Starting a House Cleaning Business on a Budget

House cleaning business is a very rewarding business. One can have lots of opportunities and a big turnover when you are successful in the cleaning business field. What's good about this business is that you can start on a limited budget. You do not need to hire a lot of staff at first. If you are an experienced cleaner, you could actually start the business on your own. Here are a few pointers on how you could start in this type of business.

* On acquiring your first few clients

1. This might be the hardest part when you start with a business. It's quite hard when you look for people that will try your service especially if there are a few established companies around your area already. Most customers want to know how long you have been in the business. It is normal for them to seek references. But it is important to say the truth to your clients. Inform them that you are new to this business. Be confident to say that you have researched on all the aspects of this business and that you assure them you could give them satisfactory service according to their needs. Clients will trust you more if you show them that you are confident.

2. A great tip on how to get references: You could talk to your relatives or friends and ask them if you could clean their houses for a discounted rate, or much better for free. Be sure to put in mind that quality is more important than quantity. How fast you finish cleaning is not as important as how great you've done the job. It takes time to clean efficiently but soon when you get used to it you could finish the job in a faster rate. Double check the rooms that you've cleaned and be sure that you do not miss any spot. This way, when you satisfy your clients you could definitely get some good testimonials and soon word of mouth will spread.

3. A referral program is also a good idea to get new clients. You could offer to give discounts on clients that could refer you to a friend or other people that they know or when their friends seek your service for at least three times.

o Advertise Your Business

Advertising is important to let people know that your business exists. But before you proceed in advertising, you should carefully plan what image you would want for the company. Image is very important because people will remember you through it.

1. Creating a logo is one thing that you could do. Be consistent with your ads, be sure to always include the logo and stick with the same colors that you've chosen. You could advertise in newspapers but be sure that it is an eye catching ad. It needs to stand out among other competitors.

2. Magnetic signs and lettering of your business name and contact information for your vehicles is also a great way to attract people's attention.

3. You could also use some flyers for advertisement. You could print nice and colorful flyers in your own home but it is best if you invest on professional flyers. They could be given out on grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, laundromats, hair dressers, and other places where many people go or pass by. You could even do some door to door visit in various neighborhoods.

4. Business cards are a more formal approach on advertising your business. You could give them out to friends and family members. Asking some business establishments if you could leave a couple of cards on their counters is also possible.

5. Having a website is also helpful. Since almost everybody uses the internet for things like shopping for their personal needs, this is a great medium for potential clients to know about your business.

o Cleaning Products and Equipment

1. Find alternatives to chemical cleaners. There are some natural cleaning products with essential oils that you could use. This is good because you could offer a healthy cleaning experience to your clients. They will surely like it, especially for those sensitive persons and environment lovers.

2. Always bring a hand sanitizer with you. In cleaning a house you'll get exposed to different kinds of germs so it is important to protect yourself from these or you might get sick. Wear gloves when you clean the bathrooms.

3. You should also invest in your own cleaning utensils. Customers prefer if you would use your own materials. Always ask if the customers use some special cleaners for their appliances and floors. Most of the time, they have these cleaners on hand and will let you use them.

o Prices of your Services

You should be careful in pricing your services. If the prices that are too low, your customers might think that you are not experienced and your service is sub-standard. It is important to create prices that reflect the quality of your work.

1. You could choose to charge by the hour, by room, or by square foot. Other companies have flat rates per home. But it is better if you charge by home. The client will pay for a set fee and will not care if it took you 2 hours or 5 hours to finish.

2. There is never a chance that you'll be cleaning two identical houses. You need to get as much experience to be able to set an amount that you need to make hourly. One that will cover all the expenses and still allow you to earn good profit.

o Hiring Employees

The business will come to a point where in it needs to expand. You have been receiving more than enough job requests and it is hard if you do it on your own. You could hire even inexperienced persons but it will require you to train them first. So your best bet will be hiring already trained and skilled personnel.

o Insurance and Bonding

Your business should be fully insured and bonded. This way the clients will trust you more. It is hard for them to just let anybody inside their homes. But if you have liability insurance, then they'll feel more secure.

Learn How to start a house cleaning business, visit StartCleaningService.com.

