9 Cleaning Business Ideas to Bring More Profit

Discover 9 effective Cleaning Business Ideas to boost your revenue and grow your business. Implement these strategies and see the profits roll in.

Jeel PatelJeel Patel
||7 min read
9 Cleaning Business Ideas to Bring More Profit

Key Takeaways

  • 01Picking a niche helps you focus resources, dominate one area, and start with less investment
  • 02Residential and commercial cleaning remain the most accessible entry points for new businesses
  • 03Specialized services like pool cleaning and carpet cleaning can earn $20k-$50k annually
  • 04Green cleaning is a growing trend as customers prefer eco-friendly services
  • 05Offering flexible scheduling and personalized services helps you stand out from competitors

Ah, we see that you are looking to start your own cleaning business. That's great. So, as a token of our support, let us give you a warning!

Not defining your market and target audience is one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a business.

Why? Let's see the difference it can make.

Picking a Niche vs. Not Picking a Niche

Picking a nicheNot picking a niche
You have a direction to focus onYour focus gets scattered everywhere
You can dominate one areaYou become a jack of all niches
You can start your business with lesser investmentYour business demands more investment
Your resources are used more efficientlyYour resources also get scattered inefficiently
Your marketing gets more targetedYour marketing starts shooting everywhere
You will feel less overwhelmedYou will feel overworked
Your execution gets comparatively easierYour execution gets tough

Were these 7 reasons enough for you to side with picking a niche? Then, come on. We will show you 9 niche cleaning business ideas from which to start your journey (the smart way).

9 Profitable Cleaning Business Ideas

The cleaning industry is a vast space with many small niches. And as we have seen, just randomly going about any of them can be a huge mistake. So, here are profitable and popular cleaning business ideas you can start with.

Pro Tip

Pick just one or two cleaning services off this list. This will help you start your business with ease and focus.

1. Residential cleaning

A residential cleaning business focuses on cleaning the houses of homeowners. Many homeowners like to delegate it to a house cleaning business that does the job for them in exchange for a fixed amount.

This is why it is a lucrative cleaning business niche. In the US, you can easily get $25-$40 per hour as a residential cleaning professional.

Various residential cleaning services:

  • Regular cleaning
  • Deep cleaning
  • Move-in/Move-out cleaning
  • Window cleaning

Free resource: Download house cleaning invoice templates.

2. Commercial cleaning

As the name suggests, commercial cleaning is a cleaning service dedicated to commercial buildings.

Have you ever seen any boss swipe the floor of his office? Most probably, no, because bosses look to hire someone for the job and instead focus their time on growing the business.

So you could be that someone who they hire to clean their offices and earn around $30k to $50k per year, even as a small business.

Various commercial cleaning services:

  • Office cleaning
  • Hospitality cleaning
  • Commercial window cleaning
  • Industrial cleaning

3. Pool cleaning

Do you know the pool cleaning industry is worth $8 billion in the US alone? Thus, choosing pool cleaning as your initial business niche is also a great option.

This can include both: residential and commercial complexes but specializes solely in cleaning swimming pools.

Various pool cleaning services:

  • Regular pool cleaning
  • Chemical treatment
  • Pool deck cleaning
  • Tile and grout cleaning

4. Waste disposal

An average American throws out 4.9 pounds of waste every day (and that's just one person). Think about the amount of waste produced by the whole population.

That's a call for you to start a waste disposal business and help mother earth while earning a handsome income.

Various waste disposal services:

  • Hazardous waste disposal
  • Recycling services
  • Organic waste disposal
  • Construction and demolition waste disposal
  • Municipal waste collection

5. Carpet cleaning

Starting a carpet cleaning business is another great niche that may pull the cords of your heart.

A carpet cleaner earns $14.68 per hour, as per PayScale. This can result in an earning in the range of $20k - $49k per year.

Carpet Cleaning Services
  • Steam cleaning: Uses hot water extraction to deep clean carpets
  • Dry cleaning: Chemical cleaning method that uses minimal moisture
  • Deep cleaning: Intensive cleaning for heavily soiled carpets
  • Upholstery cleaning: Extends your service to furniture and other fabrics

6. Pressure washing

This means using high-pressure water spray to clean concrete surfaces, buildings, and vehicles. So for this, you will need special cleaning equipment such as pressure washers.

Various pressure washing services:

  • House washing
  • Roof cleaning
  • Gutter cleaning
  • Graffiti removal
  • Driveway and walkway cleaning

7. Green cleaning

Green cleaning is a popular trend in this industry as people are preferring businesses with eco-friendly services. So if other cleaning businesses in your region are not taking advantage of this trend, this is your opportunity.

Various green cleaning services:

  • Eco-friendly house cleaning
  • Green carpet cleaning
  • Green floor cleaning
  • Air duct cleaning

8. Pest control cleaning

Residential and commercial property owners often feel the need for pest control as the population of rodents and insects rises.

Various pest control services:

  • Residential pest control
  • Commercial pest control
  • Mosquito control
  • Rodent control
  • Organic pest control

9. Crime scene cleaning business

A crime scene cleanup business may test your sensitivity level. However, you would be surprised to know that such a cleaner can earn around $25k to $70k per year!

Are you wondering what you need to do in this? You will have to clean up bodily remains after an accident, crime, or natural death. On top of this, your duty will also be to clean the area around it after such an event.

Specialized Requirements

You will need specialized training, equipment, and materials, along with a strong heart, to pull this off. This isn't for everyone, but it can be highly lucrative for those who can handle it.

Various crime scene cleaning services:

  • Homicide cleaning
  • Biohazard cleaning
  • Infectious disease cleaning
  • Odor removal

Once You Start Your Cleaning Business, We Suggest InvoiceOwl For Invoicing!

InvoiceOwl is all-in-one invoicing software for your cleaning business to make invoicing process easier, smoother, and faster than ever!

Start Your FREE Trial

Frequently Asked Questions

Beyond the 9 main niches covered in this article, there are many other specialized cleaning services you can offer:

  • Hotel cleaning
  • Boat cleaning
  • Chimney cleaning
  • Furniture cleaning
  • Closet cleaning
  • Vehicle cleaning

Each of these niches has its own unique requirements and potential customer base.

After picking a niche for your cleaning business, you will need to hunt for your first client. How?

Go places and start reaching out to see if anybody needs your services. You can even post about your services online to get any leads.

For more details, check out our guide on "How To Get Clients For a Cleaning Business."

You can stand out from your competitors by:

  • Offering specialized services
  • Providing exceptional customer service
  • Utilizing eco-friendly cleaning products and methods

See what they are offering and how you can provide something better than them. Then create a marketing strategy and business model that takes advantage of those gaps.

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Written by

Jeel Patel

Founder at InvoiceOwl

Jeel Patel is the founder of InvoiceOwl, a highly-rated estimating and invoicing software designed to streamline contractor businesses' invoicing and estimating workflows. He holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Toronto, where he developed strong analytical capabilities and business acumen.

More about Jeel

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