The cleaning business enjoys perpetual demand regardless of the economy. While some niches may suffer during tough times, this is an industry that forever remains strong. With approximately three million people employed in the cleaning services industry, plenty of niches exist.
One of the most attractive aspects of entering the cleaning business is its relatively low startup costs. Here are the top niche cleaning businesses that don’t require a massive investment to get started.
What Makes a Cleaning Business Low-Cost?
Firstly, identifying the right niche begins with the equipment required. Not all cleaning businesses need state-of-the-art equipment to start offering their services. Residential cleaning businesses can typically get away with cut-price equipment, whereas commercial cleaning firms will be expected to adhere to higher standards.
Note that to keep costs low, you should be looking at starting your own business rather than opting for a franchise. Even the cheapest franchises will still set you back thousands of dollars.
Most of the below niche cleaning businesses can be operated as one-man businesses, enabling you to save money on the costs of hiring a team.
Note that cleaning insurance will be necessary as a public-facing venture. For example, scratching somebody’s car, damaging a belonging in someone’s household, or getting injured by falling off a ladder could leave you paying thousands out of pocket.
However, the right protection for your business could be more affordable than you think. The cost of a tailored insurance policy will vary depending on your operations, but comprehensive policies can be found at just a few dollars per month.
6 Top Low-Cost Cleaning Businesses to Start
Opting for a niche rather than a broad selection of cleaning solutions will enable you to brand yourself and stand out from the crowd properly.
With so much competition, you need a unique selling point and image to grow your portfolio of customers and win repeat business.
-
Car Washing Services
Many people wrongly believe that commercial carwashes have eliminated the need for vehicle cleaning services. However, these commercial operations are often more expensive, and many people don’t want the hassle of having to drive to the car wash.
Offering a mobile interior and exterior vehicle cleaning service for residential and commercial clients is convenient and requires little to get started.
All you need is your own vehicle, hoses, sponges, buckets, and a vacuum cleaner to form the bare bones of this type of business.
-
Domestic Cleaning Services
People are busier than ever and may not have the time to give their homes the spring cleaning they need. As a result, the market for domestic help is enormous, enabling you to target apartment blocks, detached abodes, or even specializing in cleaning protected historical buildings.
Domestic cleaning services can be as simple as cleaning the most used areas of the house, deep cleaning, or even offering pool cleaning options.
Moreover, you can bring your own cleaning products or ask your clients to supply them.
-
Janitorial Cleaning Services
Many people make the mistake of assuming janitorial cleaning is the same as commercial cleaning, but they are very different niches.
Janitorial services cover the cleaning and ongoing maintenance of schools, factories, office spaces, and more, whereas commercial cleaning concentrates on deep cleaning a few times per year.
You will be expected to hire a team to get the most out of a janitorial cleaning firm. However, these jobs often pay considerably more than other cleaning niches. There’s a reason why there are more than one million janitorial businesses in the U.S.
-
Laundry/Dry Cleaning Services
Ordinary laundry services and specialized dry cleaning often go hand-in-hand, but they don’t have to. Unlike the mobile cleaning businesses listed above, opening a laundry or dry cleaning business will require static premises. By the end of 2022, the global laundry and dry cleaning market will reach $180 billion in global revenue.
The equipment required remains constant, and the initial investment is relatively low, depending on your choices. For example, depending on your budget, clothes can be cleaned manually, or you can invest in industrial machines.
Like the other cleaning companies listed, you can choose to target the consumer or commercial sectors with this business idea.
-
Sanitization Services
Even in the post-COVID era, the pandemic experience has encouraged homes and businesses to think more about the presence of bacteria and viruses. Now has never been a better time to offer sanitization services.
Both physical and chemical techniques create more hygienic dwellings that can prevent allergies, colds, and other seasonal illnesses. These benefits are not only relevant to highly trafficked public areas, such as hospitals and retail stores but in people’s homes.
The initial investment is low, but you will need to invest in specialized training to offer these services, which can be time-consuming. Furthermore, expect to stay abreast of the latest technological advancements in the sector to overcome the competition.
-
Green Cleaning
An increasing number of people are concerned about the impact of cleaning products on the environment. Branding yourself as a green cleaning service can help you align yourself with your target audience’s values.
Eco-friendly cleaning services are steadily becoming the norm as governments worldwide encourage their citizens to make more climate-friendly choices.
Be aware that while the hardware used doesn’t change from ordinary cleaning businesses, green cleaning businesses are typically more expensive. Therefore, investing in high-performance solutions is crucial to stand out in this market.
Conclusion
Starting a cleaning business could be your next career move. Drilling down into the various niches and identifying the needs of your community will help direct you toward the most profitable model.
Take the time to investigate the competition to see what they are doing well and where they can improve. Then, selling your brand as the best of the best will help you pry repeat customers away from your competitors.
Are you ready to launch your new cleaning company?
