My question is around the bond - if you're a cleaning business owner that subcontracts the cleans will a bond cover the subs, or will it only cover the business if a w-2 employee steals something on the job?

Best place to obtain said bond?

Thanks

Not as a freelancer.

Not as an agency.

More like a technical partner.

Most cleaning businesses eventually hit a point where operations become messy. Scheduling gets harder, information lives in different places, repetitive admin work starts consuming the day, and owners spend more time managing the business than growing it.

Thats where I come in.

My background is in building systems that simplify operations, remove bottlenecks, and help businesses scale without adding unnecessary overhead.

I am not looking for an upfront payment.

I would rather earn your trust by improving the business first. If I can't create measurable value, you don't owe me anything. If I do, we can discuss a long-term partnership afterward.

I am interested in working closely with one ambitious company, not juggling dozens of freelance clients.

If this resonates, I would love to hear your story.

Should I include pricing breakdown on my fliers? Im basing them on competition research run off GPT. It seems logical but Im not 100% sure. I know Chat Gpt can make mistakes but the scraped info does seem legit.

Hi everyone. While most of the bathroom showers/tubs that I clean are either porcelain or fiberglass, I've recently come across some shower floors/walls that are clearly made of some type of stone, cement or marble. (The shower floors and walls are very dull or 'matte' in appearance...nothing like a traditional, old-school, smooth and shiny white porcelain bathtub/shower....) I know that I've also seen similar shower materials in some Miami apartments, where my sister has a home....

This type of material is hard to get it 'obviously cleaned'...or to make it look shiny and like brand new, in much the same way I can accomplish, say with a traditional white, porcelain bath tub. This stone material - and the grout - can also tend to hold stains...often orange or brownish.

What do folks use to clean such shower material? Is there anything that can be done to make it look obviously cleaner, to the client?

Thanks.!

Hi everyone! I’m currently looking for an opportunity to work with a cleaning service or cleaning company.
I have experience in customer service, lead generation, sales, and virtual assistance, including working with platforms such as Meta, Thumbtack, Yelp, and BookingKoala.
I can help with:
📞 Inbound & outbound calls
💬 Customer inquiries and follow-ups
📅 Scheduling and booking
🔎 Lead generation
💰 Sales and converting leads into customers
📋 Managing customer information and appointments
🤝 Building good relationships with clients
I’m comfortable communicating with customers, following up with leads, and helping a cleaning business turn inquiries into actual bookings.
If you’re a cleaning business owner looking for someone reliable to help with sales, customer service, or admin/VA work, feel free to send me a message. I’d be happy to introduce myself and discuss how I can help.

Something I keep thinking about with cleaning bids is how easy it is to underestimate labor without realizing it.

A job might look like a 6-hour job on paper.

But that 6 hours usually assumes everything goes right:

• access is easy
• nobody is waiting on keys or security
• the crew works at the expected pace
• no extra client requests come up
• supplies are where they need to be
• no callbacks
• no delays between areas or locations

Then the contract starts and the “6-hour job” regularly takes 6.5 or 7 hours.

That difference doesn't look huge on one shift, but over a month or a year it can completely change whether the account is actually profitable.

I'm starting to think a bid shouldn't be based on the best realistic day. It should probably still work financially on a pretty normal, slightly messy day.

Curious how other owners handle this.

When estimating labor, do you add some kind of buffer, or do you estimate the job as tightly as possible and adjust later once you have actual hours?

I own a small residential cleaning business and recently booked a new client for a move-in cleaning. The total price is $350, and my normal policy requires a 25% deposit ($87.50) through our secure payment portal with stripe before the appointment. The remaining $262.50 is due when the cleaning is completed.
The cleaning is scheduled for August 26. The client says she is currently out of town and won’t arrive at the new apartment until August 28, so she won’t be present during the cleaning.
I sent her our normal confirmation message explaining the deposit, balance, cancellation policy, and secure payment portal. However, she keeps insisting that she wants to pay by cashier’s check instead of electronically. I’m concerned because:
She is a new client.
She is currently out of town.
She won’t be present during or immediately after the cleaning.
She keeps insisting on paying by check even though I offered a secure online payment option.
A mailed check may not arrive and be verified before the service date.
If I accommodate her, I plan to require the full $350 by an original physical cashier’s check—not an emailed or printable check—before the appointment. The check would need to be payable directly to my business for the exact amount. I would not perform the service until my bank verifies the payment, and I would not accept an overpayment or send money to any third party.
Does this situation sound like a potential fake-check scam, or could it simply be someone who prefers checks? Would you accept the cashier’s check under these conditions, require electronic payment, or decline the job entirely?
I’m especially interested in hearing from other cleaning-business owners or anyone familiar with cashier’s-check fraud.

Sole-prop here in Ontario. I have six staff under me. I pay $20 an hour with paid breaks and time in car and have been planning to raise my staff to $22 an hour.

