On average, small cleaning businesses make anywhere between $35,000-50,000 a year. As your business expands, you make a more sizable $100,000 a year. Your earnings will ultimately depend on whether you have a consistent stream of customers and are managing your resources well.
As of Jan 30, 2025, the average annual pay for a Cleaning Business Owner in California is $126,297 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $60.72 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,428/week or $10,524/month.
The most profitable type of cleaning business is commercial cleaning. The demand for commercial cleaning is always high, and if you are lucky enough to secure a commercial contract, you can generate significant revenue.
Startling statistics from a USA Today report reveal that 18 percent of all small businesses — such as those in the cleaning and distribution industries — fail within the first year of operation. And among those that survive, half will fail in five years.
It's going to be hard work (for a long time)
Running a successful cleaning business requires a lot of really hard work. Sure, this might seem obvious, but you need to know that it's more than hard work at the start to get things going. It requires really hard work for many, many years.
Understanding these challenges and developing strategies to overcome them is essential to run a profitable cleaning business. The weaknesses we have discussed in this blog post are high staff turnover, costly time management, seasonal changes, inconsistent quality standards, and poor marketing strategies.
First, take the square footage of your client's home and divide it by your rate of square feet cleaned per hour. Then, multiply it by your hourly rate. The total number is how much you'll charge for a single job in that client's home.
In 3 hours, a cleaner can thoroughly clean a larger room or two smaller ones, including hoovering, mopping and the cleaning of surfaces.
Starting a business can be challenging, time-consuming, and very demanding. While many people believe that only the lucky few are blessed with the capabilities to become millionaires, the truth is that anyone can build a successful cleaning business and become a millionaire.
Generally, commercial cleaning businesses are more profitable than residential ones, especially when you add on services like floor waxing, window washing, and deep disinfecting.
Registering Your Cleaning Business
Sole Proprietorship: $0-100 (business license fees) Doing Business As (DBA): $65-100. General Partnership: $70-$150 filing fee. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP): $70 filing fee; $800 annual tax fee.
The amount of money your company makes will depend on how much you charge for house cleaning. If you clean five homes each week for one calendar year, charging a flat rate of $200 per home, your residential cleaning business could earn more than $50,000/year before taxes, overhead, and other expenses.
Cleaning Business Start-up Cost
When starting a cleaning business, the total cost can vary depending on several factors, including the scale of your business, the services you offer, and your location. On average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 in initial startup costs.
3 Bedroom 2 Bath Home: If you have a typical three-bedroom home or apartment, you can expect to spend about three hours a week on basic cleaning. You should also set aside 1.5 hours when you do deep cleaning tasks.
Pricing by the hour: Based on the specialization or the complexity of cleaning, you can charge between $50 to $100 for every hour. Pricing per square foot: General cleaning rates range between $0.07 to $0.15 per square foot but can increase depending on the type of cleaning.
A benefit of bi-weekly cleaning is you'll get more help. They will finish high-quality cleaning, so you won't need to worry about a deep clean later in the month. Hiring someone to come clean every two weeks will help you save money. The fewer times your cleaning professional comes means not a high price.
Statistically speaking, the cleaning industry has a higher than average success rate, with roughly 50% of cleaning businesses succeeding within the first five years. However, there are some reasons why some companies don't make it past the first year.
While there are many types of businesses one could start, a cleaning business is one that requires little to no experience with low startup costs. This makes cleaning an affordable and potentially lucrative option for those looking to go into business for themselves.
Many cleaners face low wages and minimal benefits, such as healthcare, retirement plans, and sick leave. Unfortunately, these conditions are prevalent in the cleaning industry, making it difficult for cleaners to support themselves and their families.