A lot of clients are looking for “green” housekeepers because they are aware of the toxic effects that commercial cleaning products have on the environment and more directly, on one’s own health. Therefore, when going on an interview to your prospective clients, you should have some tricks up your sleeve on how to clean effectively without using products that harm the environment or are bad for your health.

A lot of commercial cleaners and detergents are petroleum based. This is bad for the environment because of the pollution emitted through the refinement process. Also, petroleum is a limited resource. Alternatives to petroleum could be cleaning products made from vegetable sources which would be much better since that is a renewable resource.

Another thing to look out for especially in laundry detergents is the phospate content. Phosphate is used to soften water for the wash. However, if this gets into the waterways, it can promote algae growth which in turn causes pollution. If you’re going to be handling laundry for your clients, then stay away from phosphate detergents.

A very common disinfectant used for house cleaning is chlorine bleach. Obviously, it’s highly irritating if you breath in the fumes or if it gets into your eyes. However, that’s not all in how it can affect your health. Chlorine bleach contains trace amounts of a compound called organochlorine which has led to cancer is small animals. Therefore, it’s probably a good idea to limit your use of chlorine bleach and replace it with a healthier alternative.

One of the most useful green house cleaning ingredient is baking soda. If you mix a bit of white vingegar and water, it can be an all purpose cleaner and deodorizer. You can clean kitchen counters, refrigerators, and a variety of surfaces with this simple mixture. However, if you need something more powerful to disinfect, then you can use borax mixed with water and a few drops of lemon grass essential oil or tea tree oil to make the place smell nice.

A lot of people are afraid to use borax because it is toxic but it is an alkaline salt that can be found in nature. It’s also still much better than using commercial cleaners. Just let your clients know that you will take the borax with you when you finish your cleaning job so the kids and pets don’t get into it.

Even though people think house cleaning work is just manual labor, you do need to be aware of how to be environmentally friendly. Hopefully, with this knowledge, you’ll be able to add this to your resume and find a house cleaning job.

Being bonded is one of the best things a new company can offer the private homeowner. There is liability involved when entering a person’s home and trust is a major factor when it comes to a new company. A bond can be purchased from most insurance companies at a minimal cost.

The next expense is advertising. A new business owner may consider sending out mailers to a certain neighborhood. There is also the internet and Craigslist which is a free advertising tool that is very powerful.

In the beginning it is best to only offer the services of labor. This would require the homeowner to provide all of the tools and cleaning products. It saves the business owner from the cost of the chemicals and also will please the owner to know that the appropriate products are used in their home. It is not recommended that laundry services be offered as it is a huge liability for the business owner.

One of the biggest mistakes that home cleaning services makes, is that once they start hiring employees for cleaning jobs, they tend to allow more than one individual to clean a particular home. This is not a good idea, for if any items come up missing from the home, it will be difficult to hold the guilty party responsible for the items.

The one item that an employee should take with them to each location, is their own hand gloves. This can avoid an awkward situation.

The reputation of the company is what will lead to future business and keep existing customers requesting services. The wise business owner will always inspect the work of the employees and follow up with the customer regarding their satisfaction of the job.

A house cleaning business can be very rewarding and provide a great income for the owner and employees. The most important factor in a successful business is that it is consistent. The advertising is there each and every week. The service is quality, and the customers can feel confident that when ever they hire this company, they will get the same quality as they always have, as will anyone that they refer.

Decide what kind of cleaning you would like to do. Basically there are two kinds – commercial and residential. Commercial cleaning has the advantage of being more regular as most offices will require your services on a daily or weekly basis whereas residential cleaning may be more flexible with your schedule.

Keep an eye on public announcements where many government offices post invitations to bid on cleaning contracts and other cleaning vacancies.

Show businesses how you can improve the first impression they make on their customers by maintaining a fresh and clean environment.

As for residential cleaning, introduce yourself in neighborhoods that likely use and will be looking for cleaning services. Keep in mind that this not only includes wealthy areas but older ones or working families may also welcome the idea of paying for a couple extra hands.

Visit real estate offices as they may know of new families in your area that are looking for a new cleaning service.

Don’t forget that your best advertisement isn’t on paper but in how clean you keep your vehicle and your person.

Be willing to provide a variety of services. Employment in the cleaning industry is rarely as simple as dusting and vacuuming. Many clients or employers may want you to wash windows, shampoo carpets, buff and wax floors, some outside maintenance or even do a little laundry. A variety of skills will give you preference and the advantage of being able to charge a little extra.

Maintain a reliable, honest work ethic. If your client is happy they’ll refer their friends.

Once you get started you may be surprised at the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment you can derive from being in the middle of the cleaning industry.

