Thinking about starting a carpet cleaning business? Consider budget, marketing and training before you start.

Residential Carpet Cleaning Startup BusinessCarpet care – and floor care in general – has lots to offer from a start-up perspective including a low barrier to entry with tremendous income potential and work/life balance. However, there’s a learning curve that might not be obvious from the outset. This article will highlight what to expect when starting your carpet cleaning business and offer insight that you might not have considered for your new venture.

Carpet cleaning – and the cleaning industry in general – attracts many eager and ambitious people who want to take control of their futures, and for good reason! Some of the most attractive features include:

  • Generally low start-up costs
  • Potential for quick growth
  • High margins
  • Low fixed and variable costs
  • Minimal licensing and no certifications needed to get started
  • “Easy” learning curve
  • Schedule flexibility

There are two primary markets for carpet and floor cleaning – commercial and residential. Most cleaners service both markets, and it’s not uncommon for eager-to-learn and eager-to-earn upstarts to take ‘any work they can get’. However, depending on your business plan and budget, you might want to examine each closely as cost, skill and ramp up time will play a factor.

Residential Carpet Cleaning

Overview

Most new carpet cleaners start their business wanting to primarily service the residential market. Some factors to consider:

  • Daytime hours
  • Flexible schedule
  • High hourly average potential
  • Equipment investment
  • Marketing budget
  • Level of competition in your particular market
  • Skill set requirements (odor, urine/bio, repair, etc.)
  • Ramp-up time to full economic independence

There are challenges for the upstart company that involve more than just learning how to clean carpets. Such challenges would include understanding competition in your market, and getting a better idea of how much money to spend on marketing. You also have to think about the time it will take to get from startup to income earning business. In other words, expect it to take some time before you have the stream of work necessary to “quit your day job.” Budget your money and have reserves on hand.

Full Size Portable Extractor for Residential StartupsTo compete in residential as a new carpet cleaner, you’ll not only need equipment and training (or at minimum practice), but also a marketing plan and budget. How will you get new customers? There are many ways: social media, pay-per-click ads, customer referrals, door hangers and more. While the latter two options require little in the way of hard costs, the methods of finding customers can be slow and time consuming. Digital marketing however can bring quick results, but it costs money. Facebook and Google marketing (the two most common in addition to Yelp and other digital platforms) can have significant ad budgets costs and ad management costs if you’re using a third party to assist with your campaigns. In the realm of social media marketing in particular, many carpet cleaners are facing stiff competition. Unless you’re managing your campaigns wisely and with some industry experience, you might find yourself taking on challenging work with low job averages and little in the way of referrals or repeats.

One long term goal for your business should obtaining a high organic ranking in Google search results. Search engine generated inquiries and leads are very valuable and worth pursuing. Having a high organic ranking is a great way to generate quality, low-cost leads.

Small Spotting Machine for Startup Carpet Cleaning Business
Make no mistake about it, search engine optimization along with Facebook marketing can be difficult and costly. Most businesses pay ad and optimization services to do it for them. However, if you’re on a budget and have available time and discipline, you may want to consider a DIY approach to digital marketing. While it might be a slow and bumpy start, you can stretch your marketing budget a lot further. There are a lot of free and low cost sources that can get you on the right path allowing you to independently manage your online presence.

Tools & More

We see lots of new carpet cleaning businesses start with minimal equipment such as the Oreck Orbiter. While you can achieve great results, you can also find your cleaning scope limited. You’re far better off starting your business with tools that will allow you to work more efficiently and also offer additional revenue generating services. We also strongly suggest adding a spotting machine or portable for pet/bio clean up.Commercial Vacuum Cleaner for Carpet Cleaner Startups

Some suggested equipment and tools for starting a residential carpet cleaning business include:

  • Vacuum
  • 175 / Rotary or OP (Oscillating Pad) machine*
  • Stair/Upholstery tool (Oreck Orbiter, Makita Polisher, etc.)
  • Spotting machine or portable (for upholstery, urine/bio clean-up, mattresses, etc.)
  • Subsurface extraction tool
  • UV Light
  • Steamer
  • Sprayer (preferably electric)
  • Rake/Groomer

Additional start-up requirements:

  • Website/Logo
  • Uniform
  • Marketing material (brochures, door hangers)
  • Insurance
  • Licensing 

*Since we’re focused primarily (but not exclusively) on low moisture, we use VLM equipment as a suggested core method for your business.

