The Two-Step Method to Naming Your Cleaning Business

Have you ever heard of an earworm?

No, it’s not a gross parasite.

It’s a song that’s so catchy, it gets stuck in your head. You find yourself absentmindedly humming it throughout the day. (Maybe it's that song from your niece's favorite Disney movie that you can't stand, but also can't stop singing.)

What if your company name could do that? What if it could stick in the minds of your clients?

Whether you’re starting a new cleaning business, or trying to re-brand your company now, your name is a powerful tool to sell more work.

Most owners slap a cute name on top of their company, and call it a day. But they’re missing a huge opportunity to grow their cleaning business.

Your name is your first impression on any potential cleaning client. As clients are making more snap judgements based on first impressions these days, the name of your cleaning business is critical.

This guide will give you a sure-fire strategy for creating a unique, attractive name for your cleaning business:

Part 1: What Do You Do? (The “SEO” Approach)

You want people to find your cleaning business, right? 

Then you need to make sure your “main thing” is in your title.

For example:

Are you a House Cleaning business?

Then you want some form of House Cleaning (Home Cleaning, Residential Cleaning Service, etc.) in your name.

We call this the “SEO” approach, because it makes it really easy for people to find your business on Search Engines.

If you’re a Carpet Cleaning company, and you name yourself something vague like “America’s Fiber Solutions,” there’s no way clients will find you on Google.

(SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the all-important method for getting your business discovered online).

To make this approach work best for you, you need to figure out what service you will be known for:

• Do you specialize in Window Washing?
• Are you an All-purpose Maid / Housekeeping company?
• Do you want to build a business that thrives on basic House Cleaning?

Go to your favorite search engine, and search the main service you want to sell.

You can also use Google’s free Keyword Research Tool here to get an idea for what people are searching for in your area.

Part 2: Who Do You Want to Attract? (The “Two Words” Approach)

Generally speaking, the “Main Service” will constitute the second half of your name, like so:

__________ Home Cleaning.

This is where we figure out the first part of your name, the part that will attract the right clients to your business…

...but who are the right clients? Who do you want to buy your cleaning services?

Consider the demographics in your target area:

• What age are they?
• What kinds of values do they have?
• What specific problem does your company solve for them?

For example, you probably don’t want to name your company “El Cheapo Cleaning” if you want to sell to high-end clients.

We’ve actually got a really handy template you can use to figure out your target clients. Download it for free right here.

What is the “Two Words” Approach?

This strategy keeps your new name...

• Sharp
• Clear and Focused
• and Very Attractive to Your Ideal Client

Start by answering this question: What are the two words that most define your business?

For example: Our software is called “Service Autopilot” because we help business put their “Services” on “Autopilot.”

We chose these two words because they suggest that the software is higher end, like something you might find in a Jetliner or a futuristic car.

This isn’t “janky” software slapped together by a single programmer. This is powered by advanced, behind-the-scenes technology that makes it easier for anyone to run their business.

Another example from the cleaning industry:

Let’s say you’re going after a very high-end clientele (think million dollar mansions).

These people care about their stuff - it’s expensive, it’s valuable, and they need a very careful cleaning company.

Raggedy Ann’s Maid Service probably won’t fly.

What about: Noble Maids or Elite Cleaning?

Maybe even something that invokes an expensive-but-respectful image, like Velvet Glove Maid Service.

One of my favorite examples that sprouted out of the cleaning world comes from my friend, Martha Woodward. She runs a cleaning business in Oklahoma, but she also co-develops software called “Quality Driven.”

Now, maybe you don’t know exactly what the software does, but you can guess from the name alone that it’s there to help increase the quality of your business.

The “Two Words” approach helps focus your company on reaching one ideal. This means your name will stick much better in your clients’ heads, instead of when you use some generic sounding name like, “Bob and Jim’s Cleaning Business.”

7 “Watch Outs” When Coming Up with Your Cleaning Business’s Name

1. Make sure your name is easy to say out loud.
   • Avoid commonly used names, like “Squeaky Clean” or “Neat and Tidy”
2. Generic names prevent your company from standing out.
   • Cute names are great. But don’t get “too cutesy” or nobody will take you seriously
3. Don’t make your business name [Your Name] + [Your Service]
   • Unless your name has a special ring to it, most people’s names are easy to forget!
4. Don’t name your business after your service area.
   • For example, “Dallas Area Cleaning” is a terrible name if you want to eventually service other cities… because nobody in Austin is going to hire someone who is all the way in Dallas!
5. Keep your full business name as short as possible; 4-6 words is best
   • Don’t use numbers or characters in place of real words (“U” for You, or 4 in place of “for”).

Nailing the Perfect Name for Your Cleaning Business

With the perfect name, you will have a much easier time attracting clients.

And not just any clients, but the right clients.

With this two-part strategy to name your cleaning business, you’ll save yourself a ton of headaches and “what if’s” in the future, and be well on your way to running a very successful company.

Happy naming!

Related: 7 Low-risk Ways to Raise Your Cleaning Prices