How to Start a Home Cleaning Business

How to start a home cleaning business and who are your potential customers

It is a sad truth that what was once considered an eight-hour working day has become one of twelve or more hours spent at the office and earning those ever important dollars to provide for the family. Needless to say, this leaves very little free time in the evening and, if they have children, then their time is spent looking after the kids and much less after themselves.

Subsequently, they have to outsource to fulfil their house cleaning requirements. This is where the housekeeper comes in; perhaps you – someone who needs to know how to start a home cleaning business. And with the way things are going now with the economy, more and more people who previously stayed at home to watch the kids and take care of the house have to start working to compensate for a potential loss in the household income.

How to start a home cleaning business on a low budget

Naturally, if you are an entrepreneur just starting out, you’ll need all the advice you can get on how to start a very effective and lucrative business with a minimal initial budget. But before we get to the A-B-Cs of how to start a home cleaning business, let’s take a look at a couple of the benefits associated with it:

• Low-cost start-up
• Unlimited income potential
• Answer only to yourself
• Get paid after each completed job
• Choose who you work for
• Work out a schedule to suit your own requirements.

It is probably one of the very few business ideas where you can basically work from your profits after the first few weeks. So here is a brief summary on how to start a home cleaning business up and running from scratch.

First of all, seeing as you’ll mostly be working in residential areas, you’ll have to think of a name for your home cleaning business. Taking something that has become stereotypically associated with a home cleaning business won’t necessarily supply you with the amount of attention you will initially look for. Try something like ‘Evergreen Cleaners’ or ‘Pinewood Cleaning Services’. These names instil a measure of trust and familiarity within the residential environment. As you may well have guessed, trust between you and your potential customers is probably the most important factor.

The next step would be to register and insure your home cleaning business. A vast amount of competitors are uninsured and you’ll standout above the rest and be more appealing to potential customers. Additionally, liability insurance is also a must – accidents do happen and there may well be people who will wrongly accuse you of theft.

What items you will need to help start a home cleaning business

So now that you have gone through the official motions concerning on how to start a home cleaning business, it’s time to think of the equipment you’ll use. Take care in selecting speciality products intended for the job from your local supply store to ensure that what you present your customers with will be of some quality (this could also aid the reputation of your home cleaning business).

It may sound unnecessary to say, but always read the label on the chemicals you will be using for cleaning purposes. You’ll be surprised to find that there are many abrasive liquids that might damage finer surfaces or bleaches that could permanently stain if applied to the incorrect surface. You wouldn’t want to wreck someone’s home instead of cleaning it.

When you start a home cleaning business what should you charge?

Next you’ll have to consider the fee structure of your home cleaning business. What will you be cleaning and for how much? Think of it in the same way as a car valet service – you can get ‘Option A’ that only includes a surface clean for a relatively low cost. ‘Option B’ would cost a little bit more than ‘Option A’, but includes one or two additional services.

Scout around the area you intend to work in and find out how many other home cleaning business competitors there are and what their fee structure is. Since you’re starting out, you’ve got the added luxury of being flexible with your prices. These will more likely than not award your home cleaning business with a few customers that you can sign up on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

How to start a home cleaning business with the right marketing

Finally, before you start, you need to do a little marketing to make people aware of your home cleaning business and the range of services you offer. You already have a name and having a fitting image will enhance that name on business cards or when you place an ad for your home cleaning business in your local newspapers and magazines.

Be creative and give your home cleaning business some flair. This will obviously attract more attention and will be a positive move in any possible future marketing strategies as well. Additionally, you might want to consider listing your home cleaning business in the local directory enquiry database and consider handing out flyers with the details of your business and any special or discounted services you may be able to offer. Just remember that most people would rather pay a little more for a job well done.