How to Start a Junk Removal Business in 11 Steps


February 12, 2024

How to Start a Junk Removal Business in 11 Steps

Do you like physical work and driving around? Maybe starting a junk removal business is right for you.

Kyle Landwehr started Slam Dunkin Junk and The Junk Academy three years ago. Now he’s making $200K to $300K every month to haul away junk—and teach people how to start a junk removal business of their own.

What is a junk removal business?

Junk removal business owner in an orange work shirt rolling a trash bin toward the camera with a junk removal truck parked in the background

A junk removal business focuses on removing unwanted furniture, appliances, and other items from residences and businesses. It also includes garbage collection, and you may hear it referred to as the waste removal industry.

It’s physical work, and it’s possible to injure yourself. Kyle shared:

I was making $30K to $40K monthly when I broke my ankle stepping off the truck. Breaking my foot is what caused me to start hiring employees and [scale] my business to what it is now.

He also explained that his injury got him into real estate. Listen to the interview below to find out how:

How to start a junk removal business

  1. Learn about the junk removal industry.
  2. Create a junk removal business plan.
  3. Build a junk removal brand.
  4. Register your junk removal business.
  5. Get a junk removal business license.
  6. Get a business bank account and insurance.
  7. Create a junk removal price sheet.
  8. Get junk removal equipment.
  9. Market your junk removal business.
  10. Remove junk.
  11. Expand your junk removal company.

Step 1. Learn about the junk removal industry

You should understand the junk removal industry before you enter it. Some of the important questions you should ask before you start a junk removal company include:

  • How much does it cost to start a junk removal business?
  • How much do junk removal companies make?
  • Is the junk removal business profitable?

How much does it cost to start a junk removal business?

The amount of money you need to start a junk removal business will depend on the business’s location (due to cost of living) and the materials you already own.

The items you’ll need to start a junk removal business include:

A truck: $1,000 to $90,000
Limited liability company (LLC): Under $1,000
Business license: Under $1,000
Business insurance: $1,000 to $10,000
Dolly: $200
Trash bags: $25
Reciprocating saw: $300
Safety equipment: $100
Website: $1,200 per year

That means you can start a junk removal business for as little as $4,325 or as much as $102,325. Kyle told us:

If you have a truck, expect to spend around $6,000 starting your business. If you want to know how to start a junk removal business with no money, promote it on Facebook groups during the week and rent a U-Haul on the weekend. That will cost you $40 per day, plus $1.30 per mile.

How much do junk removal companies make?

According to IBISWorld, there are 8,607 companies in the junk removal industry. They make a combined $73.7B, or $8.6M each. Kyle told us he makes $200K to $300K a month as a junk removal company owner.

Is the junk removal business profitable?

Yes. The gross profit margin is 32.74%, while the junk removal profit margins come out to 7.29% after after taxes, bonuses, and all other costs. This is based on data from 62 publicly held companies.

Kyle told us:

The gross profit margin the first year was around 50% margin, [the] following year 30% to 35% margin, and the third year I hired an operations manager, which took the margin down to 20%, but now I don’t have to be involved in the business.

How much is a junk removal owner’s salary?

The salary for working as an operations manager is around $75,000 annually for waste removal companies. This is nearly $18,000 less than other operations managers. When you run an S-Corp, you will need to use that as your wages and any profit you can pay as dividends.

Step 2. Create a junk removal business plan

UpFlip how to write a business plan article on a laptop

For your company to be a profitable business, make sure to write a business plan.

You’ll want to include:

  • Your mission and vision
  • Ways you’ll make money
  • Your target market
  • How you will market the business

Check out our interview with Mike Andes to learn how to write a business plan. You can refer to our business plan writing guide as well.

Step 3. Build a junk removal brand

Kyle told us:

My smartest business move was building my plan.

A distinctive and memorable brand for your service-based business sets you apart from competitors and establishes a reputation for your enterprise. Your brand relies on two main elements: your business name and logo.

First, select a junk removal business name that draws in customers and conveys a strong message about your services. Make sure it’s not already taken in your service area and online.

Next, craft a logo for your junk removal service. You have the option to hire a designer for assistance, or you can create one yourself using an online logo creator such as Canva.

Step 4. Register your junk removal business

You’ll want to register your business with your state. Kyle and most other business owners recommend structuring your business as an LLC, but there are plenty of other structures. Learn more about the business registration requirements and process in our business registration guide.

The cost of registering on the Secretary of State website varies from state to state. To give you an idea of the cost, Kyle said he paid $300 for his LLC in St. Louis.

You’ll also need an Employer Identification Number from the IRS.

Step 5. Get a junk removal business license

A junk removal business may need local or county licenses. Check with your local government’s business office to see what is required in your state.

What license do I need to start a junk removal business?

Junk removal employee in a safety vest, hard hat, and gloves holding a sign with the word license

You may need special licenses and permits for waste removal if you collect hazardous waste or do construction tasks like demolition (which Kyle offers in addition to junk removal services). He also told us:

You could also offer dumpsters for people [which requires licenses].

Your local business office will be able to help you establish what business licenses you need.

Step 6. Get a business bank account and insurance

A junk removal business needs a small business bank account before it offers junk removal services. The business bank account should have low fees and high interest rates on savings accounts. Keeping your finances separate will be helpful when tax season arrives.

You’ll also need junk removal business insurance. A junk removal company will need commercial auto insurance and general liability insurance at a minimum, but you might want more extensive business insurance, like a business owner’s policy (BOP). Learn more in our business insurance guide.

A BOP covers general liability, property damage, and unexpected shutdowns, plus has riders for other policies. We suggest contacting Simply Business to get quotes from multiple insurance companies.

For added financial management, consider enlisting the services of a bookkeeper or accountant. They can oversee business income and expenditures, handle bills and payroll, generate and dispatch invoices, and maintain the financial health of your business.

Step 7. Create a junk removal price sheet

Getting paid for removing junk is nice, but junk removal business owners need to make a profit. That means you need to cover your labor, materials, and overhead costs. To achieve this, it’s essential to develop a pricing strategy for your waste removal business:

  • Decide how to charge customers: You might want to have standardized prices for time, weight, and volume (like by the cubic foot). Creating all three will help you establish which way makes the most sense for each job.
  • Research competition pricing: You don’t want your services to be overpriced or underpriced because both scenarios will hurt your earning potential
  • Include overhead: Add all the expenses that are not directly applied to a job, then divide them by the number of billable hours (160 per person, per month). Add this rate to every hour of labor.
  • Additional time and materials: You’ll need to cover time driving, disposal fees, taxes, and your profit margin. In general, junk removal services should assume each job will be at least two hours between driving, pickup, and disposal.

Once you’ve established your junk removal business pricing, you’ll want to create a junk removal price sheet.

Step 8. Get junk removal equipment

Screenshot of UpFlip’s recommended products for junk removal businesses with a junk removal employee in the foreground and a large truck in the background

Junk removal businesses need a variety of tools, equipment, and software to run successfully.

We’ve got you covered! Get all the supplies you need as a junk removal business owner from the UpFlip Junk Removal Store, or check out the list of tools you need for junk removal jobs below.

What do I need to start a junk removal business?

Junk removal businesses need the following:

  • Pickup truck or box truck: You’ll need a vehicle to transport junk. This will be the largest of the business expenses, but Kyle says when you’re first getting started you can just rent a U-Haul.
  • 3-in-1 Dolly: A successful junk removal business will need a dolly that converts to a cart. Kyle told us they have a 1,000-pound capacity dolly.
  • Safety equipment: Depending on what you do in your junk removal business, you’ll need work gloves, work boots, safety goggles, and hard hats.
  • Trash bags and bins: Load small things into these to simplify the process once you get to the dump or recycling yard.
  • Reciprocating saw: Being able to saw items into smaller pieces comes in handy if you are recycling air conditioners because wires, copper, steel, compressors, and motors all have different values. Don’t forget blades and extension cords.

Author’s Note: Hauling away a ton (2,000 pounds) of air conditioners can make you around $2,000, based on my time working in HVAC.

