Commercial cleaning is one of the most practical home-based businesses you can start. A small storage unit or garage can hold your equipment, your schedule can flex to nights and weekends, and most clients pay on a reliable monthly cycle. Many owners begin with residential maid services, then “graduate” into janitorial contracts for offices, medical suites, retailers, warehouses, and schools. From there, a handful of operators step into a specialized lane most competitors avoid: crime scene and biohazard cleanup. It’s emotionally demanding, tightly regulated work—but because of that, competition is limited and rates support a healthy, resilient business.
The opportunity exists because someone must restore spaces after traumatic events, unattended deaths, accidents, or hazardous spills. Families, landlords, property managers, and insurers want fast, discreet help from professionals who know how to protect health and handle regulated waste. If you already run a cleaning company, you’ve got a base of operations, scheduling discipline, and customer service habits. What you add for this niche is training, compliance, and a “white-glove” approach to safety and documentation. Think restoration contractor, not housekeeper: you are remediating risks and returning a property to safe occupancy.
Not Simply Another Commercial Cleaning Opportunity
Before we go further, a clear caution: biohazard work is not just heavy-duty cleaning. It involves exposure to bloodborne pathogens and regulated wastes, and it is governed by OSHA, state health departments, and environmental rules. Do not accept a biohazard job until you’ve completed appropriate training, carry the right insurance, have written procedures, and have a licensed medical-waste hauler or transporter lined up. High-level guidance follows here, but local rules vary—check your state and municipal requirements.
Getting started begins with the commercial cleaning side because it builds cash flow and reputation. Register your business, get a business license if required, and obtain general liability coverage and workers’ compensation if you have employees. Build a simple website, claim your Google Business Profile, and assemble a portfolio of services—nightly janitorial, day porter, construction clean, floor care, and move-in/move-out cleaning. These core services give you regular revenue and relationships with property managers, facility directors, and real-estate professionals—the same people who often field the first phone call after an incident.
Significant Training and Special Equipment Required
To add the crime scene cleanup capability, invest in training that covers bloodborne pathogens, PPE selection and fit, exposure control plans, decontamination protocols, and waste handling. Many operators also complete HAZWOPER or state-approved courses relevant to their work environment. Develop written standard operating procedures: how you assess a scene, how you cordon off areas, how you record your work, and how you confirm that a space is safe to re-enter. Create a checklist for personal protective equipment (impervious suits, gloves, eye protection, and appropriate respirators with fit testing) and a policy for when to pause a job to bring in additional expertise. Your goal is to run a professional response that protects your team, your clients, and the public.
Supplies and equipment are familiar but upgraded. You’ll keep the usual commercial cleaning carts and chemicals for non-hazard areas, and you’ll add a biohazard kit: sealed containers and bags with the biohazard symbol, absorbents, disinfectants with appropriate kill claims, tools dedicated to this work, and containment materials like plastic sheeting and tape to isolate work zones. A HEPA vacuum and an air scrubber can help manage particulates during certain restoration tasks, while a digital camera and job log app help document conditions before, during, and after remediation. You won’t transport regulated medical waste yourself unless you’re licensed to do so; instead, you contract with a permitted hauler who provides manifests and disposal documentation for your file and your client’s insurer.
Pricing and Marketing Your Services
Pricing reflects the specialized nature of the work, the PPE consumed, disposal fees, and the emotional toll of urgent calls. Most companies charge a site fee for assessment and mobilization, then bill by the hour or by scope with line items for materials and waste. Homeowners and small landlords often pay out of pocket and later seek reimbursement; commercial clients usually work through insurance and expect a clear estimate with photographs and daily notes. Your compassion and professionalism matter as much as your technical skill: arrive discreetly, speak carefully, and offer to coordinate with property managers, adjusters, or law enforcement as allowed. Your role is to make a terrible day less complicated.
Marketing this niche is different from selling floor care. You don’t blast ads with graphic language; you quietly introduce your capability to those who need to know: property managers, restoration contractors, funeral homes, senior-living administrators, campus housing directors, hotel managers, and insurance agents. Present a one-page brief that emphasizes safety, training, confidentiality, and rapid response. Make it easy to reach you after hours with a 24/7 phone line and a simple dispatch protocol. On your website, keep the messaging respectful, focus on health and restoration, and include a private contact form for families and a separate line for commercial accounts.
Operationally, plan for the human side. Biohazard calls can be emotionally heavy. Rotate staff, provide access to counseling resources, and debrief difficult jobs. Train your team to recognize when a situation calls for additional services—odor remediation, drywall removal, or flooring replacement—and build a network of specialty contractors you trust. Keep excellent records: training logs, fit-test results, SDS sheets, waste manifests, exposure control plans, incident reports, and client sign-offs. Documentation protects your business and speeds insurance approvals.
How to Get Started in This Unique Niche
You can start modestly. Many operators build a second, dedicated “bio” kit that lives in a sealed tote, alongside extra PPE and a printed checklist. The incremental cost to be ready—beyond training and insurance endorsements—can be surprisingly manageable, and you only deploy it when a qualified job comes in. As volume grows, you refine your intake questions (“Who is the property contact? Has the scene been cleared for entry? What areas are affected?”), tighten your response times, and consider a small enclosed trailer or van shelving to keep gear organized and separate from general cleaning supplies.
The path from a garage-based cleaning company to a respected firm with a crime scene cleanup division is realistic if you are methodical. In your first ninety days, build your janitorial base and secure three to five recurring accounts; complete required biohazard training; line up your waste-hauling contract; and write your SOPs and exposure control plan. In the next ninety days, quietly introduce your capability to decision makers and respond to your first small jobs—pet waste contamination, minor accidents, or non-traumatic bio incidents—so you can refine your processes before handling larger scenes. By the end of the first year, aim to be on a few property managers’ shortlists and recognized by at least one local insurer or restoration company as a reliable subcontractor.
Above all, remember what you’re selling: certainty in uncertain moments. Commercial cleaning pays the bills and grows your footprint. The biohazard niche adds work that is needed, delicate, and well-compensated because it requires specialized readiness. Approach it with humility, follow the rules to the letter, and keep compassion at the center of your brand. If you do those things—while staying within the limits of your training and local regulations—you can build an exceptional, recession-resistant business from a very small footprint, and you’ll be providing a service that truly helps people when they need it most.