What to put on a cleaning service flyer
A flyer gets a few seconds of attention. Give people what they need to decide, and nothing else:
- A headline about the result, not about your company. “Come home to a clean house” says more than a business name. Pick one of the ideas in the maker or write your own in 40 characters or fewer.
- One clear offer, with fine print that says who it is for and when it ends.
- What you clean. Four to six services is plenty: the rooms you cover, deep cleans, move-out cleans and your most asked-for add-ons.
- Where you work. “Serving North Austin and Round Rock” tells people right away whether you come to them.
- Why they can trust you, but only the points that are true.
- How to reach you. A phone number in big type, plus a website or booking link for people who would rather not call.
- Your business name, smaller than the headline. No name yet? Try the cleaning business name generator.
Cleaning flyer ideas that get calls
Most flyers that get no calls share the same problems: no offer, no reason to act now and too much text. A few fixes:
- Make a specific offer. “$25 off your first clean” or “Inside the fridge free with your first clean” gives people something concrete. “Great rates” does not. Before you print, check that the first clean still pays after the discount with the house cleaning price calculator.
- Give the offer an end date. “Ends June 30” is a reason to call this month instead of someday.
- Focus on one neighborhood. Name it in the headline or the service area, like “Now booking in Maple Heights”. The flyer reads as if it was written for the people who live there, and the clients you win sit close together, which keeps your drive times short.
- Ask for one clear next step. Call for a quote, or book online at your link. A flyer that lists five ways to get in touch makes people work to choose one.
- Only claim trust points that are true. Check Insured only if you have a policy in force; our guide to cleaning business insurance explains what cleaners usually carry. The same goes for background checks and a satisfaction guarantee: clients will ask, and a false claim costs more than it wins.
- Use the season. Spring cleaning, move-out season and the weeks before the holidays all give people a reason to book now.
Where to hand out cleaning flyers, and where not to
Good places to start:
- Front doors in the neighborhood you want to work in. Tuck the flyer into the door frame or handle so it does not blow away.
- Community boards at libraries, coffee shops, grocery stores, laundromats and gyms. Ask the staff before you pin anything up. This is where tear-off tabs earn their place.
- Businesses that serve the same households, like real estate agents and property managers who need move-in and move-out cleans. Ask if you can leave a small stack.
And where not to:
- Never in or on a mailbox. The US Postal Service says mailboxes are only for mail that carries postage, so flyers do not belong inside them or attached to them (USPS: restrictions for attaching flyers to a mailbox).
- Not before you check local rules. Some towns limit door-to-door flyers or ask for a permit, and many HOAs and apartment buildings do not allow them at all. Respect “No soliciting” signs. A quick call to your city clerk or the HOA first is cheaper than a fine and a bad first impression.
Flyers are one way to find clients among many. For referrals, online listings and the rest, read our guide on finding your first cleaning clients.
Printing at home or at a print shop
At home is fine for a few dozen flyers for community boards. Choose the Low ink look to save ink, keep the scale at 100% in the print dialog, and print on heavier paper or light cardstock so the flyer holds up on a door or a board. The flyer keeps a small white border because many home printers cannot print right to the edge of the page.
A print shop makes sense once you need a few hundred, or want full color on thick paper. Click “Print or save as PDF”, choose Save as PDF and send the shop that file. Ask for a proof before the full run, and check the phone number and link twice: a typo on 500 flyers is an expensive mistake.
How to tell if your flyers work
- Ask every new client how they heard about you, and write the answer down. It takes ten seconds on the first call.
- Use a different offer code for each neighborhood or board, like “Mention MAPLE25 for $25 off”. Put it in the offer terms, print a batch, then change the code for the next area.
- Keep a simple log: where and when each batch went out, how many flyers, and the calls and bookings that came back. After a few weeks you will know which neighborhoods are worth another round and which are not.