How to Start a Cleaning Business: Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re searching for how to start a cleaning business, you’re probably where we were years ago: ready to work for ourselves, with very little money to get going.
With a bucket, a mop, a vacuum, and some basic cleaning supplies from Kmart, we built American Maid into one of the most successful residential cleaning companies in the county. Here are a few of the steps we took.
What It Really Takes to Start a Cleaning Business
It takes vision, timing, courage, and patience.
Vision. Where others saw a chore, we saw a cleaning business. One of us knew how to clean for other families, and the other knew how to run a business. You need both sides, and that’s what our Starter course teaches.
Timing. Demand for cleaning grew as more families depended on two incomes, and it’s still growing. If you’re out of work, or just ready to stop working for someone else, the timing may be right to start a cleaning business now.
Courage. We didn’t have much money. Starting anyway meant betting on ourselves.
Patience. It didn’t happen overnight. Patience means looking past this week and building toward what your cleaning business can become. For us, it started to feel real once we were cleaning five days a week.
Before you take the first step, put your plan on paper. Our free business plan template makes it simple.
Step 1: Make Your House Cleaning Business Legal
Name Your Business
Pick your name before you register anything. It goes on your paperwork, your logo, your vehicle, and your business cards, so choose one that can grow with you. Make sure it isn’t already taken in your state. For ideas and mistakes to avoid, read our post on cleaning business name ideas.
Set Up the Legal Side
We incorporated right from the start. Customers wanted to know they were letting an established company into their homes, and we wanted to protect our personal assets if something ever went wrong. Today, many new owners form an LLC for the same reasons. Either way, a local attorney or accountant can help you choose the right structure for your state.
Next, check whether your city, county, or state requires a business license for house cleaning. Requirements vary from place to place, so a call to your county clerk or city hall is a good place to start.
Then get insured. We were insured and bonded from day one, because we wanted every customer to feel comfortable about the “what ifs.” Insurance covers accidents, like a broken lamp or a damaged floor. A bond can protect your customer if something is stolen and, depending on how it’s written, if something is damaged. Ask a local insurance agent what yours would cover. Being able to say “we’re insured and bonded” is a real advantage when a homeowner is deciding who to trust with a key to their house.
Our Starter course covers licensing and insurance for a solo cleaner, and our Builder course adds bonding and the legal steps to take before you hire. Our Owner course, coming soon, goes deeper into both.
Step 2: Get Your Cleaning Supplies Without Spending a Fortune
You don’t need much to start. We began with a bucket, a mop, and a vacuum, and added a few basics:
- An apron with pockets to keep your tools on you as you move from room to room
- A whisk broom for counters, tight corners, and cushions
- A real ostrich feather duster (if your local store doesn’t carry one, try a hardware or home-improvement store, or order one online)
- Rags or microfiber cloths
- A glass cleaner
- An all-purpose cleaner
- A toilet bowl cleaner
- A toilet brush
- A bathroom cleaner that cuts soap scum and grease
You don’t need fancy products or brand names. Basic supplies from any discount store will do the job. Spend your money on doing the work well, not on expensive bottles.
Two safety rules matter from your very first job. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions on every product, and never mix chemical products. Some common cleaners create dangerous fumes when combined.
Our Starter course covers exactly what supplies you need and what each one does.
Step 3: Know What It Costs to Start a Cleaning Business
What you’ll spend depends mostly on one choice: will you use your customers’ supplies, or bring your own?
Using your customers’ supplies is the cheapest way to start. Tell each new customer up front that the only thing you’ll bring is your own apron. After the first cleaning, give them a short list of anything they’re missing for a professional clean, and ask them to have it ready by the next visit.
Bringing your own supplies costs more, but you control the products, your results stay the same from home to home, and it looks more professional. That’s how we did it at American Maid.
| Supplies and equipment | Using customers’ supplies | Bringing your own |
|---|---|---|
| Apron with pockets | $5–$21 | $5–$21 |
| Cleaners (glass, bathroom, toilet, all-purpose) | — | $5–$17 |
| Tools (ostrich feather duster, cloths, whisk broom, toilet brush, split bucket) | — | $47–$91 |
| Floors: hands and knees, spray mop, or wet/dry vac | — | $0 / $12–$25 / $99–$200 |
| Vacuum | — | $55–$150 |
A word on floors: we washed hard floors on our hands and knees, with a split bucket holding cleaning solution on one side and rinse water on the other. Most cleaners today use a spray mop or a wet/dry vac, and that’s fine. But when you’re close to the floor, you see what’s really on it, and in our experience, nothing gives a better finish.
Want a printable version? Get our free supply checklist, with space to track where you bought each item and what you paid.
Protecting Yourself, Your Customers, and Your Family
| Protection | Typical cost | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $450–$600 a year | Get it before your first job |
| Bonding ($10,000) | $120–$185 a year | Optional, but customers value it |
| Business license | $50 to a few hundred | Required in some places; check yours |
| LLC | $35–$500 one-time, by state | Optional; ask an accountant or attorney |
Some solo cleaners skip these. They ask customers to sign a paper saying the homeowner’s insurance will cover any damage, or they never check whether their city requires a license. Many get away with it while they’re small. But one broken heirloom, one damaged floor, or one fall in a customer’s home can cost far more than a year of insurance. Without coverage, the bill can land on your savings, and on your family. Your customer can be hurt by it too, if their own insurance has to pay or a claim goes unpaid.
