal cleaner
• Toilet brush
• Spray bottle
• Mop and Bucket
• Duster
• Air fresheners

Sophisticated tools that you can use to perform cleaning jobs easier includes:

• Vacuum cleaners
• Polishing machine
• Floor scrubber
• Steam vapor machine
• Rotary floor machines

Remember to work on a budget while starting out. Just get the necessary tools first and start with your first client.

Tick this step once you are ready.

3. Find Human Resources

If in the above option, you decided to employ other people to help you out, you will need to think of how many people you will be willing to recruit and where you would fund their wages from.

If your thought is that you’d pay them from your income, then I should let you know it just might not work. There are many uncertainties while starting out and there will be need to invest money in other areas. The money you make while starting out should be re-invested to help you scale your business.

With recruiting comes the responsibility of training them on how to use the tools and other processes till you are sure they are good to go. It might seem like a lot of processes but things will have more clarity once you are all set with your new staff.

4. Go for registration

Now it’s time to register your business. While it is very important to be registered and also have insurance before you step into a house to clean it, you shouldn’t if you don’t have all the money. Once you get a handful of clients, then you should immediately because it will help you against any damages.

Also, register the domain name with the name of your company and get a website if you can, and remember to register your business on google.

Check your list.

5. Determine your pricing strategy

Time to decide how much your effort is worth!

You can decide to charge by:

• Hourly rate
• Room rate
• Flat rate
• Specialty Service rate

You should also add the cost of your cleaning tools to your price.

You can also charge by grouping some items together for example:

• Number of square foot rooms plus 1 toilet and 1 bathroom
• Full house cleaning
• Kitchen and dining room

Doing this while starting out can help you manage your time and effort. Once you have decided on how to charge, check this box, and let’s move to the next step.

6. Get your first client

You should start telling people about your business now! Talk to friends, family relatives. Make business cards that you can hand out to people or e-cards you can share on to your contact list. You will probably be able to get your first client.

While working for your first client, take a few minutes to get a picture of before and after, pictures of you cleaning, and videos. Ask for permission from your client to share and also ask for referrals and reviews.

Don’t forget to check this part and move to the next.

7. Determine where to invest in

After your first paycheck, check what other tools you need to make your job easier and go for them. Also, ask yourself what you need to make things easier, it can be more staff, a mechanized tool, or adverts. Decide and channel part of your money to it.

Check the list.

8. Get more clients

Work on getting more clients and also measure your productivity. A good way to measure your productivity is by determining how many people you can offer your service to in a week. Use it to figure out your weekly pay and make wise decisions.

At this point, you should start working on automation and documentation. Document your client’s data, your earnings, and areas that need improvement. Also, work out means of managing your cash flow.

Check the list.

9. Branding

You should start branding for a professional cleaning business. This is the time to increase your charge because of the professional settings.

Some things you would need to brand include…

• A branded uniform for your cleaners
• Branded items
• Company logo
• A website
• An official email address
• Professional social media pages
• Professional Customer service

You can do this after getting registered if you have the money but if not, now is the perfect time to.

Check the list, please!

10. Hire and train more staff

To increase productivity, you need more hands. Start recruiting people and training them on the ethics of your company.

Check the list.

Start Scaling

Congratulations, you made it to the end of the list. Now, this is where you start expanding your cleaning business to other locations outside your operating area.

Well done!

Starting out an idea is not easy but we encourage you to take the first step to owning your own cleaning business.

We have been able to simplify the steps for you to help you achieve your aims. We know you can do it!

When do you plan to start your own cleaning business? Tell us in the comments.