Cleaning Supplies & Equipment List

Cleaning supplies and equipment are the tools, chemicals, and materials used to clean and maintain spaces. They are crucial for cleaning businesses due to their impact on:

• Efficiency: Streamlines cleaning tasks and saves time.

• Client Satisfaction: Ensures high-quality results every time.

• Professionalism: Demonstrates commitment to excellent service.

• Health & Safety: Maintains a healthy home or office environment.

Use this guide to stock up on essential cleaning supplies and optimize your operations.

Essential Cleaning Equipment and Supplies for Every Cleaning Business

Here’s the essential cleaning supplies checklist to start your cleaning business, a to-do list, and whether your team does residential cleaning, janitorial services, or both.

Cleaning Tools & Equipment

1. Vacuum Cleaner (with attachments) For removing dirt, dust, and pet hair from carpets, floors, upholstery, and crevices.

2. Mop and Bucket Perfect for wet mopping hard surfaces like tile, natural stone, and hardwood floors.

3. Broom and Dustpan Ideal for quick cleanups and sweeping large debris.

4. Microfiber Cloths They are reusable and effective at trapping dirt, dust, and bacteria, making them great for wiping down surfaces, mirrors, and stainless steel.

5. Spray Bottles For diluting and applying all-purpose cleaners, disinfectants, and other cleaning solutions.

6. Scrub Brushes (various sizes) Necessary for tackling tough stains and grime on different surfaces.

7. Squeegee Useful for cleaning windows and showers and quickly removing spills from flat surfaces.

8. Sponges and Rags For everyday cleaning tasks and absorbing spills.

9. Toilet Brush Dedicated toilet brush for maintaining bathroom hygiene.

10. Paper Towels For quick wipe-downs and disposable cleaning tasks.

11. Cleaning Products Stock up on all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, and disinfectants.

12. Protective Gear Gloves, masks, and eye protection to ensure safety during cleaning jobs.

13. Buckets and Caddies Organize and transport your cleaning supplies easily.

These essential cleaning tools and supplies will prepare your team for any cleaning job, from residential jobs to executing high-quality commercial cleaning services. Ensure you have the right supplies to meet your client's needs and look professional.

Now, let’s talk about the list of cleaning chemicals for different tasks.

Cleaning Chemicals

Here’s every cleaning solution (sprays and liquids) you’ll need for residential and commercial cleaning:

1. All-Purpose Cleaner For most surfaces, for everyday cleaning.

2. Disinfectant For high-touch areas to keep the home or office healthy.

3. Glass Cleaner Use only on windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces.

4. Floor Cleaner (General) For various hard floors to keep them clean and maintained.

5. Bathroom Cleaner For soap scum, mildew, and grime in bathrooms.

6. Degreaser For kitchen surfaces and appliances.

7. Toilet Bowl Cleaner For toilets!

8. Stainless Steel Cleaner For stainless steel appliances and fixtures.

9. Carpet Cleaner Removes stains and refreshes carpets and upholstery.

10. Wood Cleaner Protects and cleans wood surfaces, enhancing their natural beauty.

Some basic supplies, like microfiber cloths and basic dish soap, are cheap and work just fine, but you’ll get a better, more professional clean if you invest in high-quality tools, like a vacuum cleaner that you’ll use for years to come.

Specialized Cleaning Equipment and Supplies

Specialized equipment may be optional, depending on your services, but it is usually necessary to differentiate your company in a crowded market or scale your business. These additional specialized tools to clean offices, clinics, hotels, and event spaces:

Floor Care

Keep commercial floors spotless with these:

1. Floor Buffer/Polisher Deep cleans and restores hard floors, making them shine.

2. Carpet Cleaner (Portable or Upright) For stains and deep cleaning of high-traffic areas.

Surface-Specific

Get these surface-specific tools for your cleaning business to offer detailed cleaning services:

1. Stainless Steel Cleaner For appliances and fixtures, keep them polished and free from smudges.

2. Wood Polish Maintains and cleans wood furniture.

3. Grout Cleaner Restores tile grout to its original condition, ensuring a clean and fresh look.

Heavy-Duty

For heavy cleaning tasks, these are must-haves:

1. Degreaser Cuts through grease and grime in kitchens, making surfaces clean and safe.

2. Pressure Washer Cleans outdoor surfaces, sidewalks, and decks effectively.

3. Steam Cleaner Sanitizes and disinfects without the need for chemicals on various surfaces.

Now, let’s talk about personal protective equipment (PPE).

