Residential Cleaning

Startup Costs: Under $2,000
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Franchises Available? Yes
Online Operation? No

THE BRIEF

Residential cleaning is a multibillion-dollar industry, and it's not hard to get your piece of this very lucrative pie. Start-up investment and equipment costs are minimal and there is no shortage of work. Job duties include dusting, vacuuming, washing surfaces, mopping floors, and polishing mirrors and fixtures. You may also choose to offer add-on services such as interior window washing and deep cleans. In general, residential cleaners supply all cleaning products and equipment (such as a vacuum or steam cleaner). Ideally, you want to land customers who will be using your service regularly —daily, weekly or bi-weekly — instead of only occasionally. The best way to market your services is with an online ad. It's also easy to expand this business: Simply subcontract with cleaners who have their own transportation and either pay them an hourly rate or negotiate an income-splitting plan. 

 

ASK THE PROS

How much money can you make?

Most cleaners charge in the vicinity of $15 to $30 per hour. On average, owners of cleaning firms make about $56,000 a year, while 10 percent earn more than $110,000, according to Zip Recruiter.

 

What kind of experience do you need to have?

"You need to be as skilled digitally as you are with a mop or buffer. The cleaning business may not be particularly high tech, but you don't have time to do estimates, billing, payroll, inventory control and other record-keeping by hand. Your business should also have an extensive online presence with a website, social media accounts and an app (you could contract the building of one out)." — Start Your Own Cleaning Service from Entrepreneur Press

 

What is the most important thing to know about this business?

“With cleaning, it’s a trust thing. When you trust someone, they’ll refer you." — Kristen Hadeed, founder of Student Maid

 

 

 

 

 

The Market

124

Needed Equipment

124

Residential Cleaning Ideas

Residential Safety Consultant

Have an eye for hazards? Help clients feel safe at home.

Residential Cleaning

You'll clean up while making homes spotless with a residential cleaning business.

Interior Landscaping Service

Use your green thumb to bring the outside in with an interior landscaping service.

More from Business Ideas

Franchise

Free Webinar | October 23: Taking Control of Your Life Through Franchising

Ready to be your own boss? Join our webinar on 10/23 at 2pm ET to learn how being a franchise owner can allow you to take back control of your daily schedule and stop working for someone else. Register now!

Starting a Business

He Left His Law Career to Start a Ghostwriting Business — Now He Charges Over $100,000 a Book. Here's What It Took to Get There.

Michael Levin taught creative writing to supplement his income. Then he did some math and went all in on a new business.

Side Hustle

Teen Brothers Started a Side Hustle on Facebook Marketplace That's on Track for $1.2 Million This Year: 'Quit My Job and Went All In'

Kirk and Jacob McKinney turned their high school side hustle into a lucrative full-time business.