Foreclosure Cleanup Business Advice: Should You Offer “Green Cleaning”

Green cleaning is all the rage right now. And, it’s not a fad; it’s here to stay -- fast becoming mainstream and a key part of every cleaning business’ list of service offerings. However, whether or not this should impact your decision to add it to your foreclosure cleanup business is another story.

Why? That’s the question we’ll explore here.

What is Green Cleaning?

Green cleaning is defined as the use of products and methods that are safe for the environment, and protects the general health of the earth’s inhabitants (from man to beast). What makes a product green is the fact that it’s made from eco-friendly ingredients. And, this is why green cleaning is generally deemed kinder “gentler” cleaning, so to speak.

Why Green Cleaning Is Not a Fad & How This Impacts Your Foreclosure Cleaning Business

As mentioned at the outset of this article, green cleaning is not a fad. Proof?

According to the leading cleaning association website, ISSA.com (International Sanitary Supply Association), “Green cleaning is arguably the number one trend in our industry and is showing no signs of slowing down.”

In fact, the site has entire divisions devoted to green cleaning – from green cleaning seminars, to green cleaning products, to green cleaning networking.

Even mainstream entrepreneurial media outlets highlight the growth and importance of green cleaning in the janitorial industry. For example, Inc.com, a leading entrepreneurial magazine, cited green cleaning as one of the top business to consider for wannabe entrepreneurs.

And the coup de gras that green cleaning is here to stay? In 2007, former Vice President Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts focusing on global warming, which is part of the whole equation around green cleaning and the environment.

Should You Add Green Cleaning to Your Foreclosure Cleanup Business’ List of Services?

Now that you know why green cleaning is here to stay, let’s get down to the main point of this discussion, which is, is it something your foreclosure cleaning business should offer. There is no straightforward answer, but here are a few things to consider that may help you to make up your mind.

5 Things to Consider to Help You Decide Whether or Not to Offer Green Cleaning

(a) It’s your business; structure it the way you want. If green cleaning is important to you and you want to offer it, then by all means, do so.

(b) It can help set you apart from the competition. Very few foreclosure cleanup businesses offer this service, so it can be an easy way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

(c) Almost 100% of your clients won’t expect it. This is especially true if they are banks, mortgage companies, real estate agencies, etc. They just want a property to be clean and market ready. And whether you achieve that goal by “green clean” or “bleach clean,” they won’t care.

(d) Green cleaning may lose you clients. How? Right now in the REO industry, lenders are primarily concerned with property maintenance, security and safety. And they want to do it as quickly and cheaply as possible because they already lose money when a home is foreclosed on. The last thing they want to do is shell out more money for “green cleaning.”

Remember, lenders want to get back to being in the businesses they know best; ie, lending money. Right now, they’ve been forced into the “property preservation” business by having to manage/upkeep all of the foreclosures on their books.

(e) The last consideration here is startup. As in, when you first start out, you’re going to have a lot on your plate, eg, marketing, giving estimates, dealing with subcontractors and workers, preparing invoices, actually doing the jobs when they come in, etc.

In the beginning, you may just want to keep your foreclosure cleanup business simple by not offering yet “another” service (eg, green cleaning).

With that being said, again, if you are passionate about green cleaning, then by all means go for it. If you decide to go this route though, you may want to start by offering just a few elements of green cleaning, instead of trying to be a full-fledged green cleaning company.

Tip about Ordering Green Cleaning Products for Your Foreclosure Cleanup Business

When you buy cleaning supplies from larger vendors, they tend to require a minimum order amount. So order from smaller vendors that don’t have this requirement. This way, you save money, but still get to have all the necessary products on hand if green cleaning is part of your foreclosure cleaning business’s list of services.

Learn more about green cleaning in the video below.