A cleaning business needs software that brings together the team schedule, with recurring jobs and replacements; a job report for each visit on the phone of whoever does it; the hours each person works; client keys and entry details, well protected; and estimates and invoices, all in one place and connected to its website.
The week's schedule in a spreadsheet, last-minute changes by text, client keys in a drawer and hours written on paper: everything lives in a different place, and if someone calls in sick at seven on Monday morning, rebuilding the day is up to you. This guide covers what software a cleaning business needs, what the law says about tracking hours, how to protect client keys and entry details, a test to see whether off-the-shelf or custom software makes more sense, and sample projects you can try.
The schedule: who goes where, and when
Most of a cleaning business's work repeats: the office on Mondays and Thursdays, the house every two weeks, the apartment building on Tuesdays. The software should create those jobs on its own every week and leave room for one-time requests.
- Recurring jobs that repeat on their own, weekly, every two weeks or monthly, with their time and how long each one takes.
- A view by person and by day, with the travel time between one job and the next.
- Time off, sick days and replacements: when someone is out, the software shows their uncovered jobs and who's free at that time.
- Website requests come in on their own, next to the ones that arrive by phone or text.
- Client notifications: a reminder the day before and a heads-up if a different person is coming.
A job report for each visit, on the phone of whoever does it
Each team member sees the day's jobs on their phone: the address, the time, what needs to be done and the client's instructions, such as "the cat can't go out on the balcony" or "no bleach on the hardwood floors". When they finish, they check off what's done and, if something comes up, add a photo: a dripping faucet or a stain that won't come out. The client can get a message when the job is finished.
Tracking the hours each person works
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must keep records for each non-exempt employee that include the hours worked each workday and the total hours worked each workweek, among other details. According to the Department of Labor, payroll records must be kept for at least three years, and the records wages are based on, such as time cards, for two years.
For a cleaning business, where each person starts and finishes at different addresses, the practical approach is to clock in and out from the same phone where they see their jobs. That way the time records and the job reports come from the same place and match.
This section summarizes the Department of Labor's guidance on federal law as of November 12, 2026. Your state may have additional requirements. It isn't legal advice: check with your accountant or an employment lawyer.
Client keys and entry details
A cleaning business usually holds keys, garage remotes and alarm codes for its clients. A key with a tag showing the client's name and address is a risk if it gets lost. In the software, protecting them comes down to four things:
- Keys with a number, no name or address. Only the software knows which client each number belongs to.
- Who has each key and since when: logged when it's picked up and when it's returned.
- Codes and entry instructions in the client record, not in text messages or loose notes, and visible only to whoever does that job.
- A username and password for each team member, and access removed the day they leave.
Clients, estimates and monthly numbers
Each client record brings together their details, recurring jobs, what they pay per hour or per job, their instructions and their history. An accepted estimate turns into a job without retyping it. At the end of the month, the software prepares each client's invoice with the jobs done and the hours from the job reports, instead of adding them up by hand.
In the monthly numbers, the software should show what's been paid, what's still owed and what each client leaves after paying for your team's hours and travel. That tells you which services to promote and which to rethink.
Off-the-shelf or custom software for your business?
There's off-the-shelf software for cleaning businesses that handles scheduling, job reports and invoicing. It works if the way you operate fits it. Check what applies to you and you'll see what makes more sense.
Your result will show up here as soon as you check the first box.
Look for one made for cleaning businesses that covers what you need with few adjustments and, before you sign up, make sure you can download your data whenever you want.
Try off-the-shelf software with your real jobs for a few weeks. If you still need the spreadsheet or the paper next to it, software built for your business makes more sense.
The way you work doesn't fit off-the-shelf software. Software built for your business brings the schedule, job reports, hours, keys and invoices together and connects to your website.
Software you can try
Jumpoline, Maison Ivoire and Salitre are sample projects with their website and their software. They aren't cleaning businesses, but you can open and try them: the calendar, client records, financials and orders work the way your business's software would.
Trampoline park: a website for booking from a phone and software with capacity-based bookings, ticket office, parties and passes.
Open the project →
Beauty studio: a website in five languages with treatments and prices, before-and-after results and booking, plus software with calendar, clients and accounts.
Open the project →
Vermouth brand: a website in four languages and software for orders, stock by batch and reviews, with ordering by QR code.
Open the project →To see what the company's website needs, with the services, the service area, the estimate and the Google Business Profile, read What a cleaning company website needs to get bookings.
Frequently asked questions
What should cleaning business software do?
Handle the team schedule with recurring jobs and replacements, a job report for each visit on the team's phones, time records, who has each client key, estimates and monthly invoices.
Do I have to track my employees' hours?
For non-exempt employees, yes. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must record the hours worked each workday and each workweek. Payroll records are kept for at least three years and time cards for two. Your state may require more.
How should I store client keys?
With a tag that shows only a number, no name or address, and a log in the software of who has each key and since when. Alarm codes go in the client record, visible only to whoever needs them.
How much does custom software from Proclub cost?
It depends on what it needs to do. Tell us how your business works in the order form and we'll send you a proposal with the price.
Sources
- Fact Sheet #21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) · U.S. Department of Labor Revised July 2008; accessed November 12, 2026.
Keep reading
What software a beauty salon needs
What a beauty salon website needs to get bookings
What a cleaning company website needs to get bookings
Proclub Agency. Custom websites and management software for businesses. This guide is reviewed whenever its sources change.