Carpet Steam Cleaning Machines - The Future of Clean Carpets

If you have carpet, it will eventually need to be cleaned. You can call a professional, but why give someone else all your hard earned money for something that you can do yourself. They now have Carpet Steam Cleaning Machines that are not only easy to use, but they also come with a very reasonable price. Gone is the huge monster of a machine that you had to drag all over your home by brute strength. Many of the machines are no heavier than the average vacuum cleaner. Not only are they easier to use, they also leave your carpet as clean as most professional services, but without the hefty bill.

Not only do the new Carpet Steam Cleaning Machines make cleaning your carpet a walk in the park, they also have an array of special treatments that you can choose to use on your carpet. You can even get heavy duty treatment for your tough stains, and also additives that make your carpet smell as fresh as a daisy. Do you have pets? Then you can pick up a special additive that will leave your house totally free of any and all embarrassing pet odors. Your carpet will look and feel like it did when it was brand new.

There are several different types of Carpet Steam Cleaning Machines. For a custom fir fot your needs check our a review or two that will give you an idea of what other users thought of the machine. You can compare weight, water consumption and also just how easy it was to get your carpets sparkling clean. From the smallest hand held machines, to the larger whole house cleaners, there is a machine that will fit your needs and budget. You do not have to be scared to clean your own carpets. All the guesswork of mixing and measuring has been eliminated.

So leave your dingy, dirty carpets behind. Now it is easy and affordable to have a home that looks like you just had new flooring installed. For the price of a night on the town, and a few hours work, you can have your choice of top rated Carpet Steam Cleaning Machines do all the dirty work for you. All you have to lose is your dirty carpet.

Jeff Koo owns and operates http://www.carpetsteamcleaningmachines.org. Discover more about Carpet Cleaning Machines for your home today.

House Cleaning Business Cut by Insourcing

By April 2009 the national unemployment rate reached 8.9% according to the U.S. Labor Department of Labor. By comparison, the unemployment rate reached 10.8 percent in the 1981-1982 recession and 9.2 in September 1983 so it is clear that we are deep into a very severe recession. The loss of or reduced income experienced by so many is leading to the rise of insourcing.

Insourcing is typically used in a business context but it happens in the consumer realm too. People who, when times are good outsource chores like house cleaning and maintaining the lawn and garden, eliminate or cut back on these when times are bad.

Maid service is typically one of the first services to get cut which is reflected in the mirroring of the unemployment rate by the contraction of the housekeeping industry. People who are unemployed or who have had their hours cut can either no longer afford to hire a maid or can no longer justify outsourcing the house cleaning because they now have much more time on their hands. ServiceMagic, an online directory of local service providers which links them to homeowners, saw a 12.7% drop in maid service requests during the month of October 2008. The States that have experienced the greatest job loss have also shown the greatest drop off in maid service business.

A large percentage of the maid service providers are small businesses or family owned and operated and may not be able to withstand increased pressure from customers to cut their prices for house cleaning services. While they may be tempted to do so they should not cut their prices so much that they are not able to achieve a reasonable operating margin. When pressured by their customers to bring prices down to more affordable levels they should suggest as an alternative that customers reduce their frequency of service. This was they retain a proportion of the revenue and the customer still gets their house cleaned but may need to do more maintenance cleaning between visits.

Customers who are reluctant to do their house cleaning themselves will begin to shop around for better prices and may be tempted to switch providers for a better price. They will spend more time shopping around for deals online at classifieds site or online marketplace websites and are more likely to respond to a direct mail offer with an advertised discount.

Ironically, the supply and demand can become very unbalanced because even as the maid service demand is shrinking, the supply of providers increases. As more and more people are unable to find employment there is a shift to attempting to start one's own business. Given the relatively low startup costs and minimal qualifications required, a house cleaning business becomes an attractive option. Other house cleaning services like window cleaning and carpet cleaning require specialized equipment and expertise to achieve the best results and so these are less attractive targets but they will typically also be affected less by insourcing for that same reason. Of the two, carpet cleaning is probably likely to be insourced before window cleaning. One can hire carpet cleaners from local stores and achieve a satisfactory cleaning.

