Let’s Be Honest (Part 1/7): The Housecleaning Is Broke As Hell
Let’s Talk About the Hard Truths
If you’re running a housecleaning business and feel like you’re always one step away from
financial collapse, you’re not alone. The harsh reality is this: the housecleaning industry is
broke as hell, and it’s not because of the economy, competition, or bad luck. It’s because most
people who call themselves housecleaning business owners aren’t actually running businesses
at all—they’re running jobs
Yes, jobs, not businesses. That’s the truth that stings.
You’re Charging to Survive, Not to Scale
If you’re charging just enough to cover your labor and a few basic expenses, you’re not a
business owner. You’re an employee of your own company, paying yourself just enough to
scrape by. And here’s the kicker: most owner-operators are charging rates that leave them
broke after considering costs like:
- Insurance
- Workers’ Compensation
- Employee benefits & training
- Office space
- Taxes
- Vehicles + Maintenance
- Cleaning Supplies
- Marketing
- Mistakes
- Tech Upgrades
- Education and Development
If you can’t afford to take a week off without your business collapsing, what you’ve built is not a
sustainable enterprise. It’s a self-inflicted trap.
$65 Per Hour Per Person—Minimum
Here’s the baseline truth: if you’re charging less than $65 per hour per cleaner, you’re selling
yourself short. Period. That’s the bare minimum required to:
- Cover expenses
- Invest in your business
- Earn yourself a livable profit
- Afford to hire and retain employees
- Scale beyond yourself
If you’re an owner-operator and you need to take time off for a family emergency or vacation,
what happens? Your clients might sympathize, but ultimately, they want reliability. A business
doesn’t grind to a halt when the owner gets sick or takes a break. It keeps going. That’s what
clients expect, and that’s what differentiates businesses from glorified jobs.
Are You Slaving Away for Yourself?
Think about it: are you working harder for yourself than you ever would for someone else?
Cleaning houses all day, taking calls at night, handling bookings, managing supplies, and
chasing invoices—all while barely keeping the lights on. If you’re not pricing yourself correctly,
you’re not just working hard—you’re working stupidly hard for less than you deserve.
If you’re business is cleaning homes for $35 an hour, ask yourself this: would you accept a
corporate job for $35 an hour if it meant doing everything from accounting to customer service
to sales to labor and always be responsible financially when something goes wrong? Probably
not. So why are you doing it for your own business if you don’t have the chance of any upside?
What Happens If You Can’t Work?
Here’s a scenario: you get injured or need to take a few weeks off. Your clients might say they’ll
wait for you, but guess what? They won’t. They’ll move on to someone else who can offer
consistency and reliability—things that only a well-structured business can provide.
And if your clients are willing to wait because they feel bad for you, what does that say? It says
they view you as a person they like, not a business they respect. When you run a business,
clients expect the service to continue uninterrupted, regardless of personal emergencies.
They’re paying for a service, not a person.
What Successful Businesses Do Differently
Businesses charge enough to:
- Hire people and pay them properly.
- Continually invest in technology to streamline operations.
- Market themselves effectively to stand out from the competition.
- Cover emergencies and downtime without losing clients. Grow and scale—not just survive.
This Is Your Wake-Up Call
The housecleaning industry isn’t broke because of outside forces. It’s broke because too many
operators treat it as a side hustle or a short-term gig. Most housecleaning start-ups don’t
last a year. If you want to break out of the cycle, you have to start thinking like a business
owner. That means charging enough to not just cover your costs but to thrive. It means building
a structure where your business operates without you. It means getting serious about pricing,
hiring, and investing in growth.
Let’s Fix This Together
This isn’t meant to insult or tear down—it’s a call to action. The housecleaning industry can be
very profitable, scalable, and sustainable, but only if we change how we approach it.
Are you ready to have the confidence to take your business to the next level?
As a non-profit dedicated to the housecleaning industry, the CHCA is here to help you. Work
with us in 2025 and you’ll see a positive change in your business!
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