I have run my business for two years and it is the most stressful part of my life. When I’m fully staffed and the staff show up, it is smooth sailing for the most part. I do the office admin work behind the scenes daily, home accounts by myself, train my staff and i have staff work the smaller evening shifts.

But lately I cannot go a single day without staff being late, or calling in. So I am working day and night. I cannot take summer holidays because trying to create a schedule and work around everyone’s availability is next to impossible. I notice the new workers I hire just sometimes don’t show up. I get ghosted frequently.

I’ve learned no one cares as much as me the business owner and I’m having a hard time with this. It’s burning me out. I treat my workers fair, I pay well. EVERYTIME I get a raise I raise their hourly pay as well. I provide paid breaks as well and free meals all the time for them. I’ve been told I am a good boss but I believe my niceness has now let people walk all over me.

Does anyone have advice or can just relate? I don’t want to be thinking about work all the time. I can’t do all the accounts by myself like I used too, on top of all the paperwork. It’s too much. How do you have a balance? How do I find reliable staff, is this type of work a revolving door?

Hey,

Looking for a brutal reality check on a UK-based commercial maintenance concept I’m building out.

The core pitch is vendor consolidation for property/block managers, letting agents, and hospitality groups—taking 4 or 5 of their nastiest, most annoying compliance and cleaning headaches and solving them under one deadpan, ultra-reliable B2B retainer.

**The Service Bundle:**
**- Bin Store Deep Cleans & Bio-Sanitization:** High-frequency, hot-water washdowns for residential blocks.
\- **TR19 Kitchen Duct Extraction Cleaning:** Mandatory fire compliance cleaning for pubs, hotels, and restaurants.
\- **Drain Jetting & Lightwell Clears:** High-pressure clearance for basement lightwells, sumps, and block drainage lines.
\- **Pure-Water Window & Frame Cleaning:** Pure-water pole systems for communal block exteriors.

The goal isn't to be a generic handyman, but to run standardized, heavy-equipment route work targeting recurring B2B contracts.

**Roast the idea:**

1. Is bundling compliance duct cleaning (TR19) alongside exterior pressure washing and windows a winning B2B pitch, or is trying to offer both a operational nightmare?
2. What are the hidden operational landmines in bin store cleaning or duct scraping that look easy on paper but suck in reality?
3. If you were a property manager, would "one contractor for windows, bins, drains, and ducts" actually appeal to you, or would you prefer specialized single-service guys?

Tear it apart. What am I missing?

I run Google Ads at a $50/day budget. I already have a list of over 500+ negative keywords. Do I need to keep adding more or would that be too constraining for the algorithm?

Hi Everyone,
What phone systems are you using for the phone number for your cleaning business? And how are you using your phone line? Do you answer calls yourself or do you have that outsourced? I’m looking to see if there are better options.

For my business I pay $70 a month for Quo/OpenPhone. I feel like it’s a bit on the expensive side. I did set up a call tree (press 1 if new client, 2 existing and 3 for other).

I also work with a wonderful admin who I outsource some of the admin work to like answering calls and emails when I can’t. I’m thinking of porting my number from Quo and building my own phone service but trying to weigh the benefits.

I've just started my residential and commercial cleaning company in July but been a cleaner my whole life and professionally for last 5 years

I'm trying to find out if Welkodia is a good site to generate cleaning leads or what ever sites I can advertise to find owners

I don't want to clean for various owners but find a couple with a few properties each

My company name is "Cleanbase cleaning LLC

I'm solo for now but wouldn't mind making some connections and maybe partnering in this Airbnb market

Hi all. I do side jobs of cleaning for people I know that need organization and cleaning because they're disorganized and can't get to the cleaning because it's under clutter. However, I've been wanting to advertise and get more clients that aren't just friends or even a friend of a friend. I'm asking are there certain requirements that I need to fulfill to make this a legitimate business for myself in regards to the amount of hours and pay so I can support myself better? Do I need to be licensed and bonded or anything? And how do I go about researching reasonable pricing for my area? Every time I try and figure out what's a reasonable rate, my search results only end up being forms to fill out for other businesses to give ME quotes for my own house. Also, do you provide your own cleaning supplies or use theirs? I generally prefer to use my own as I know what works and I find the folks I clean for either don't have all the cleaning supplies to clean their own place, or they buy subpar products. Any advice is recommended.

Here's a breakdown for cleaning business owners who are trying to figure out what insurance they actually need and how much it costs.

The core policies to know about

1. General Liability—Starting around $20.75/month
This is the foundation. It covers third-party bodily injury and property damage—think a client slipping on a freshly mopped floor. Many commercial clients and property managers require proof of this before they'll let you on-site.

2. Workers' Compensation—Starting around $38.91/month
If you have employees (even part-time), most states legally require this. It covers medical bills and lost wages if a worker gets hurt on the job. Even if you're a sole proprietor, it's worth considering—most personal health insurance policies don't cover work-related injuries.

