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How to start a cleaning business, step by step

The short answer

To start a cleaning business: 1) choose homes, move-outs, rentals or offices, 2) pick a structure and register your name, 3) get a free EIN from the IRS, 4) check your state and city for licenses, 5) open a business bank account and get insurance, 6) price by the time each clean takes, and 7) set up a Google profile and a phone that gets answered. Supplies that fit in a car are enough to begin.

You can start a cleaning business with a car and a caddy. The parts that trip people up are the paperwork and the price, so here they are in order, with the federal facts from the agencies themselves.

Updated November 5, 2026. We make CoveDesk, a phone answering service that also looks after Google profiles for small businesses. Federal facts here come from the agency pages linked below. This isn’t legal or tax advice: check your state and city. How we check our facts

Step 1: Choose what kind of cleaning

Kinds of cleaning work
TypeWhat it involvesWorth knowing
Regular house cleaningThe same homes every week or twoSteady income, and the easiest to start alone
Deep cleansTop-to-bottom first visitsPrice them higher, since they take longer
Move-in and move-outEmpty homes, often on a deadlineReal estate agents and property managers send repeat work
Short-term rental turnoversCleaning between guestsTight timing, linens, and photos for the host
Offices and commercialEvenings and weekends, under contractClients may ask about bonding and written agreements
  1. Pick a structure. The SBA says (opens in a new tab) a sole proprietorship doesn’t create a separate business, so you can be personally liable for its debts, while an LLC protects you from personal liability in most instances. An accountant can tell you which suits you.
  2. Register your name. Cleaning under a name other than your own? You may need to register it as a DBA with your state, county or city, the SBA says (opens in a new tab).
  3. Get an EIN. It costs nothing from the IRS, and the IRS warns (opens in a new tab) to beware of websites that charge for one. You’ll need one to pay employees.
  4. Check licenses. The SBA notes (opens in a new tab) that local governments set their own licensing and permit rules, and that zoning can apply even to home-based businesses.
  5. Open a business bank account as soon as you take or spend money as a business, as the SBA advises (opens in a new tab).
  6. Plan for taxes. The IRS says (opens in a new tab) self-employment tax is 15.3% and applies once net earnings reach $400, and you may have to pay estimated tax quarterly. Ask a tax professional.

Step 3: Insure it

General liability is the usual first policy. The SBA describes it (opens in a new tab) as covering bodily injury, property damage and related claims, which in cleaning means a broken heirloom or a slip on a wet floor. Once you hire, the SBA says businesses with employees need workers’ compensation, unemployment and disability insurance. Your state runs most of these and sets the details, so check its rules. Office clients often ask whether you’re bonded, so ask your agent what a bond covers.

Step 4: Price your cleans

Price from time, not from a competitor’s flyer. Time a few real cleans, then add the drive, supplies, overhead and profit. Our house cleaning pricing calculator does the math. Its example uses 2 cleaners at $22 an hour each, cleaning 500 square feet per person per hour, with a 20 minute drive, 20% overhead and 20% profit:

The calculator’s example numbers at other home sizes. Replace them with yours
Home sizeTime on sitePrice
1,000 sq ft1 hr$114
1,500 sq ft1.5 hr$151
2,000 sq ft2 hr$188
3,000 sq ft3 hr$261

Those are example inputs, not going rates. If your area pays more, enter your real wage. Price deep cleans and move-outs separately, and put your terms in a cleaning contract.

Step 5: Get your supplies

  • A vacuum that handles stairs and hard floors
  • Microfiber cloths in a few colors, so bathroom cloths stay in the bathroom
  • A flat mop system, or a mop and bucket
  • All-purpose, glass, bathroom and floor cleaners in labeled bottles
  • Gloves, a caddy and a step stool
  • A car with room for all of it

Never mix cleaning products: EPA’s advice (opens in a new tab) on hazardous household products is to keep them in their original containers and never mix them. A cleaning checklist keeps every visit the same, which is what regular clients pay for.

Step 6: Get your first clients

  1. Get on Google first. Add your business, and hide your address if clients don’t come to you.
  2. Tell everyone you know, then ask each happy client for a referral and a Google review.
  3. Reach the people who send repeat work: real estate agents, property managers and short-term rental hosts.
  4. Look the part: a business email address, a simple site from a website builder, and bills from the cleaning invoice template.
  5. Turn one-off cleans into regulars with a recurring rate, written down.

Later on, Google’s Local Services Ads list House cleaning services as a category, if you want to try ads you pay for by the lead.

Step 7: A phone that gets answered

New clients call while you’re mid-clean with gloves on. Get a business phone number separate from your personal cell, and decide who answers when you can’t. That, and a Google profile, is the next step for most new businesses. When you’re ready, CoveDesk offers phone answering and Google profile management, separately or together.

Common questions

Do you need a license to clean houses?
Often you need a general business license from your city or county, and some places ask for more. The SBA says local governments set their own licensing rules, so check your state and city.
Is $50 an hour good for house cleaning?
It depends whether that’s per cleaner. On our calculator’s example numbers, a two-person job needs about $40 per cleaner per hour on site, so $50 per cleaner clears it and $50 for a two-person team ($25 each) doesn’t. Enter your own costs.
What should I charge for 2 hours of cleaning?
For one cleaner, two hours at the calculator’s example numbers comes to $102, once the drive, supplies, overhead and profit are in. Your wage and costs will change that.
Is a cleaning business profitable?
It can be, when your price covers time, drive, supplies and overhead with something left over. The calculator’s example builds in a 20% profit share. Regular clients and short drives between homes help most.
How do I start a cleaning business with no money?
Start on your own with supplies you can carry, a free EIN from the IRS and a free Google Business Profile. Check your city’s license fee and get insurance before your first paid job.
Should I get an LLC for a cleaning business?
The SBA says an LLC protects you from personal liability in most instances, while a sole proprietorship doesn’t. It’s a choice to make with an accountant, since costs and taxes depend on your state.

Sources

What this page says about other companies comes from their own websites, read on November 5, 2026:

Prices and terms change, so check each company’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.

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