You might want other tools including:

  • 16-ounce claw hammer
  • Construction broom
  • Crowbar
  • Forearm forklift
  • Large trash bins
  • Laundry cart
  • Long cut snips
  • Moving blankets
  • Orange vehicle flag
  • Packing tape
  • Rake
  • Screwdriver set
  • Shovel
  • Sledgehammer
  • Tarps
  • Utility cart
  • Wrench set

Next, find out how to market your junk disposal company.

Step 9. Market your junk removal business

When you start a junk removal business, you’ll need to build a name for yourself. To market yourself, you should:

  1. Post on social media.
  2. Find junk removal leads.
  3. Use junk removal software.
  4. Quote prices.

Post on social media

Social media is a powerhouse for all forms of service businesses. Kyle told us:

I went all in on social media, specifically Facebook. You used to have to go to businesses to network, but I can get way more leads from social.

Junk removal businesses should:

  1. Set up a Facebook business profile.
  2. Get their friends and family to like the Facebook page and share it.
  3. Post pictures of work they do from each junk removal job.
  4. Join local Facebook groups and network with potential customers.
  5. Create automated FAQs on Facebook Messenger.
  6. Keep posting regularly.

Kyle also explained that Instagram is better for marketing his junk removal coaching business.

Find junk removal leads

You’ll need to find customers who need junk disposal services. There are a lot of ways to help people find you when they need help. Kyle discussed where you can find potential customers:

Social media, Google (both search and local ads), flyers, door knocking, and Yelp are all good places to find leads.

Use junk removal business software

Business software is necessary to help potential customers find your business and manage all the jobs.

The main requirements you are looking for in software include a website, email and text automation, quotes, invoicing, and a customer relationship management system.

Many junk removal businesses use either Jobber or Housecall Pro, which offer all of the services above. Based on testing both for blogs, I like Housecall Pro’s functionality better.

Quote prices

Once you have gotten leads, Kyle said that you’ll want to go to the person’s residence or business location so you can see the extent of the junk haul-off. There, you’ll examine what you need to remove and provide an estimate. If you’re in the junk removal truck, you might even be able to haul the junk immediately.

You should also provide a business card so they can contact you if they don’t want the junk removed immediately.

In addition to offering home and office junk removal, Kyle suggested the following services:

You can also offer house flipping, dumpster rentals, and demolition.

Step 10. Remove junk from home or business

Junk removal crew and truck at a work site

When it’s time to collect the junk, you’ll go to the customer’s location and put it in the truck or scrap trailer. Removal time will depend on the number of items, ease of getting to them, and other tasks you need to do.

When you are done, you’ll want to get paid for junk removal. You might also want to provide junk removal business cards because the waste removal industry doesn’t get much repeat business, but business cards could help you get referrals.

Finally, you’ll take the junk to the dump, a recycling yard, or somewhere that you can repair it. When there are things you can recycle or repair, you can commonly make some extra money when you have slow periods.

Step 11. Expand your junk removal company

When you start a junk removal company, you’ll want to find ways to expand it. Kyle told us:

Focus on perfecting one thing, but be open to expanding to other services. In my case, it led to house flipping and coaching.

You could recycle or repair appliances to make extra money, too. As your business grows, you could also franchise your business to help other people get started quicker.

Find employees

Kyle explained:

Lots of people thought I was all talk, but once I started a lot of my friends wanted to become junk removers.

If you don’t want to work with friends, learn about hiring employees from a recruiter.

Systemize everything

Establishing and documenting systems and policies for your business can make it run smoother, even in your absence.

Junk removal business FAQ

How much is junk removal for customers?

Junk removal pros normally charge a minimum pickup fee of $50 to $150, and larger jobs may cost a minimum of $100 to $450. If customers rent dumpsters, those may cost $30 to $285 per day.

Can I buy a junk removal franchise?

Screenshot of 1-800-GOT-JUNK’s Start a Franchise page

Yes, you can buy a junk removal franchise. Some of the common junk removal franchises are:

  • 1-800-Got-Junk?: The most famous commercial junk removal company hauls away all kinds of junk.
  • College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving: Starting a junk removal business with College HUNKS means you’ll provide moving and junk removal services.
  • Bin There Dump That: This hauling junk business brings dumpsters to people’s homes, then hauls it afterward. Learn more.
  • Junk Removal Authority (JRA): The JRA offers the equivalent of franchise support without royalty fees.
  • JDog Junk Removal & Hauling: JDog focuses on helping veterans start waste removal companies. They also donate or recycle over 60% of junk.
  • The Junkluggers: Junkluggers franchises offer same-day and next-day junk and trash removal.

Learn about other junk collector franchises.

Go start your own junk removal business

Whether you want to start a junk removal side hustle, buy a franchise, or start your own business, we’ve covered every aspect of entering the junk removal business as an entrepreneur.

It’s up to you to get started. What kind of junk removal will you do?


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Finding the best values on vending machines can make or break a vending machine business. So, what should you know before you start looking for vending machines for sale? We’ve got you covered! Adam Hill started Hill Vending by buying a $120K vending machine business in 2014, but lost the largest location before growing the business to nearly $600K annual sales. He shared advice with us about buying vending machines, and we’re excited to share it with you. [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"] Here’s what this article will cover (Click any of the links below to jump to each section): [/su_note]

What You Should Know Before Buying Vending Machines

Adam explained there are four keys to a vending machine business:
  1. Location
  2. Machines
  3. Service
  4. Pricing
He went on to explain: [su_quote]If you’re in a slow location, it doesn’t matter how good your machines, pricing, and service are. You won’t make any money. You have to have all four keys to be successful.[/su_quote] Check out the rest of our interview below:
Want more inspiring interviews? Then check out our YouTube channel.

5 Choices to Make Before Buying Vending Machines

In addition, Adam discussed topics like:
  1. The importance of sticking with a single vendor
  2. Whether to buy new, refurbished, or used vending machines
  3. Key features you need
  4. Buying routes vs machines
  5. Types of machines
We’ll discuss each of these and how they impact buying vending machines.

#1. Choose a Vendor

Screenshot of vendors from amsvendors website Adam explained that you should stick with one to two vendors. He went on to explain why: [su_quote]You need your parts to be interchangeable to be profitable.[/su_quote] This is critical because there are hundreds of parts in your typical snack or soda vending machines. Some commonly replaced vending machine parts are bill changers, coin validators, and refrigeration racks. He also shared his favorite brands with us: [su_quote]AMS and Vendo are by far the best machines I’ve used.[/su_quote] When possible, we’ll use links to these brands because we want your vending business to be prepared for success.

#2. New vs Used vs Refurbished Vending Machines 

The vending industry offers three main ways to buy equipment:
  • New Vending Machines For Sale: A new vending machine seller will normally be the most expensive, but it will come with the longest warranty and require less repairs when you start your vending machine business.
  • Refurbished Vending Machines For Sale: If you want to save some money, a refurbished machine offers benefits of new and used machines. You get a warranty, the machine has been inspected, and has a shorter warranty than new machines, but it costs more than used vending machines for sale.
  • Used Vending Machines For Sale: Purchasing a used machine has the least upfront cost, but you’ll likely have more maintenance costs.
Adam suggests going to an AMS or Vendo distributor early in the journey. He also told us: [su_quote]Find who has the best price. Once you know the machines, then you can go on used markets.[/su_quote] Next, let’s look at the key features of a vending machine and what you should consider when you look for a vending machine for sale.

