***This post has been updated, please see the information at the end of the article.***

You’ve seen the horror, you’ve seen the mess, you’ve even seen the sighs as people lament coming home and parking their car.

Yes, I’m referring to the unclean and cluttered garage!

Just about every garage in the United States could use a cleaning. Some are in desperate need of a complete overhaul. If you are brave enough to delve into the remote areas of the nether region, you can offer this service to homeowners in your community. You can set your own hours and prices depending on the work load, and you can even hire people once you have a system in place.



Summertime is a great time for this hustle, as people take to the roads and want to dig out their bicycles and play equipment for use in the parks and recreational areas. Since you’ll primarily be working outside, it’s best to do it when you don’t have to wear a coat and gloves. Also, this service isn’t necessarily dependent on the homeowner being present, because you won’t be going inside of the home in most cases. You can also make extra money if the homeowner wants you to haul away their trash instead of using their herbie curbie. However, because you will be working in a dirty environment, make sure you have protective equipment such as work gloves, old clothes and a dust mask. In addition, be aware that there will be little critters in the dark corners, so be prepared to moonlight as a part-time Orkin man.

The market for garage cleaning is…what’s the word…HUGE!! If you’ve never thought about it, then here’s a question for you: how many homes don’t need their garage cleaned? When is the last time you saw a pristine or squeaky clean garage, and the homeowner was living there for more than one week? Clean garages are like $2 bills — you hear about them and know they exist, but it can be really hard to spot one. One of the great things about this hustle is it’s ‘repeat customer’ factor: once you get all the garages cleaned and straightened up, it will be time to start all over again. In addition, if you are really handy you can offer additional services, such as stain removal, painting, building shelves, garage door opener installation, etc. Again, the only limits are your imagination.

Do your part in helping the environment by helping others help themselves to a cleaner future. You’ll both be glad you did!

***UPDATE: A good way to market your services would be to use signs that are placed across the street from the entrance of any subdivision. You may have to check with your local ordinances to make sure it is legal, but you could hit everyone that lives there with only one well-placed targeted display. The residents are virtually guaranteed to see it, and it beats direct mail marketing!

Also, establish a relationship with homeowners associations and see if you can place an ad in the newsletter they have. The association doesn’t have a newsletter? Great! Create one for them with your ad in place, and instantly you get your exposure and another stream of income.