Is It Your Time to Shine With a Cleaning Services Franchise?

Hiring a cleaner can be viewed as an expendable luxury, but for many, it’s an indulgence that they’re not prepared to do without, regardless of the state of the economy.

This is excellent news for those in the cleaning services industry. As lifestyles get busier, many Brits are happy to pay for a cleaner to keep their home spick and span rather than wasting precious spare time doing it themselves.

It’s estimated that as many as one in four of us employ a cleaner of some description meaning that it’s a great time to consider a cleaning services franchise.

Types of cleaning franchises

The cleaning industry tends to be split into three sub-categories.

• Domestic cleaning

As a domestic cleaner, you’ll typically clean people’s homes for a couple of hours a week on a regular basis which provides a stable and steady source of income. If you choose to focus solely on this area of cleaning, you can either work alone or hire a few members of staff allowing you to take a more managerial role.

• Commercial cleaning

Commercial cleaning services involve cleaning business premises, such as offices and shops, usually outside of working hours. As the scale of the cleaning is increased with commercial premises, you’re more likely to need a team of employees to perform the cleaning roles. It would be your responsibility as a franchisee of such a business to advertise and win new business and find appropriate cleaning staff to carry out the jobs.

• Specialised cleaning

Many cleaning businesses choose to focus on a specific type of cleaning to appeal to a distinct audience. These cleaning services can include window cleaning, carpeting cleaning, cleaning cars or oven cleaning.

You’ll also need to think about what role you’ll want to play in your franchise. Do you want to get your hands dirty by being a cleaner in the business yourself or would you like a more managerial role?

Cleaning franchises to consider

There are plenty of franchise opportunities available for investment whichever route you choose to go down. Here are some franchise investment opportunities for you to consider:

House cleaning services

With its distinctive purple and pink branding, Molly Maid is immediately recognisable. Serving domestic customers for over 30 years in the UK, it’s no wonder that the brand is trusted by customers up and down the country. Over 70 franchisees and their teams’ service territories with over 12,000 households meaning that there’s plenty of work to keep them busy and profitable.

If you’re interested in becoming a Molly Maid franchisee, you’ll need to invest in the region of £17,000. In return for your investment, you’ll receive all the cleaning equipment and supplies you need, as well as advice and support on hand whenever it’s required.

So that you can get your business off to the best possible start, at least £9,000 of your initial investment is put towards effective marketing campaigns to help you generate sales for the first six to nine months.

Carpet cleaning services

Since Zero Dry TIme was established in 2006, the quality training and ongoing support that is offered have led to 30 franchisees across the UK investing in the business. Thanks to the unique processes and systems that Zero Dry Time apply, along with the safe, chemical-free products used, this brand is now considered one of the leading domestic and commercial carpet cleaning businesses in the country.

To start this van-based franchise, you’ll need to pay a fee of £19,950 plus VAT. The franchise package includes an exclusive territory, carpet cleaning equipment, comprehensive training on all products and equipment, a chemical starter pack, uniform, van branding, as well as personalised business cards and leaflets.

You’ll need to cover the cost of purchasing or leasing a suitable vehicle yourself. Once your franchise is up and running, there will also be a low fixed management fee that is payable to the franchisor. It's recommended that you have adequate working capital available while you're establishing your business too.

Oven cleaning services

With over 20 years’ experience in the oven cleaning industry, and the world’s largest network of oven cleaning franchisees, Ovenu provides a fantastic opportunity. They offer a comprehensive franchise package which includes a five-day accredited training course on how to clean over 80 different appliances to an exceptional standard. You’ll also be shown which tools to use and when, so you can get the best results for your customers. To allow you to run your business effectively, you’ll receive business coaching too.

The cost of starting an Ovenu franchise is £15,900 plus VAT. However, if you’re on a budget, you can choose to invest in the ‘Easy Reach Franchise’ option which costs £9,950 plus VAT. If you decide to invest in the less expensive franchise package, your initial territory size will be smaller than the standard package. Both packages give you the option to invest in additional territories in the future as you start to grow your business.

Conclusion

Now is a great time to think about investing in a cleaning franchise as figures released by the British Cleaning Council claim that the sector contributes over £24 billion to the UK economy. It’s also one of its largest employers, with more than 700,000 people hired to work in the cleaning industry.

You can become part of this lucrative industry by providing a valued service to individuals and businesses alike. And rather than working for someone else, you get to reap the rewards of your hard work, dedication and determination by becoming the boss of your own business.

As a franchisee, you'll get all the freedom and flexibility that comes from owning your own business, along with the support, training and reassurance that being part of a big company can give you.