#3. Key Features

Screenshot of apple pay from oberlo Adam explained other key features that you should look for when buying vending machines. If they don’t have these features, you’ll have to upgrade the machines or risk losing money.
  • Credit Card Reader: Your vending machine business needs to be able to accept credit cards.
  • Apple Pay or Tap Pay: According to Oberlo, approximately one out of every six people use Apple Pay or similar tap pay functionality on a monthly basis.
  • I-Vend: You’ll want to make sure vending machines for sale include a vending machine drop sensor like I-Vend, which guarantees the product comes out or prompts the customers to make another selection.
Adam explained: [su_quote]Some locations have 70% card sales.[/su_quote] He also warned: [su_quote]There are still machines out there without it. If you buy equipment that isn’t compatible with these functions, you’ll have to replace the equipment and that eats your profits really quickly.[/su_quote]

#4. Buying Routes vs Machines

Adam explained that it is easier to find an existing vending business for sale than purchase a vending machine and find somewhere to place it, but that it is not without hazards. This was his experience shortly after he went to purchase a vending machine route: [su_quote]I bought 30-40 locations and the largest location decided to start buying and managing their own vending machine sales. I had to scramble to find places to put a vending machine near me.[/su_quote] Despite that challenge, he believes that starting with a route is more beneficial because you can eliminate figuring out locations and focus on getting the machines, pricing, and service right. In the class we’re creating, Adam will discuss how to purchase a vending machine route. Sign up for early access to our course with tons of great vending information.

#5. Types of Vending Machines

Different types of vending machine Another major consideration for the selection of vending machines is what you’ll stock in the vending machines you operate. Companies have a large selection of products to offer while operating a vending machine business. Adam told us: [su_quote]I mostly sell food, but I have one cigarette machine.[/su_quote] We’ve created a list of common types of vending machines for sale to help you get started selling.

Snack Vending Machines For Sale

One of the most common vending machines business owners want is one that sells snacks like: [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]
  • Candy
  • Chips
  • Pretzels 
  • Cookies
  • Pastries 
  • Other food
[/su_note] You can find AMS Vending Machines including the Classic Snack or the 4-Wide Classic. Alternatively, consider Vendo options like G-Snack Vendors You might also search “snack shop for sale” to find a snack machine for sale.

Soda Vending Machine For Sale

Soda vending machines are also popular vending machines you might want to buy. Whether you’re looking for soda vending machines for home or business use, both Automated Merchandising Systems and Vendo have a soda machine for sale. Check out the options below:
  • Steeley: This drink machine holds up to 300 PET bottles or 680 cans with up to 10 different selections.
  • Coke Machine For Sale: Sell up to 800 cans or 360 bottles in a Coke branded vending machine. The Coke brand will limit your drinks to Coca-Cola products.
  • Low Temp Beverage Machine: This pop machine holds up to 240 PET bottles and you can offer up to 40 different beverage options. Provide the largest selection of drinks your customers can imagine.
Next, let’s look at combo vending machines.

Combo Vending Machine For Sale

Screenshot of low temp combo from ams website Want to offer a full line of snacks and drinks? Consider combo machines like the AMS Cold Temp Combo. You’ll be able to hold three rows of snacks and 96 20-ounce bottles making a combo machine a one-stop-shop. The G-Snack vendors from Vendo are machines vending snacks and beverages.

Candy Machine For Sale

A candy vending machine is another popular machine. There are three ways to sell candy out of vending machines:
  1. Use a snack machine for larger candy.
  2. Get bulk vending machines.
  3. Find gumball machines for sale.
Vendo and AMS vending machines focus mostly on drink and snack vending machines, so we’ll have to look at other providers if you are selling candy.
Bulk Vending Machines For Sale
Screenshot of bulk vending machine from candymachines.com website These machines are great for selling handfuls of candy like M&Ms, a snack like nuts, or even small toys and stickers. You can buy Selectivend bulk machines from Sams Club for $240 each or a variety of machines ranging from $170 to $2,400 from CandyMachines.com.
Gumball Machines For Sale
Gumball machines are a favorite for kids because they get to watch the gumballs roll out into their hands. There are a ton of cheap vending machines for sale in this category, or you can go for fancier ones that are more fun like this 79” gumball machine! That’s right—it’s over six feet tall! Don’t forget a ladder! Don't forget to check out other types of vending machines.

How Much Is a Vending Machine?

The vending machine price will vary depending on the type, condition, and features of the machines. As a general rule, you can find the following price ranges:
  • New Vending Machines: $2,000+ for larger machines, $50+ for small vending machines like gumball and bulk vending.
  • Refurbished Vending Machines: 20% to 70% off the price to purchase vending machine options, depending on who does the refurbishing and the length of the warranty.
  • Used Vending Machines: While it used to be easier to find vending machines for sale under $500, the recent inflationary environment has made it a challenge to find vending machine prices that low. The lowest I found in my area was about $750, but each location is different.

Where to Buy a Vending Machine 

Some of the best places to buy vending machines include
  • AMS Vendors
  • Vendo Distributors
  • Sams Club
  • CandyMachines.com

Other Vending Blogs

Check out our other blogs about vending machines including:
  1. Check out our other blogs about vending machines including:
    1. Places for Vending Machines
    2. Getting Vending Machine Licenses
Then sign up for our Vending Machine Bootcamp.

What Vending Machine Brand Do You Prefer?

We hope this information helps you prepare to find vending machines for sale. Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to equipment.  We love reader input. Would you mind taking a moment to answer the question below? Please don’t include links because they get flagged as spam. Thank you! What brands of vending machines have you found to be reliable and easy to maintain? 

Have you ever wondered how to start a clothing brand? Starting a clothing line business only requires a little investment and some technical skills. You can start a clothing business and make a great living. We’ll show you how.

[su_note note_color="#dbeafc"] Read our guide from start to finish or click any of the links below to jump straight to the section you need to know about right now.

Case Study: Portland Gear

Marcus Harvey turned his love for Portland, Oregon, into a hometown clothing brand called Portland Gear. He started screen printing in college to make some extra money but stopped to take on his first job.

On Thanksgiving of 2014, he designed two shirts, posted them on Instagram, and sold $5K worth on the first day. Six years later, Portland Gear is making over $100K a month.

Marcus took the time to explain how to start a clothing brand. He gave us a ton of great advice about how to start your own clothing brand that we’ll include while providing a step-by-step guide to start a clothing brand.

How to Start a Clothing Brand

Man sitting in a boutique holding two shirts hung on hangers

Starting a clothing brand is part art and part business. You’ll want to follow this 11-step process to start a clothing line.

  1. Learn design skills.
  2. Create a clothing brand business plan.
  3. Pay attention to fashion trends.
  4. Create a brand identity.
  5. Market your brand.
  6. Source materials.
  7. Develop your collection.
  8. Package and distribute your collection.
  9. Promote your collection.
  10. Sell your clothing brand.
  11. Keep growing your clothing brand.

Get ready to learn how to make your own clothing brand.

Learn Design Skills

You don’t have to attend school to succeed in the fashion business. You can learn almost everything you need to about fashion brands online. While you can start a clothing brand without a formal education, many people find they benefit from the structured learning environment that comes with enrolling in some official courses.

Attending live in-person courses comes with access to networking opportunities, insights from an experienced fashion designer, and specialized resources and tools.

Educational institutions around the country and the world provide fashion design and small business programs that teach their students how to start successful clothing lines. Renowned schools like Parsons in New York and Central Saint Martins in the UK are globally recognized for their exceptional fashion education.

For those with more determination than resources or time, there are online courses from successful clothing line professionals including Marc Jacobs’ MasterClass and Maker’s Row Academy.

You can even use Udemy for accessible and flexible learning opportunities.

A clothing brand business owner may need skills in the following:

  • Design
  • Technology
  • Production and printing
  • Business

Let’s dig deeper into each of these to see how they impact a clothing brand.

Clothing Design Skills

Every fashion brand needs a designer. This is the person who takes the idea and makes it a reality.

A fashion designer will typically include several steps in the design process. The steps to design your own clothing brand include:

  1. Draw design using paper or digital software, like Tailornova.
  2. Have a pattern maker cut the patterns for the design.
  3. Build a prototype.
  4. Make alterations.
  5. Create a tech pack (design specifications you give to a clothing manufacturer).
  6. Source the materials and begin manufacturing.

This process is called product development and is used consistently in the fashion business. Managing product development is one of the keys to a successful clothing company. Without a controlled design and development process, a company may fail or tarnish its brand identity.

