The demand for maid, janitorial and domestic cleaning services has increased over the last few years. As household members become increasingly busy, it has become more common to delegate the task of cleaning and maintenance to external agencies.

Within the trend of domestic cleaning is the desire for more nature-friendly, hypo-allergenic, waste conscious cleaning. As more people come to understand the dangers of using toxic chemicals in our home environment, and as collectively we begin to understand the impact our actions have on the earth, we’re starting to become more “green” when it comes to cleaning.

To create a green cleaning business, the business model will need to be adapted to allow the extra expense and effort required to keep the business green and environmentally friendly. By offering a green cleaning service, you will set yourself apart from the standard home cleaning company, targeting a unique customer base, those willing to spend a little more for the sake of preserving and protecting mother earth.

How to start an eco green cleaning service

You’ll need to target more affluent areas of your neighborhood, those who would be more interested in green cleaning. Look for the type of person or family that are already environmentally conscious. Perhaps they would be driving a hybrid or electric vehicle, have solar panels on display and use separate recycling trash cans. It is important to assess demand in an area before deciding to concentrate your marketing efforts there.

Get your paperwork in order

Whether you start out as a sole trader, or you wish to set up a limited company, ensure the right paperwork is in place before you go out and clean. The most important thing you need to have in place is insurance. Your vehicle and equipment insurance will need to cover trade use. Your business will also need insuring for public liability and cover possible damage to clients property.

Employ or not?

If you’re just starting out, it would be an idea to do a few jobs on your own, or with a partner to get used to things. If your marketing is good, though, you’ll soon start receiving frequent calls and inquiries. Having employees in place to cover extra work will enable your business to expand very quickly. Advertise for potential employees on internet job sites, local shops, moms groups and the like.

Is your business really green?

You’ll need to be thorough with this. Some clients will hire a green cleaning business, not solely because of protection of the environment, but because they may be allergic to certain, (or all) types of harsh chemicals and surfactants usually used within domestic cleaning.

If you slip up once with this, your client may come up with an allergic reaction. Not the best customer feedback for your business. When purchasing cleaning supplies, be very vigilant about checking the ingredients and guarantee. They need to be 100% organic, and chemical free.

Marketing and customer service

Effective marketing can make or break your of business. If you had a simple service to offer and spent 5% of your time providing your service and the other 90% marketing it, you are much more likely to be successful.

Cleaning is a very competitive industry, and because of this, clients have a huge choice, making it very easy for the service vendors to not only gain work but lose work as well.

You need to have a strong web presence. Your website should show what you offer, why you should be trusted, what makes you different to the others, and your connection to the local area. Clients are much more likely to hire a local firm than a multinational, faceless corporation to do their cleaning.

Green or “eco-friendly” cleaning is a great service to offer and is part of a growing trend that only seems to be getting stronger. Domestic cleaning is a very easy business to start up, with a relatively small overhead. Perfect for the work at home mom needing flexible hours.