Owning a business is lonely – and cleaning is no exception.
It sounds simple to start a cleaning business, on one level. It could be just you, your mop and your cleaning kit.
But when it comes to growing a sustainable, successful business, the reality is a series of complexities. And that means that many people fail.
If you want to start a cleaning business and you’re passionate about putting ethical values at its heart, it’s essential to connect with the trailblazers who can support you.
Clean Conscience Convos
In our Clean Conscience Convos series, I talk to the industry leaders who can support you as you start a cleaning business and begin to grow.
For many of my Clean Conscience Convo guests, the drive to start a cleaning business was their need to fulfil a bigger dream – to bring about change, social justice or drive up quality. These conversations are packed with insights for cleaning business owners committed to ethics, growth and community.
Here are three conversations to get you started.
It’s not just a bit of cleaning – it’s a science
Delia Cannings was the Chair of the British Cleaning Council until stepping down in July 2025. Like many people in our industry, Delia began cleaning simply to earn a little extra – in Delia’s case, to fund her teenage shopping habit. But she quickly developed a passion for creating clean, fresh, organised spaces.
And she also recognised that cleaning was under-valued. “It’s not just a bit cleaning. It’s the application of science in a practical capacity,” Delia argues.
Delia undertook training and eventually took the step to start a cleaning business of her own. In her role in the British Cleaning Council, Delia relishes the opportunity to promote our industry, meet with like-minded leaders and influence government. She is not afraid to speak up and have “sharp teeth” to put the case for what she believes.
Delia Cannings: 4 key points
- Professionalising the cleaning industry: We should prioritise education and training in the cleaning industry. If we are to create a resilient country which can rise to challenges such as the pandemic, we need to train our cleaning operatives and recognise them for the “environmental ninjas” they are.
- Understanding the job: Leaders and managers within cleaning businesses should have on-the-ground experience of doing the job themselves. They need to understand what they are asking their cleaning operatives to do.
- Government Support: Tight margins in the cleaning industry are a barrier to investing in growing your business. Government could support businesses who commit to training their workforce, through lower taxes or other financial incentives.
- Large businesses driving up standards: Larger employers in our industry contribute 5% of their payroll to fund Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeships, and to implement the Apprenticeship Standard in their businesses. However, a significant proportion of this levy is unused – which means in returns to the Treasury. Smaller cleaning businesses can ask larger companies to ‘gift’ their levy, enabling them to grow and develop. This is a win-win. It drives up standards and professionalism across the sector, as well as addressing the social value agenda within larger businesses. Find out more about gifting levy here.
Always ethical
Lauren Daly is the founder Sustainaclean, a Sussex-based cleaning business, and of Natrie, a range of non-toxic cleaning products.
Like Delia, Lauren started cleaning to supplement the family income when her children were young. She found she really enjoyed cleaning and she was good at it. However, she began to have allergic reactions to the products she was using.
This was the drive behind Lauren’s passion to do things differently. “I wanted to offer a company people could work for where they don’t feel like they’re dying when they’re cleaning a shower – and I wanted to create products that work for those people.”
So Lauren took the decision to start a cleaning business, alongside developing her own range of allergen-free cleaning products. At the heart of both is Lauren’s mantra of “always ethical”.
Lauren Daly: 4 key points
- Always ethical: Treating staff and colleagues well nurtures loyalty, so people feel good about working for you. This extends to relationships with clients too. Lauren’s values also are central to her Natrie products, from the ingredients and testing, to her supply chain and relationship with retailers.
- All about balance: Staying true to your ethics and values makes growing your business harder. When we choose better quality, safer cleaning products which cost more, there is a financial implication to balance against the human impact. “With every decision you make, you’re thinking that’s going to cost more – but it’s doing the right thing”, Lauren says.
- Small steps to sustainability: When you start a cleaning business, the journey to becoming sustainable can feel overwhelming. So start with one thing. Find a product that works, make that one simple swap, then one more. Reduce the number of products you use. Look at the packaging. Even if it’s designed to be single use, could you safely refill it? These are simple steps which will make a difference and could save you money too.
- Being a leader: As the founder of a business, sometimes we need to make tough decisions. Lauren prefers to work collaboratively with people in her business, and to come to decisions that benefit everyone. But she’s learned to balance this with making the difficult decisions when that’s needed.
The value of connection
My next Clean Conscience Convo is with Phil Smith, of Indigo Integrated FM and the Hill Club. The Hill Club is a networking organisation for cleaning industry professionals to connect, network and form beneficial relationships.
In our conversation we will be exploring:
- The value of networking and why it isn’t just about sales
- Building relationships that help your business thrive
- The role of community in driving change, including the Living Wage.
Final thoughts
I hope you’ll dive into these conversations, and the others in the series. I know you’ll find them packed with wisdom, expert tips and inspiration as you move forward in your own cleaning business. You can find them on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.
