Starting an eco-friendly cleaning service company: A business guide

Reviewed by Ogbo Godfrey

A start-up eco-friendly cleaning service company can be achieved by targeting your audience and checking for specific demographics; laying down an effective plan for the business, budget, and costs; undergoing the proper legal registrations; and developing marketing strategies for your company. 

Recently, the international perspective on cleaning has undergone a tremendous change. The established techniques to clean up our homes has made way for a more conscious and environmentally-friendly method known as eco-friendly cleaning. 

This trend has gathered increasing awareness due to its favorable impact on the environment and our health. 

This surge in the trend of eco-friendly cleaning products is boosted by an understanding of the harmful outcomes of conventional cleaning products on our planet. 

This article examines the significance of eco-friendly cleaning and a guide to establishing an eco-friendly cleaning service company. It also explores the detrimental consequences of conventional cleaning products, and highlights the advantages they provide.

What is Eco-Friendly Cleaning

Eco-friendly cleaning is also referred to as green cleaning. It is the various sustainable products and practices that make human and environmental health a priority.

Its essential ideology encompasses the minimization of using chemicals and waste that are harmful. Likewise, it seeks safer, healthier, more natural and more eco-friendly alternatives to our everyday cleaning products.

Conventional Cleaning Products: The Dark Side

Often, we overlook the harmful effects of conventional cleaning products, simply because we accept that cleanliness is the most important thing to look out for. 

There are tons of mixtures and solutions that clean surfaces, but that doesn’t make it healthy for us. Some of the ways these cleaning products affect us and our environment are:

1. Health risks

Most traditional cleaning products contain toxic ingredients that pose health risks. Chemicals such as chlorine, bleach, ammonia, artificial scents, and phthalates. 

Continuous exposure to these chemicals in cleaning products can initiate and contribute to various respiratory ailments, and cause irritation of the skin and hair. It can even disrupt the hormonal imbalance and pH of the reproductive system.

    2. Water pollution

The harsh chemicals used in these products are too small to be detected by sewage treatments and can run off into the ocean. This causes death to marine life, and it damages the ecology.

    3. Air pollution

These cleaning products are responsible for part of the air pollution, as they release harmful organic compounds that pollute the air and induce respiratory issues.

This can be worse in areas that are not properly ventilated, and it can hit harder on children and the elderly.

   4. Land pollution

Conventional cleaning products come in packages that are non-biodegradable and cannot be reused and recycled. Moreover, the manufacture of these products have been a contribution to the carbon footprint, and it depletes our available resources.

   5. Lack of label transparency

The manufacturing brands of many cleaning products do not reveal the full names and amount of ingredients on the labels of the packaging. 

This proves a challenge for buyers as they do not have the full knowledge of the products used in their homes. 

Some of these ingredients that are undisclosed may have a harmful effect on the consumer, but they are left ignorant of this. This poses a serious health risk to consumers worldwide.

Your eco-friendly cleaning service company: business guide

As consumer awareness continues to trend, more and more companies with sustainable goals for our health and ecosystem are popping up. 

Various brands with different niches are catering to those with a lifestyle that supports the environment. One of such niches is the eco-friendly cleaning service company and it holds great promise.

There are things to consider before starting up your own eco-friendly cleaning service company, such as:

1. Target audience

Identifying and understanding your target audience will pave a smooth beginning for your eco-friendly cleaning service company. 

There are various factors to consider when checking out the audience you want to make products for. These are:

Age:

What is the age bracket of people you wish to market your products to? Are you targeting the youths, young and older adults, or the elderly.

Gender:

In our society, women are the top consumers of cleaning products, and most eco-friendly cleaning service company specifically target women as their primary consumers. 

However, men also purchase and use cleaning products. You can either make men or women your target audience, or you can market your products to both to promote equality. 

Location:

Are your consumers living in rural areas, middle-class neighborhoods, the suburban areas, or upper class estates? You can also decide if you want your products to be regional, national, or be an international brand.