There are other tools including CRB (Counter Rotating Brush) machines are also very beneficial. However, the above tools are what will help get you on the right path from the start. You’ll be able to clean carpet and a variety of flooring along with upholstery, pet/odor treatment, clean mattresses and more. In addition you’ll need chems and pads along with assorted smaller accessories and tools. You’ll also want to be uniformed. Professional work shirts, pants and shoes along with business cards are hugely important. Making a great first impression is critical and this cannot be stated enough.

How do you do it?

Along with your equipment, chems, accessories and work attire, you’ll need some training/practice. Many have looked to YouTube and Facebook for assistance. There is a multitude of sources to draw from, and it is strongly suggested that you do as much research as possible. Sign-up for local and online classes. Attend trade shows. Familiarize yourself with various methods and processes. Work on developing spotting skills. Read articles on fiber identification, pH and more. Forums and Facebook groups can be hugely helpful for research in addition to asking questions and general networking.

Most of all, PRACTICE! Clean for friends and family. Seek out carpet installers and carpet stores. These are great sources not only for scrap carpet (remnants) that you can take home and practice with, but also as future business referral sources.

Pricing is critical. Be sure to closely evaluate your cost of doing business (including drive time, fixed costs and more) when setting your rates. Set a desired hourly goal and stick to it.

In Conclusion

When done right, you can generate a great book of business made-up of repeat customers and coveted referrals. You’ll be able to further invest in your business expanding your cleaning arsenal to work more efficiently and add additional services. Residential carpet and floor cleaning offers great working hours and flexibility in addition to tremendous income potential.

There is more, of course, but this should give you an ideal of what to expect when starting a residential carpet cleaning business.

Estimated Budget:

  • Equipment – $2,300.00 – $5,500.00 (your core machine and spotting/upholstery machine will impact equipment costs)
  • Chems and Accessories – $500.00 – $1,000.00
  • Marketing – $500.00 – $1500.00 per month (this can vary greatly depending on how you’re marketing)
  • Website/Logo – $0.00 – $2,000.00
  • Uniforms – $200.00
  • Insurance/Licensing – $300.00

Approximate Total: $7,150.00

Residential Carpet Cleaning Start-Up Summary:

Pros: Optimal working hours, great income potential

Cons: Start-up costs, ramp-up time, skill set development

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Commercial Carpet Cleaning

Overview

Commercial Carpet Cleaning Startup BusinessCommercial carpet cleaning can present a tremendous opportunity for cleaners. This market is often overlooked by those starting a carpet cleaning business. Some factors to consider include:

  • Minimal equipment requirements
  • Generally straight forward cleaning processes
  • Low marketing costs
  • Potentially long hours
  • Night work
  • Potential need to travel
  • Delayed payment

Keep in mind that you’ll face some of the same issues with commercial carpet cleaning that you will with residential. You can expect at least as much commercial competition as residential, which means marketing will be an absolute must. However, if you don’t mind working nights, waiting on payment when required and sometimes long hours, commercial carpet cleaning can be a quick route to growing your business. Depending on the services you offer, commercial carpet cleaners will not need to develop as large a skill set as a residential cleaner.  Nor will will you need as much equipment. The work itself is very straight forward, and while the hours can sometimes be long, the work itself is no more physically taxing than residential cleaning.

There are a few ways to market to commercial businesses including online, in-person, via telephone, email and mail. All of these can be very effective and done with a small budget. The fastest way to generate new business is via cold calling both in person and via phone. In person, though intimidating, allows you to meet potential prospects, collect business cards, identify decision makers, quote and ideally demo your services onsite. Cold calling, though effective, will require discipline and follow-up. You’ll need to make lots of calls (and follow-up calls) to find out who the decision marker is, collect emails, schedule quotes and demos, etc. You’ll also have to deal with lots of rejection.

