In 2020, the US cleaning services market contributed $55 billion in revenue due to the spread of airborne COVID. That figure is expected to grow further as no end to the pandemic is in sight. With cleaning services in higher demand than ever before, it’s clear why cleaning business owners find it hard to decide what specific service to focus on, if any. Different services have different requirements, costs, and risks – all elements you should consider before offering your services.
So, before setting up your own cleaning service, find out what types of cleaning services your clients are looking for, starting with these top 13.
Top 13 types of cleaning services
1) House cleaning aka maid service –
A weekly or biweekly deep clean usually lasts approximately 3 hours. The service is perfect for large condos where the tenants lack the time or motivation to clean themselves. Regular residential cleaning involves making weekly or biweekly visits to clean homes.
Time required: 3-4 hours
Team size: Could be only 1 – depending on home size
Equipment: Basic
Contracting frequency: Weekly or biweekly
2) Carpet cleaning –
It’s a specialist service requiring specialized equipment to clean homes and commercial buildings’ carpets. This service is often contracted out to independent technicians. Still, it may also be part of the package in a cleaning franchise company.
Time required: 5 minutes to 3 days (depending on compound size and types of carpets)
Team size: 1 or more
Equipment: Vacuum, rubber gloves, carpet shampoo, pre-spray, steamer, defoamer.
Contracting frequency: That’s usually a one-time service
3) Move-out/ move-in cleaning –
This type of service requires cleaners to come onsite just before the client moves out and after they have moved in. This occasion’s special cleaning tasks include cleaning duties, such as disinfecting toilets or sinks, ensuring surfaces are free of pet hair or other allergens, etc.
Time required: 90 minutes to 8 hours (depending on compound size)
Team size: 2 or more
Equipment: Basic
Contracting frequency: This is a one-time job
4) Commercial cleaning –
Commercial cleaners usually work at the end of the workday or throughout the night or weekend. Their tasks include dusting, vacuuming carpets and carpeted stairs, emptying trash receptacles, collecting recyclables, cleaning bathrooms, and so on. Commercial cleaners, unlike residential cleaners, are typically hired through a contractor company, and they are usually paid daily, weekly, or monthly.
Time required: 1-9 hours (depending on compound size)
Team size: 2 or more per floor
Equipment: Basic + janitor cart
Contracting frequency: Daily
5) Window cleaning –
Window cleaners help businesses or homeowners maintain a sparkling exterior with pressure washing, window washing/dusting, stripping and refinishing decks, etc. Since this job often involves dangling from the rooftop of commercial buildings, it’s mainly carried out by cleaners who are in good shape and have the proper training.
Blind cleaning is an important sub-category of window cleaning that doesn’t pose a unique risk. It entails removing dust and debris accumulated over time in the folds of window blinds. This service is usually provided once a year.
Time required: 2-2.5 hours (depending on compound size)
Team size: 2 or more per floor
Equipment: Wash pad, nipper reachers, sticker rod, scrapers, and blades.
Contracting frequency: Weekly
6) Upholstery cleaning –
This specialty service removes stains from upholstered furniture, mattresses, etc. For this reason, it’s mainly provided by professional upholstery cleaners.
Time required: 2-3 hours
Team size: 1 is usually enough
Equipment: Upholstery cleaning tool, chamber surface tool, open spray.
Contracting frequency: That’s usually a one-time service
7) Car cleaning –
It’s common for car washes to offer exterior and interior cleaning services. Typically, car cleaners remove dust, gutters, and other types of dirt from the inside out. They also polish the windows from both sides.
Time required: 5-8 hours
Team size: 1 or more
Equipment: Basic + car wash equipment
Contracting frequency: That’s usually a one-time service
8) Pool cleaning –
This job will involve reducing algae growth, removing leaves from the water’s surface, and filtering out contaminants. You would also be asked to add chemicals to adjust your client’s pool pH levels (which need adjusting regularly). This job is seasonal by nature, and pool cleaners are usually hired at the beginning and end of summer.
Time required: 20-45 minutes
Team size: 1 or more
Equipment: Telescopic Pole, skimmer attachment, pool brush attachment, vacuum head and hose, pool filter, pool pump.
Contracting frequency: Weekly, but mostly only during the summer
9) Medical cleaning –
Hospitals and doctor’s offices require regular cleaning services to meet the standards required by the state and federal government. The types of medical cleaning services you can range from general housekeeping (removing trash and sweeping floors) to disinfecting services in between client visits. While the first cleaning service is usually provided at the end of the workday, disinfecting services are provided throughout the day. Those services require meticulous attention to beds, chairs, sheets, carpets, and anything clients come into contact with.