Income:

The location of your future consumers will decide the income level and influence the prices of your products.

Lifestyle: 

This is an important factor to consider for your eco-friendly cleaning service company. The lifestyle of your consumers will influence the products majorly.

If you target a neighborhood, say, one with a majority of single individuals, there will be less purchase of your product than a neighborhood with families and multiple children.

It could also be in the common career of that area. If your target audience are mostly people in the corporate field, there will be purchases based on their career lifestyle, and it will be different to those in the creative field or the education field.

Preferences: 

In establishing an eco-friendly cleaning service company, your potential consumers will have specific preferences of the cleaning products they purchase. 

Some favour the packaging aesthetics, some go for the antibacterial properties, while some may even opt for cleaning products with nice fragrances. 

Whatever their preference is, it is your duty to cater to them as long as they are your audience.

2. Business plan

A well-detailed business plan is the building block to a successful business, and building an eco-friendly cleaning service company is not an exception. 

Here are some tips you might need to strengthen your business goals:

Mission and vision statement

Crafting a well-rounded mission statement shows the public that your eco-friendly cleaning service company has purpose and morals. 

Since the brand is environmentally friendly, your mission statement could be a plan to make top-notch sustainable cleaning products, both for your consumers and the ecosystem. 

Your vision statement could be a world where eco-friendly alternatives are dominating the cleaning sector. Your company goals should be all about reducing the harm that conventional cleaning products have caused.

Budget

Laying a budget plan is crucial for your company’s success. Record all costs of equipments, packing, operations, and advertising. Acquiring legal tenders and certifications for your business should be included in the budget, along with staff wages.

Cost

The prices of your eco-friendly cleaning products can influence your sales. Since natural ingredients are more expensive than the harsh chemicals used, the cost of purchase for a consumer may be high. 

Your customers should be informed that the high cost of purchase is due to the quality of the products. The costs should be transparent and the benefits they get from using your products should be advertised.

Legal registrations

Aside from setting aside a financial plan and knowing the right audience to target your products to, obtaining legal documents for your business is also very crucial.  

Company license

A license should be obtained for your eco-friendly cleaning service company. Your business should be registered as either a sole proprietorship (just you and against the world), a partnership, a corporation, or a limited liability company. 

Your eco-friendly cleaning service company should be registered under the local region and state that it is based in. Insurance should also be an afterthought in order to safeguard your business from unexpected circumstances.

Certifications

You should be looking towards obtaining specific certifications in your brand of business. There are many eco-friendly certifications like EcoLogo or Green Seal that shows your commitment towards starting an eco-friendly cleaning service company. 

It also sets you apart from your competitors as consumers would want to go for cleaning products that have met the standards for eco-friendly cleaning.

Since your business will be known to be an environmentally-friendly one, health officials will regularly visit your manufacturing location to check if you follow community guidelines. 

You should have sustainable garbage management  and there should be implemented eco-friendly disposable and recycling techniques. 

3. Branding and Marketing

Your brand identity should align with your values and mission statement. Your branding strategy should be all about promoting a greener and cleaner Earth.

There are various ways and platforms to promote your brands, such as:

Social Media

Social Media is one of the biggest platforms you can leverage to advertise your company and its values to the public. 

Sites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook can be used to promote attractive pictures of the products, while sites like Tiktok and YouTube can be used to create video content. Additionally, it doesn’t take much to run ads on these sites to boost your engagement.

Television

Paying for advert placements can boost reachability for your business. 

 Blogs

Running adverts on online blogs can move your business further. Alternatively, you can start up a blog and hire someone to post articles on the eco-friendly cleaning products.

Collaborations with other established brands: Partnering with other established eco-friendly brands can help promote your business, and target wider reach of eco-conscious audience.

Conclusion

Establishing an eco-friendly cleaning service company is a big step, but one with multiple rewards. Using these tips will help place your business on the map to eco-friendly success.