Lead sites will happily sell you clients: $15 to $60 per request, shared with three to five other cleaning companies, most of them looking for the cheapest one-time price. You can build a full week of recurring homes without them. Here is how to get house cleaning clients, ranked by what works for small companies.
1. Referrals from the clients you have
Your current clients know people like them, in neighborhoods like theirs. Ask on purpose:
- Ask every happy client, by text, a week after their third cleaning
- Offer something simple: $25 off their next cleaning for every new recurring client they send
- Thank them when it happens, even if the friend does not book
One referral a month from a list of 20 clients adds 12 recurring homes a year. That alone is a business.
2. Google Maps and your Google Business Profile
When someone types "house cleaning near me", the map with three companies shows up first. To be in those three:
- Complete every field of your profile: services, area, hours, photos
- Pick "House cleaning service" as your main category
- Post a photo or update every week
- Get a steady flow of reviews
Our guides on your Google Business Profile and getting more Google reviews go step by step.
3. A website that shows prices
Most cleaning company websites say "call for a free quote". People searching at 10 p.m. do not call; they book the company that shows a number. A website that shows prices by bedrooms, with weekly and biweekly plans, turns those visitors into leads while you sleep. It also needs:
- A page for each service: recurring, deep cleaning, move-out
- A page for each town you clean in
- Your phone number on every page, tap to call
- What a cleaning includes, room by room
- Your insurance and bond
See what a house cleaning website should have.
4. Answer every call, fast
This is the cheapest marketing there is. People call two or three cleaners and book the first one that answers with a price. If you miss half your calls because you are cleaning, half your marketing goes to the competitor. See what missed calls cost a cleaning business.
5. Nextdoor and local Facebook groups
Neighbors ask "can anyone recommend a cleaner?" every week. Ask your clients to tag you when they see those posts. Post your own before and after photos sometimes, with the neighborhood name. Keep it helpful, not salesy.
6. Realtors and property managers
Move-in and move-out cleanings come from people who change homes. Visit three local real estate offices with a simple card: your move-out prices, your insurance, your phone. One good property manager can send two or three move-outs a month, all year.
7. Door hangers in your best neighborhood
When you clean a home on a street, hang 20 cards on the neighbors' doors: "We clean at your neighbor's home every other Tuesday. Biweekly cleaning from $145." It costs about $15 and keeps your days tight.
8. Speak your clients' language
In Miami, Houston, Newark or Boston, many homeowners prefer Spanish or Portuguese, and many others speak only English. A website and a phone line that work in all three languages open doors your competitors miss. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese yourself, say so on your profile and your site. If English is your second language, a receptionist that answers English calls for you means you never lose a client because of it.
What to skip
- Shared lead sites, unless you are brand new and need any work at all
- Cutting prices to win. The clients you win on price leave on price
- Paid ads before your website shows prices. You will pay for clicks that leave
Turn every new client into a recurring one
All of this works better if every quote offers a plan. A client who starts on a biweekly plan is worth $4,000 a year or more; a one-time client is worth $200. Here is how to sell weekly and biweekly cleaning plans.
A simple 30-day plan
- Week 1: complete your Google Business Profile and ask your 5 best clients for a review
- Week 2: get a website with prices and a page for each service and town
- Week 3: ask every client for a referral and visit two realtors
- Week 4: set up a way to answer calls while you clean
Most small cleaning businesses that do these four things see more calls within a month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to get house cleaning clients?
Ask current clients for referrals, complete your Google Business Profile, show prices on your website and answer every call within minutes.
Are lead sites worth it for a cleaning business?
They can help a brand new business, but leads are shared with several companies and lean toward one-time, price-shopping clients. Most owners do better with Google and referrals.