Residential Cleaning Services can be started as a single enterprise as well as under the banner of cleaning services that offer the commercial and other types of cleaning services under one roof. This article will, however, solely focus on residential cleaning services, i.e. the scope of the business, require skill set, estimated startup and overhead costs etc.

Clientele/Market:

Residential cleaning service business has an exponential market in almost every city of the world. This may include but is not limited to:

• Working moms who are too busy to keep their houses clean.
• New or to-be moms who have this additional responsibility and it is difficult but important for them to keep their house clean and hygienic.
• People who have an aversion to dirt and cleaning it themselves.
• Many people have dirt allergies and similar conditions and need the house clean but cannot do it on their own.

Identifying your target market will not just give you an idea of the demand house cleaning business offers, but will also guide you to advertise your business in the targeted communities using house cleaning flyers and business cards as well as using the online marketing to increase sales.

Required Skills:

To start a cleaning business you definitely do not need any academic qualifications but must have a few skills if you’re going to pursue it as a one-man show. If you’re going to have more people on board, they must have:

• Expertise in cleaning kitchens, dust, washrooms etc.
• Working knowledge of cleaning equipment like vacuum cleaners etc.
• Enough energy and stamina as this work involve strenuous physical activity like moving couches, chairs and other furniture if needed.
• Expert understanding of safety procedures while working on slippery floors, water and gas leakage and or in a case of other accidental situations.
• Oral communication skills to communicate with the team as well as the client.
• In case, if you are planning to hire workers for your cleaning business while you will look after the sales and marketing and administration, make sure that the people you hire are physically fit and can do all the above tasks at their best.

 Startup Cost:

Honestly, you can start a house cleaning business with no money at all, if you’re going to do it yourself, but yes, you do need some money to start is effective. Anything from $100 to $1000 is great to kick start your residential cleaning business. You will need this money to take necessary permits, registering your cleaning business name, and buying equipment and materials required for cleaning business.

Overhead Costs:

The main overhead cost is marketing, which you need to incur in the initial stages of business, i.e. spending 10% to 20% of your net revenue on marketing is an awesome way to increase sales. Moreover, you can always cut marketing costs by exploring free marketing ideas for startups and using marketing automation software like ZenMaid or service scheduling software like Trafft.

Pricing Your House Cleaning Business:

Price will vary depending on the country and city you’re operating from. Take a quick review of what your competitors are offering.

Pricing for Smaller Residential Units; Although you can charge the clients in any manner but the most successful pricing for studio and one-bed apartments is per hour.  This is feasible for clients in almost all localities.

Pricing for Bigger Houses; Big houses normally have a bigger number of occupants so they need cleaning services more often. Charging them per hour might not be a suitable idea, so you can think of per room, per week or per month!

Do you Want to Start House Cleaning Business of Your Own?

Follow this complete step by step guide to starting a cleaning business from scratch.