How much does it cost to start a cleaning business in the UK?

The basic kit is a vacuum cleaner at £159, a mop and bucket set at £20, a cleaning caddy at £9.99 and a pack of five microfibre cloths at £4. A steam mop is optional at £64.99. The prices come from B&Q and Lakeland and the costs table shows when we checked them.

How much do customers pay for a cleaner per hour?

MyBuilder's price guide says regular home cleaning can cost between £12 and £30 an hour, depending on whether the customer hires an independent cleaner or an agency. MyBuilder does not say how it worked that out, so treat it as a rough range and check what cleaners near you charge.

Do I need insurance to be a cleaner?

Public liability insurance pays out if something goes wrong in a customer's home, such as a broken item or someone getting hurt. Simply Business advertises it from £5.61 a month for up to £2 million of cover. That is an advertised from-price, not a quote: it is the price 10% of cleaners paid or less, so most people pay more.

Do I need to register as a waste carrier to be a cleaner?

Only if you take customers' rubbish away in your own vehicle. Carrying other people's waste needs an upper tier registration, which costs £191.02 to register. Registration is usually free only if you carry waste you produce yourself. The 2018 official code says exceptions for household waste are very rare, so if you offer rubbish removal, register first.

When do I have to register as a sole trader?

You can start trading straight away. You must register for Self Assessment once your cleaning brings in more than £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April). Our guide shows the steps.

Is a cleaning business better than a cleaning job?

It is different rather than better. The National Careers Service gives an employed cleaner's pay as £19,000 for a starter up to £25,000 for an experienced cleaner, a year. As a sole trader you set your own prices and hours, but you also buy your own kit and insurance, and nobody covers you when you are off.

Is it worth starting a cleaning business in the UK?

Home services

Yes, for most people it is worth starting if you are happy working in other people's homes. The basic kit is cheap: a vacuum cleaner is £159 at B&Q and a mop and bucket set is £20. Public liability insurance (cover in case something goes wrong in a customer's home) is advertised from £5.61 a month. Customers are quoted about £12 to £30 an hour for regular home cleaning, but that is a price guide, not what you will take home.

Start-up

£192.99

Monthly running

£5.61

Difficulty

Low

Optional and only-if costs are listed below.

Why now

An employed cleaner is paid between £19,000 (starter) and £25,000 (experienced) a year: £19,000–£25,000 a year (National Careers Service, Cleaner, live 2026-10-02)
You can start trading straight away; register for Self Assessment once you go over £1,000 in a tax year: £1,000 (GOV.UK, Set up as a sole trader, live 2026-10-02)
Tell HMRC by 5 October 2026 if you need a tax return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year: 5 October 2026 (GOV.UK, Check how to register for Self Assessment, live 2026-10-02)
A business that carries waste must register as a waste carrier: register (GOV.UK, Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, live 2026-10-02)
Registering to carry only waste you produce yourself is usually free: usually free (GOV.UK, Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, live 2026-10-02)
Registering as a waste carrier in any other case costs £191.02 for a new registration: £191.02 (GOV.UK, Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, live 2026-10-02)
An upper tier waste carrier registration is renewed every 3 years for £130.25: £130.25 every 3 years (GOV.UK, Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, live 2026-10-02)
Carrying other people's waste needs an upper tier registration; household-waste exceptions are very rare (2018 code of practice): upper tier (Defra, Waste duty of care code of practice (section 5.4, November 2018), November 2018 code, read 2026-10-02)
What customers are quoted for regular home cleaning (a price guide, no method stated): £12–£30 per hour (MyBuilder, House cleaning cost guide, page updated 2026-08-21)
Public liability insurance for cleaners is advertised from £5.61 a month (a from-price, not a quote): from £5.61 per month, up to £2 million cover (Simply Business, Cleaning insurance, page updated 2026-09-29)
A basic DBS check (a copy of your criminal record) costs £21.50: £21.50 (GOV.UK, Request a basic DBS check, live 2026-10-02)
Numatic Henry Corded Dry cylinder Vacuum cleaner 9L at B&Q: £159 (B&Q, Numatic Henry Corded Dry cylinder Vacuum cleaner 9L, live 2026-10-02)
Vileda Turbo smart Mop kit at B&Q (a reduced price on the day): £20 (B&Q, Vileda Turbo smart Mop kit, live 2026-10-02)
Deep Multipurpose Cleaning Caddy White at Lakeland: £9.99 (Lakeland, Deep Multipurpose Cleaning Caddy White, live 2026-10-02)
GoodHome Multicolours Microfibre Kitchen Cleaning cloth, Pack of 5 at B&Q: £4 (B&Q, GoodHome Multicolours Microfibre Kitchen Cleaning cloth, Pack of 5, live 2026-10-02)
Shark Steam Mop SteamSpot with Steam Blaster Technology S2001UK at B&Q (optional): £64.99 (B&Q, Shark Steam Mop SteamSpot with Steam Blaster Technology S2001UK, live 2026-10-02)

