Goal plan
How to start a house cleaning business on the side
Quick answer
To start a house cleaning business, choose the kind of cleaning you'll offer, write a price list, check your city's license rules and get liability insurance, then find your first regular clients through people who know you. This plan sets that out as three steps and a first week of 30-minute tasks that fit around another job.
The goal, in three steps
In LeapSteps the business is the long-term goal. The milestone is a few regular clients, and the next step is the price list they'll ask for.
Example goal
- Long-termRun my own house cleaning business
- Mid-termSign 3 regular clients
- Short-termWrite a one-page list of services and prices
Today's taskTime how long my own kitchen and bathroom take to clean
We wrote this example ourselves. In LeapSteps you write the long-term goal in your own words. Tap Generate on the mid-term or short-term step and AI drafts three options; keep one, edit it or write your own.
The app's draft set three recurring clients at a monthly rate by April, and a one-page list of services and prices as the first step. I kept both, because the price list is the first thing those clients will ask for.
Regular clients are the milestone because a weekly or every-other-week visit fills the same slot again and again, so your schedule and income get easier to plan. In LeapSteps, each client's visit can be a repeating task, so the week's cleans sit on Today next to everything else.
Your first week, in seven short tasks
Each takes 30 minutes or less, so they fit around another job. The first cleans for clients come after this week.
- Choose the kind of cleaning you'll offer first10 min Regular house cleaning, move-out cleans or rental turnovers. The table below compares them.
- Time how long your own kitchen and bathroom take30 min Real times from a real home are the base for every price you set.
- Write a one-page list of services and prices30 min Say what a standard clean includes, what costs extra, and whether you charge by the visit or the hour.
- Check your city's business license rules20 min Search for your city or county and "business license". Some ask for one even for a business run from home.
- Ask two insurance agents about general liability cover20 min You'll be working in other people's homes. Ask what a policy covers and what it costs where you live.
- List the supplies you have and the ones to buy15 min Start with what's in your cupboard, and buy more only once you have bookings.
- Tell five people you know that you're taking clients15 min Friends, neighbors and former coworkers are the quickest route to a first booking and a first review.
In LeapSteps, add each one in a few words and link it to the goal's next step. End a task with a weekday, like "Call insurance agents Friday", and it's due that day.
Which kind of cleaning should you start with?
Each kind brings different clients, hours and preparation. Pick the one that fits the time you have, and add others once it runs smoothly.
| Kind of cleaning | Who books it | When you work | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular house cleaning | Busy households that want the same clean every week or two. | Daytime on weekdays, or Saturdays, at a slot you agree. | A standard checklist for each visit, and a plan for keys or entry codes. |
| Move-out and move-in cleans | Tenants, landlords and people selling or buying a home. | Around moving dates, often at the end or start of a month. | A deep-clean price that covers inside the oven, fridge and cupboards. |
| Short-term rental turnovers | Hosts who rent out a home or apartment by the night. | Between check-out and check-in, often on weekends. | A turnover checklist, including linens and restocking, and a quick way to report damage. |
| Small offices | Small businesses with a few rooms. | Evenings or early mornings, when the office is empty. | A written agreement on what's cleaned and how often, and your insurance details. |
A few facts before you start
Three things worth knowing, each from the source.
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Plenty of cleaners work for themselves
- Maids and housekeeping cleaners held about 1,332,100 jobs in the US in 2025.
- About 13.7 percent of them, some 182,400, were self-employed.
- No formal educational credential is typically needed to start.
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Licenses and insurance depend on where you are
- The licenses and permits a business needs depend on what it does and where; your state, county and city can each have their own.
- Business insurance types include general liability, and professional liability for businesses that provide services.
- A business with employees needs workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and the rules vary by state.
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Taxes, and anyone you hire
- You have to file a federal tax return if your net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more.
- Self-employed people generally pay self-employment tax as well as income tax.
- If you pay someone to help, whether they're an employee or a contractor depends on how much you control the work.
Checked October 23, 2026: the job figures are the Bureau of Labor Statistics' for 2025, from its employment projections and its page on occupations not covered in detail, the insurance list is from the SBA's guidance, and the rule on helpers is the IRS's independent contractor definition. We're not accountants, lawyers or insurance agents: ask one where you live before you take your first payment.
