Starting a cleaning business is one of the most accessible paths to entrepreneurship. Unlike other businesses, you don’t need a specialized degree or expensive certifications. The upfront investment is minimal: just some cleaning products and basic business paperwork. Plus, your overhead is low, demand is steady, and you can start booking residential cleaning or commercial cleaning jobs right away.
But after you’ve wrapped up your first few jobs with friends or family, you’re probably wondering: where do I find my next customers?
When I started my cleaning company eight years ago, I ran into the same challenge. I had the supplies, the energy, and a registered business — and had to figure out how to build a steady pipeline of clients. In my first year, I was able to hit six figures in revenue. I used a combination of marketing strategies that still work today.
In this article, I’ll cover the exact strategies I used to get cleaning clients quickly and have since built a seven figure per year business.
What you need to get started
Before you start spending time and money on lead generation, you have to make sure your cleaning business has a solid foundation. Here are the essential steps to get started:
- Research your local market. Look into the cleaning services available in your area. Call competitors to understand their pricing for both residential and commercial cleaning. This research will help you understand how to price your cleaning services.
- File your business paperwork. Choose your business structure, select a business name, file your trademark, and get a business license. If needed, get an Employer Identification Number from the IRS and apply for a sales tax certificate.
- Get a business bank account and insurance. Open a dedicated business account and file for general liability insurance at a minimum. If you plan to use a vehicle for business purposes, consider commercial auto insurance.
- Purchase your cleaning supplies. For house cleaning, you can start with a list of cleaning supplies that cost less than $40. For commercial cleaning, you’ll need industrial-grade versions of similar products.
- Set up your tech stack. Get a professional phone number, create a business email, and build a basic professional website.
Want more details on each of these steps? Check out my article on how to start a cleaning business.
Once these pieces are in place, you’re ready to start acquiring your first customers.
1. Create your online presence
The fastest way to get cleaning clients is online. Eighty percent of US consumers search online for local businesses on a weekly basis, and 32% search for them daily. If your cleaning business doesn’t show up in those local search results, potential customers won’t know you exist.
To set up your online presence, you need two things: a professional website and a Google Business Profile.
A website helps you look legitimate to potential clients. Provide information about your cleaning services and prices. Post reviews from your happy customers and give people a way to book online. It gives them a place to learn about your cleaning services, check your prices, read customer reviews, and book online.
| 💡Pro Tip: Tools like Squarespace, Wix, BookingKoala, and Jobber make it easy to build a site without any design experience. |
A Google My Business profile ensures your company shows up when someone in your area searches for cleaning services on Google. It’s free to set up, and it’s a requirement for running Local Services Ads, which I’ll get into more below.
Bonus: If you want to increase your business’s SEO and the likelihood it shows up in the search results, build a cohesive brand presence across multiple platforms. Create business pages on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Have a brand presence on listing websites like Yelp.
The additional benefit of this strategy is brand trust. When a lead searches for your business, they can see it on multiple platforms, which helps build trust that you have a legitimate business.
2. Optimize your Google My Business profile
Setting up your Google Business Profile is only the first step. You have to actively manage it to stay ahead of the competition and improve your local search rankings. Here are three optimizations I recommend:
- Fill out every single field in your profile. That includes business hours, languages spoken, and service categories. Many cleaning business owners skip tabs or leave sections incomplete. A fully completed profile signals to Google that your business is active and professional, improving your visibility there.
- Use the Google Maps app consistently. Google has an algorithm similar to Instagram and Facebook. Regularly open Google Maps to add photos, respond to reviews, or create posts. Otherwise, Google may assume your business is inactive and push you lower in search engine results.
Even if competitors have more photos and positive reviews, you can climb to the top within six to eight weeks if you’re more active than they are. - Keep your posts simple. Business owners can feel intimidated by having to post on their profiles. I recommend keeping it simple so that you don’t overthink it. You can share a photo of a recent job, a response to a customer review, or a quick update about your services.
3. Run Google Local Services Ads
After you’ve optimized your Google My Business profile, it’s time to start driving traffic to your website. Google Local Services Ads, or LSAs, are one of the best digital marketing tools for new cleaning businesses.
LSAs are different from traditional Google Ads because they charge you for every lead instead of every click. You only pay when a potential customer actually reaches out to you. You can also set a monthly budget so you don’t spend more than you can manage.
LSAs might seem unnecessary when you’re starting out. But when you break down your cleaning business profitability, they make a real difference. You might pay $40–50 for a lead that turns into a $250 one-time house cleaning or a commercial account worth thousands per year. When you’re first starting out, you won’t have a lot of testimonials or customer reviews to rely on yet. Paid advertising through LSAs is one of the fastest ways to generate leads while you build your reputation organically.
When I started my cleaning business, our very first client came in organically. A real estate agent found us through our Google profile and referred us to more people. But most of our early calls came from paid ads through LSAs. I set a budget of $500 for the first month, and it was worth it.
4. Post in local Facebook groups
People trust recommendations from their local community. If your business shows up in the right Facebook groups, you can find valuable new clients at no cost.
There are two strategies to approach local groups:
- Post directly to the group. Make sure your posts don’t come across as spammy. Mention if a group member has used your services before and share your ratings and reviews. You can also offer an incentive to group members, like a discount on their first deep cleaning or a free add-on service.