I’m not going to go into all the details of each as these are highly technical fields, but there are a ton of great resources on how to design clothes. Here are some useful resources to consider:

Pro Tip: I have a client who is in the process of starting their own clothing brand and have personally used Printful to help clients meet their print-on-demand needs. Their software helps you with all steps involved in creating clothing designs, making it easier to start building your fashion brand company and selling your designs to potential customers through an online store.

Technology

The next skill you need to develop is familiarity with the technology aspect of the industry. Paying a developer to help start your eCommerce store can be expensive. I’ve seen people spend $25K and not get what they want. It’s important to understand the technology aspect before you start.

Technology that will need to be used includes:

Decisions around what tech you’ll use are crucial when trying to figure out how to start a clothing brand because the costs are much lower to run an eCommerce store with production from a print-on-demand company that handles the printing and shipping of the items you design than sourcing our own designs from a manufacturer.

Most tech companies offer free or low-cost tutorials on how to use their software. Make sure to use them. They were built to help you make the most of their offerings.

Production and Printing Skills

Screen printing with orange ink on a white t-shirt

Your clothing business will need production, which can be done through a manufacturing partner, or you can print your own t-shirts and other apparel products. If you are going to take on the production, you’ll need to learn how to use the different types of machines.

Some techniques you might need to learn include:

The best way to learn these techniques is hands-on, which means purchasing your own machines or finding a manufacturing partner who will teach you. I’d like to remind you that drop-shipping companies reduce much of this workload. Once you’ve built the business up, learning to do it can save you some money, but production costs quickly increase the upfront costs to start a clothing brand.

Business Skills

Business skills encompass a wide range of essential tasks including accounting, pricing, shipping, and managing inventory. To educate yourself on all of these would require a lifetime of learning. We’ve provided a list of useful resources for leveling up your fashion business skills.

Pro Tip: You can also use YouTube videos to learn almost anything these days.

Create a Clothing Brand Business Plan

Designer sitting in her office space

Starting a clothing brand has many of the same considerations as any new small business, including establishing how much money you’ll need, when to get financing, and planning for legal, financial, marketing, production, and distribution of the clothing—all of which we recommend including in your business plan.

Marcus told us,

[su_quote]We started by setting up at Portland events in our old Volkswagen van and expanded from there.[/su_quote]

Meanwhile, the owner of Urbanity started his successful clothing boutique by writing a 100-page business plan and getting a small business loan at 22.

Fashion Brand Business Models

The most important consideration when you start a clothing brand is how you’ll produce your clothes brand. These are the main ways that designer brands produce their clothing:

  1. Hand-produced clothing: You can create your entire clothing line by hand. This is usually something that designers will do when they are designing prototypes or one-off pieces. It’s time-consuming and only suitable for extremely small batches, but great for creating the first piece of custom-tailored clothing.
  2. Bulk manufacturing: Bulk manufacturing is a necessity if you are selling your clothing in major retailers. Minimum order quantities apply for bulk orders. The equipment is costly, so you’ll likely work with a manufacturing partner. This is one of the least costly per item but highest upfront cost business models for clothing production.
  3. Print-on-demand: You can avoid handmaking many products and having to manage inventory with print-on-demand. You won’t get as good of deals as you will with bulk manufacturing (and may have less design control and fewer options), but you’ll be able to produce more pieces than you would by handmaking products. Production doesn’t start until the product is ordered.
  4. Dropshipping: With dropshipping, you don’t have to worry about managing inventory or printing. You simply list the item on your website and when someone places an order, it is sent directly from the manufacturer to the customer.

Now that you know different clothing brand business models, let’s discuss how much creating a clothing brand costs.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Clothing Brand?

Pay Attention to Fashion Trends

The Modest Man history of plaid article on a laptop

If you’re wondering how to start your own brand of clothing, you need to pay attention to trends in the fashion industry. At the same time, you have to maintain a consistent brand identity.

Understanding the seasonal and annual trends in clothing design will help you stay relevant. Depending on the time it takes to create a line, manufacture it, and promote it, you may need to think one to three seasons ahead to stay on track with seasonal changes. There are tools to help you predict trends, too.

Alternatively, you can try to find evergreen designs that people are always buying, like plaid, which can be traced back to as far as the eighth century B.C.

Next, we’ll discuss how to create a clothing brand identity.

Create a Brand Identity

Making a clothing brand is more than a logo and your name. It’s about something bigger than a collection of clothing items. It’s about your values, how you’ll make lives better, your standards, your lifestyle, the colors, fonts, and fabrics you use, and more.

Once you’ve defined what makes your clothing brand unique, create a brand guide that will help you make decisions as you launch and grow the brand.

Pro Tip: Need some inspiration as you make clothing brand decisions? Check out our handpicked boutique name ideas for 2024.

Clothing Brand Name Ideas

Your business name is often the first thing your target market will see. It will communicate what the brand is all about and you’ll use it to make your logo, too. There are a ton of ways to name a clothing business. Some fashion designers use names that:

  • Pay Homage to the Founder: Think Ralph Lauren or Louis Vuitton.
  • Describe Clothing Items: CryptoLids creates hats for crypto and web3 communities.
  • Show a Passion: Portland Gear celebrates the culture of Portland in its fashion line.

Your business name should be one that makes it easy to convey your brand story. Unless you’re already an established brand, you’ll want every advantage you can get when communicating with your target audience.

Try out our clothing brand name generator to find inspiration. Once you find a clothing brand name you like, just click on it to find out if the domain name is available. Learn more about naming a clothing brand.

Financial Management

A crucial portion of successfully starting a fashion business is managing its financial aspects. Marcus emphasized the benefits of starting small:

[su_quote]You get quantity discounts the more of the same item you buy, so it’s better to start small than have 100 different products.[/su_quote]

He typically aims for a 65% margin on the apparel.

You may need some extra funds to start your clothing brand. To find banks that work with small businesses, use this resource.

Let’s look at some tricks you can use to help your clothing brand become profitable.

Get a Business Bank Account

Almost every bank offers business checking and savings accounts. Which one will work best for you depends on how you do business.

If all business is by card and you don’t need a branch nearby, online banks typically pay better interest, but going with the big players like Chase or Wells Fargo means you get a ton of support. Here are some of the most highly recommended business banking accounts:

  • Chase Business Complete Banking – Great new account bonuses.
  • U.S. Bank Silver Banking Checking – Excellent for use with eCommerce and PayPal transactions because you can send weekly deposits to avoid some of their fees.
  • Axos Interest Checking – My personal favorite! Offers higher interest payments for lower balances. I love that they hook up the little guy!
  • Wells Fargo – I was with Wells Fargo for the better part of 15 years, but when I had some problems a few years back, it caused me a real headache because the nearest branch was two hours away and I couldn’t handle it by phone. Despite that, they normally have great customer service and seem to have gotten past all that.

Pro Tip: Investopedia gives a more thorough review of each of these accounts. Ultimately, the interest offered by online banks tends to be significant and the absence of a bank building won’t be a problem unless you need to deposit cash.

Payment Processors

The last time I took the time to review payment processors, they all seem to be basically the same unless you are doing hundreds of thousands of transactions. That being said, there are some new players on the market due to the changes in the financial markets brought on by cryptocurrency. The primary players in this field are:

  1. PayPal – We all know the company and use it frequently, but if you’ve never used it for business, be careful. They show a ton of love for customers, but not as much toward businesses. When I started my first business, they thought we were making money too quickly and placed a 30-day hold on withdrawals. It was a pain. Once I got past that, it’s all good. They offer third-party financing, too.
  2. Square and Cashapp – Square has a ton of useful features and is constantly expanding its ecosystem. It’s a reasonable competitor to PayPal. I recommend you consider offering both.
  3. Authorize.Net – Visa-owned payment gateway. If you go through a bank for your payment processor, this is typically who they use. The banks tend to charge a higher fee than going directly to them.
  4. Crypto.Com – Lower fees than traditional processors, but still hasn’t perfected the UI or UX experience. If you work with a bunch of cryptocurrency holders, you might want to have it available. I’ve personally added my own on my site. This may be the future of tech, but it’s still in its infancy.