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect your cleaning staff and customer’s property. Have these safety supplies ready to keep cleaning fluid, yourself, and your customer’s property safe:

• Disposable gloves: Protect hands from chemicals and bacteria.

• Rubber gloves: For heavy-duty cleaning.

• Goggles or face shields: For industrial cleaning to protect eyes and face from splashes.

• Aprons or coveralls: Shield clothing from spills and stains.

• Non-slip shoes: Prevent slips and falls on wet or greasy surfaces.

• Safety signage: Wet floor signs and caution signs.

• First aid kit: Stocked for minor injuries.

Some additional items to consider:

1. Masks Useful when working in dusty environments or with strong chemicals, protecting respiratory health.

2. Safety glasses Protect eyes from splashes and airborne debris during cleaning tasks.

3. Ear protection Useful for environments with loud machinery or equipment.

PPE ensures a safe working environment, reduces accidents, and looks professional.

Now, let’s look at miscellaneous additional supplies to further boost your cleaning products and services.

Miscellaneous Additional Supplies

Beyond the basics, these miscellaneous supplies will further enhance your services and cover you for any other tasks.

1. Trash Bags In various sizes to accommodate different types of waste, ensuring efficient cleanup.

2. Paper Towels For spills and drying hands.

3. Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Brush For bathroom cleaning.

4. Duster (Extendable) Helpful in reaching and cleaning high areas like ceiling fans and shelves.

5. Lint Rollers For removing pet hair and lint from upholstery and clothing.

6. Air Fresheners Leave spaces smelling fresh and clean after service.

7. Plastic Storage Bins Organize and store cleaning supplies neatly and securely.

These extras will prepare you for any cleaning job and boost your service quality and efficiency.

Now, let’s talk about business management tools for cleaning businesses.

Bonus: Business Management Tools

You can’t clean without a broom, mops, and sprays, and you can’t run a cleaning business without organizational tools. 

Cleaning Business Software

Starting a cleaning business can be overwhelming. Implementing business management software with robust scheduling and client management capabilities minimizes administrative work and helps you stay organized even as your office team grows. 

Aspire is cloud-based business management software designed for the cleaning industry, with features such as:

• Scheduling: Efficiently manage your team's time, training, and appointments.

• Client Management: Keep track of client details and communication.

• Invoicing and Payments: Simplify your billing processes.

Using Aspire's smart routing feature, you can plan more profitable days with optimized crew routes. Clients will be updated with appointment reminders, progress updates, and billing through the customer portal. 

Like a good vacuum or reliable mop, cleaning business software saves time, looks professional, and runs a more efficient and profitable business.

Lead Generation Tools

To grow your cleaning business, you need lead-generation tools. Aspire can help with:

• CRM Integration: Manage leads and clients in one place with full sales pipeline visibility.

• Marketing Automation: Automate your marketing and generate new revenue from your existing customer base with targeted direct and email campaigns.

• Reporting and Analytics: See how your marketing is performing and adjust accordingly, identify the most and least profitable services, and identify growth opportunities as soon as they arise.

Aspire maximizes revenue potential from your client base, driving growth and empowering lasting success in your business.

Accounting Software

Every business needs accounting software to manage expenses, payroll, and financial reporting. Aspire integrates with popular accounting systems, including QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, and Acumatica, streamlining:

• Expense Tracking: Track cleaning supply transactions.

• Invoicing: Create and send invoices quickly. See aging and past-due invoices at a glance.

• Payroll Management: Streamline payroll processes with in-platform time-tracking payments.

• Financial Reporting: See detailed financial reports like costs and pricing to track your business performance.

Aspire’s accounting features will keep your financials in order and simplify your accounting.

The Bottom Line

The right cleaning supplies, tools, and business management software are crucial to your cleaning business. Use this guide to create your cleaning supply checklist and equipment list and avoid cleaning business mistakes.

Discover how Aspire's cleaning business software can streamline your operations. Ready to optimize your cleaning business? Book a free demo with Aspire today.