We never took that chance. The risk was too heavy to bet that nothing would ever go wrong.
Prices are typical as of October 2026. Requirements vary by city, county, and state. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Check with your local, county, and state authorities, and talk to an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent before you decide.
Sources: Insureon and NEXT Insurance (insurance); TechInsurance, SuretyBonds.com, and Insurance Canopy (bonding); Heartland and Square (licenses); Inc Authority and the California Franchise Tax Board (LLC fees); Walmart.com and WebstaurantStore (supplies and equipment).
Step 4: Set Your Cleaning Prices
We bid every job. Some companies charge by the hour instead and schedule a set number of hours for each home.
What you charge depends on the size of the home, how often you clean it, and what your time is worth. Don’t set your price by what others charge, because they may be underpriced too. Time yourself, know your numbers, and quote with confidence. For a step-by-step method, read our post on pricing your first cleaning job.
You’ll misprice some jobs. We did. But you’ll also clean some homes faster than you estimated, and it evens out. It doesn’t take long to learn what slows you down and what speeds you up, and your bids get better with every home.
One lesson we learned the hard way is about price increases. We held our rates steady for years, and when an increase finally came, it had to be 15 to 25 percent. That caught some longtime customers off guard, and a few questioned it. Don’t wait. A small increase of 3 to 5 percent each year is far easier for customers to accept than a big jump after years of no change.
Step 5: Find Your First Clients
Start with the people who already know you. Friends and family make great “bird dogs.” They may not need a cleaner themselves, but they know someone who does, and they’ll point that person your way. Our first jobs came through family.
From there, we ran newspaper ads and hung door hangers in neighborhoods we wanted to work in. We also put the company logo on our vans, with a big “American Maid” on all four sides. Word of mouth and those vans brought in better than half of our work. A van parked in a driveway every week tells the whole street who cleans that house. If you’re just starting out, a magnetic sign on your car does the same job for very little money.
We never had a formal referral program, but very happy clients sent us plenty of new ones. Do great work, and your customers will do much of your marketing for you.
Today, you have free tools we didn’t. Set up a Google Business Profile so you show up in local searches, and join local Facebook groups and Nextdoor, where neighbors ask each other for recommendations. For help landing that first cleaning client when you’re nervous to ask, read our post on getting past the fear.
Our Starter course covers these methods and more.
Step 6: Keep Clients Happy and Coming Back
Keeping a client is easier than finding a new one. What kept ours with us was simple: great service, doing what we said we would do, and being reliable.
Consistency matters more than most new owners realize. We scheduled the same cleaners for the same homes, week in and week out. Customers got to know who was coming, and the cleaners got to know each home, so the work got better and faster every visit.
When something went wrong, we handled it quickly. As we grew, our team leaders were trained to handle customer complaints on the spot. Only something big would bring a call from the manager. When you’re starting out, you’re the team leader, so take care of problems yourself and do it right away.
Small touches get noticed, too. In the master bedroom, we always left two mints. Some of our customers’ kids would beat their parents to them, which we always thought was funny. It cost almost nothing, and it made our visit something the whole family noticed.
For more ideas on how to keep a cleaning client happy, read our post on what happens after the job. Our Builder course covers complaint handling and team leaders in depth when you’re ready to grow.
Step 7: Grow Beyond Yourself
You’ll know it’s time to grow when your phone keeps ringing and your schedule keeps filling. Once our first schedule was 75 percent full, we began interviewing for the next team members. Don’t wait until you’re turning customers away. Hiring takes time, so start before you need them.
The hardest part is always finding the right person. Skills can be taught, but you need team members who enjoy serving others. Customers can tell when your team cares not just about the work, but about the people they’re doing it for.
Growth changes your job, too. When the first two teams are up and running full-time, you’ll find the business side needs more of your time. That’s the shift from cleaner to cleaning business owner, and it’s a big one.
Our Builder course shows you how to hire, train, and schedule your first teams. When you’re ready to run more than one crew, our Owner course, coming soon, picks up from there. And when growth feels uncertain, read how to keep your cleaning business growing, even when there’s fear.
Want every step in one place? Get our free startup checklist and check off each step as you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for 2 hours of cleaning?
There’s no single right number. Start with what you want to make per hour, then look at the home’s size, condition, and how often you’ll clean it. Time yourself on your first jobs so your bids keep improving. Our free Pricing Guide in Step 4 walks you through the method.
Can I start a cleaning business with no money?
Nearly. If you use your customers’ supplies, the only thing you need to bring is your own apron (see Step 3). Plan for insurance before your first job.
Do I need a license to start a cleaning business?
It depends on your city, county, and state. Read our post on whether you need a license for a cleaning business.
How do I get my first cleaning clients?
Start with the people who already know you. Read our post on how to get cleaning clients.
How much do cleaning business owners make?
It depends mostly on whether you stay solo or build a team. Read our post on how much cleaning business owners make.
Ready to Start Your Cleaning Business?
Most cleaning businesses start the same way: a few supplies, a lot of hard work, and a first client. We started with a bucket, a mop, and a vacuum, and built something we were proud of. With vision, timing, courage, and patience, you can too.
You don’t have to figure out how to start a cleaning business alone. Our Starter course takes you from your first supplies to your first paying customers, using the same system we built at American Maid.
Have a question about starting a cleaning business? Email us at supportteam@amcleaningacademy.com to learn more.