Before investing time and money, you want to know the earning potential. How much does a cleaning business make a month? How much does a cleaning business make a year? And the question everyone really wants answered: can a cleaning business make you rich?
This guide provides realistic income expectations based on actual cleaning business performance.
Income Ranges by Business Type
Cleaning business income varies dramatically based on structure, effort, and market.
| Business Model | Monthly Revenue | Annual Revenue | Owner Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time solo | $1,500-4,000 | $18,000-48,000 | 70-85% of revenue |
| Full-time solo | $4,000-10,000 | $48,000-120,000 | 60-75% of revenue |
| Small team (2-3 people) | $10,000-25,000 | $120,000-300,000 | 30-50% of revenue |
| Established company | $25,000-100,000+ | $300,000-1.2M+ | 20-35% of revenue |
These ranges represent typical performance, not guarantees. Your results depend on your market, effort, and business skills.
How Much Does a Cleaning Business Make a Month?
Monthly income depends on how many clients you serve and what you charge.
A solo residential cleaner charging $150 per cleaning and completing 4 cleanings daily, 5 days per week, generates $3,000 weekly or $12,000-13,000 monthly. That’s the ceiling for a solo operator working full-time.
Realistically, most solo cleaners don’t maintain that pace consistently. Account for travel time, cancellations, administrative work, and time off. A typical full-time solo cleaner earns $5,000-8,000 monthly.
Part-time operators cleaning 2-3 days per week typically earn $1,500-4,000 monthly.
How Much Does a Cleaning Business Make a Year?
Annual income follows from monthly performance.
Part-time cleaning (15-20 hours weekly) generates $18,000-48,000 annually. This works well as supplemental income or while building toward full-time.
Full-time solo cleaning (35-45 hours weekly) generates $48,000-100,000 annually. The wide range reflects differences in pricing, efficiency, and market.
Small team operations (owner plus 1-3 employees) generate $120,000-300,000 annually in revenue. Owner take-home runs 30-50% after paying employees and expenses.
Established companies with multiple crews generate $300,000 to over $1 million annually. Owner income depends on role—active operators earn more percentage but work more; passive owners earn less percentage but enjoy more freedom.
How Profitable Is a Cleaning Business?
Revenue means nothing without understanding profit. How profitable is a cleaning business after expenses?
Solo operators typically keep 60-80% of revenue as profit. Expenses include supplies (5-10% of revenue), transportation (5-10%), insurance (3-5%), and marketing (5-10%).
With employees, profit margins drop to 20-40% of revenue. Labor costs consume 40-60% of revenue. Additional expenses include payroll taxes, workers’ comp, and management overhead.
A solo cleaner earning $80,000 in revenue might keep $55,000-65,000. A company with employees earning $300,000 in revenue might keep $60,000-120,000 for the owner.
Can a Cleaning Business Make You Rich?
The honest answer: probably not wealthy, but possibly comfortable and financially secure.
Solo cleaning has an income ceiling. You can only clean so many hours. Most solo operators max out around $80,000-120,000 annually working very hard.
Scaling with employees removes that ceiling but introduces complexity. Building a team to $500,000+ in revenue is achievable, potentially generating $100,000-200,000 in owner income.
True wealth (millions) requires building a large operation with multiple locations or crews, exceptional efficiency and margins, and eventual sale of the business.
Some cleaning business owners have become millionaires, but they’re exceptions. Most successful cleaning business owners achieve comfortable middle-class to upper-middle-class incomes with schedule flexibility.
Factors That Affect Income
Your earning potential depends on several variables.
Geographic location matters significantly. High cost-of-living areas support higher prices. A cleaner in San Francisco charges more than one in rural Kansas.
Service type affects rates. Specialty services like post-construction, biohazard, or commercial cleaning often pay more than basic residential.
Pricing strategy determines revenue. Many cleaners undercharge. Raising prices 20% without losing clients means 20% more income for the same work.
Efficiency impacts hourly earnings. Faster cleaners complete more jobs. Better routing reduces unpaid travel time.
Client quality varies. Some clients are easy and pleasant; others are difficult and demanding for the same pay. Cultivating good clients improves both income and quality of life.
Realistic Expectations
Set appropriate expectations for your cleaning business income.
Year one, expect modest income while building clientele. Many new cleaning businesses earn $20,000-40,000 in their first year.
Years two and three bring growth as referrals accumulate and systems improve. Income typically doubles or triples from year one.
Years four and beyond show what your business can sustain long-term. Solo operators stabilize at their comfortable capacity. Growing businesses continue expanding revenue.
Don’t compare your year one to someone else’s year five. Building income takes time.
Your Income Potential Starts Here
You now understand how much does a cleaning business make—the monthly numbers, annual ranges, and factors that determine your earning potential.
Cleaning businesses offer realistic paths to $50,000-150,000+ in income depending on your ambition and business model. That’s life-changing money for many people.
At the Cleaning Business Institute, our courses help you maximize your earning potential. We teach pricing strategies, efficiency improvements, and scaling techniques.
Unlock your earning potential. Take our free Cleaning Business Quiz. We’ll analyze your situation and recommend the right training. Complete the quiz and unlock a limited-time offer saving you over 50%.
Build a cleaning business that pays what you’re worth.