People have become more conscious of keeping their homes and offices clean after the changes the pandemic brought about. More and more companies offering commercial cleaning services in the UK have sprung up, to satisfy this increasing demand, with more companies than ever looking to ensure their workspaces are clean and properly looked after.
If you’re good at cleaning and you wouldn’t mind doing it all day every day, why not turn it into a business?
Starting a Cleaning Business
Now that you’ve decided to turn your love of cleaning into a business, there’s some steps you’ll need to take to get the business going. Here’s the main steps you’ll need to take to start a cleaning business:
Decide what services you’ll offer
There’s more than one type of cleaning that people need – some people need commercial cleaning, others need residential cleaning, and some need more specialised forms of cleaning. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to offer all of these services!
There’s a few things you should take into consideration when deciding which services to offer:
- Which services are you qualified to offer?
- What types of cleaning do you enjoy doing?
- What is the local demand for each type of cleaning service?
Once you’ve decided on which services you’ll offer with your cleaning business, you’ll need to ensure you have all the required qualifications and licences before you pick up your mop and bucket.
Choose how you’ll run your business
Before you can get going with your business, you need to decide how you’ll run your cleaning business. Some people set up a cleaning business on a freelance basis, whereas others set up a company that is registered with Companies House. There’s pros and cons to each, but you need to make sure that however you choose to run your business is compliant with the law.
How will you fund the business?
As always, when starting a cleaning business, just like any other business, knowing how you will pay for the initial outlay of materials and start-up costs is key. You will need at least some degree of funding for your business. In the case of a cleaning company, you will need to purchase materials and cleaning products and you may also need things like a mode of transport [vehicle] and marketing and a website to get your business off the ground.
Some people will have saved up money in order to pay for this, whilst others may need a loan of some sort, which may include a secured loan in the UK if you are a homeowner, or perhaps a business loan if an unsecured loan is preferable. Always make sure that no matter what finance and funding you seek, that you are able to repay it once your business gets going.
Pick a business name
Regardless of how you choose to run your business from a legal perspective, you’re likely to want to choose a name for your business. This can be as creative or mundane as you like, and the classic Cleaning by X is always a safe bet if you can’t think of anything.
If you’re incorporating with Companies House, you’ll have to choose a name which is not already taken by another business, so you might have to get creative here!
Set a budget for your supplies and source them
There’s no cleaning business without cleaning supplies, so at some point you’ll have to source your disinfectant, mops, and all the other supplies you’ll need. When you’re first starting out with your cleaning business, don’t overestimate the amount of cleaning supplies you’ll need, as you may be left short financially while the business picks up.
Once you’ve set your budget and worked out what supplies you need to source, it’s time to actually buy them. When you have your cleaning supplies, you can start putting them to good use!
Work out your prices for your cleaning services
Now you’ll have to work out how much you’ll be charging for your cleaning services. You should take into account the cost of your cleaning supplies, as well as how much you would realistically like to be paid hourly or daily.
It’s important to check out the competition in your area when you’re starting off with your cleaning business. Find out how much other local cleaning services are charging, as cleaners in different areas charge vastly different prices for their services.
Now that you’ve done the background work, it’s time to get out there and start cleaning!
