Guide

A cleaning equipment checklist that pays for itself

Equipment is the cheapest part of a cleaning business and the part that decides how long a job takes. The difference between a two-hour clean and a three-hour clean is usually a machine you did not bring, not a surface you did not know how to clean.

The core kit

Two microfibre cloths per room — colour coded so the bathroom cloth never touches a kitchen surface. This is also the single cheapest way to look professional.
A flat mop with washable pads, and a separate mop head for bathrooms.
A vacuum with a hard-floor head and a crevice tool. Bagless is faster on a long day; bagged is cleaner to empty.
A squeegee for glass, and a second small one for shower screens.
Neutral pH all-purpose cleaner, a bathroom acid for limescale, a glass cleaner, and one abrasive for ovens.
Microfibre cloths for stainless steel, used only on stainless.
A caddy that carries everything for one room in one trip, and a bucket with a wringer.

Buy cheap, buy often

Cloths, sponges, brush heads and mop pads. These wear out and the cost of a worn-out cloth is the extra pass over a surface that does not come clean the first time.

What not to buy cheap: the vacuum and the steam cleaner. Both are the two machines that decide whether a job runs to time, and both fail at the worst moment when bought at the bottom of the market. A vacuum that cannot hold suction doubles the time on carpets; a steam cleaner that takes twelve minutes to heat costs you twelve minutes on every job.

What lives in the van and never comes out

A spare vacuum bag or filter, a spare mop pad, a multi-tool, a torch, and spare cloths. The point of a spare is that you never drive to a shop mid-job — and mid-job is exactly when a job turns into a bad review.

Also: a small bin bag roll and a pair of gloves. Ten pence of consumables that stop you touching something you should not, or leaving a bin you were asked to empty.

Questions people ask

Do I need a steam cleaner?

Not to clean, and yes to win certain jobs. Its value is limescale, grout, ovens without chemicals, and the reassurance a client feels when they see one come through the door. If you are doing end of lease cleans it pays for itself quickly; for regular domestic work it is optional.

What should I charge for the equipment I bring?

Nothing itemised, and it should already be inside your rate. Working out your own floor includes replacing cloths, pads, filters and eventually the vacuum — if the rate does not cover those, the rate is too low and no amount of separate equipment charging fixes it.

Colour coding: is it worth it?

Yes, and not for the reason usually given. It stops the one mistake that generates a complaint nobody can argue with — a bathroom cloth used on a kitchen surface — and it makes you look like a business rather than somebody with a bag of rags.

House cleaning in Australia

House cleaning Apply to clean All guides

End of lease cleaning: what the check-out inspection actually looks at · What actually decides the price of an end of lease clean · Airbnb turnover cleaning: what a two-hour changeover actually needs · Getting your first ten cleaning clients without paying for advertising · How to price a cleaning job without undercharging · Reviews and complaints: the two things that decide your next ten jobs · Growing from one cleaner to a small team without losing the standard · Insurance for cleaners: what the policies are and what to check · Keeping cleaning business records that survive a tax review · Keeping the clients you have won · How much does a cleaner cost? What actually moves the number · How often should you clean your house? A schedule that holds · A cleaner or a cleaning company? What you are actually choosing

Practical advice rather than an inspection standard. The standard that matters is whatever your tenancy agreement and entry report say.

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