Start your own domestic cleaning round

Use this guide if you want to clean homes for regular customers as a self-employed cleaner, either part-time or as a full round. Have your weekly availability, how far you can travel, and whether you have a car ready before you start. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice.

Step by step

1. Decide your service and gather your kit

   Domestic cleaning is physical, repetitive work, often in short visits, and income depends on keeping your diary full in a tight area, so be honest about how many hours your body can manage each week. Decide whether you offer regular weekly or fortnightly cleans only, or also one-off deep cleans and end-of-tenancy cleans, which take longer and need firmer quotes. Choose whether you bring your own products or use the customer's; bringing your own looks professional and controls quality, but adds cost and carrying. A starter kit usually includes a vacuum suitable for carrying, colour-coded cloths, microfibre mops, a caddy, gloves, basic products, a stepladder and a way to wash cloths, so price these yourself before you start.