What it costs

Required by law

Waste carrier registration (upper tier) one-off Law · only if you take customers' rubbish away£191.02

Expected costs

Numatic Henry Corded Dry cylinder Vacuum cleaner 9L (B&Q) one-off£159

Vileda Turbo smart Mop kit: bucket, wringer, mop head and handle (B&Q) one-off£20

Deep Multipurpose Cleaning Caddy White (Lakeland) one-off£9.99

GoodHome Multicolours Microfibre Kitchen Cleaning cloth, Pack of 5 (B&Q) one-off£4

Public liability insurance, advertised from-price and not a quote (Simply Business) monthly estimate£5.61

Optional extras

Shark Steam Mop SteamSpot with Steam Blaster Technology S2001UK (B&Q) one-off£64.99

Start-up total£192.99

Monthly total£5.61

Prices checked 2 October 2026

Make it legal

Register as a sole trader (one person running a business). You can start trading straight away. If your cleaning brings in more than £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April), you must register for Self Assessment with HMRC, the UK tax office. How do I register as a sole trader? source
If you need to send a tax return for the 2025 to 2026 tax year and have not told HMRC yet, the deadline is 5 October 2026. After that you could get a penalty. How do I register as a sole trader? source
Only if you take customers' rubbish away in your own vehicle: you must register as a waste carrier. It costs £191.02, then £130.25 to renew every 3 years. The usually-free registration is only for carrying waste you produce yourself, not your customers'. If you do not offer rubbish removal, you do not need this. source
Optional: you can apply for a basic DBS check yourself (a copy of your criminal record) if you want to show customers. It costs £21.50. source

Sources

National Careers Service, Cleaner (live 2026-10-02)
GOV.UK, Set up as a sole trader (live 2026-10-02)
GOV.UK, Check how to register for Self Assessment (live 2026-10-02)
GOV.UK, Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (live 2026-10-02)
Defra, Waste duty of care code of practice (section 5.4, November 2018) (November 2018 code, read 2026-10-02)
MyBuilder, House cleaning cost guide (page updated 2026-08-21)
Simply Business, Cleaning insurance (page updated 2026-09-29)
GOV.UK, Request a basic DBS check (live 2026-10-02)
B&Q, Numatic Henry Corded Dry cylinder Vacuum cleaner 9L (live 2026-10-02)
B&Q, Vileda Turbo smart Mop kit (live 2026-10-02)
Lakeland, Deep Multipurpose Cleaning Caddy White (live 2026-10-02)
B&Q, GoodHome Multicolours Microfibre Kitchen Cleaning cloth, Pack of 5 (live 2026-10-02)
B&Q, Shark Steam Mop SteamSpot with Steam Blaster Technology S2001UK (live 2026-10-02)

Last reviewed 2 October 2026