All businesses / Home cleaning

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a home cleaning: the real numbers

Direct service to households, no middleman. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€400–€1,500

Hours / week

12–40

First income

~3 wks

Net margin

80%

Saturation

high

Realistic ceiling

€900–€2,600

What nobody usually tells you

You'll find work in two weeks. The problem is your ceiling is the hours in your body: it never scales, every extra euro costs an extra hour.

The route, in five steps

  1. Register the business and take out liability insurance
  2. Buy equipment and supplies for two clients
  3. Set your hourly rate by checking three local competitors
  4. Post on two classified boards and in neighbourhood groups
  5. Ask for a review after every first job

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every home cleaning pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

liability insuranceequipmentonline listing

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack