How to Find Reliable Cleaners for Your Cleaning Business

In a remote cleaning business, your partner cleaners are the business, okay? They're in your clients' homes, representing your name, every single day. Finding great ones and keeping them matters more than any ad you'll ever run, right?

The growth of your business doesn't start with your logo or your website or even your marketing. It starts with your cleaners, because happy cleaners make happy clients. So I'm going to show you guys exactly how I find experienced independent contractor cleaners, what I look for, what I say to them and how I keep them.

Find your cleaners before your first client

It feels backwards, but line up your partners before you market. When a client books, you want someone ready, not you scrambling (or worse, cleaning it yourself).

I learned this one the hard way. Early on, I had a job booked and no cleaner available, and I rushed to find somebody. When you're in a rush, you settle. You end up with somebody without the experience, without the supplies, and your client feels it. I've been in that spot, and it never ends well. Never.

So find your partners first, and then keep in touch with them while you build up your clients. Be honest with them, too. If you're brand new, say so: "We're just getting started, we're putting everything into bringing in new clients, and I'll reach out as soon as I have a job in your area." Then check in every week or two. A quick "hope you had a good weekend, we're still working hard on bringing in clients" keeps the relationship warm until the first booking comes.

And as soon as you can, line up a second partner. One cleaner means one sick day stops your whole business. Two means you can say yes to more clients and you're never the backup. I started with one, but I think the sweet spot is three, so somebody's always ready if one gets sick or goes on vacation. If you serve more than one area, aim for two in each.

Set your standards first

Decide what you need before you post, so you're choosing by your standard and not out of panic. Mine:

• At least two years of residential cleaning experience.
• Their own supplies and equipment.
• Reliable transportation, and a valid driver's license if they're driving. A great cleaner with no reliable ride will cost you clients.
• Their own insurance. More in cleaning business insurance.
• A background check is optional, but it gives me peace of mind.

Don't bring someone on because you're desperate. Bring them on because they meet your standard. You're building margins, not friendships, and if you choose emotionally, you'll pay for it later, okay?

Get your business ready before you reach out

Something people don't expect is that good cleaners check you out too. When you reach out, they may ask for your website or your Google listing, because they want to know you're a real business and they're not about to get scammed.

So before you start looking, have the basics up: your business name, your business phone number, a simple website or booking page and your Google Business Profile. When a cleaner looks you up and finds a real company, they say yes a lot more often.

It's a numbers game, so build a list of 100

This part takes patience, y'all. Finding partners is something you'll keep doing for as long as you're in business, so get comfortable with it.

I like to build a list of 100 potential cleaners who might meet my standards. Then I reach out to every one of them. Out of 100, maybe 80 answer, maybe 50 are interested, maybe 20 actually meet the standard, maybe 10 make it through the whole process, and maybe two are the real deal. Those numbers are just to show you how it goes, and every area is different. Some areas I've looked in, I found great cleaners fast, and in others it took a lot longer.

Two great partners might not sound like a lot after all that work. But one experienced, reliable partner can carry a lot of cleanings for your business, so two is a big deal. Just keep the list going, because there's always a next partner to find.

Where to find independent contractor cleaners

Paid sites like ZipRecruiter and Monster work too, but they can get pricey, so I start with the free places. I'll be honest with you guys: one of my last Indeed bills was around $800, and I got one cleaner out of it. Paid job sites tend to flood you with applications from people who don't have the experience and are applying to everything. If a site offers a free trial or a few free posts, take it, and then remember to turn it off. In the beginning, save your dollars for marketing.

My favorite approach is partnering with cleaners who already have their own small cleaning business and want more clients. They have the experience, they have the supplies, and what they need is clients. What you need is great cleaners. That's a partnership.

My Craigslist and Marketplace trick

Instead of only posting an ad and waiting, I look for cleaners who are already advertising that they're available. On Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, people post "experienced house cleaner, available weekdays" all the time. They're basically advertising their own business, so I reach out to them directly.

My community group trick

Go to the Facebook group for a neighborhood where you want clients. Somebody's always posting "can anyone recommend a cleaner? I have family coming for the holidays." Don't look at the people recommending a company. Look for the people who answer as themselves, like "I can clean this for you!" or "I sent you a DM." Those are cleaners, and they're looking for work. Message them and ask if they'd like more clients.

I don't mind at all if my partners have their own clients, by the way. I actually like it, especially in the beginning, because it means they're not sitting around waiting on me for every dollar.

What to say when you reach out

Make it clear from the very first message that this is a partnership, not you asking them to come work for you. Something like:

Hi ___, this is Jazmine. I own a small cleaning company here in Dallas, and I'm looking to partner with reliable independent cleaners. Do you have any room to take on new clients?

Short and simple. It tells them who you are, what you want and what's in it for them. If they answer, start a real conversation about where they work, what they charge and when they're available.

What to put in your post

When you do post an opportunity, keep it short and specific:

1. What the work is. Residential cleanings in these neighborhoods.
2. What they earn. A share of each job's flat price, and when they get paid.
3. Who you're looking for. Reliable, communicates well, takes pride in their work, has their own supplies and transportation.
4. That it's an independent contractor opportunity. They choose the jobs they take.
5. How to apply.

Because these are independent contractors, describe it as a partnership opportunity, not a job with a set schedule. Read 1099 vs W-2 cleaners before you post, because every state has its own rules.

My step-by-step process for finding the serious ones

Before I built a real process, we had so many no-shows on the very first day, y'all. We'd set somebody up, give them a client and then they wouldn't show, and we'd be on the phone making apologies to the client. That makes your business look so bad.

So I started putting everybody through a few small steps. Each step asks a little something of them, and the people who aren't serious drop off on their own, which is exactly what I want. This is how it goes:

1. A short application. A simple online form, like a Google Form or a Typeform, with my must-haves: two years of residential experience, their own supplies, their own transportation and their own insurance.
2. A small task. At the end of the form, I ask them to email us to get the next step. If they don't take the time to send one email, they weren't going to show up on a Saturday either.
3. A short personality quiz that takes about five minutes, with a link to schedule a phone chat when they finish.
4. The phone chat, with the questions below.
5. A cleaning questionnaire. I ask them to walk me through how they clean a home. Do they go top to bottom? Where do they start? What's their towel system, and would they ever use the bathroom towel in the kitchen? The answers tell you right away if somebody really has the experience.

It looks like a lot, I know. But once I started doing it this way, I stopped getting surprised by people who weren't ready, and I send everybody through the same steps, even cleaners who've been cleaning for years.

And this is why I'm strict about two years of residential experience specifically. Commercial cleaning and hotel cleaning are completely different from cleaning somebody's home. A residential client notices everything.

The phone chat: questions that tell you everything

You don't need cleaning experience yourself to spot a great cleaner. Listen for someone who has a system. If they ramble and sound unsure, they probably are.

• "Tell me about the last home you cleaned. What did you do first?"
• "What's the difference between a standard and a deep cleaning, for you?"
• "What would you do if you got to a home and something was already broken?"
• "What would you do if a client wasn't happy?"
• "How do you get to your jobs?"
• "What days are you usually available?"

The broken-item question tells you a lot. You want someone who stays calm, takes a photo, tells you right away and owns it, instead of passing blame.

Then check references. Call at least two.

Bring them on the right way

Before their first job:

1. Get a Form W-9.
2. Sign an independent contractor agreement. Have a professional review yours. Mine includes a no-solicit agreement, and yours can too.
3. Collect proof of their insurance.
4. Walk them through how jobs work: how they get offers, the checklist, before and after photos, and how they get paid.

One more tip I always share: since they're independent contractors buying their own supplies and equipment, those are business expenses for them. Remind them to save their receipts, because a tax professional can help them use those at tax time.

The checklist matters more than people think, because it's how every cleaning looks the same no matter which partner shows up. The free house cleaning checklist template is a good place to start.

What about partners taking your clients?

This is the number two question I get, so let's talk about it. Yes, a partner could take a client. I understand that's a risk, and a written agreement helps.

But I'm not threatened by it, and I'm not about to write an 11-page agreement and spend my days looking over my partners' shoulders. There's too much to do in this business to stress over that. You're the one who knows how to bring in clients. If somebody takes one, you know how to bring in more. And I'm a firm believer that what's meant to be mine will be mine.

The best protection is being a business people don't want to leave. Pay well, pay on time, keep their schedule full and treat them with respect, and they have every reason to stay.

Partner slowly, part ways quickly

My rule is to bring partners on slowly and let go quickly. Take your time getting to know somebody before they're in your clients' homes. But once someone shows you who they are, believe them.

If a partner is late, inconsistent, unreliable or doesn't pay attention to details, ask yourself one question: is that person going to earn my business a good review? Reviews are how you get the next client, and my rule of thumb is that five reviews equal one booked client. Keeping a partner who isn't getting results costs you clients you'll never even know about.

So give clear feedback once, and if it keeps happening, end the partnership kindly and move on.

Have a plan for cancellations and no-shows

Cleaners cancel sometimes. It's part of this business, so plan for it before it happens.

When I was brand new, I kept a whole cleaning kit in my trunk, mop, bucket, towels, all of it, because I needed to be ready. If a cleaner didn't show, I'd call the client and say, "I'm so sorry, I'm 15 minutes out, I'm going to get that job done." I was too scared to even ask them to reschedule. Please don't build your business that way. You are not the backup.

This is what I do now instead:

1. Send the schedule the night before. Every partner gets tomorrow's jobs the evening before, so nobody's surprised.
2. Confirm in the morning. If a partner doesn't confirm, my virtual assistant texts, and then calls.
3. Call the client first. If a partner can't make it, I call the client before they find out on their own. I apologize, and I give them options for another time that same day or another day.
4. Make it right. If I can tell they're upset, I'll add a free extra, like the inside of the fridge, or give a discount. That's the last step, not the first one.

Having a second and third partner is what makes this plan work, because there's somebody to call.

Keep great partners for the long run

Cleaners who feel respected show up. Cleaners who feel used ghost you on a Saturday morning.

• Pay them well. Price your cleanings high enough to pay a fair share. If your prices only work by underpaying cleaners, raise your prices. See how to price house cleaning.
• Pay on time, every time.
• Keep their jobs close together, so they can do two homes in a day without fighting traffic.
• Pass on tips, every cent.
• Say thank you, and reward great reviews.
• Reward referrals. Cleaners have cleaner friends. When a happy partner brings you a great new partner, give them a bonus.

I want my partners paid so well, because they're the ones out there in the homes representing my company and growing my business. I've never even met most of my cleaners face to face, so how they feel about working with me comes down to how I treat them.

Busy Book helps with each of these: partners get job offers in the partner app (in English or Spanish), you can let clients tip their partner after the cleaning, give a bonus for every 5-star review, and see every payout in one place.

Common mistakes

• Only one partner. Always have a backup.
• Choosing out of desperation. Stick to your standard.
• Underpaying. It's the fastest way to lose your best people.
• Skipping references. Two calls can save you a bad month.
• No backup plan for cancellations. Know who you'll call before it happens.
• Going quiet after the first call. If you don't have jobs yet, keep in touch so they're still there when you do.
• Keeping a partner who keeps missing. Give feedback once, then believe what you see.

Treat your partners like the business owners they are, pay them well and pay them on time, and y'all, the good ones stay.

Questions people ask

Where can I find cleaners for my cleaning business?

Indeed, Facebook Marketplace, local Facebook groups, Nextdoor and Craigslist all work, plus cleaners who already advertise their own services and referrals from your current partners.

How much should I pay my contractor cleaners?

Most remote owners pay a share of each job's flat price as a percentage, set by your market and cost of living. Price your cleanings so that share is a fair, attractive amount for experienced cleaners, and results vary by market.

What should I ask a cleaner before working together?

Ask about their last cleaning and what they did first, how they handle something broken or an unhappy client, how they get to jobs and when they're available. Listen for someone with a system, then check references.

How many cleaners do I need to start a cleaning business?

You can start with one, but line up a second as soon as you can. I think the sweet spot is three, so one sick day or vacation never stops your business.

How do I stop cleaners from taking my clients?

Treat partners well, pay fairly and on time, and use a clear written contractor agreement reviewed by a professional. Partners who are happy with a steady flow of good jobs have little reason to leave.

Should I find cleaners or clients first?

Cleaners first. When your first client books, you want an experienced partner ready to go, not a rushed search that ends with the wrong person in your client's home.

JT

Jazmine Tates

Jazmine started cleaning houses herself, then built a remote cleaning business with independent contractor cleaners. She has taught thousands of people to start their own, and built Busy Book to run it all.

YouTube Instagram