Budget, Budget, Budget!

Hand holding a fan of hundred dollar bills in the foreground and clothing retail space in the background

A budget is the most important tool you can use in business. Without it, your clothing brand might not make it through the first few years.

Marcus encourages you to “know your margins, reinvest in your business, and grow responsibly.”

Consider Your Many Funding Options

Starting a clothing brand doesn’t cost a fortune. The initial investment in owning a clothing brand can be less than $1,000.

Marcus suggests beginners use:

  • Shopify
  • A print-on-demand company
  • A social media marketing budget of less than $500 a month

Common funding paths include:

  • Personal funds
  • Loans from family or friends
  • Business partner(s)
  • Government programs

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers free courses on funding programs. For info on using personal funds to start a business, check out this article from The Hartford.

Alternative sources of funding include:

Click on the link to find a list of the best offerings in each group.

Develop a Pricing Structure

How you price your clothing brand will impact how people view it. If your prices are too high, they’ll go elsewhere. Too low, and you’ll lose money. Based on the rules of thumb presented by Marcus in his interview,

[su_quote]Use a 65% markup, or half that if wholesale. T-shirts are typically $28, hats $35, and hoodies just under $70.[/su_quote]

Pricing Communicates Value

Shops will often sell their products or services for a lower price to bring in new customers. Be careful doing this. If you sell your clothing for a discount and they tell others, you might have to sell more clothing for the same price. People love a good deal! Just make sure it is sustainable for your clothing brand, or the “expiration date” is clear.

Marcus told us,
[su_quote]You can go buy bargain basement t-shirts for $10, but I’m selling a brand, not clothing. I feel like $25 is really where people have to think about buying a t-shirt. If they have to think about buying it, they are more likely to wear it.[/su_quote]

Increase Prices Every Year

Inflation occurs every year. To keep your business running, raise your prices 5% per year. It gives you room to increase wages and to make some extra money. Makes sense, right?

Sales Taxes

All but five states and some cities (or counties) require sales tax. You can find a guide on applying for sales tax on TaxJar. After you register to pay sales taxes, you will need to keep track of the sales to pay them according to state laws.

Pro Tip: I highly recommend speaking with an accountant who specializes in taxes to help you comply with your business’s unique needs.

Insurance

NOLO state unemployment agencies webpage on a laptop

You’ll need some insurance depending on what kind of a business you are running. For example, you’ll need unemployment insurance and workers compensation if you have employees.

You may also want a general liability policy and cybersecurity insurance to protect against unforeseen events that could cause your clothing brand business substantial losses.

  • Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment insurance (UI) protects employees from entirely losing income when they lose their jobs. It is paid for on both the federal and state level. The federal unemployment insurance is driven by a 6% tax on the first $7,000 of each employee’s income, a total of $420 per year per employee. Your state taxes can reduce the federal portion down to $42 per year per employee, but each state has different requirements. You can find a full list of agencies that deal with UI on nolo.com.
  • Workers Compensation: Workers compensation is for when people are injured on the job. There are both federal and state requirements, which you can review on this Department of Labor webpage. The policies protect against excessive costs when an employee is injured through acceptable business practices.
  • General Liability Policy: A general liability policy is not required, but it is highly advised if people other than employees will be at your physical location. It protects against lawsuits and other occurrences that may occur. Contact an insurance agent to get a quote.
  • Cybersecurity Insurance: Cybersecurity insurance will protect your clothing brand against online store hacks. Given the average data breach is millions of dollars, this is highly recommended if participating in any kind of eCommerce.

Market Your Brand

You’re ready to start a clothing brand. You have clothes to sell, but no clients! How are you going to let people know about your clothing items?

Marketing is crucial for clothing businesses.

From a marketing standpoint, Marcus uses several strategies that he would suggest.

  • Only sell what you love. Owning a business is hard work. If you don’t believe in it, it will wear you out.
  • Be active within your community. Do popup shops where your target market is.
  • Keep your advertising budget low—typically less than $500 a month.
  • Have certain dates when you have sales and be prepared for them.
  • Invest in photography!

Marketing

Concept of a designer in her workspace with social media and eCommerce icons including Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and Google hovering over her laptop

Marketing is about going where your target audience is to help them become aware of your clothing brand and turning awareness into purchasing. Marketing can be done both online and through other channels.

You’ll need to be familiar with the largest three places where you can reach your clothing brand’s customers:

Each of these has a ton of resources to educate people on how to reach your target market with their products for businesses. Make sure to familiarize yourself with them; otherwise, you’ll be operating in the dark and wasting a lot of money.

Pro Tip: Portland Gear only spends about $500 a month on advertising because they already had a built-in following from their Portland Instagram page. They also use a super cool 1973 VW Westfalia to do pop-up shops around Portland, which we’ll discuss in a bit...

Source Materials

When you start a clothing company, how you source materials for your fashion brand will create different challenges based on the business model you choose.

With a print-on-demand model, you’ll be constrained by the materials and manufacturing capabilities of each of the providers. Meanwhile, with handmade clothing and limited runs, you probably want to focus on ordering materials from online stores located in the U.S. or local craft shops where you can see and feel the materials before you buy them.

When your business model involves creating larger batches, it gets far more complicated because the materials have shipping costs that are incurred when they are shipped to the clothing manufacturer facility, then the manufactured product has to be shipped to you (or your clients). Every time you have shipping during the manufacturing process, there is a potential for the business model to experience additional costs in the form of tariffs and mileage charges.

True Story: I knew a clothing business owner who ordered a single roll of fabric from China as an expedited order. The shipping ended up costing almost 20 times the fabric cost and guaranteed that the batch he was designing would be a loss. It was a tough mistake to make, especially before the company made any revenue. Sign up for our UpFlip Mentorship program to get advice and avoid costly mistakes.

Curate a Small Clothing Line

Starting a clothing brand is a lot of work.

I reached out to the friend of mine who owns Cryptolids.com, which has helped 26 web3 companies launch their clothing business this year. He told us:

[su_quote]I spend about 40 to 60 hours on a full store build including all front end and back end creation as well as mocking up merch for up to 50 t-shirts, hats, and other products.[/su_quote]

He does this every day, so he is super fast at designing a t-shirt or hat design and adding it to an online store. My takeaway: Expect to spend at least two to three hours per product until you get used to all the design work for your own clothing brand.

Custom designs that don’t use standardized t-shirts and hats could take even longer. Project Runway contestants, for example, normally spend one to two days creating each piece on the reality TV show, while a discussion about fashion industry design times reflects varying inputs and revealed that:

[su_quote]This whole process takes about 4 months. 4 weeks for research and sourcing. 4 weeks for cutting and toiles. 8 weeks for finalising, material creation, accessories et cetera.[/su_quote]

Package & Distribute Your Collection

Once you’ve created your own clothing line, you’ll need to decide how to package each clothing item. Like designing clothes, private label packaging contributes to how your clothing brand idea will be received.

If you’re selling in an online store, you might want a box that showcases your brand and offers coupons to encourage customer loyalty, while a retail store in the clothing industry might want paper or plastic bags. Make sure to use recycled materials if you’re trying to be eco-friendly. On the other hand, wholesale clothing suppliers might go for a plain box with a packing slip inside.

Promote Your Collection

Woman with long brown hair standing in a boutique with a bullhorn

There are a number of ways to promote your collection when starting a clothing brand.

  • Consignment
  • Wholesale
  • Create an Online Store
  • Retail Locations

We’ll discuss how each of these can help you turn your clothing company into a successful fashion brand.

Consignment

Many retailers allow a new business to sell their products in their retail store if you offer consignment. Unfortunately, consignment means you have to provide your clothing line to the retailer and only get paid when they sell the item.

When you start a clothing brand, consignment makes it easier to get your entire clothing line into a store. This business model can be really beneficial in the fashion world because of the risk-free nature to the retailer.