Fortunately insourcing is unlikely to be a permanent change. When the conditions that cause people to do themselves what they one paid others to do change, they will quickly return to outsourcing those tasks. Once the economy begins to recover, it can take years for the jobless rate to decline again so it is likely to be a few years before we see growth in the maid service and house cleaning industry.

Bidmycleaning is the new simple way to find and Schedar house cleaning services. It is the first online marketplace for services where you can get instant bids from pre-screened local service providers, read customer reviews and schedule online immediately on the provider's real-time calendar. 100% satisfaction guarantee and secure online payment after completion of the cleaning appointment. Maid service, window cleaning and carpet cleaning.

Find green cleaning by selecting to view bids from eco-friendly service providers only.

Bidmycleaning is the first service from BidMyAtoZ.com - Service Made Simple

Cleaning Service Stations with a Pressure Washer

Fuel prices these days are quite high and they take their toll on a service business. It is time to strike back. If you own a cleaning business that uses pressure washers why not clean service stations and get some of your money back as you pay $2.30 per gallon for fuel? Gas Stations are usually franchises and have cleanliness commitments as part of their franchise agreements with the oil companies they sign on with. This means they have no choice they must keep their gasoline stations spiffy. Currently with unemployment rates so low 5% on average many stations do not have the extra labor needed to keep up with the cleaning.

Our company, The Car Wash Guys, set up an industrial division specializes in gas station steam cleaning. We have cleaned hundreds of such accounts and done business with individual station owners. If you are in a pressure washing business you can clean anything with your steam cleaners. For first time or one time cleaning you need to be sure to charge more than usual and so be thinking in the neighborhood of these prices for one time services; Lift Racks $10.00; Bathrooms $15.00; Two Car Garages $20.00; Islands $65-100.00; Car Wash Walls $75.00; Car Wash Brushes $30.00 and special bid estimates asphalt area. For quarterly services you will notice that things are almost as dirty as if they were never washed at all. For monthly services consider charging in the neighborhood of 80% of these prices and for bi-monthly services on a routine schedule sixty percent. These prices for over all concrete areas should include canopy cleaning.

What's really great about your service is that it can be customized to the corporate needs and you can sign on 20-40 stations at once. Our company has been asked to clean signage, roofs, sidewalks, even wax and polish pumps. With general maintenance and upkeep more customers will want to buy their fuel at your customer's station instead of competitors because it's so clean. Your customers may even receive awards from their cities and oil companies for having the nicest stations. We know of two stations, which received proclamations from their State Senator. You must be sure to alert your customer right away that your company also maintains a one million dollar liability insurance policy and has all the permits for environmental wastewater discharge. Happy Washing.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Construction Site Clean Up Opportunities - How to Make Their Business, Your Business

New construction cleanup and construction cleaning jobs are available in almost any location. A business letter from a janitorial service or commercial cleaning company to the main office of the general contractor is how to get the ball rolling. An introductory letter requesting to have your company placed on their "bidders list", along with a copy of your insurance and business licenses, construction industry references with phone numbers and some documentation of your abilities seems to go a long way. But that's only the first step of many. A flyer or brochure will easily address your abilities. Construction site cleaning opportunities happen quickly and will go to the post construction cleaning company with all the paperwork completed and in place.

How to bid final, post or after construction cleaning is the question most janitorial companies seem to be interested in, but that challenge won't be addressed correctly until you shake the hand of the Site Superintendant or Project Manager. The key to working with construction contractors consistently is the contractors perception that you are familiar with their requirements and that you can accomplish them on a strict time schedule and in an uneventful manner. It would be smart to establish a new d.b.a. with a construction related name (i.e. Sparkle Cleaning d.b.a. Site Cleaning Support). Go to Home Depot and get a white hard hat ($10.00?) and a reflective safety vest ($10.00?). Go to an ad specialties store, get a work shirt and have them embroider your company name on it. Have them letter the hard hat and the vest with the same name also.

