An elderly neighbor whose wife was suffering with a fatal disease, called me to see if I or one of my daughters (then age 13 and 17), could come help him once a month to clean his house. He was 80 and had a bad back and just refused to do housework. Caring for his wife was a full time job for him. He offered what he would pay and told me to clean at my convenience. I really was not interested in a cleaning job, but felt I should do it because of his situation with his wife (I would have helped him for free, but he would not hear of it).

I took both of my daughters with me and we divided the work, which got the job done quickly. We were able to get to know his wife in her last few months of life. The husband had requested that my oldest daughter sit with her while he ran errands. She sat with her the day before she had a stroke, she died a week later. We continued to clean for him for the next couple of years.

Word got around that we were cleaning for him and our phone started ringing. We took on a second house during the winter while work was slow for my husband (he works construction). Before I knew it we were up to 5 houses and a condo association. Some of these houses are once a month and some are every other week. This year I stepped back and just the girls do the cleaning now.

This is working for us right now because of our season of life. I could not have done this if my children were small; all but one of my children have graduated school, and my youngest is now 17. Some times it has been 2 of us cleaning and sometimes 3. There have even been occasions that my husband is has jumped in to help.

The Pros of Having a Cleaning Business as a Family

*We Set Our Hours -Of course we have to work with the client’s schedule, but pretty much we set our days and times.

*We Set Our Pay Scale – I usually let the client first offer what they are willing to pay, as long as it is reasonable, that is what I agree on. I have one client that I agreed to who is not paying enough, but it is what I agreed to. She was one of our first clients and that was a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

*We Pick and Choose Which Clients we want to work with. If we see that it’s just not going to work out for one reason or another we can drop that client, with proper notice of course.

*We Require the Client Provide All Cleaning Supplies- This eliminates using chemicals they may not like and it eliminates the expense and carrying everything back and forth for us.

* The Opportunity to Sharpen Skills- We are constantly looking for more efficient ways of doing things. Usually the first time we clean a house it could take us 3 hours (times 3 people), after a couple times, we get our routine down and we can finish in 2 hours or less. It’s not just about speed but about quality.

*Money Does Not Come Easy - Cleaning is hard work, and the girls are really learning the value of a dollar. They tithe, save and buy most of their own clothes, make-up etc…

*The Biggest Pro- Strengthen Character- The most important part of any job is attitude. If you have a good attitude about your work, no matter what it is, it not only improves your quality and quantity of character, but it makes the day better for everyone!

How to Start Your Own Family Cleaning Business

• Legal Non-sense to keep the government in your life and be penalized for working hard – use at your own discretion:

Some people/businesses will require you to be insured and bonded.

If you are cleaning on a small scale for family and friends they most likely will not ask you to provide this.

• Some areas may require you get a business license.

• Work Permits- You may need to get work permits from your local board of education if your children are under age. Requirements vary from state to state.

• Always Evaluate the Job Before Giving a Price- It takes some experience to learn how to give a good estimate.

• Charge Extra for the First Cleaning

For some jobs it may have been a while since there was a good cleaning, you will want to charge extra for this.

One time we agreed to clean an apartment for $50. We did not do a through evaluation and when we showed up for the first cleaning it took us a long time to get through the first few layers of smoke and cat hair (it was awful). The apartment is not near the task now that it was the first time. We should have charged double for the first cleaning.

• Request the Client Put in Writing What They Expect

Always have this list with you, this way you won’t overlook anything and they cannot add to what is expected without reevaluating the price.

• Request the Client Provide All Cleaning Supplies

This saves you money and the hassle of carrying everything back and forth. If they insist you provide the supplies then charge double of what it cost you to buy them.

• Make a Schedule That is Reasonable

Stick with the schedule as much as possible.

We have 6 clients, some are once a month some are every other week. We schedule it so that they do not all fall on the same weeks, and we clean only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which allows us to do what we need to at home and with school. When I make commitments/appointments I know not to make them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• Wear Good Supportive Shoes and Clothes that are light and comfortable.

As you are working hard you’ll get hot but you cannot adjust the room temperature, so dress accordingly.

• Wear an Apron or Clothes with Pockets

This will save you steps as you can tuck some rags or paper towels in the pockets. You can also stick a plastic shopping bag to gather up small pieces of trash or dirty paper towels.

• Carry a Caddy or Bucket

Keep all of the cleaning supplies with you as you go from room to room to save time and energy walking back and forth.

• If something gets broken you offer to pay for it.

If You Have Your Children Working with You

-Be sure your children are old enough and mature enough to handle the responsibility.

-Be up front with your client that your children will be helping you.

-Make clear who is the boss (usually mom, as your children grow more mature and independent they can sometimes forget who is boss).

-Inform them what their pay will be along with penalties for poor job performance or bad attitudes. Remember you want to train their character as well as earn an income.

-Always inspect their work, because in the end you will be the one answering to the client if something is not done correctly. A client will not want to hear, “My daughter did that.”

- Don’t let the job become more important than your relationship with your children. If every time you have to clean you become short and ill tempered with them, they will become resentful of the work and of you.

-Read Dust Under the Rug with them.

-Make sure they understand to be extra careful with other people’s belongings. If they break it they pay for it!

Not everyone will be excepting of having young people clean their house even if their parent is present.

Our current culture views 14, 15, 16 years old as irresponsible and not capable of quality work. We have encountered this many times; but with time you and your children can earn their trust and respect, just as we have.

We do not advertise at all, but due to word of mouth and our reputation, we have gained 5 houses and a condo association, when we had no intentions of a cleaning business.

We NEED more families working together. We need to be expecting more from our young people. And it all starts in the home, with the parents setting a good example!

Also posted at The Legacy of the Home.