How to Become a Successful House Cleaner

Residential cleaning services take $2,000 or less to begin, according to "Entrepreneur" magazine. This makes them an ideal option for individuals with few financial resources but ample determination and a strong work ethic. However, a successful house cleaner must possess more than just cleaning ability. An individual house cleaner must fulfill all roles within a small business, including marketing, sales, labor and daily operations, as well as handling financial responsibilities such as bank accounts and taxes.

• 1

  Purchase high-quality equipment to maintain a professional appearance and save yourself time and money in the long run. Old equipment breaks and presents a poor image to customers. Low-quality supplies require repeated applications and more physical effort for satisfactory results.

• 2

  Know your market before you start marketing. This allows you to appeal to your target group and obtain desirable customers quickly. Some groups that need house cleaners are elderly people who are physically unable to handle house cleaning and young, two-income families with little time for cleaning chores. Once you complete the market research, use this information to design your marketing strategies and promotions to optimize response rates. Possible marketing methods include fliers, coupons, newspaper ads and mass mailings. Try creating a blog or website to increase exposure even more.

• 3

  Give customers the cleaning they expect, striving to provide even more service whenever possible. Arrive on time, return calls promptly, be upfront about the cleaning tasks you perform and the price you require. Decide ahead whether you will do additional cleaning tasks requested by customers and how much you will charge for this service. Always take the time to clean a home to the best of your ability, recognizing that initial and one-time cleanings take double the time or more to complete than recurring services.

• 4

  Make it easy for customers to trust you. Offer some type of satisfaction guarantee to new customers, along with at least one or two referrals. Novice house cleaners without previous cleaning-work history should still provide some type of referral. Always carry insurance and bonding to ease customer worries about breakage and theft.

• 5

  Develop basic business skills, from tracking profit and loss and filing taxes to time management and scheduling. Look for free or low-cost resources from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Small Business Administration or your local chamber of commerce (see Resources). Business, economics, accounting and similar courses at community colleges can provide the basic knowledge that entrepreneurs need. Alternatively, hire qualified individuals to help with certain aspects of your business, such as an accountant to file year-end tax returns.

• 6

  Price your work correctly. This can vary by location, depending on the service type and frequency you provide and your experience. New house cleaners may get more work with a slightly lower price, but take care not to undervalue your work. House cleaners offering reliable, dependable services can charge at least $15 per hour in most areas throughout the U.S., as of 2010, according to Entrepreneur.