How to Start a Home Cleaning Business

by Diane K.
(Danbury, CT)

I want to start a business cleaning houses. My friend Daisy will be doing this with me. We'll be kind of like those two English ladies on "How Clean is Your House" only we don't want to clean houses that are THAT dirty.

Any advice you can give us that would help us be successful at this would be greatly appreciated.



Faith's Answer



I'm surprised you still want to start a cleaning business after watching that program.

My first tip for you and Daisy is to think carefully about what services you wish to offer and how much you need to charge for them.

Be realistic about how long it will take you to complete a job and how much you need to get for it to make it worth your while. Cleaning homes is very tiring work.

My next suggestion is that you always work together, at least until you get to know your clients. It will be safer, the work will go faster and be more fun too.

Now, I have a question for you. Have you thought about insurance? You will be going into peoples' homes when they aren't there. You need to be bonded and carry extra liability insurance.

Being bonded will help you to acquire clients by making it easier for people to trust you to be alone in their homes.

The first few clients will be the hardest to get. Keep in mind that professional women who work long hours away from home are the people who need the most cleaning help. They are also the group who can most easily afford your services.

Perhaps you go to church with some ladies who fit this profile. Have some business cards printed up and discretely offer your services.

Once you get a couple of jobs, complete them in a way that exceeds the clients expectations. This will create loyalty and get you some word-of-mouth advertising. Professional women have professional friends who need cleaning help too.

You could build up enough of a business to keep the two of you busy without spending anything on advertising.

Good luck.