The cleaning industry is anything but short of clients, with the demand coming from all areas. From smaller domestic jobs like home cleans and end of lease jobs, to the larger scale commercial cleans for offices and retail businesses, the opportunities are endless. So, if you’ve been thinking about starting your own professional cleaning business, then this is the guide for you.
We’ve rounded up some of the basics you need to think about when starting your own cleaning business, from the type of professional cleaning services you will provide to some of the business basics to jumpstart your cleaning gig!
Having the idea to start out professional cleaning business is just the start of all the things you need to think about to make it become a reality. Let’s start with the first step by looking at the potentially what type of cleaning services your business will provide.
Thinking about what cleaning services to offer
In the early stages of setting up your cleaning business, it may be wise to just focus on one or two kinds of specialised professional cleaning services. As your business starts to grow, then you can start to add more skills to your business offerings.
Spending time on perfecting the processes and becoming fluent in a particular type of cleaning service is important, rather than taking on too many types of cleaning services and not providing a high quality of service.
As your business expands then you can start to stretch your cleaning wings and develop the kind of professional cleaning services your business offers.
These are some things to ask yourself when thinking about the kind of professional cleaning services your business will provide:
- How much will your professional cleaning products cost?
- What kind of quantities will you require to run your business?
- Do you require any specific forms of training, licensing requirements?
- What kind of cleaning do you enjoy doing the most?
- Is there enough demand in the market for the kind of cleaning service you will be providing?
One of the easiest ways to start out in the professional cleaning industry is a small scale by providing domestic cleaning services. It is a good way to home in on your skills, build up a customer database and a chance to understand the professional cleaning industry.
Some of the different types of professional cleaning services you may want to offer include:
- Carpet cleaning
- Domestic cleaning
- Laundry services
- Ceiling and wall cleaning
- Blind and curtain cleaning
- Upholstery cleaning
- Office cleaning
Once you have established what kind of professional cleaning services you are going to offer, it’s time to think about what kind of products and equipment you will need to get the job done.
Equipment and products
There are an abundance of cleaning products and types of equipment in the marketplace, but the good thing is you don’t need to buy ever type of duster, antibacterial spray, and mop under the sun!
This is a quick overview of the types of cleaning equipment and products you may need to help deliver dazzling results.
Equipment:
- Vacuum cleaner
- Mop and bucket
- Rags and cloths
- Toilet brush
- Dustpan and brush
- Broom
- Paper towels
- Scrubbing brush
- Rubber gloves
Products:
- Window cleaner
- Antibacterial spray
- Floor cleaner
- Furniture polish
- All-purpose cleaner
Professional cleaning means you will need to invest in higher grade quality products then your usual off the shelf, domestic ones. Do some research and look for places that may sell in bulk, helping you save a few dollars and ensuring you always have a constant supply of cleaning products on hand.
Getting your first customers
So, you’ve got the grand plans, the equipment, now it’s time to get those customers and land your first professional cleaning job. Your customers are going to be your bread and butter to your professional cleaning business, so take a look at some of the ways you can draw them to your business.
Referrals are a powerful way to get customers to use your professional cleaning business services. If you’re providing exceptional customer service, being punctual, delivering stunning results and communicating well with your customers, then they are going to start talking about you- for all the right reasons.
When people experience good service (and on the flip side bad service) they are likely to tell others about your business. Now more than ever, social media platforms like Facebook groups and pages often provide a forum for people asking for suggestions for certain businesses to do jobs.
As a sweetener you may want to offer a discount or special offer to your customers when they refer a customer who books a cleaning job with you.
Once you are ready to grow your customer database even further, spend some time connecting and networking with other types of businesses that may have a customer database. This could be businesses like real estate agents, office, and property managers. They will often require the help of professional cleaning services for things like end-of-lease cleans for example.
Arranging your business insurance
The next thing you need to think about in your professional cleaning business journey is getting your business insurance sorted.
One of the key types of business insurance that you may need to consider is Public Liability insurance*. Public Liability insurance is designed to provide protection for you and your business in the event a customer, supplier or a member of the public brings a claim against you due to their being injured or sustaining property damage as a result of your negligent business activities.
It’s there to provide peace of mind if a claim were to occur and it may also be a requirement for your cleaning business to have a certain level of cover in place before you work on a job.
While you’re busy keeping your customer’s places shiny and clean, let us take the headache out of shopping around for your policy. At Public Liability Australia we want to make getting your cleaning insurance easy and hassle-free.
Every cleaning business is unique, that’s why there’s no single solution when it comes to insurance, so you have the freedom to customise what type of insurance your business needs.
Multiple competitive quotes from selected leading Australian insurers are only a few clicks or a phone call away. Select the policy to suit your business and be covered in minutes.
* This information is a general guide only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording. The information contained on this web page is general only and should not be relied upon as advice.
Public Liability Australia is a business name of BizCover Pty Ltd (ABN 68 127 707 975; AFSL 501769)
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