How to Start a Cleaning Business: Home, House and Contract Cleaning Services Step by Step

To start a cleaning business: choose residential (house) or commercial (contract) cleaning, register your business and get any required licences, buy liability insurance (and bonding if you'll clean homes), assemble supplies and equipment, set prices by job type, create checklists, set up booking, scheduling and invoicing, and win first clients through Google, referrals and local marketing. Many cleaning businesses start from home with low startup costs.

Step 1: Choose your market

Step 2: What you need to start

• Business registration and name
• Licences/permits as required locally (see What licenses are needed to start a cleaning business?)
• General liability insurance; workers' comp if you have employees; bonding for home cleaning trust
• Supplies: vacuums, microfibre cloths, mops, eco-friendly products, caddies, PPE
• Transport
• Simple contracts and service checklists

Step 3: Startup costs

Home-based residential cleaning can often start with a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (supplies, insurance, registration, website); commercial cleaning with larger equipment costs more.

Step 4: Pricing

• Hourly, per room, flat-rate by home size, or per square foot (commercial)
• Price deep cleans and move-outs higher
• Recurring discounts for weekly/biweekly clients
• Include travel, supplies, labour and profit margin

Step 5: Systems

• Cleaning checklists per service
• Booking and scheduling software with reminders (see How to make a booking website)
• Invoicing and online payments (see How to send an invoice)
• Quality checks and customer feedback
• Field service apps for teams (see What is field service management software?)

Step 6: Get your first clients

Google Business Profile, a simple website with instant quotes, local Facebook groups and Nextdoor, referrals from real estate agents and property managers, and flyers in target neighbourhoods (see How to get clients for a cleaning business).

Step 7: Hire and grow

Hire reliable cleaners, train with checklists, run background checks, and focus on recurring clients and commercial contracts for stable revenue.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start my own cleaning business?

Choose residential or commercial cleaning, register the business, get required licences and insurance, buy supplies, set prices, create checklists, set up booking and invoicing, and market locally.

What do I need to start a cleaning business?

Business registration, any local licences, liability insurance (and bonding for homes), cleaning supplies, transport, contracts, checklists and a way to book and invoice clients.

How much does it cost to start a cleaning business?

Residential cleaning can start with a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; commercial cleaning usually needs more equipment and insurance.

Is a cleaning business profitable?

It can be, especially with recurring clients, efficient routes, good pricing and reliable staff.

How do I start a house cleaning business from home?

Register the business, get insurance, buy supplies, set up online booking and start with referrals, local groups and Google Business Profile.

How do I start a contract cleaning business?

Target offices and facilities, get commercial insurance and bonding, prepare bids and proposals, and build relationships with property and facility managers.