Time required: 25-30 minutes per hospital room
Team size: 1 or more per floor or department
Equipment: Soap, alcohols 60-90% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol/denatured ethyl alcohol, iodophors, sodium Hypochlorite (‘bleach’), phenolic, hydrogen peroxide
Contracting frequency: Medical cleaning is often a full-time job
10) Hotel housekeeping –
Like in hospitals, the hotel staff must clean thoroughly between guest visits and make sure the common areas look clean and attractive enough for visitors to use. Despite hotels being active year-round, room service employees commonly receive tips during peak seasons (summer for most hotels, winter for ski resorts). However, it’s worth noting that many hotel employees recently lost their jobs or were forced to comply with stricter work protocols due to Covid.
Time required: 45 minutes per room.
Team size: 1 or more, depending on hotel size and season
Equipment: vacuum, rubber gloves, carpet shampoo, pre-spray, steamer, defoamer.
Contracting frequency: That’s usually a full-time job
11) Laundry and dry cleaning services –
This cleaning service uses special machinery to wash clothing. Laundry services, found mainly in hotels and urban areas, are self-service, whereas dry cleaning isn’t. Customers ask dry cleaners to clean their precious garments like suits, curtains, and evening gowns, and they expect a professional to operate the machinery.
Time required: 1 hour for laundry service, 3-4 hours for dry cleaning
Team size: 1 or more
Equipment: Washer-extractors, tumble dryers, flatwork ironers, self-service equipment, dry cleaning machines.
Contracting frequency: That’s typically a one-time service, although you might want to consider a loyalty program that offers customers multiple entry tickets.
12) Chimney Cleaning –
A chimney sweep is a person who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot gas column to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood, enabling continued combustion. Typically, this work is performed before the winter, when customers wish to start their fireplaces.
Note that it involves the risk of inhaling ash, mold, and other hazardous materials.
Time required: 45 minutes to an hour
Team size: 1 or more
Equipment: Wire chimney brush, sweeping power system, polypropylene brush, smoke chamber brush, flexible chimney cleaning rod, powder-based creosote remover, ceramic glass cleaner, full-face respirator.
Contracting frequency: That’s usually a one-time service
13) Disaster Cleaning and Restoration –
This job requires specialized expertise in smoke, water, fire damage, and even mold remediation.
Time required: Depending on the damage and extent, these types of jobs could easily take weeks to complete.
Team size: 2 or more, depending on damage and extent.
Equipment: plastic tarps, PPE, N95 mask, hose, rake, vacuum, rags, chainsaws, fans, shovels.
Contracting frequency: that’s usually a one-time service.
How to choose the right type of cleaning services to offer clients
Although many cleaning services are available, there is one catch: not all are profitable or safe enough to make them worthwhile. Some are better avoided since they require specialized (expensive) equipment, while others involve risks not worth insurance costs.
Generally, prefer offering cleaning services that:
- Pay well – you can learn what cleaning jobs have the best pay via our job calculator.
- Enable contracting regularly rather than on a one-time basis.
- Don’t come at high costs per equipment or personnel.
- Avoid health risks and safety hazards.
- Are fit for both commercial and residential clients.
Final Thoughts
When you open your own cleaning business, you must know what cleaning services are available, as well as their costs and demands. Some cleaning jobs are worth the investment in equipment and personnel, while others – not so much. If you already operate a cleaning business, you may want to invest in new equipment to offer more services. It’s a huge plus if the services you offer don’t require a big team and are risk-free. If the season is right, there’s nothing wrong with taking on a challenge your competitors can’t handle at the moment. A successful business relies on knowing its budget, knowing its boundaries, knowing its employees, and having satisfied customers.
And as your business scales, perhaps that’s the time to give Workiz a try. Workiz is a field service management software containing all the features a business owner needs for scheduling workers, managing teams, and tracking inventory. Use it to monitor every job in real-time, communicate with your clients (over the fully integrated phone system or via the in-app messaging), and produce estimates and invoices like nobody’s business. It’s fast, easy, and for the first 7-day, it’s free and requires no credit card whatsoever.
And the best part – cleaning services using Workiz increase their revenue by 22% on average!
What are you waiting for? Here’s where you get started.