Having an online presence will also help generate leads. Ranking a commercial carpet cleaning business organically won’t be nearly as difficult, and pay-per-click campaigns won’t be as costly. However, the calls won’t be as frequent either. Social media can also be utilized via LinkedIn. Facebook, Yelp and other platforms are generally not as effective when pursuing commercial work.

One way to approach your marketing efforts, at least early on, would be to visit and call businesses in your area. Target businesses by size and category. For example, as a start-up you might want to initially target medical offices as these are generally smaller and in abundance. Larger properties, such as hospitality, can be pursued as you grow your business. While you’re doing this, dedicate a set number of hours every week to developing your online presence on both social media and search engines.

Something else you can do early on is offer additional services that can help fill in the gap while pursuing carpet cleaning work. Janitorial is a simple, straight-forward service that will provide steady income while you build your floor cleaning accounts. As with residential cleaning, it will take time to build-up your commercial cleaning business. Be sure to have reserves on hand if you plan on starting this full-time and with no other income.

Tools & More

You don’t need a lot in terms of equipment to start your commercial carpet cleaning business. However, one factor to consider is upholstery cleaning. This often times can tie into your carpet cleaning work as either a requested service or potential add-on.Commercial Carpet Cleaning Low Moisture Startup Business

Some suggested equipment and tools for starting a residential carpet cleaning business include:

  • Vacuum
  • 175 / Rotary or OP (Oscillating Pad) machine*
  • Full size spotting machine or portable**
  • Makita Polisher (or similar)
  • Sprayer (preferably electric)

Additional start-up requirements:

  • Website/Logo
  • Uniform
  • Marketing material (brochures, business cards)
  • Insurance
  • Licensing 

*Since we’re focused primarily (but not exclusively) on low moisture, we use VLM equipment as a suggested core method for your business. **This can be optional depending on services offered.

Efficiency is critical in commercial. This means you’ll want to use equipment that saves you time. On-board sprayers and shower-feeds will speed up your cleaning process tremendously. As time goes on, you’ll want to further invest in your business so you can add additional tools that will allow you to offer services like commercial tile & grout cleaning (you can use your floor machine for this service, but it’s not always as efficient – particularly in commercial).

How do you do it?

Commercial carpet cleaning is generally very simple. There are pitfalls you’ll want to avoid such as wicking as well as categories of business that will require a better understanding of chemistry, pad options, etc. such as restaurants. Picking the right category of business is very important starting out. Pursue businesses that aren’t generally too big and won’t have much in the way of challenges besides typical soiling and traffic patterns. As you grow in confidence, process and overall speed you can expand your pallet to country clubs, hotels and larger facilities in general.

Take the time to learn various machines and how they operate (OP vs Cimex vs Rotary, for example). Though you’ll still want a spotting machine or portable, low moisture cleaning can be very efficient for commercial chair cleaning (this will require practice).

Lastly, but by no means least, be sure to price right. Quote jobs based on your time and desired hourly average. You’ll also want to keep in mind that you might be one of many quoting a job and this should be considered when submitting your proposal.

In Conclusion

Commercial presents a great opportunity for those that don’t mind hitting the street and being aggressive with their marketing. You can start your business very inexpensively and hit the ground running. You can add simple services like janitorial to fill in the gap and add more profitable long term services as the business grows. The hourly averages can be very high, but you might be working more than your fair share of nights.

Estimated Budget:

  • Floor Machine – $900.00 – $4,000.00 (your core machine will impact equipment costs)
  • Spotting Machine / Extractor – $700.00 – $2,000.00*
  • Chems and Accessories – $500.00
  • Marketing – $0.00 – $500.00 per month (this can vary greatly depending on how you’re marketing)
  • Website/Logo – $0.00 – $2,000.00
  • Uniforms – $200.00
  • Insurance/Licensing – $300.00

Approximate Total: $2,400.00 – $5,800.00 

Residential Carpet Cleaning Start-Up Summary:

Pros: Fast start-up, low equipment cost, simple processes, high hourly averages

Cons: Night work, delayed payment, direct marketing required

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We hope this article helped! Please contact us directly if you’re thinking about starting a cleaning business, need equipment or have general questions.