The cleaning of carpets as a business is a very good idea, as carpets are not only part of the offices but also part of the lobby of hotels, shopping malls, commercial organizations, cinemas, theaters, government buildings and can also be seen in certain reserved areas of restaurants .
How to open a carpet cleaning business
Since there are multiple possibilities for your carpet cleaning business to be profitable and have many customers, follow this step by step to open it:
Business plan
Above all, it should create a business plan that not only includes the mission and vision of your business, but also contains the sections in which you will divide your cleaning services and thus you can focus clearly on each of them.
Decide whether you will dedicate yourself to offering your services to homes or focus your business on businesses.
Decide also what services you will offer, since you can think about deep cleaning of carpets, for which you will need special equipment, if you are going to specialize in removing stains, if you will use ecological products, etc.
Having all this in mind, you will be able to estimate your expenses and create your marketing strategy and your vision for the growth of your company.
Location of the business
You will need a physical space to establish your business, either in a commercial premises or in a place of your home. Beyond your choice, you should think that it should be a strategic place where there are plenty of options to offer your services in the vicinity of your business premises.
Because that physical space must be large enough to store supplies and work equipment in addition to the office for reception and accounting.
Staff
You need to hire personnel with training in carpet cleaning, since it is important to offer quality services and also keep in mind that the IICRC is the entity that certifies your staff as qualified and certified.
Marketing strategy
Your marketing strategy should start with the creation of your website and even your profile on social networks. You can also use the You Tube channel, to publish videos of your services either in the homes of your customers or in the shops where you offer your services, provided of course that you obtain prior permission from your customers to publish the videos.
The equipments
The brand name of the equipment you use to do your job is important because if it is a recognized brand as well as increasing the confidence of your customers will serve you to offer a quality assured job.
How much it costs to open a carpet cleaning business
Whether you offer your services on a part-time or full-time basis, your business can be profitable with an average investment of between 56 and 80 thousand dollars, since it is an amount that depends on whether you prefer to use a truck mounted system or a portable cleaner, so when you think about starting up your business it is a reduced cost compared to starting up another type of business that requires a higher investment.
Transport
To get to your client’s home or office you will need a truck or van. In the latter case, one used depending on the condition, year and model in addition to the brand, its average cost is 35 thousand dollars. This will be a sufficient investment when starting your business.
Equipment
Among the equipment you will need, a portable system that costs 33 thousand dollars, but if you prefer a truck mounted system, which is more effective and comfortable because while you clean the carpets with the hoses are kept attached to the system and all the equipment in the truck, has a cost of between 50 and 57 thousand dollars.
Solvents
To remove stains you need solvents, which are not expensive, and wa kit cost around 130 dollars while the gallon of solvent has a cost of 25 dollars.
Carpet cleaning equipment
The equipment for cleaning carpets you need depends on the method you plan to use, as dry cleaning is not the best thing when it comes to heavily soiled carpets.
If you prefer a steam cleaning system you will need high-pressure equipment and you must have the ability to handle the products carefully so that moisture does not persist and there are no odors left on the carpet.
So you can think of a steam cleaner that pumps a detergent solution and then uses a high-powered vacuum cleaner to suck out that solution.
Depending on the model you can have a heater and use the hot water to remove oil stains and therefore perform a thorough cleaning.
The carpet extractor is a machine that uses a brush to scrub the carpet. After leaving the detergent on the carpet, it is sucked in and removed by a rinsing process to remove dirt and chemicals.
The hood cleaning machine is not the best choice for deep cleaning but for dry cleaning. Rub and remove dirt with a pad.
However, the truck mounted system is the one used by most professionals because it makes a better suction, can do a deep cleaning because it can use hot water and leaves the carpet dry.
Permits and licenses to open a carpet cleaning business
While you need to create a business plan, hire your staff and decide whether you will run your business from home or buy or rent a business premises, you must have several permits and licenses for your business for carpet cleaning:
DBA
You need a DBA in addition to a business license. You will get the DBA by contacting the county administration office and then you will receive the application by mail.
Complete the application and send it along with the corresponding fee to register your business. But before applying for the DBA, think of a good name for your business and registering it will give you your business license.
Commercial cleaning license
Depending on where your business is located, local and state government may require you to obtain a commercial or regular cleaning license, as the need for a service contractor license depends on each state.
Bonus license
You may also need to apply for a bonus license before you get your license, then follow these steps:
- Step 1: Submits the license application to the local government and opens a commercial bank account.
- Step 2: Check the Small Business Administration Licensing and Permitting website to see if you need a cleaning license to work in your area.
- Step 3: Get all the applications you need for your business to open legally under license.
- Step 4: Contact insurance companies for information about license bonds and guarantee bonds.
Cleaning and permit voucher
You will need these bonuses if you obtained a license from your municipal government because local governments can get a lawsuit by licensing a contractor who does a bad job, so they are bonuses that protect the government from a lawsuit.
The cleaning voucher is also known as a guaranteed voucher because it works with a refund to the customer who pays for a service he did not receive.
If your business does not complete a job, the contract bonus will reimburse the customer for the fee he spent.