With the sizes of today’s homes that average 4 or 5 bedrooms, a living room and a recreation room, several baths and professional style kitchens, most families with or without children and working parents need a helping hand. This is where the ideas for starting a house cleaning business may be just the answer for those who have great organizational skills and don’t mind cleaning as a business. The new business owner finds their talents become sought after. Eventually they need to hire cleaning associates to manage additional work loads. This is how house cleaning businesses grow.

The Steps To Owning A House Cleaning Business

Before attempting to start this type of business, it’s necessary to create a business plan that includes the specifics of the work to be done, the pricing and business expenses if bonding, insurance or licensing is necessary. In most cases, licensing is usually limited to businesses. So, residential cleaning services may only require bonding and liability insurance. These are basically protections requested by clients who have valuables on premises. Although, cleaning businesses for residences are less complex, there are still a few issues that should be worked out before the first job is accepted.

House Cleaning Job Proposals and Terms of Service

The business owner needs to decide whether their services will be limited to per diem work or if a contract for long-term cleaning services is necessary. In either case, it’s a good idea to protect the business with a pre-written job proposal that outlines the duties that will be covered, the time and dates of the work to be done and the terms of payment. Don’t forget to include a proposal approval, signed by business owner and client. This insures both parties understand the terms of the proposed work and the payments to be rendered.

Advertising and Promotion

One of the most effective ways to advertise is the least expensive: a business card. Next, consider posting business cards and printed flyers locally and advertise in newspapers or online. Attract customers by offering a one-time discount.

Truth be told, the cleaning business is one of the best businesses to get into. It has a low cost of entry barrier and anybody with a hard work ethic can do it and make a comfortable living at it too. The reason is because people don’t like house work. But as they say, what is one person’s junk is another man’s treasure, or in this case their livelihood.

Getting cleaning jobs might be hard at first as being a cleaner does require a level of trust from the house owner. You might want to first start off with a few family and friends and then let their word of mouth spread. Once you get a few references, then things really start to pick up. Due to the trust issue, new clients depend a lot of the recommendations of their friends. And seriously, what better proof of your value than when they walk into their friend’s clean houses?

Another good thing about being a house cleaner is that you can take as many clients as you want or you can scale it back to be a part-time operation. This business is great for stay at home moms who want to make a bit of extra money. And because houses get dirty all the time, if clients are comfortable with you and the service you provide, you get repeat customers. This means a stable income while you call the shots and hours.

Therefore, during this spring season, if you have a knack for cleaning, why not look around for some jobs cleaning houses?

If you want to find employment in the house cleaning service industry, then you can either apply for a job through a cleaning company or try to find some clients yourself.  If you apply for a house cleaning job with a company, expect for them to conduct a background check on you.  Trust and reliability is a must as you are representing the company.

Most house cleaning companies also require that the house keepers either drive or have their own car.  This makes it easier to go from job to job.  Having your own vehicle or driving the company car also makes it easier to carry house cleaning supplies.  Some clients don’t provide the supplies or the cleaning supplies are not appropriate for the job.  In this case, the company provides the cleansers but make sure you get it all sorted out so you have everything you need before going to the job.  Also check your gas mileage if you are using your own car.  Later on, you can submit a claim so you can ask get reimbursed on that as well.

If you already have experience cleaning through a cleaning company, it gives you more confidence that you can branch out and take house cleaning jobs privately on your own.  Make sure you get references from clients directly as this will go a long way to getting new customers.  In most cases for people looking for domestic cleaning serivces, they fear people stealing from them.  Also, they will feel more comfortable going with a cleaning company first so they will have recourse to complain.   Therefore, to have a stack of good references and referrals will go a long way to allay those fears that you are reliable and can do the job.

If you have other house management skills beyond house cleaning, put them on your resume.  Most clients are looking for time saving house keeping skills so if you can cook, do the laundry, would not be adverse to running errands or walking the dogs, list those extras on your resume as well.  You want clients to find your services beyond a normal house cleaning job invaluable and therefore pay accordingly to your efforts as well.

In the business plan, you should have an executive summary which briefly explains what your company is about and why you would be a successful entrepreneur.  Lay out in detail how you would pay back the loan or how you would share the profits with your investors.

You should also include a marketing plan as to how you would gain new customers for cleaning jobs; or are you depending on scheduling additional bookings from existing customers and adding other cleaning services as well?  What would your house cleaning job rates be?  In short, how would you grow the business?

By growing the business, how would that affect operational costs?  The most obvious would be hiring new staff but what about other inventory costs for materials?  A detail listing of all expenses would have to be made.

By operating backwards, how much would you need to make a profit?  What is your target monthly goal and can you achieve this realistically?  You would need to know your target residential area as well and if the cost of your services would be acceptable to your clientele.