3. Contractor's Equipment and Small Tools Insurance—Starting around $20.83/month
Also called inland marine insurance. If your steam cleaner or commercial vacuum gets stolen out of your van at a job site, this is what helps you replace it.

4. Business Owner's Policy (BOP)—Starting around $33.75/month
This bundles general liability and commercial property insurance together. If you have a physical shop or store equipment at a fixed location, a BOP gives you broader protection than general liability alone—and it often doesn't cost much more.

Why get small business insurance?

• It may be legally required. Workers' comp is mandatory in most states if you have employees. Some state licenses also require proof of general liability.
• Clients will ask for it. Commercial accounts, property managers, and short-term rental platforms routinely require a Certificate of Insurance (COI) before letting you work.
• Lawsuits happen more than you'd think. Around 43% of small business owners report being involved in a lawsuit at some point. Even if you're in the right, legal defense costs money.
• It builds trust. A client choosing between an insured and uninsured cleaner will almost always go with the insured one.

Who needs it?

Most cleaning businesses do, including:

• Residential house cleaners and maid services
• Commercial janitorial companies
• Carpet and upholstery cleaners
• Window cleaners
• Pressure washing specialists
• Airbnb and short-term rental turnover cleaners

Disclosure: I'm with Simply Business, a small insurance broker.

So I've had a cleaning business for about five years with 15 years experience. I got started with a twice weekly commercial account. It brings in enough on its own so I've never really gone out of my way for more business because it usually finds me by word of mouth anyway. Normally just random one time residentials. In May, I was contacted by a property manager that was overseeing the takeover of an apartment complex that was built in the 80s. I met her and she showed me three apartments. Two that had guys in them painting and putting in new counters and cabinets, one that was supposed to be next to be renovated. This was my first experience with a job of this size and I priced it fairly based off of what I was shown and the amount of apartments (about 50). These are 1 bed 1 bath and 2 bed 2 bath apartments, 1 bedrooms being around 650 sq ft and 2 bedrooms around 950 sq ft. She said every apartment was getting new countertops, new cabinets, new appliances, paint, refinished bathtubs and some would get new floors. Didn't sound too bad at all. The first four apartments matched the description. The next four did not. Some didn't get new cabinets, most didn't get new appliances and you can't convince me that any got new floors. I'm talking dead roaches and rat droppings in the cabinets. Horror shows in the fridges, ovens that haven't been cleaned possibly ever. Refinishing the tubs meant painting over filth. General painting was also painting over filth. It quickly turned into something I didn't bargain for and I contacted her and I started adding extra fees for the deep cleanings. I've done about 25 apartments at this point and they've gotten progressively worse. The last set I did had a 2 bedroom that hadn't been worked on whatsoever. It was an eviction and a woman in a wheelchair had been living for a long time. There was all kinds of trash left behind and seemingly every inch of the floor had a solid layer of brown sticky stuff. I charged for a full deep clean on that one. My definition of a post construction clean is obviously construction dust, minor debris, removing stickers/labels, a lot of dusting, picking up left behind supplies like screws etc, cleaning up some paint splatter. These guys aren't even covering anything before they paint though. I've had entire stovetops covered in paint. 6 inch spread of paint on the floor. Like I said, I readjusted when needed but they've given my info to other people that are buying other complexes and I don't want to screw myself over again. How could I have planned for this and priced accordingly? I'm in Texas if that matters. $30-50 an hour is about standard. I'm also doing this by myself. I have some help occasionally but most of the time it's just me.

I’ve been looking at different ways people price commercial cleaning jobs — by square footage, labor hours, production rates, or a mix of everything.

For those of you who have actually priced commercial contracts, what usually causes a bid to look profitable at first but turn out to be a bad deal later?

Is it usually underestimated labor time, payroll costs, supplies, overhead, travel, or something else?

And before you submit a bid, how do you personally check whether the margin is actually worth it?

Interested in hearing what works in real-world contracts.

I currently have no job, I'm getting no replies from any of the jobs I apply to.

I'm thinking now my only option is to create my own job but I have no idea where to start as money is tight, and self employed options are limited.

I've looked at the online and AI opportunities that are floating around and starting a cleaning company which feels a bit daunting at the moment as I have no idea where to start.

A cleaning company is the only thing feel I have a decent idea of what I'm doing, as I've done cleaning work before but only as an employee.

Does anyone have any ideas where I should start?

Thanks 😊

Curious what everyone's actually using for quotes

What app or tool are you using?

What do you like about it?

What do you not like about it, and why?

What's it costing you a month?

Mostly wondering whether people actually find good use with these tools for their cost or do it all manually themselves.

What’s the best marketing strategy for a new local cleaning business with zero reviews to get paying customers quickly?
Which marketing channels worked best for you — Google, Facebook/Instagram, local groups, flyers, referrals, influencers, or something else?
I’m especially interested in what actually converted into paying customers, not just views or followers, and what you would recommend for someone starting with a small budget.