How To Start A House Cleaning Side Hustle
If you’re thinking about starting a side hustle to boost your income, you’re very much not alone. Almost 40% of Brits now have a side hustle, making them an average of £210 a week in extra income.
Source: Finder side hustle statistics 2025
Many people are setting up side hustles to try to monetise their hobbies - for example, selling handmade crafts or digital art - but turning something fun into a business is one of the quickest ways to make an enjoyable hobby into a chore.
A less glamorous alternative like house cleaning can make for a very effective side hustle. Cleaners will always be in demand, and cleaning is also something that almost anyone can do well, so long as they’re thorough and systematic.
The pay may not be brilliant, and you certainly can’t work from home, but a house cleaning business is easy to set up, with minimal start-up costs, and reasonable - if not exactly high - pay.
If you’re wondering how to get started with a house cleaning side hustle, this article is for you.
We’ll cover what to do when starting out, tips and tricks for success, and the pros and cons of a cleaning side hustle, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether house cleaning is for you.
So let’s dive in!
How To Start Your House Cleaning Business
A house cleaning business is relatively easy to set up, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t approach it systematically. Below are the main steps you’ll need to take to get going with your new side hustle.
1. Make sure you know how to clean. It sounds silly, but not everyone is very good at cleaning. If you’re planning to offer your services professionally, you need to offer a professional level of service - and that means knowing all the best products and techniques to get everything sparkling under your touch.
2. Acquire supplies. You may be able to use your clients’ supplies in many cases, but some of your customers will probably prefer that you use your own. You should therefore ensure you have a good stock of everything you’ll need to get a house squeaky clean.
3. Put yourself out there. While advertising your services won’t be such a major undertaking as with some side hustles, your prospective customers still need to know you’re available for hire. You can sign up to agencies that connect people with cleaners (though it’s worth noting that the pay is usually lower through an agency), or find your first customers by word of mouth, if you’ve got a wide circle of acquaintances.
4. Work out the logistics. You’ll need to work out your schedule around any other existing commitments, set your rates, and consider transport. If you’ve got access to a car, transport won’t be too tricky, but if you’re reliant on public transport, you’ll need to carefully consider your schedule and routes.
How Much Should You Charge For House Cleaning?
People often think of cleaning as a poorly paid job, but cleaning rates have been rising in recent years, so it’s no longer necessarily the case.
Admittedly, you’re unlikely to make your fortune from a house cleaning side hustle, but you can charge reasonable rates for your time.
Your exact rates will depend somewhat on the kind of work you’re carrying out.
Regular weekly cleaning
This will be the bread and butter of your business: weekly (or more frequent) visits to your customers’ houses to carry out routine cleaning. Most independent cleaners charge roughly £15-£20 per hour for their services, though this can vary depending on the area.
If you seek work through an agency, you’ll generally be paid less, as the agency will take a cut for itself. On the other hand, much of the hard work of finding clients is done for you, so if you could do with increasing your working hours you might consider it worth the slight reduction in pay.
Deep cleaning
You may also decide to offer deep cleaning on an ad hoc basis. Generally speaking, cleaners will charge more per hour for a thorough deep clean, which a landlord might request between tenancies, or construction firms might need immediately after a house is built.
A deep clean will of course also take longer, so you’ll need to have time in your schedule to fit this in if you plan to offer deep cleaning.
Other ad hoc tasks
When you’re regularly visiting a client’s house, they might ask you to take on other domestic tasks if needed, such as watering their plants while they’re on holiday.
How much you charge for small extras like this is really up to you - you might even decide to do them free of charge if they’re really small - but it’s probably wise not to charge less than £10 for additional non-cleaning tasks, to avoid undervaluing your time.
Tips And Tricks For Successful House Cleaning
- Be organised. Cleaning someone’s house may not sound like the hardest job in the world, but if you’re being paid for your work they’ll expect a professional. Treat your side hustle as a business, keeping track of your schedule, customers and invoices, to make sure you’re efficient and reliable.
- Clarify your customers’ expectations. You should know in advance whether you’re thoroughly cleaning an entire house or sticking to particular areas, or whether you’re expected to tidy a teenager’s bedroom so that you can see the floor to hoover it. Address questions like these in advance so that there aren’t any surprises on either yours or the client’s side when you’re carrying out your work.
- Create a checklist. You can choose whether to use a master checklist for every client, or to create one for each individual house, but either way you should have something you can use to keep track of where you’re up to each visit. With repetitive jobs like cleaning, it’s easy to lose track of what you’ve already done and what still needs doing. A checklist to work through will ensure you don’t forget to clean anything, and that you don’t end up accidentally cleaning something twice.
- Use your clients’ supplies. If possible, let your clients supply cleaning products and equipment. This means you don’t have to worry about lugging all your products around with you (especially useful if you don’t have your own transport), and also that you don’t have to cover the cost of your supplies. From the clients’ point of view, it’s not a significant expense, and if they’re specifically fond of lavender scented toilet cleaner, they can choose to buy it themselves.
- Plan your schedule to minimise travel time. You will of course have to factor in your clients’ preferences as well, but if you’ve got a couple of houses in the same area, it makes sense to clean them both in the same day. As you won’t be paid for your travel time, this minimises the amount of unpaid time you’re wasting each week.
- Go the extra mile. While you shouldn’t take on excessive amounts of extra unpaid work, it doesn’t hurt to make a little extra effort to keep your customers happy. If you happen to clean someone’s house in record time, you could go the extra mile by cleaning something extra, making their towels into swans, or leaving little chocolates on their pillows.
Pros And Cons Of House Cleaning As A Side Hustle
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Minimal start-up cost | You can’t work from home |
| Low skill level required (not that perfect vacuuming technique isn’t a skill!) | You need transport to get between clients (or work within a small local area), and won’t be paid for travel time or fuel |
| Surprisingly good at keeping you fit | Pay isn’t always very good |
| For the right person, it can be very satisfying work | For some clients, the work might be quite disgusting |
| In many places cleaners are in high demand, making it fairly easy to find work | Cleaners are often held in low regard |
| You can set your own schedule around your existing commitments |
Alternative Side Hustles For Extra Income
If you like the sound of starting your own side hustle, but you’re not thrilled about cleaning other people’s toilets, there are plenty of other things you could do!
You could make gardening your new side hustle, if you’re green-fingered, or try out dog walking, for a side hustle that’ll get you out of the house and moving. Or, if you’d prefer to work from home, you could take on copywriting, or transcribing audio.
Or you could try Matched Betting, arguably the best side hustle out there. It’s a great way to make money online, with the potential to make £300-£1000 a month - and it can all be done from home!