How to get cleaning clients, win commercial contracts and grow a cleaning business

The best cleaning clients need you every week or fortnight, because recurring work is what turns cleaning jobs into a cleaning business. Each type of client looks in a different place and stays for different reasons.

Losing one regular hurts because the whole week is built around recurring visits, and an empty Tuesday morning is income you cannot easily refill. A one off clean pays once, while a regular pays every fortnight for as long as they stay happy, so keeping clients needs a system.

• Send the same cleaner wherever you can, because people let a familiar face into their home more easily.
• Text the day before each visit, and check in after the first three cleans.
• Handle complaints the same day by phone, not in a long email.

End of lease work comes from property managers who need a cleaner they can trust to have a property inspection ready at short notice. Drop into local agencies with a one page checklist that mirrors their exit inspection, and offer to reclean anything they flag.

Tenants search Google for end of lease cleaning too, often with only days to spare, so answer fast or they book the next name on the list. Reviews from tenants who passed their inspection are some of the most persuasive you can collect.

You win commercial cleaning contracts by walking the site, finding out what the last cleaner missed, and sending a written proposal that shows exactly what will be done and when.

1. 1Pick one or two sectors you can serve well, such as small offices or medical rooms.
2. 2List local businesses and strata managers in that sector, and ask existing clients who they know.
3. 3Book a site walkthrough and ask what the current cleaner misses, when staff come and go, and who holds the keys.
4. 4Send a written proposal within two working days, with a room by room scope, frequency, hours and price.
5. 5Attach your insurance certificate, police check details for your team and a sample checklist.
6. 6Follow up until you get an answer, using the quote follow up guide.
7. 7Once you win, hold a review meeting after the first month and then each quarter.

Insurance, police checks, consistent staff and recent reviews are the trust signals clients look for before they hand over keys or an alarm code. Show them on your website, in proposals and on your Google Business Profile, because they answer the fear of letting a stranger in after hours. Consistent staff depends on keeping good people, and Jobs and Skills Australia reports 59% of commercial cleaners are women and 60% work part time, so rosters that fit around school pick ups help.

Requirements vary by client and sector, so ask each buyer what they need and confirm cover with your insurer. A 2026 consumer report from Thryv, a business software company, found 63% of Australians say friendly, responsive communication builds trust.

Ordinary house cleaning is not addressed by the NSW building licence classes, but some specialised cleaning of buildings is. The "minor maintenance and cleaning" class covers non structural repairs and cleaning such as pressure washing, graffiti removal and brick cleaning over $5,000. Check with the NSW Government or your state regulator before advertising exterior washing.

You grow beyond word of mouth by making the business easy to find on Google, easy to contact and easy to recommend. Thryv's research puts word of mouth (19%) and online search (14%) as the top ways Australians discover businesses, and the referrals guide shows how to make recommendations a habit.

• Set up your Google Business Profile as a service area business and hide your home address, as Google's guidelines say.
• Use your real business name only, because Google says extra keywords or suburbs in the name can get a profile suspended.
• List each service separately, using the Google Business Profile guide.

This week, protect the regulars you already have, then line up one new source of recurring work.

1. 1Text every regular to confirm their next visit and ask if anything needs attention.
2. 2Drop a one page checklist into two local real estate agencies.
3. 3Book one commercial walkthrough in the sector you know best.
4. 4Ask three happy clients for a Google review.
5. 5Take the free 15 second lead score quiz to see which part of your lead flow to fix first.