Wholesale

When you wholesale your clothing brand, retailers will buy your clothing designs in bulk. Retailers normally won’t want to do this when you start a clothing brand because it’s more costly. Start with consignment and work your way up to wholesaling.

Pro Tip: When you’re approaching a store, make a point to be respectful of their time. A good sales strategy for clothing brands is to provide a card or catalog and ask to schedule a meeting in the future to give the business owner or manager time to review what you do and prepare for a conversation.

Create an Online Store

Your clothing business needs to be capable of working as an online business idea before you launch your own online store. Your business plan should also include information about handling shipping and fulfillment. You’ll need to consider aspects like online customer service, the impact on your production model or clothing manufacturer, and your packaging.

As long as you know how your clothing line will handle these things, your existing clothing brand can use your website as online marketing and a way to sell your products directly to customers. That means you’ll be able to get the full retail price for your clothing brand without having to share the profits with other retailers or eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay.

There are plenty of web builders that you can explore if you’re wondering how to start a clothing brand online. When you are choosing which ones to use you’ll want to consider which web templates work best for your style of ecommerce and which will convey your brand messaging best. Learn how to build a website here.

Pro Tip: I personally prefer Shopify. You can start with a free clothing brand template like Boundless. You might also want an app that makes it easier for people to understand how your clothing line fits. You can use other online marketplaces directly from Shopify, too, which can magnify your clothing brand results.

Important Website Pages

Some of the most important web pages for the fashion industry include your home page, collections, product pages, about page, contact page, and FAQ. Make sure to use your brand guide when creating these pages to keep your website in line with your clothing line branding.

Great Photos

A clothing line benefits tremendously from great pictures. Have you ever seen a picture of a product and then when you receive it, the color is completely different? Your target customers probably won’t be happy, which means they might return the product. They might even tell potential customers not to buy from you. 

Finding a professional photographer who captures true-to-color lifestyle images with clothing brand models can really convey a brand image better than using stock photos or cell phone pictures. It may seem costly, but it can pay off over the long run.

Marketing

Every business model struggles to market its services until it cracks the code of what works for them, but some strategies work if you take the time to get good at them. Some of the marketing strategies you should consider for your clothing brand include:

  • Content marketing: Sharing photos, optimized video, and blog posts helps drive traffic to your brand.
  • Email marketing: Start building an email list as soon as you start working on your clothing business. You can share updates about working on the collection to help people get excited about the clothing line and do giveaways to incentivize emails.
  • Lend clothing: Beauty businesses use clothes during photo shoots and will pin your clothing brand when they share the pics if they use your clothes.
  • Influencer marketing: Working with TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram influencers can help get your clothing line in front of lots of people.
  • Loyalty program: Reward loyal customers and encourage them to refer potential customers.
  • Collaborations: Find other brands with similar values to collaborate with for crossbranding opportunities.
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your high-performing website pages with SEO to increase traffic to your fashion brand store.
  • Social media advertising: Use paid ads, promoted posts, and organic content.

Sell Your Clothing Brand

Clothing brands can be sold through a variety of sales channels. Some of the most common for a new business include:

  • Online marketplaces
  • Your own retail store
  • Other retailers
  • Popup shops
  • Partner brands

Online Marketplaces

Selling clothes can be done through various sites. The top places to list your clothing brand include:

Pro Tip: Shopify connects to most of these sales channels easily, which makes it so clothing companies can sell their wear on multiple sites at once. Make sure to look at the percentage of sales that each one takes to make sure you set the retail price of your clothing line to cover any commissions that they collect.

Your Own Retail Store

Creating clothing brand stores is a great way to make your brand more accessible, but it is expensive. You should probably assume you’ll need at least $100,000 to open a clothing store, and there are a lot of considerations.

Marcus told us,

[su_quote]One of the things we’ve done to keep the symmetry of the business is we keep the warehouse, office, and store real close together so everyone can be on the same page.[/su_quote]

Marcus discussed his experiences with opening his first shop in the interview about how to make a clothing brand below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcPqw952Xm8

To find spaces to rent in your area, contact a local commercial real estate agent. You can search for them by your area here.

Other Retail Stores

As we discussed earlier, there are a few ways to get your fashion brand into other clothing stores, including consignment and wholesaling. Consignment pays when the clothing is sold, while wholesaling pays before the clothing is sold or on a Net-30, net-60 or Net-90 schedule.

Popup Shops

Popup shops are fun marketing tools to meet your customers where they gather. These are great for brand identity because they help associate the business with another place people already like.

Common places where popup shops are allowed include:

  • Music festivals
  • Art shows
  • Flea markets
  • Sporting events
  • Coffee shops

You’ll have to talk to the owner or manager of the location you have your eye on to get their permission and sort out details, but most are normally agreeable if you meet their conditions. Your municipality may also have laws governing pop-up shops.

With popup shops, spaces are typically limited to no more than 10’x10’ or 20’x20’, and the location will normally want to be able to see what your setup will look like beforehand.

Pro Tip: This SBA guide on business laws is a good reference that you can skim now and dig into as sales opportunities unfold.

Partner Brands

Providing your clothing line to partner brands is a great strategy. You can make it even more meaningful by offering combined deals where the customer gets a discount if they buy from both brands together. This can be done both in-store and online.

Keep Growing Your Clothing Business

Man in a clothing shop checking on inventory

As you achieve milestones in your business plan, you’ll want to look for new ways to grow your own brand and provide valuable services for your target audience. You might open another store, take control of the manufacturing process from your existing clothing manufacturer, wholesale clothing, or provide consulting services to other prospective designers.

There are so many ways how to make your own brand of clothing successful. Read on to learn more about common strategies.

Keep Inventory

Carrying inventory is both a blessing and a curse for a fashion startup. You’ll have to pay more to create clothing brand inventory, but the per-unit pricing usually is less than using print-on-demand. That means when you sell your private label products to customers at a higher price point, your cost of goods sold leaves you with more gross profit.

A strictly online store can get away with using print-on-demand or dropshipping, but fashion brands will need at least some materials and clothing items when they sell in person. That means you’ll need product displays, registers, and mannequins.

Marcus started Portland Gear with just two designs and 1,000 shirts, which made it easy to sell out the first day.

Startingaclothingbrand.com offers a list of manufacturers by location and type of clothing. It’s a great place to start when looking for clothing manufacturers.

Take Over From the Manufacturing Facility

You can get used printing machines and product displays at huge discounts if you buy them used. You can find printers and product displays through most on-brand markets, pawnshops, going-out-of-business sales, and other places. Consider buying an existing business with the printers included in the purchase price.

Pro Tip: Learn more about valuing an existing business in our guide to buying businesses.

Taking over manufacturing may cost more upfront, but a business model in which you produce your existing or new clothing brand yourself can increase your margins and mean a successful business that’s that much more in your control. 

Hire Employees

Marcus emphasized the importance of hiring the right people when starting a clothing brand.

[su_quote]You need to hire people that fit the brand story.[/su_quote]

A clothing store that’s open to the public might need employees. Depending on your financial position when starting, you can work all the hours yourself or hire right away.

Even if you run a completely online clothing store, you might scale to a point where you need help with fulfilling orders, marketing efforts, sales strategy, and managing social media accounts so you can go from making your new business work to really taking on the fashion world.

Go Start Your Own Clothing Brand

Now that you know how to start a brand of clothing, take the next step. Start your own!

The truth is, all it takes is a great idea, some skills in design, and a good marketing strategy to get started. As Marcus told us:

[su_quote]If you like it, there are other people who will like it. You just have to find them.[/su_quote]

Have you started a clothing brand online, consigned your designs, or opened a retail shop? Or do you know someone who has? We’d love to hear about your brand in the comments below!