Office Depot makes quick "no frills" business cards for about $10.00 for a hundred. Have some conservative basic cards made. Jeans and work boots are a must. On a construction site, the person from Site Cleaning Support with the uniform, hard hat and safety vest will quickly get an invitation to bid. The person from Sparkle Cleaning, with the "pink flowers and bubbles" business card, will either get punched in the nose or receive the kind of attention they don't want! When you visit the site for the first time, look for the construction office trailer. Identify yourself as a contractor and ask for the Superintendant or Project Manager. Don't try to sell anyone else, this is very important. Only speak with the Super, PM or their administrative staff in the office trailer. Contractors disrupting the flow of work on a site are a problem, will be asked to leave the site and will not be asked to bid. Your first statement to the PM should be: "Hi, I'm a cleaning contractor and I'm interested in competing for work on this project." Shortly after that you should say: "I know you're very busy and I won't take up your time right now, but I do want to be considered when the time is right. What's your turn over date?" and then "Our paperwork is already of file at your office and so I don't pester you, what would be a good approximate date to stop back?" Shake their hand, leave a card and maybe a flyer and then get off their site.

When you start to put together a post construction cleaning company business plan, it's important to understand the opportunities available with construction site clean up. More importantly, it's mandatory to understand the scope of work pending, and the time frames available for that work in the Project Manager's mind, regarding cleaning on his site. Basic new structure cleaning is a given and can be addressed in two ways depending on the sites needs. It can be contracted to be done all at one time or in phases as the site progresses. Here's a simple example of three phase cleaning for a residential construction cleanup proposal:

Phase one - "Rough Clean"

A phase one cleaning may be requested by the GC after the framing, plumbing and electrical have been inspected and completed. This phase may be done before or after the sheetrock has been installed or what is also considered the "dried in stage". The phase one cleaning will consist of the removal of large debris and trash, stickers will be removed from windows and the unit will be swept out. This phase will help prepare for the incoming subs for painting, flooring, fixtures and cabinetry.

Phase two - "Prep Clean"

A phase two cleaning will be requested prior to the GC's inspection leading to the final "punch list" for all contractors. This phase will consist of a detailed cleaning of the kitchen and restrooms to include: sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, countertops and cabinets. This phase includes removal of any stickers remaining on the appliances, fixtures, cabinets and windows. Cleaning baseboards, light fixtures, door frames, interior windows, window ledges, mirrors, floors vacuumed and mopped as necessary to prepare for the punch list. Important note: At this point of the construction process, various contractors may be still returning to the unit to address concerns. Phase two should be scheduled after their concerns have been addressed. Phase two cleaning items requested after the phase two cleaning has been completed and approved will be provided at an additional charge.

Phase three - "Punch Clean or Final Clean"

A phase three cleaning during a post construction clean will be requested after the GC's inspection's have taken place and no other subs will be entering into the unit. In this phase, all touch ups will be addressed and everything will be considered move in ready. The effort will finalize with the garage being swept, carpet vacuumed, floors mopped and any dust still remaining will be addressed. When this phase is approved, the site cleaning effort for this unit will be considered complete.

The template construction bid example above is an intelligent way to avoid one of the major pitfalls of the construction site cleaning business. Addressing a site in "phases" allows the new construction cleanup company to have their completed worked signed off as: "work complete, no additional work required". With sub-contractors perpetually returning to a unit under construction to continue their work, the commercial cleaning company's work is often overlooked. The Site Superintendent will ask the cleaning company to return and touch up their work over and over again without an offer of payment for the additional work. The cleaning contractor should have each phase of cleaning signed off as complete and no additional work required by the Site Superintendent. With larger sites, and multi-unit sites, each unit should be signed off separately and as quickly as possible after completion of the cleaning. An individual charge for each unit, per phase, helps with invoicing and documents pricing if the Superintendent request's a re-clean. Large amounts of money can be made with re-cleans when a site's scheduling isn't well planned by the general contractor.

A construction cleanup proposal can address a lot more then basic cleaning and the rates for construction cleanup project work (i.e. floor and carpet care) may be very attractive. There is an art to projecting a post construction cleaning business plan and it's found in the Superintendant's view of the scope of work and his cost's therein. He has a budget projection, and his view of that budget projection, for all his cleaning requirements and it's broken down by tasks. Basic cleaning is one task, but he may view it as hiring cheap labor from one of the temp agencies for the rough clean and then hiring a contractor for the final clean. He also has a budget, and an opinion of that budget for floor care, carpet care, excess height cleaning and high pressure washing. Construction cleaning jobs can be contracted hourly or in total flat rate. Understanding the Superintendent's view and goal is what counts in writing bidding sites that win.

