If you are you looking for the perfect business to start, why not consider a cleaning business? Before you convince yourself that cleaning is boring, too hard, and not glamorous enough for a person such as you, consider the reality. A cleaning business is easy to start, easy to learn, and, most important, one of the quickest ways to start making money. Remember, it is often the most unexciting business that is the most profitable. To help you get started, here are five of the most popular cleaning businesses to choose from.

1. Residential Cleaning Service - One of the easiest and least expensive ways into any type of business is to start your own residential cleaning service. Start with a couple houses you can clean by yourself or team up with a partner and work more. You can easily market your service in local publications and through word-of-mouth from satisfied clients. After a while you will probably want to hire people to do the cleaning while you concentrate on bringing in more clients as well as the rest of the office work. Make sure you are licensed, bonded, and insured if you intend to grow this business beyond the few houses you can clean by yourself.

2. Pressure Washing -Pressure washers use specialized equipment to clean many types of surfaces with water and various cleaners under high pressure. Some of the surfaces you can clean will include the exterior of houses and commercial buildings, concrete and brick, wooden decks, fences, furniture, and boats. The list of possibilities is very long, as is the list of potential clients. Many of the people who will need your service may not even realize it, and much of your marketing effort will be to show them how they can benefit from what you offer. There are many investment levels at which to get started in this business from a few hundred dollars to several thousand or more but this still puts it within reach of those who are forced to start small and work their way up.

3. Steam Cleaning -Steam cleaners use various types of equipment to clean carpet and fabric-covered furniture. This equipment can be entirely self-contained with a hot water and vacuum assembly permanently installed in a van or with a unit that carries the water with the machine. This second option is the least desirable since it forces the cleaner to empty and refill the water in the unit, thus wasting time that could be better spent cleaning (and making money). Depending on the exact type of equipment you go with, steam cleaning can be the most expensive option on this list to get started, but it also has the potential to make more money than the rest as well.

4. Green Cleaning Service -A green cleaning service is similar to a traditional cleaning service with the work performed but "green" because of the cleaning supplies used. Instead of using harsh, toxic chemical cleaners, these new services are using all natural, non-toxic cleaners, and charging premium prices for it. Many people are so dedicated to this new way of cleaning they would not consider going back to the old way. People with pets, children, or allergies will be especially attracted to the benefits of a green cleaning service.

5. Pool Cleaning -If you live in the right location, a pool cleaning business can be a very lucrative, year around business for you. Most people who own a pool love swimming in it but hate the cleaning part. It is an endless chore to keep the water clean, clear, and debris free and many are glad to rid themselves of this unpleasant task.

Starting your own business can be exciting and fun, but it can be fraught with anxiety as well. The way to remove much of this anxiety is to start making money as soon as possible. Very few things are better for a business, and consequently, the sanity of the business owner, than a positive cash flow. By opening a cleaning business instead of a more exciting sounding one, the new business owner is far more likely to prosper than their more glamorous counterpart. Remember, fill a need and you will be successful, the greater the need, the greater the success.