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Domestic cleaning
Domestic cleaning means agreeing a home-cleaning service directly with clients or finding work through an online marketplace. You can begin with a small service area and basic equipment, then build up regular clients as you learn what work and travel you can manage.
Open the interactive guide (checklist, video, read-aloud) →In plain words
- You clean homes for people who book your service.
- Agree the rooms, tasks, products and price before you start.
- You can begin nearby and build regular bookings over time.
- Track your work, travel, supplies and payments.
- Check tax rules, insurance and platform terms before taking bookings.
Who it suits
Suits someone who is reliable, careful in other people’s homes, comfortable with physical work and happy to agree tasks and access arrangements clearly. A young person should involve a parent or guardian and check any platform’s age rules before signing up.
People pay to have routine home-cleaning tasks done, and some want a regular cleaner they can rely on. A clear list of tasks and a local service area can help you find work that fits your time and travel needs.
Step by step
- Choose a manageable local service area. Decide how far you can travel reliably and whether you want regular visits, one-off jobs or both. Keep the area close enough that travel does not make a short job impractical. About 20-30 minutes.
- List the tasks you will and will not do. Write down tasks you are prepared to offer, such as vacuuming, dusting, wiping kitchen surfaces and cleaning bathrooms. State what is excluded, especially specialist or restorative work, so the client knows what to expect. About 30-45 minutes.
- Agree who supplies products and equipment. Decide what you can bring and what the client should provide. Ask about pets, children and sensitivities to cleaning products before agreeing a job. About 15-20 minutes.
- Check local demand and other service descriptions. Look at what local cleaners offer and how they describe their services. Xero suggests researching the local market and using local directories or Google Business Profile to help customers find you. Xero About 1-2 hours.
- Set a clear hourly rate or job price. Choose an hourly rate or a fixed price for a clearly defined job. In Ireland, ask whether the client expects an hourly charge or a fixed price, and agree the scope before the visit. Bark Compare your price with local offers, while allowing for travel, supplies and time between jobs. About 30-60 minutes.
- Make a simple profile and check platform terms. Include your service area, tasks, availability and a contact method. Compare platform terms and charges before accepting a lead; fees for every platform are not stated here. About 1-2 hours.
- Confirm the booking details before accepting. Agree the rooms and tasks, expected visit length, products, payment method and entry arrangements. Also agree how changes or cancellations will be handled. About 10-15 minutes per booking.
- Consider insurance before taking on clients. Consider public liability insurance and check what a policy covers. Xero describes it as essential for cleaning businesses and gives an estimated UK cost of £40–£100 a year; actual cover and quotes vary. Xero About 1-2 hours to compare options.
- Keep records of jobs, payments and expenses. Record each visit, payment and business expense from the outset. If you later employ staff, check the insurance obligations first: Xero says employers’ liability insurance is legally required when staff are hired. Xero About 5-10 minutes after each job.
Your first 15 minutes
Choose a small local service area, write a clear list of included and excluded tasks, and ask a few people you trust to review your draft service description before you publish it.
The money
Set an hourly rate or a fixed price for a clearly described job, and account for travel, supplies and unpaid time between visits. UK self-employed cleaners are quoted at £15–£25 an hour, while one Irish market estimate is €16–€28 an hour; these are service rates, not take-home pay, and local demand and job details matter. <a href="https://www.xero.com/uk/guides/how-to-start-a-cleaning-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xero</a> <a href="https://www.shamfix.ie/insights/what-to-expect-from-a-cleaner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ShamFix</a>
Example only: assume one 2-hour job in a week, at £15 an hour in the UK: 2 × £15 = £30 income; if you assume £5 for travel and supplies, £30 − £5 = £25 before tax. In Ireland, at €16 an hour: 2 × €16 = €32 income; if you assume €6 for travel and supplies, €32 − €6 = €26 before tax. The rates are within the quoted service-rate estimates; hours and costs here are illustrative assumptions, not promises. <a href="https://www.xero.com/uk/guides/how-to-start-a-cleaning-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xero</a> <a href="https://www.shamfix.ie/insights/what-to-expect-from-a-cleaner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ShamFix</a>
The rules
There is no general licence for domestic cleaning. If your service or circumstances raise a licensing question, check with the relevant authority. Check the tax rules that apply to you, agree the work and arrangements with clients in advance, and check any data-protection requirements that apply.
UK and Northern Ireland
- Trading income and tax. The first £1,000 a year of your trading income is covered by the trading allowance. If you earn more than that, tell HMRC. The £1,000 is your gross income before expenses. If you need to register for Self Assessment, the deadline is 5 October after the end of the relevant tax year. GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles GOV.UK
- VAT. You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover is over £90,000. If your turnover approaches the threshold, check the current requirements with HMRC. Business.gov.uk
- Young workers. In Northern Ireland, workers aged 16–17 usually have limits of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. They cannot work between 10pm and 6am. Check the rules for your location and circumstances with the relevant authority. Platform age rules may also apply. nidirect
- Insurance. Consider suitable insurance and check exactly what it covers. Damage, breakages or injury in a client’s home can lead to claims. There is no general legal requirement for domestic cleaners to hold a particular insurance policy.
- Client arrangements. Agree the tasks, priorities, exclusions, price and access arrangements with your client before you start. Discuss how you’ll handle changes or cancellations, so you both know what to expect.
- Customer information and ICO fee. The ICO says you’re likely to be exempt from its data-protection fee if you hold customer details only for your own accounts and transaction records. Other activities can change this. Use the ICO self-assessment tool to check whether you need to pay a fee. This fee guidance does not mean you’re exempt from data-protection duties. ICO
Ireland
- Income tax and self-assessment. If you’re self-employed, you pay income tax, PRSI (Class S) and USC through self-assessment. Preliminary tax is due by 31 October. If you’re a PAYE worker, use Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below that, declare it on Form 12 through myAccount. Check your position with Revenue or a tax adviser. Citizens Information Revenue
- Business name. If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with the CRO. Online registration costs €20. CRO
- VAT. You must register for VAT if your turnover for services is over €42,500. If your turnover approaches the threshold, check the current requirements with Revenue. Revenue
- Insurance. Consider suitable insurance and check what the policy covers. There is no general requirement for self-employed domestic cleaners to hold insurance.
- Client arrangements. Agree the tasks, priorities, exclusions, price and access arrangements with your client before you start. Discuss how you’ll handle changes or cancellations, so you both know what to expect.
- Customer information. Keep client details secure and collect only the information you need for bookings and records. If you’re unsure what data-protection duties apply to your business, check with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.
- Age and platform rules. Check a platform’s current age rules before you create a profile or accept work. For 14- and 15-year-olds, light work is allowed in school holidays only, up to 7 hours a day and 35 hours a week. 15-year-olds may work up to 8 hours a week during term. Check how the rules apply to the work you plan to do. Citizens Information
Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.
Common mistakes
- Agreeing to extra tasks or specialist work that was not included in the booking.
- Forgetting to include travel, supplies and time between jobs when setting a price.
- Accepting a booking before confirming access, pets, products and payment arrangements.
- Assuming every platform has the same fees, age rules or terms.
- Taking on too many visits before learning how much time and energy each job takes.
AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.