How to Start a House Cleaning Business: Residential Cleaning Service Setup, Pricing and Clients

To start a house cleaning business: decide whether to clean solo or build a team, register the business, get liability insurance and bonding, buy supplies and equipment, set flat-rate or hourly pricing, create cleaning checklists, set up online booking and payments, and find clients through Google, referrals, Nextdoor and local Facebook groups.

Steps

1. Choose your model: solo cleaner, small team or franchise
2. Services: standard cleaning, deep cleaning, move-in/move-out, recurring weekly/biweekly
3. Register the business and get any local licence (see What licenses are needed to start a cleaning business? and How to register a cleaning business)
4. Insurance and bonding: general liability and a janitorial bond build client trust
5. Supplies: vacuum, microfibre cloths, mops, eco-friendly products, caddies
6. Pricing: flat rate by home size and service, or hourly; offer recurring discounts
7. Checklists: room-by-room standards for consistent quality
8. Online booking: instant quotes, scheduling, reminders and card payments (see How to make a booking website)
9. First clients: friends, neighbours, Nextdoor, Facebook groups, Google Business Profile (see How to get clients for a cleaning business)
10. Hire and grow: background checks, training, quality checks (see How to grow a cleaning business)

Pricing tips

Flat rates by bedrooms/bathrooms are easy for clients to understand; recurring clients get lower rates; deep cleans and move-outs cost more.

Startup costs

House cleaning has low startup costs: registration, insurance, supplies, a website and marketing. A vehicle is needed to travel between homes.

(General overview: How to start a cleaning business.)

Frequently asked questions

How do I start a house cleaning business?

Choose your model and services, register the business, get insured and bonded, buy supplies, set prices, create checklists, add online booking and find clients locally.

How much does it cost to start a home cleaning business?

Startup costs are low: mainly registration, insurance, supplies and marketing.

How should I price house cleaning?

Use flat rates by home size and service type, or hourly rates, with discounts for recurring service.

Do I need insurance to clean houses?

General liability insurance and bonding are strongly recommended and often expected by clients.

How do I get house cleaning clients?

Google Business Profile, referrals, Nextdoor, Facebook groups and a website with online booking.

Can I start a cleaning business by myself?

Yes; many owners start solo and hire cleaners as demand grows.