Starting a Small Cleaning Service in Kentucky

Adelaide Hensley, Lexington. I keep my floors honest and my rosemary trimmed, but paperwork can make my stomach flutter. These are my starter notes for going from “I can clean” to “I can run a little business and sleep at night.”

1) Name what you’re offering (so you can price it)

If you can’t say what you do in one breath, you can’t write a simple estimate. Mine is plain:

My core service: routine residential cleaning + “far-corner” deep cleans (baseboards, door tracks, behind toilets, under fridge lips) — the spots folks miss.

Before you buy anything, list three tiers you’ll actually deliver:

  • Basic maintenance: kitchen, baths, dust, vacuum/mop.
  • Deep clean: add hand-wipe of baseboards, doors, switch plates, cabinet faces.
  • Move-in/out: inside cabinets, appliances (as agreed), vents, sticky floors.

2) Keep your supplies simple (and label like Sunday-school bins)

I don’t chase every “miracle” bottle. I want repeatable results and no surprise damage.

  • One neutral all-purpose cleaner you trust.
  • One degreaser for kitchens.
  • One disinfectant used per label (especially bathrooms).
  • Microfibers by color: kitchen, bath, dust, glass.
  • Small herb sprig (rosemary) in the car — not for “scenting” homes, just to keep me calm between jobs.

3) Business basics (what I’m tracking so I don’t get in trouble)

I’m not a lawyer or accountant. I’m a cleaner who’s learning. Before I take your notes as gospel, check Kentucky and your city/county rules.

Here’s what I’m watching for my own little venture in Lexington:

My “don’t-forget” checklist

  • Entity choice: sole proprietor vs LLC (how much separation I need).
  • Tax registrations: what I must register for, and when.
  • Local licensing: city/county business license requirements.
  • Insurance: general liability at minimum; bond if my market expects it.
  • Client paperwork: a plain-language scope + what’s excluded.
  • Scheduling + records: keep receipts and mileage (that part I’m trying to be faithful about).

4) How I write a scope (so nobody argues at the door)

I write it like a recipe: ingredients, steps, and what happens if you skip a step.

  • Rooms included and which are not.
  • Floor type (wood, laminate, tile) and any “no water” rules.
  • Pets (I love them; I just need to know ahead).
  • High-risk items (delicate finishes, loose tiles, antique mirrors).

Related: my far-corner floor protocol page stays updated as I learn which mop heads and dwell times behave best.

5) Citations & next research I still owe myself

I’m going to ground this page properly next revision with Kentucky-specific sources. For now, I’m starting with general definitions so I’m using words correctly:

If you’re a Kentuckian: what office did you actually use for your first registration, and what did you wish you’d done sooner?