A cleaning supplies list is essential to ensure you have the right tools for the job—on hand and ready to go. Every cleaning business will need similar cleaning supplies, but house and janitorial supplies will need different tools. If you offer green cleaning services, you’ll want environmentally friendly products that comply with the Climate Pledge (see below), a promise to be net zero carbon emissions by 2040. This list was created with the help of Christopher Mondragon from our cleaning course. Chris started Queen Bee Cleaning Service and is making around $1.4 million a year, so he knows the essential cleaning supplies to run a highly successful cleaning company. [su_note note_color="#dbeafc"] We’ve broken down the complete cleaning supplies list into the following categories: 
  1. Everyday cleaning supplies
  2. Natural cleaning supplies
  3. Cleaning supplies for kitchens
  4. Cleaning supplies for restrooms
  5. Cleaning supplies for bedrooms[/su_note]
Check out our first interview with Chris! [su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcYIYdqegGA"] Before we get too far, here is a quick look at the selection process.

How We Chose Cleaning Products

We chose these products based on a house cleaning supplies list, but when there are different products people might like, we give you various options. In addition, we tried to include products that:
  1. Qualify for Amazon Prime. Get a 30-day free trial if you don’t already have Amazon Prime. Amazon also offers business prime accounts with tiers starting around $70 per year.
  2. Offer Subscribe and Save: This makes the process of reordering supplies easier as time goes on. You also get discounts. 
  3. Meet the Standards of Amazon Climate Pledge: (This website is cool. Check out their timeline. It’s awesome!)
If you’re just here for the cleaning supplies list pdf, download it below.

House Cleaning Supplies

Professional Cleaning Supplies Checklist The following supplies are ones that every cleaning company should have.

Glass Cleaner

Everyone will need a glass cleaner for windows and mirrors, make sure it’s on your cleaning supply list. If you’re focused on items for a cleaning business, we’d suggest getting two products:
  1. Windex Spray Bottles: This one is under $30 and perfect for teams.
  2. Windex Glass and Multi-Surface Cleaner: For under $25 you can get enough Windex to refill five Windex spray bottles.
These work for home cleaners or Airbnb cleaning services.

Aprons

Screenshot of aprons from Amazon website An apron is one of the must have cleaning supplies. There are a ton of options, but you’ll want an apron with at least two pouches to carry your cleaning materials. If you want to get snazzy, buy custom aprons with your cleaning business logo on it.

Vacuum Cleaner

No cleaning tools and equipment list would be complete without a vacuum cleaner. You’ll want a nice one, too. Consider buying some of the Commercial Vacuum Cleaners. Make sure it comes with attachments like a crevice tool. To get tough to reach places that other house cleaners might miss.

Wet Floor Signs

When you mop, wax, or polish tile, wood, or other hard surfaces, make sure your cleaners put out a wet floor sign to protect people from slipping and hurting themselves. This is especially important for a commercial cleaning supplies list. Get the 12 Pack of Wet Floor Signs, and you’ll have enough to start cleaning homes. Keep reading for more basic cleaning supplies.

Microfiber Mop 

You’ll need a good microfiber mop when cleaning properties with lots of hard floors. The professional mop linked below should be on your list of cleaning essentials: Professional Microfiber Mop and Pads Alternatively, you can get a Swiffer Sweeper. They are less sustainable than the microfiber ones, but you don’t have to wash the pads when they get dirty. Make sure to order refills, too.

Professional Mop and Bucket

Screenshot of mop and bucket from Amazon website No list of cleaning supplies for cleaning business operations would be complete without a Professional Mop  and Bucket. Don’t forget to create a subscription for new mop head refills. House Beautiful has a great list of household cleaning supplies and how often you should replace them. Typically, you’ll want to replace the mop head every ten to fifteen washes.

Microfiber Cloths

Cleaning supplies for business operations will need clean microfiber cloths. Whether you clean a house or a business, you’ll probably want to use color-coded cloth. The Multicolor Microfiber Cloths allows you to use a different color for each cleaning product you use. Don’t forget to train your team on cleaning things with the proper color code.

Rubber Gloves

You’ll need gloves, too. You might also want to color-code them for certain cleaning house cleaning tasks. For instance, you might want one color for the bathroom, one for cleaning the stove, and one for washing dishes. The 3 Pack of Rubber Gloves matches three out of five colors with the cloths so you can keep the color coding consistent across your household cleaning supplies list.

Black Trash Bags

Screenshot of drawstring trash bag from Amazon website You’ll want bags for dirty rags and trash. Black bags in bulk orders make the most sense for house cleaning companies. Click on the link below to find them on Amazon: 210  Black Trash Bags

White or Clear Trash Bags 

You’ll also want white or clear trash bags on your cleaning supplies checklist. These should be used for clean rags or clean sheets if you offer Airbnb cleaning services. 57 White Trash Bags

Neutral Floor Cleaner (Bona or similar)

You’ll want a floor cleaner that has a neutral PH level like Bona. You might also consider cleaning products like Rejuvenate All Floors Restorer. Bona just cleans, while Rejuvenate helps repair and extend the life of the flooring.

Disinfectant Cleaner

If you specifically want something that sanitizes and disinfects against Covid and other viruses or bacteria, you’ll want to make sure that the product is on the EPA list N. Check out the EPA video below to learn how to use the List N Finder. [su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/mrp7xscZ4LA"] As you collect items for your house cleaning supplies list, you’ll need to consider which disinfecting supplies make the most sense for your cleaning company.

Cleaning Bucket

Screenshot of cleaning caddy from Amazon website You’ll need something to carry cleaning items that won’t fit in your apron, so a cleaning bucket or caddy should be on your cleaning supply checklist. The link below will take you to the Amazon selections for caddies with wheels. These range from smaller ones for basic cleaners to larger ones that should go on a commercial cleaning supply list. Check them out! Cleaning Caddies With Wheels

Broom and Dustpan

You’ll want a broom and dustpan because sometimes vacuums won’t pick up debris on hard surfaces as effectively as a broom and dustpan. The set I chose to put on the list of cleaning products has unique features including:
  • Extendable handles 
  • Built-in comb and scraper
  • Dust cover
  • Extra layers of bristles for better floor cleaning.
I found this review to be remarkably beneficial despite the negative tone. They list more pros and cons, note some flaws that others say get better through use, and are really thorough. Save the house cleaning supplies list!

Natural Cleaning Solutions

These solutions are meant to help with the cleaning process and be extraordinarily environmentally friendly.

Blue Dawn Dish Soap

It’s good enough to clean ducks after oil spills, so it’s safe to use in your house. If you want dish soap that’s sensitive to the skin, Dawn is synonymous with a clean home. Buy it in bulk to save on shipping: Dawn Dish Soap

White Vinegar

White vinegar is great for deep cleaning kitchen appliances and other areas that need cleaning. You’ll need to dilute it with warm water for the best home cleaning results. Check out bon appétit’s blog about cleaning with white vinegar.

Hydrogen Peroxide

You might be familiar with hydrogen peroxide from cleaning wounds or using it as mouthwash, but did you know it deserves a spot on a cleaning supplies checklist? According to the Cleveland Clinic, hydrogen peroxide is an all-purpose cleaner that can be used on food, brushes, washing machines, grout, sinks, appliances, crime scene cleanups (it removes blood from clothes), and more. You’ll want some to keep your toilet brushes and other utensils clean for longer. You can get a gallon of hydrogen peroxide shipped straight to you from Amazon.

Baking Soda

Screenshot of baking soda from Amazon website Baking soda works great for deodorizing and cleaning metals. Some of the uses include:
  • Removing smells from a garbage disposal 
  • Water spot removal
  • Removing carpet stains
  • Drain cleaner
Find 46 more uses on Taste of Home. We added it to our cleaning supplies checklist and you can get baking soda on Amazon.

Lemons

There’s a reason almost every item on the cleaning product list has a lemon scent. Lemon juice smells good, keeps bugs away, gets rid of odors, and is acidic. If you want to make your own all purpose cleaners, you’ll want to have lemons. If you haven’t tried Amazon Fresh, it offers free 2-hour delivery on tens of thousands of products with any cart above $35 ($50 in NYC). Get lemons shipped to your door today. While you’re at it, order dinner. 

Cleaning Supplies for Kitchen

Your cleaning products list will need some special kitchen cleaning supplies.

