When Jen and I started Oak Bay Clean, we did not have a checklist. We figured it out in the wrong order, redid things, and wasted weeks. Four years and $2.8 million in sales later, we wrote down the exact order we wish we had followed. That became the 22-Day Master Checklist, and this post is the whole thing, free, with a tutorial for every step.
A cleaning business startup checklist should do one thing: tell you the next task to do today so you never sit and wonder where to start. The list below takes you from a blank page to your first hire and your first paying clients in 22 days, doing about an hour a day.
What does a cleaning business startup checklist need to cover?
A complete startup checklist covers four stages: set up the systems clients use to find and book you, make the company legitimate, build your team, and get clients. Most checklists online skip straight to "buy supplies and a vehicle." Ours does not, because in this model you are not the one cleaning.
Here is the short version before the full day-by-day list:
- Set up your systems (Days 1 to 9). Your booking website, your name, your prices, your logo, your email, your business phone, and your payment processing.
- Make it legitimate (Days 10 to 15). Your LLC, your insurance, your Google Business Profile, your Yelp page, your first SEO, and a business bank account.
- Build your team (Days 16 to 21). Post an Indeed ad, interview, check references, run background checks, do a test clean, and onboard your first contractor.
- Get clients (Day 22). Free and paid lead generation, the same outreach that booked our first jobs.
What do you need before Day 1?
Almost nothing, and that is the point. You do not buy cleaning supplies, equipment, or a vehicle, because your cleaners are independent contractors who bring their own. You need a laptop, a phone, and a few hundred dollars to cover the basics as you go. We break down every line item in how much it costs to start a cleaning business, and if money is tight, how to start a cleaning business with no money shows the leanest path.
That is the whole reason this business is cheap to start. Skip the supply run, run the company, and let the contractors clean.
The 22-day cleaning business startup checklist
Work through one day at a time. Each task links to a free tutorial that walks you through that exact step. You can move faster if you have time, but one focused hour a day gets you to paying clients in three weeks.
Days 1 to 9: set up your systems
| Day | Task | What it does | Tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign up for ConvertLabs | Gives you a website and online booking built for cleaning companies, free for 30 days | Watch |
| 2 | Research the competition | Shows you local pricing, gaps, and what to do better | Watch |
| 3 | Name your company | Location plus a keyword, so you get found on Google and AI search | Watch |
| 4 | Customize your website | Makes your booking site look local, trustworthy, and simple | Watch |
| 5 | Figure out your prices | Sets flat rates by home size so quoting takes a minute | Watch |
| 6 | Design a horizontal and square logo | Gives you a clean, readable logo for your site and profiles | Watch |
| 7 | Sign up for Google Workspace | Gives you a professional email at your own domain | Watch |
| 8 | Sign up for Quo (a business phone) | A dedicated business line that gets answered, around $20 a month | Watch |
| 9 | Set up your Stripe account | Lets you keep a card on file and charge after each clean | Watch |
Days 10 to 15: make it legitimate
| Day | Task | What it does | Tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Form your LLC | Separates your business and personal finances | Watch |
| 11 | Insure your company | General liability coverage before your first clean | Watch |
| 12 | Set up your Google Business Profile | The free listing that brings in clients month after month | Watch |
| 13 | Set up your Yelp page | Another free listing people search to find local cleaners | Watch |
| 14 | Start on-site and off-site SEO | Helps your site rank for cleaning in your city | Watch |
| 15 | Get a business bank account | Keeps your money clean and your books simple | Watch |
Days 16 to 21: build your team
| Day | Task | What it does | Tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Post your first Indeed ad | Brings in cleaner applicants in your area | Watch |
| 17 | Interview your first applicants | Finds reliable contractors who do good work | Watch |
| 18 | Check references | Confirms they show up and clean well | Watch |
| 19 | Conduct background checks | Protects your clients and your reputation | Watch |
| 20 | Conduct a test clean | Shows you how a contractor works before you assign a client | Watch |
| 21 | Onboard your first hire | Gets your contractor ready to take jobs | Watch |
Day 22: get your first clients
| Day | Task | What it does | Tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Get your first clients | Free and paid lead generation that fills your calendar | Watch |
Want the full walkthrough in one sitting? The entire day-1-to-22 course is free on YouTube, about four hours, start to finish. (Disclosure: the ConvertLabs link is our affiliate link, and we earn a fee if you sign up through it at no extra cost to you. We only point people to tools we use ourselves.)
Why this checklist beats a generic one
Most startup checklists online are written by software companies that have never run a cleaning business, so they default to you with a mop bucket and a van. This one is the exact order Jen and I used to build Oak Bay Clean, and it is built around the contractor model: your cleaners bring their own supplies, clients book online, and you charge a card on file after the clean.
That changes the whole list. There is no day for buying equipment, renting storage, or wrapping a vehicle. The days you do see are the ones that actually get you to paying clients: your booking site, your legitimacy, your team, and your outreach. Naming alone is worth doing carefully, because naming your company with location plus a keyword is what makes you findable for years.
How long does it take to start a cleaning business with this checklist?
Twenty-two days at one hour a day, and faster if you have more time. The work is light at the start and picks up around the hiring days. None of it requires you to quit your job, which is why so many owners build this around full-time work. Here is the full plan for starting a cleaning business while working full time.
Get the free 22-Day Master Checklist
The printable checklist with a checkbox and a video tutorial for every one of the 22 days, so you can launch in order without guessing what comes next.
Grab the free checklist →Frequently asked questions
What should be on a cleaning business startup checklist? Four stages: set up your systems (booking website, name, prices, logo, email, phone, payments), make it legitimate (LLC, insurance, Google Business Profile, Yelp, SEO, bank account), build your team (Indeed ad, interviews, references, background checks, test clean, onboarding), and get clients. The 22-day list above covers all four in order.
What do I need to start a cleaning business? A laptop, a phone, a booking website, a business phone line, general liability insurance, an LLC, and a logo. You do not need cleaning supplies, equipment, or a vehicle, because your independent contractors bring their own.
How much does it cost to start a cleaning business? Usually a few hundred dollars for the contractor model, since you are not buying supplies or equipment. See the full cost breakdown for every line item.
Do I need a license to start a cleaning business? It depends on where you live. Most owners form an LLC and get general liability insurance, and some areas require a local business license. Here is what is actually required and what is not.
Can I follow this checklist while working a full-time job? Yes. It is built for about an hour a day, and the daytime cleaning is handled by your contractors, not you. That is what makes it work around a job.
Your next step
Open the checklist and do Day 1 today: sign up for ConvertLabs, free for 30 days, and get your booking site started. Then do one box a day. By Day 22 you have your systems running, a contractor hired, and your first clients booked.
When you want the steps explained in full, the 22-Day Cleaning Company Blueprint ebook walks through every day for $27, and the complete guide on how to start a cleaning business covers all 22 days for free. If you want other owners working through the checklist alongside you, that is what the Inner Circle is for.
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