There is a seasonal rhythm to life in a college town. As another semester draws to a close, throngs of students head out for summer vacation. Some leave behind a messy, vacated apartment. Even though most landlords require a cleaning deposit, some students don't have the time or desire to clean up after themselves, and the landlord can't do the job alone. If you are not afraid of hard work and you don't mind cleaning up other people's messes, an apartment preparation service might be the job for you.
Begin with the right tools. You will need a range of basic cleaning solvents, a squeegee, scrub rags, a sturdy bucket, a broom, vacuum cleaner, rubber gloves, knee pads, etc. As you continue, you may want to upgrade to a wet-dry vac and carpet cleaner for the more heavy-duty jobs. You will also need to create a routine, finding the quickest and best ways to clean a student apartment in a short time – this simply comes with on-the-job practice. Then go straight to the landlords and offer your services. Ideally, you might find someone who owns a student apartment complex and who needs regular clean-up services.
Prepare for strange surprises – you never know what you'll find in a student apartment- and ask the landlord ahead of time how to dispose of abandoned student possessions. Most of them would be more than happy to have you cart away any junk you find, since students rarely return to claim their belongings. A friend who operates an apartment prep service once found an abandoned electric guitar with two strings missing. After getting permission from the landlord, she replaced the strings and sold the guitar for a nice profit.
Apartment cleaning services start at a flat fee of $50 and can go up, depending on the severity of the job to be done. As you continue, you may want to specialize in a particular kind of repair service, say, carpet cleaning or wall repair, and offer this in addition to your standard cleaning service. Depending on the need for specialty cleaning services in your area, you might branch off into a specialized repair service; for instance, intensive repair and refurbishment for thoroughly trashed apartments, or even crime scene cleaning if you have a strong stomach (and focus) for that.
Beginning costs for this business are very low, you might use your own household cleaning supplies to start, leaving only the cost of a business license and some basic insurance.
Take good care of your body, since you'll be giving it a hard workout on each job. Your business is likely to be seasonal, as students come and go, but if you're quick and clean you may soon find you have more work than you can handle alone. If you're ready to grow, consider hiring a few trustworthy college students.
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January 2, 2009