Scrub Pads

Screenshot of scouring pads from Amazon website These are great for getting grime off the dishes and appliances. I tend to prefer the sponges where one side is a scrub pad and the other side a normal sponge. You can get an Multicolor Dual-Texture Sponges and have plenty of scrub pads and sponges. 

Eraser Sponges

Magic eraser sponges are excellent for stain removal, but don’t use them on items that are prone to scratching because when you get them wet they are abrasive. The link below will get a pack of 20 of these magical housekeeping supplies. Extra Large Eraser Sponges

Oven Cleaner

Screenshot of concentrated cleaner degreaser from Amazon website Ovens can get messy if you don’t clean them immediately after you cook. Products that require cooking directly on the rack can drip on the metal and get burnt onto the inside surfaces. You’ll need a degreaser to get them off. This is more of a deep cleaning task, but it makes a difference. Pro HD Degreaser and Refill

Stove Top Cleaner

Some homes have glass or ceramic stovetops. You’ll want a special cleaner for them. The Weiman Cooktop and Stove Top Cleaner Kit will get the job done without scratching the glass or ceramic

Multipurpose Kitchen Cleaner

You might want to consider the 1 Gallon Simply Kleen USA Multipurpose Cleaner if you want something that is environmentally friendly and intended to clean all hard surfaces. I would stick to Windex for glass surfaces, but Simply Kleen will work for cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, and floors. [su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/YcYIYdqegGA"]

Stainless Steel Cleaner

Stainless steel appliances can scratch easily, so you need to make sure you have products that won’t hurt them. If you want a product that is specifically for stainless steel, try Proline, but if you want one that will work on ceramic, stainless steel, enamel, and plastic, try Vim. Earth Friendly Proline Stainless Steel Cleaner Vim Creme 

Plastic scrapers

Screenshot of plastic surface scraper from Amazon website Plastic scraping utensils should be on a household cleaning products list because you’ll need them for cleaning paint or other gunk off walls, counters, and other hard surfaces. There are a few different types of scrapers in housekeeping cleaning supplies, so I provided you with some options.

Microwave Safe Bowl to Steam

If a microwave has hard-to-remove food stuck on it, you’ll want a microwave-safe bowl like the TOPHOME 4pcs Silicone Bowls. Just add some water to the bowl and microwave it until the steam loosens up the particles. The steam will loosen up the food making it easy to wipe off.

Dishwasher Detergent

Screenshot of dishwashing detergent from Amazon website If your cleaning business offers dishwashing services, you might want to have Lemon Scented Cascade Dishwasher Pods on your cleaning supplies list. Next, let’s look at cleaning supplies for house and office restrooms.

Bathroom Cleaning Supplies List

A bathroom is normally residential and includes a shower or bath, while a restroom is normally in a commercial space and does not include showers or baths.

Restroom Cleaner

Personally, I love the Scrubbing Bubbles Starter Kit. I’ve been using Scrubbing Bubbles since I was a kid and believe it should be on any bathroom cleaning supplies list. If you want home cleaning supplies in a larger volume try Mr. Clean Multipurpose Cleaning Solution.

Toilet Brush and Plunger Set

Screenshot of toilet brush and plunger set from Amazon website Another house cleaning supply you’ll need is a plunger and toilet bowl cleaner. The ones below are available separately or together in black or white and are super stylish. They are also magnetic and have a patented brush formation for easier cleaning. SimpleHuman Toilet Brush and Plunger

Pumice Stone 

If a toilet brush won’t get hard water stains off a toilet bowl, you might want to have an Pumice Stones with Handles to help get the hard water stains off. In Las Vegas, our water is so hard that we have to take a towel with warm water to our bathtubs any time someone uses it or they develop stains. If you have hard water keep that in mind. Keep reading for more items on the list of household cleaning products.

Tile and Grout Cleaner

Your list of cleaning supplies for housekeeping companies should include a good tile and grout cleaner like the Goo Gone Tile and Grout. Use it with the mini grout brush below and your cleaning supply checklist will prepare you to create cleaner bathrooms and hopefully earn some tips.

Mini Grout Brush

Screenshot of mini grout brush from Amazon website Grout is commonly overlooked when people and businesses clean homes. Add a mini grout cleaning brush to your housekeeper supplies to make your customers’ bathrooms sparkle. Consider these Professional Grout Brush Options available on Amazon.

Calcium, Lime, and Rust Remover (CLR)

Buying a CLR Pro Calcium Spray Bottles kit will make it where you can easily remove calcium, lime, and rust which may accumulate from hard water. Make sure to review the CLR FAQs before using it because it can damage materials where it is not meant to be used.

Squeegee

You’ll want a squeegee to clean showers with glass doors. Most people don’t use them when they take a shower, but it looks much better. I’d suggest a squeegee and microfiber window washer as the one for the cleaning company.  If you want an opportunity to increase your revenue, try offering to provide these to your customers. You can get one like the Shower Squeegee With Holder or better yet, order them.

Knee Pads

Screenshot of cleaning kneepad from Amazon website I know it sounds weird to suggest knee pads for a house cleaning supply list. If you spend time on your knees cleaning toilets, tubs, or other places that are hard to get to, NoCry Professional Knee Pads should be cleaning supplies must-haves. Your future self will thank you for wearing them. Next, we’ll provide a list of household supplies for bedrooms.

Products for Bedroom Cleaning

We have tips to go with the list of household supplies to clean the bedroom.

Extendable Duster

Bedrooms need to be dusted and sometimes it’s hard to reach places like fan blades above the bed. Stay professional with an extendable duster. There are a few different types to consider. We chose three of the best options:
  1. Budget: The SetSail 110” extendable duster has a removable duster that can be bent to fit in hard-to-reach space. It’s low cost and you can order replacement heads. You might also want the blind duster and window kit.
  2. Dusting Kit: The 6 piece dusting kit includes an extendable pole, 3 styles of microfiber covers to go over the bendable head, a hand duster, and a carrying bag. This one is the best option for your house supplies list.
  3. Swiffer Dusting Kit: Like the Swiffer Sweeper, the Swiffer Dusting Kit is something that many will want with their cleaning supplies for home. It comes with a handle and 12 Swiffer Heavy Duty Dusters. The dusters are disposable, so you’d need to replace them after each house. In addition, the handle is only three feet long. This is the best choice on a list of cleaning supplies for apartment tenants.

Wood Cleaner

If you love the smell of Lysol, the Lysol Disinfectant Wipes and Spray kit includes three products for cleaning house furniture and counters. For those who clean professionally, disinfectant wipes might not meet sustainability requirements if you work on LEED-certified buildings. They offer plant-based wipes in recyclable plastic on Walmart, but you’ll spend twice as much for the same number of wipes. Another alternative is an Method Daily Wood Cleaner. Method has a LEED Platinum factory (highest requirements besides the 100 LEED Zero certifications since 2018) and is highly focused on creating a more sustainable world. Check out Method’s video “from beach to bottle.” [su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/08qmB-ysqAQ"]

Fabric Refresher

Go with a familiar brand like Febreze or one that is more sustainable like Fresh Wave. Either way, your household supplies list should include an odor-removal spray for fabrics.

Pet Stain Remover

You can go with a cleaning spray like Angry Orange and scrub it out, which sounds like a lot of work. When thinking about cleaning supplies for home stain removal, I’d prefer something that has some power and is cordless like the Bissell Pet Stain Eraser PowerBrush. You can go with the Bissell Little Green ProHeat if you don’t mind the cord. Check out the Vacuum Wars comparison below. [su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/1wYahfdProc"]

Fireplace Cleaner

Quick N Brite is a fireplace cleaner that removes soot and other combustion products from the fireplace. If you don’t clean fireplaces and the chimneys, the risk of fires and poor indoor air quality increase. Make sure to add it to your cleaning supply list.

What Cleaning Products Do You Love?

This clean products list covers all the essentials you’ll need for cleaning homes, apartments, or businesses. If you haven’t already, download the free, printable cleaning supplies list for cleaning business operations below:  Get your free form! Are there all-purpose cleaners, scrubbing sponges, or other products you can’t live without?    

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