Rates for construction cleanup floor care, carpet care, excessive height cleaning and high pressure washing are typically higher than the prices charged for existing structure work. That's just the way their budget's work. It doesn't really make sense, because working with a new floor or carpet is quite a bit easier, so this is where the construction cleaning company should make their profit. When pricing post construction cleaning jobs, you should consider making your general labor charges competitive with the temp agency rate, but project that rate for the amount of hours the superintendent expects the unskilled labor to complete the task in. This will offer the Superintendent skilled and supervised labor, instead of temp agency labor, at an attractive rate and if you follow the sign-off sheet suggestions above you should still make substantial profit. Your experienced staff can complete the tasks in a shorter time frame than the Superintendent will be expecting to pay the temp agency by the hour. You charge by the completed task. Your competitive general cleaning rates are the hook and the expensive project work is the brass ring. This can prove to be an incredible windfall due to excessive amount of square footage at some of these construction site clean up projects.

Pricing post construction cleaning jobs with the intent of making serious profit on the total job, while protecting profit in each individual task of the project, is an acquired skill and should be studied at length. Learning how to bid final, post or after construction cleaning takes more than reading a sample contract for a janitorial service or a template construction bid example. Template construction bid examples are available on-line and researching them should be a major part of your post construction cleaning company business plan. A business letter and janitorial service literature are also available to research for your post construction cleaning company business plan, but it really takes walking the site, speaking with their people in charge, and internalizing the actual work necessary to find your profit. How to bid final, post or after construction cleaning is a skill well worth taking the time to investigate.

Mr. Anthony's service industry websites include:
Facility Support Services and Staffing Tracker

Now Cleaning is a Breeze With the Help of Commercial Cleaning Companies

Nowadays, cleaning has been a tedious job for most people who are busy with their day jobs. Cleaning is a task that can't be avoided because if people miss out on this they would definitely not like the result. The problem is, nobody likes to do dirty works. Most people can come up with as much excuses as they can to stay away from this. Well, a solution is to hire services from a professional cleaning company. You'll be surprised to know that hiring their services compared to hiring your own janitor will save you money, resources, and time.

Some places are easier to clean than others. Areas like auditoriums, public toilets, theaters, and industrial offices often need extra special cleaning from experts that would be able to provide quality services. Since these areas are commonly used by a lot of people on a daily basis, these areas need everyday cleaning and maintenance. Normal cleaning won't be enough and normal people can't possibly do this.

Professional janitorial services charge reasonable rates according to the space or volume, the method of cleaning to be used, the amount of dirt to be cleaned, and the equipments that will be used. Also the number of people that they need to employ for the cleaning job is taken into consideration. Still you are sure that you will be getting the best and most efficient cleaning service in the most reasonable price that your budget could afford.

The quality of their services is not only gauged through the performance of their employees. The cleaning materials and equipment that they use should also have a good quality. Cleaning companies invest in the equipments that help them do their jobs faster and easier without sacrificing the result of their work. For example, the vacuums that they use to absorb fine particles like dust in the carpets, sofa, corners, and other furnishings are best to be used. If they will not use a vacuum cleaner, they would have to spend hours just to remove the dirt in the entire area. Although it is not applicable for dirt other than dust like particles and hairs, still it saves time and energy, and is known to have great results. Another great cleaning tool is a floor polisher.

It will give your floors a great polished look in just minutes. Chemicals are also a requirement. They should purchase and use only the best chemicals that are right for each surface that they are cleaning. Bleaching products and detergents should be picked meticulously. It should be the best in removing unwanted stains and dirt. Anti-bacterial chemicals are also important. You not only want the area to be squeaky clean but also germ free.