- Get customers to mention you. Ask happy customers to post about your cleaning services in their local Facebook groups. In exchange, offer a discount on their next clean. For group members, a recommendation from someone they know carries more weight than a post from a service business they’ve never heard of.
Social media outreach works because you can target potential customers in your area. Through Facebook Groups, you can build trust before someone ever reaches out to you.
5. Partner with other local businesses for cross-referrals
Networking with complementary service providers is one of the most underrated marketing strategies. Build a structured referral network with local businesses that offer services you don’t provide. That includes window cleaners, carpet cleaning companies, painters, landscapers, and air duct cleaners.
Real estate agents and property management companies are especially good partnerships. You can pitch your services as a specialist in post-construction cleans or move-in/move-out cleaning. They constantly need reliable cleaning services and can send you a steady stream of new business.
When it comes to outreach, keep your pitch short and natural. Something like:
“Hi, my name is Carolyn. I own Spotless Cleaning Services here in Eatontown, New Jersey. I was looking to partner with window cleaning businesses since I don’t provide that service in-house.”
A good place to find service partners is in local Facebook groups. If a business owner posts about their company in a group you’re both in, message them with a cross-referral pitch. You can also look for clearing technicians — like sister duos or mother-and-daughter teams — who are trying to build up their calendars. And then, in the future, they can refer clients who need services outside of what they offer.
6. Send direct mail and flyers to local neighborhoods
Your potential customers are inundated with pop-up banners, notifications, emails, and cold calls. In a world that’s saturated with digital marketing, direct mail and flyers can have a real impact. If done right, they can stand out from everything else your potential clients are seeing.
My mentees send out mailers every week — anywhere from 250 to 500 new letters — to both commercial and residential cleaning prospects. For direct mail, I prefer letters rather than flyers. Flyers tend to go straight into the garbage when they arrive in the mail.
Door-to-door outreach is very effective. I’ve found flyers work far better for door-to-door sales. People hold onto flyers for months, sometimes even a year, and then follow up with us. I’ll look them up in the CRM and see that the flyer was from months ago.
Don’t underestimate the power of showing up in person. You can drop into the businesses you want to work with and hand out business cards. I usually always have my cleaning business shirt or jacket on, even when I’m not actively selling. You never know when a conversation can turn into a lead.
💡Pro Tip: Make your business phone number stand out with a vanity phone number — for example, 1-877-SHINE or 1-800-CLEAN. Instantly catch a lead’s attention and reinforce it over time.
You can get a vanity number with a professional phone system. Check out our guide to the best phone systems for cleaning companies.
7. Visit local business networking events
Another strategy to build cross-referral partnerships is through local business networking events. Look for events hosted by your local Chamber of Commerce. They’re often free or low-cost to attend. Plus, they give you easy access to fellow janitorial service providers and small business owners in your area.
You should also get on mailing lists for different community centers and local organizations. Attend events wearing branded apparel and hand out your flyers and business cards so you’re memorable. You can meet people like property managers, real estate agents, and other entrepreneurs who can refer business to you.
Networking doesn’t have to cost much. A local Chamber of Commerce membership might cost a few hundred dollars per year. But it’s worth it, because the relationships you build there can generate new customers for a long time.
8. Set up a referral program to build word-of-mouth
Word-of-mouth is one of the strongest marketing channels for any service business. Eighty-eight percent of customers trust recommendations from people they know — more than any other channel. When a happy customer tells a friend about your cleaning services, that referral carries more credibility than any ad you could run. And frankly, people like to get something for referring clients.
Platforms like Jobber and BookingKoala make it easy to automate a referral program for your customers. With BookingKoala, all my customers can sign up, and any person they refer earns them a credit. We usually give $25 per referral.
A good referral program turns your existing customers into a consistent lead generation tool. Every satisfied client becomes a potential source of new clients.
Pro tip: Skip platforms like Thumbtack and Angi Leads
A lot of popular advice would tell you to join lead generation marketplaces like Thumbtack and Angi Leads.
I think new cleaning businesses should avoid these platforms. People on those apps are typically looking for a discount, so they might not be your target market. The same goes for platforms like Yelp and Nextdoor.
If you do decide to use them, you have to be a great salesperson and extremely responsive. As soon as the lead comes in, you need to reply and sell. Otherwise, you’ll lose the lead to a competitor, and you’ll have wasted $30–$75 to bring in that lead.
Start getting cleaning clients today
Getting your first cleaning clients takes a mix of hustle and strategy. Start with the channels that are most likely to bring you new clients, like your Google My Business profile and Local Services Ads. Over time, you can layer in strategies like Facebook groups, partnerships, and networking events. Direct mail and door-to-door outreach can add a personal touch to your marketing strategies. And once you have happy customers, a referral program can be a great source of new business.
One way you can maximize your lead conversion is through AI cleaning answering services. Many people calling in won’t leave a voice message if you can’t pick up. AI answering services can help you handle calls 24/7, schedule appointments, and take down messages on behalf of your team. When you’re selecting a business phone provider, look for options that also provide an AI answering service.
The cleaning industry has plenty of room for new businesses. Showing up professionally and delivering high-quality work will get you well on your way. Once you build that foundation, your reputation does a lot of the heavy lifting.
After you’ve started your business, it’s important that you select the right tools to keep your business running smoothly. Check out Quo’s guide on the best cleaning business software.
