Knowing How Much You Need To Start A Cleaning Business

More recently, cleaning businesses have been on the rise for both residential customers and commercial buildings. Having a sanitized environment is beneficial to everybody, but maintaining it can be difficult in the midst of busy work and life schedules. Thankfully, cleaning services can come in and handle the job professionally on a large scale. With the demand for cleaner work environments increasing, you might be wondering how you could potentially start your own cleaning service and tap into that very same market. While not entirely challenging to do, it is worth knowing how much you need to start and taking into consideration these few steps to start your own cleaning business.

What Kind of Cleaning?

The first factor when choosing to start your own cleaning business is deciding what kind of cleaning you want to do. The two main avenues are residential and commercial. There are benefits and drawbacks to each one, but neither is a bad choice if you decide to go with one or both of these options. For residential cleaning, the startup cost is initially cheaper and the competition is smaller compared to commercial cleaners. This allows for a more available customer base, but the potential to earn money is less than commercial as customers typically cannot pay what most larger businesses can afford what you might charge them. Usually, most residential cleaning is done during the day and consists of a thorough sweep, mop, dusting, and disinfecting of each room in the house.

Commercial cleaning will have a higher startup cost but also the potential to earn more money in the long run. Since commercial spaces are larger and typically have people working during the day, most janitorial services are performed at night. The same sort of cleaning done in residential can also be offered in commercial spaces as well, with the added benefit of additional charges for services like floor waxing, window washing, deep cleaning, and more.

This is a major advantage of commercial cleaning. Because of the more intensive labor over time, you can charge higher prices for your services and have the ability to offer more than you would for cleaning someone’s home. You eventually might also be asked to schedule regular routine cleanings after a while if they are impressed with your work, as commercial businesses are more likely to afford frequent visits. Having a recurring customer that pays well can earn you more money in the end and by maintaining a good relationship can even get you referred to work with other major commercial spaces in your area.

How Much Does It Cost to Start?

For residential cleaning, you can expect to spend on average between $3,500 to $6,000 for initial startup costs. This will account for the basic tools and cleaning materials you will need to perform any services you might offer. If you plan on offering commercial cleaning services, you can expect to spend up to $8,000 or more. You will also need to keep in mind the cost of licenses and permits to register as a limited liability company (LLC), bonding and janitorial insurance, workers compensation, and advertising. Of course, wages are another factor of cost and can sometimes be fluid if you choose to hire part-time and full-time employees or recruit the work of independent contractors instead. Because of this, you should expect to pay anywhere from $15 to $40 an hour per employee.

While at first the startup costs might seem daunting, knowing how much you need to start a cleaning business is essential to a successful launch that can potentially earn you anywhere between $35,000 to $50,000 per year. As your business grows, you can expect to earn even more over time.

What About Franchising?

An alternative to starting up your own cleaning business is to start a franchise instead. Some cleaning franchises have similar costs to that of starting your own, especially for commercial cleaning, and will provide advanced equipment, in-depth training, and even brand and marketing materials. Should you choose to franchise, a company like Coverall can get you started with all you need to get into the commercial cleaning business, and even save you money in the end. It can be difficult and stressful for first-time business owners to get started with their own commercial cleaning services, but Coverall can help you avoid mistakes, navigate those obstacles, and guide you through each step to help you achieve your goals.