Survive The Recession By Offering More Residential Services

We talk to people in the cleaning industry every day and it seems that more and more are being affected by the recession. We've had many discussions over the past few months about this topic and have shared lots of ideas. Today we'll share some ideas for expanding your house cleaning services so you can be a "one stop shop" for your clients.

Many house cleaning business owners have found that one way to not only survive a tough economy, but to expand their business is to offer more services than just general house cleaning. Below is a partial list of services you can add on to your business.

Keep in mind that if you prepare to offer any of these services you first need to research the service so you know what you are doing and can provide a quality service. Too many people jump into a new service and get in over their heads because they didn't get the proper training. A good example of this is offering floor care services. You can easily damage floor surfaces by using the wrong chemicals and/or equipment. If you expand into carpet cleaning or some hard floor cleaning services, we recommend becoming certified by IICRC. Another example is power washing services. Make sure you don't damage surfaces by using the wrong pressure.

With this in mind, here are some additional services you can offer your clients:

1. Carpet cleaning
2. Carpet spotting
3. Upholstery cleaning
4. Rug cleaning
5. Hard floor care
6. Window washing
7. Handyman services
8. Garage cleaning
9. Shed cleaning
10. Cleaning patio furniture
11. Scrubbing or power washing patios and driveways
12. Power washing decks
13. Deck staining
14. Washing siding and entryways
15. Sealing garage floors
16. Cleaning out gutters
17. Painting
18. Pet waste pick up
19. Dog kennel cleanup
20. Chandelier cleaning
21. De-cluttering and organizing the home or garage
22. Plant care
23. Cleaning silk plants (you could sub this out to a company who provides ultrasonic cleaning)
24. Ultrasonic blind cleaning (you could sub this out to a company who provides this service)
25. Auto detailing
26. House sitting and/or pet sitting
27. Concierge services
28. Foreclosure cleaning
29. Construction cleaning (including remodels)
30. Cleaning other types of homes (condos, townhomes, upscale apartments, cabins)
31. Commercial cleaning

If you are struggling with your house cleaning business you may need to start thinking outside the box and brainstorm ways you might offer additional services to your clients. Then work out a marketing plan so you know exactly how you will approach your existing customers with your new service offerings. Innovative thinkers are the ones who can and will survive the recession. You can be one of those people by being proactive and creative with your service offerings!