You can choose where you work, how far away from your home you will go, what neighborhoods you will work in.

You can choose whether to do all work yourself, work with one other person, or hire others to do cleaning while you devote yourself more to management. This last kind of arrangement can make you more money but does also have potential for more stress. Recently I emailed a friend who is about to be laid off, suggesting that he consider cleaning houses for a living. He's a management sort of guy, so I suggested that he do it that way. His reply indicated he thought it would be a bunch of headaches.

Is a business cleaning houses for you?

It's not for everyone. If you have physical conditions that would make it impossible, then of course it's out. If you have trouble getting around to doing what you say you will do, you might end up with some unhappy customers. But if you are responsible and like idea of working for yourself, full-time or part-time, in a job with low stress and surprising income potential, then do consider cleaning houses for a living.

With a computer and a word processing program (or a poster-making program, if you happen to have one), you can make a one-page or half-page flyer that says something like: "Don't Have Time to Do It All? Let Lou's House Cleaning Business Make Your House Shine! Special Introductory Half-Price Offer!" Be sure to include your name, phone number, even your email if you have one that you check every day. Indicating your prices will get you more calls. Don't set your prices too low, a common tendency for new business owners.

Tell everyone you know. Get on phone and tell your friends. Place a small classified ad in a local shopper-type paper.

Okay, you will soon be getting customers. How will you actually do house cleaning? What tools do you need to start with? There are probably as many different answers to this as there are people who have started a house cleaning business. Here are some ways to decide what you will do: Poke around on internet. Ask your mother. Go to a library or bookstore and read.

You may need to get a business license. Check with city, town, or county, where you live. This rarely costs much.

So there you have it. You can start your own house cleaning business. Go for it!