By writing out a business plan, it is not only to convince others for more funding but it is also a truthful self-reflection of your business as well.  Too often, we are too close to our “baby” and don’t see the forest for the trees.  By going through a business plan exercise, it puts things more clear if the business is viable.

Independent Cleaner

As an independent cleaner, you find jobs cleaning houses on your own through self-marketing.  You book your appointments and set your hours and schedule.  This might sound like an ideal situation but you are doing all aspects of the job including the manual labor unless you hire some helpers to expand the business.

Cleaning Agencies

You can run a cleaning agency where you are the go between for people needing cleaning services and people seeking jobs cleaning houses.  The worker sets a charge per hour for his/her services and the agency gets a cut.

Cleaning Company

You can start your own company where you would employ people to work for you.  This is the natural progression that most independent cleaners find themselves in when they want to branch out farther.  However, this requires knowledge of how to set up a business and tax laws, etc. which brings us to our last option to set up a house cleaning venture.

Cleaning Franchises

For those who want to start a company cleaning houses but does not know how to go about it or lack the experience, a franchise might be an option to consider.  To be considered a franchisee, you would need to go to an interview as the company would want to ensure the success of the candidate.  In addition to business set-up costs, you would also need to pay a large amount to enter the franchise in exchange for the training. Also, the franchise company is entitled to future profits for its brand name and maintenance support.

If you want to enter the house cleaning business, all four ways are viable options to enter the market.  It all depends on the skill set that you bring into the equation.  Some find that they can manage on their own being an independent cleaner; others would rather manage people and leave the cleaning to them.  Still, others dream of starting their own business but have no experience but there is an option for them too.  Once again, the cleaning industry is a billion dollar business and there’s enough room for everybody.

Since you are on a computer while reading this article, this means you have access to a computer and you know how to use the Internet.  This is good because more and more, people are using the Internet to find help.  Go to your local job board web sites and post your domestic cleaning services.

Also, you can use your computer to create your own flyers.  Some say these flyers need to be professionally done but this depends on your budget.  Frankly, a simple flyer will suffice and all you have to do is write it on a word processor software like Microsoft Word or even free software like OpenOffice Writer.  You don’t need any special skill but just use fancy text and a couple of pictures thrown in if you like.  Next, you will also need to print the flyers.  Again, you can use your own printer if you have one or go to the local office supply store and have them printed out.  Once you have your flyers printed, you can canvass the neighborhood you would like to work by frequenting the grocery stores, hardware stores, hair dresses, salons, restaurants and other places people congregate.  Now, depending on where you live, you might also be able to deliver flyers to people’s houses.  You need to check for yourself though as some places only the mailman can put anything in the mailbox.

If you have the advertising budget, you might also consider the most obvious which is to place an ad in the newspaper offering your service.  Your ad should be eye catching enough and convey the message in as few words as possible to save yourself money.

It can be hard at first to get house cleaning jobs but once you get a few customers your client base can build in a hurry.  All you need is the first few customers to give you good recommendations to their family and friends and your business will be well on its way.  Honest, trustworthy word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and best of all, it’s free.

If you find a boring business to get into, chances are there is not a lot of competition.  What do I mean by boring?  How about starting a domestic cleaning service?  One of the most distasteful task that everyone faces is house cleaning.  House cleaning is also a repetitive chore and this means repeat customers.  Isn’t that the perfect business model?  If you don’t mind a bit of strenuous work, it is quite possible to make a very healthy living off of house cleaning jobs.

So how does one start a house cleaning business?  First off, like any business, you need to do your research.  You need to have a good understanding of the accounting in order to run your housekeeping business.  Have a start up budget for supplies and stick to it.  This also means having an emergency fund set aside that can sustain you for the first year in business until you start making consistent money.  Also, think about getting bonded and insured.  This will put yourself and your potential clients at ease.  Next, you should also investigate how much other cleaning companies charge for their services.  Have the companies come over to your house and give an estimated quote.  With these figures in mind, you can decide whether or not to undercut their prices.  However, do not undercut too much because even though your cleaning services might be cheaper, some clients can still be very picky no matter the amount they pay.  Finally, and this is the most important point, you have to ask yourself whether you can actually provide good cleaning services.  Cleaning your own house is quite different from cleaning professionally.  There are all types of tips and tricks for cleaning to make stubborn dirt and stains go away.  Do you know these tricks to make you clean more efficiently?  Also, be cognizant that some clients prefer natural products when you tidy their house.  Are you going to be “green” when you clean?

Providing a domestic cleaning service is a very good way to make money.  Not a lot of people do it because of the nature of the business.  It’s boring and it’s not sexy.  However, this is why it is a lucrative business.