Most houses have carpets and most of us like to keep them clean, that’s why we love our Dyson’s! Sometimes however the carpet needs that little bit more cleaning, perhaps to remove a stain or really ground in dirt (it’s great having a dog). Even if they don’t visibly need it getting the carpets professionally cleaned can make it easier to rent or sell a property.

Carpet cleaning is an easy sell, the service is easily understood by the customer and in some cases (think dinner party and red wine) it’s a distress purchase. Typical charges are in the region of £120 per property with single rooms starting around £20 and most service providers having a minimum fee of £50. There are also opportunities to expand the business into commercial carpet cleaning for pubs, clubs and restaurants especially with the upcoming smoking ban. Plus it doesn’t have to stay a small business you can always take on employees and expand.

It is however a fairly labour intensive job, requiring some heavy lifting of equipment. You will also need to factor into the potential earnings above the likelihood of travelling time and equipment costs eating into the potential profit. You should keep in mind the fact that the relatively low cost of entry does make it likely that competitors will enter the market.

To get started you need a carpet cleaner, some transport, a van would be ideal as it can be branded and used to advertise your services while on the move. You should also set aside a reasonable budget for marketing and insurance. Your initial marketing can be as simple as leafleting several thousand homes around your area. If you want a more structured, less entrepreneurial approach there are several carpet cleaning franchises including Chem-dry and Rainbow International (I have not researched either so please ensure you do your own due diligence).

If you choose to set out on your own you should ensure you research the local market and determine your prices based on the median to upper prices charged (you will lose more work from being perceived as too cheap than too expensive). You can justify this price by the excellent service you give and a good guarantee (stains removed or that room free perhaps).

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