Commercial cleaners could easily help you clean any area that you would want on a regular basis. Cleaning the office or any area at all won't be a hassle anymore. Hiring services from these companies at an affordable and competitive rate will take care of the job. Benefits of hiring the services of commercial cleaning companies are the following:

o They are professionals. These cleaning companies have reputations at stake which means they wouldn't do anything that wouldn't earn them referrals or worst reduce the number of their customers. You are guaranteed that they are professional and reliable. Worrying about a janitor not making it on your set appointment is impossible because they usually have substitutes. Commercial janitorial service is a successful business because they are consistent with the services they deliver.

o Flexibility of their service. When you hire a professional cleaning company to maintain the cleanliness of your office or establishment you could choose whether to do it on a daily, weekly, monthly, or one time cleaning depending on when and how you need it. The company could adjust to your available schedule easily. You could choose not to hire their services on the months that you don't need cleaning, this could save you money.

o Economical Advantages. If you are a new in the business or your company is small, hiring a janitor for your own company could be extremely costly. You'll be taking care of the payroll and other benefits of the janitor. Aside from the hourly wages, there are also insurance and sick days that need to be considered. If at times when your business is not doing well, you can't just send the janitor on leave and come back when the business is ok. And this can cost you additional expenses. But this doesn't have to be the case. You could save money, resources, and time by outsourcing the cleaning job only when you need it.

o Less hassle for your company. Some professional cleaning companies include services such as restocking and inventory of cleaning products. They will regularly check your supplies and make necessary orders of items such as toiletries and other hygienic products. They could also include janitorial tools. You don't have to worry lacking another paper towel or tissue on your office anymore.

o Save money on tools. Cleaning companies usually provide you with cleaning tools that are usually expensive to acquire, maintain, and repair. This way you won't have to invest and buy these things anymore. An example of expensive cleaning equipment is a steam carpet cleaner which costs a fortune for small companies to purchase. Other janitorial tools which are necessary could also be provided by professional cleaning companies to ensure that your office remains clean all the time. Now you don't have to worry if those high end equipments will break down when you are using it.

o Safe and secure services. Professional cleaning companies are insured so you don't have to worry about any property damage or accidents that might happen during the process of performing their services. These companies also do their part to ensure security within their company by doing a background check on all the employees that they hire. They could also provide you pictures and data if you need it in times of emergency. Most companies also provide 24 hour assistance in case you might need immediate assistance.

Learn How to Start a cleaning business, visit StartCleaningService.com.

Hiring Janitorial Services – Choosing the Right Company

Many companies employ janitorial services to be able to maintain a certain level of cleanliness in their offices. Most of these companies are those that are larger in scale since hiring just one may not be able to complete the work at the preferred length of time. Smaller companies may hire a janitorial staff to clean the premises regularly. Both large and small companies though will always remain mindful on the services costs.
Due to this many businesses may not hire full-time janitorial services since they may not be able to justify the cost with the amount of work they have and the number of employees. The cost for their salary on an hourly basis may be just too much for a small or a medium scale business facility.
The factors mentioned above should be in your mind when you are searching for a company that would render you the services that you need for your office. There are hundreds of companies out there who will be willing to provide you with the services but you need to make sure on a lot of things first. Remember that their staff would then be free to roam in your office once they begin cleaning it so it is very important that you are able to hire a company who employs people who can be trusted.
You can actually look through your local newspaper for available companies in your area that can provide you with the services that you need. Grab a pen and a paper and list them one by one or at least those whom you think are reliable enough and are flexible in terms of the amount of work that you needed. Call a decent number of these companies and list down their rates. Compare their rates and ask questions if they are able to accommodate certain requests from you. For example, see if they can accommodate a request that you would only be employing one of theirs staffs on a weekly basis and not on a full-time basis since your office is not big enough to compel you to have a regular janitor to clean it every day.
Before you even ask the question though, check the companies if they have a website first so that you will have an overview of the services they offer and be able to check on previous customers’ feedbacks and reviews if there are any. This way you will be assured that the company you are trying to contact is trustworthy and reliable.
If they are amenable to your requests, then you should consider them as the company that will provide you the cleaning services for your office; this way you are assured that the company knows what you need, and they will be in full support on your desire for maintaining your office in tip-top shape.
The cities I want to use for the blogs areas following
Los Angeles
South Florida
Columbia South Carolina
Arizonia
Washington State
Colorado
Irvine
Anaheim
Newport Beach
Houston
Raleigh North Carolina
Washington DC
Chicago
Culver City
Orange County
Corona
Texas
Santa Ana

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