When you fall behind
A side business shares your week with a job. Here's how to keep it moving when the week runs out.
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A client canceled this week's clean.
Change the task's date; end it with a weekday, like "Clean at the Parks' Friday", and it's due that day. Offer the client another slot the same week, and use the free one to ask a past client for a referral. If cancellations keep coming, add your cancellation terms to the price list.
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The price list is done, but nobody's booking.
That's the short-term step finished. Tap Done on it, then write the next one or tap Generate with an area of focus like "first clients". The finished step moves to Steps achieved. Make the next step "Offer one discounted first clean to a neighbor", and ask for a review afterwards that you can show the next client.
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You have more requests than evenings.
Press and hold a task that can wait and drag it onto Someday, out of the way until you need it. Raise the price for new clients before you add hours. If you bring in a helper instead, check the rules first: the IRS says whether someone is an employee or a contractor depends on your right to control the work, and the SBA says a business with employees needs workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance.
Sources checked October 23, 2026.
Questions, answered
Do I need a license to start a cleaning business?
It depends on where you live, and you may need more than one. The U.S. Small Business Administration says the licenses and permits a business needs depend on its activities and its location, and that your state, county or city may each have requirements; local governments set their own registration and licensing rules. Some cities ask for a general business license even for work run from home. Search for your city or county and "business license", or call a small business office near you. We're not lawyers, so treat this as where to start, and check before you take your first payment.
Do I need insurance for a cleaning business?
If you clean in other people's homes, ask about general liability insurance before your first booking, since some clients may ask for proof of it. The U.S. Small Business Administration lists general liability among the main types of business insurance, along with professional liability for businesses that provide services. If you hire employees, you also need workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and the rules vary by state. Get quotes from two agents where you live, and ask exactly what each policy covers, such as damage to a client's belongings. Keep the policy details handy, since a new client may ask before the first visit.
How do I price house cleaning?
Start from your own times, then check them against your area. Time how long a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom take you, so you know roughly how long a typical home of a given size will take. Decide whether you'll charge by the hour or a flat price per visit; a flat price is easier for clients to say yes to, while an hourly rate protects you on messy jobs. Then look at what cleaners near you list for the same work, and set your price within that range. Make sure it covers supplies, travel, insurance and taxes, not just your time. We don't give price numbers here, because they vary too much by city.
How do I get my first cleaning clients?
Start with people who already know you. Tell friends, neighbors and former coworkers that you're taking clients, with your one-page price list, and ask each of them to pass it on to one person. Offer the first clean to one or two of them at a lower price in return for an honest review you can show others. Then put the price list where local people look, such as neighborhood groups, notice boards and the community pages you already belong to. Turn up on time, do what the list says, and ask happy clients whether they'd like a regular slot. Three regular clients is the milestone in this plan, and each one can name the next.
Can I start a cleaning business with little money?
Often you can start small, since the main tools are supplies you may already own and the skills you use at home. The costs you can't skip depend on where you live: a business license if your city requires one, insurance, and travel to clients. Write each one down with its price from the source, and only buy more supplies once you have bookings. Keep track of what you earn and spend from the first job. The Internal Revenue Service says you have to file a federal tax return once your net earnings from self-employment reach $400. Ask an accountant how to set money aside for taxes.
Can LeapSteps schedule my cleaning clients?
It can hold your schedule; bookings and payments happen elsewhere. LeapSteps is our app. Add each client's visit as a repeating task, like "Clean at the Parks' every other Friday", with a reminder, and it shows on Today next to the rest of your week. Link the business tasks, such as "Call two insurance agents", to the goal's next step. Tap Generate on the mid-term or short-term step for three AI-drafted options, or write your own. LeapSteps doesn't take bookings, send invoices or collect payments. When a step like "Write a one-page list of services and prices" is done, tap Done; it moves to Steps achieved.
Put this plan in LeapSteps
LeapSteps keeps a cleaning business running beside another job, with each client's visit repeating on Today and the next business step one tap away. LeapSteps is out now on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.
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