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Setting up a cleaning company in Switzerland: a step-by-step guide to starting your own business

07.08.2026

If you want to set up a cleaning company, you don’t need any special training or a government permit for most cleaning services in Switzerland. The key is to prepare thoroughly and make informed decisions about your legal form, costs and insurance. This guide shows the key steps involved in setting up your own cleaning company in Switzerland.

At a glance 

  • First orders often come from existing contacts, recommendations or previous customers.
  • Whether you provide maintenance, office or relocation cleaning, the choice of service affects the target group, prices and organization. 
  • The most important expenses include cleaning materials, work clothing, insurance and, depending on the business model, a vehicle.
  • Some decisions, e.g. OASI registration, insurance and legal form, should be made before you receive your first order. 

Before you start planning, it’s worth taking a look at the most important steps. Our checklist will help you to prepare your startup in a structured manner and make sure you don’t forget any important tasks.

Download the “Setting up a cleaning company” checklist The link will open in a new window

Quick check: you should answer these questions before setting up your cleaning company

Before you set up a cleaning company, there are a few key decisions to make. What services would you like to offer? Who will your customers be? And is there already enough demand? The following questions will help you to assess your situation realistically.

Maintenance, office, relocation or window cleaning: each service has different requirements with regard to equipment, planning and work processes. You should therefore decide what you’d like to focus on early on.

First orders often come from previous customers, acquaintances, recommendations or property management contacts. The decisive factor is whether this can generate regular income. If you’re still employed, you should also observe any non-competition clauses.

Your target group influences your working hours, prices and organization. While private customers often expect flexibility, companies and property management companies place value on fixed processes and reliability.

In the cleaning industry, trust, reliability and thorough work are what matter. You also need a clear reason why customers should choose you.

This could be your experience in maintenance cleaning, your specialization in relocation cleaning, your local presence, your flexible working hours or a particularly personal service. The more specific your profile is, the easier it will be to target suitable customers.

Employed or self-employed: what changes when you have your own cleaning company?

If you work as a cleaner, you already know the practical side of the job. Cleaners often want to become self-employed because they’ve already started gaining their own customers, they want to organize their working hours more flexibly or they wish to have more control over their income. But self-employment also involves tasks that were previously undertaken by the employer, such as gaining customers, preparing quotes and invoices, and taking care of accounting and insurance.

At the same time, self-employment opens up new opportunities. You decide for yourself which orders you accept, which services you offer and how you want to develop your company.

For many company founders, the challenge is not so much the cleaning work itself as the transition from a skilled worker to an entrepreneur.

Typical mistakes when setting up a cleaning company

Setting up a cleaning company in Switzerland is relatively straightforward. You don’t need any special training or a government permit for most general cleaning services. However, these low barriers to entry often lead people to underestimate the economic and organizational requirements involved. 

The most common errors include:

  • Unrealistic price calculations: costs for equipment, vehicles, insurance, journey times and administration are often underestimated.
  • Offering too many services: a clear focus reduces effort, material requirements and complexity. 
  • Underestimated administrative effort: in addition to the actual cleaning work, tasks such as preparing quotes and invoices, scheduling and bookkeeping also need to be taken care of. You should allow enough time for this.
  • Lack of or insufficient insurance: losing keys or causing damage at a customer’s premises can soon become expensive.
  • Mixing private and business finances: a separate business account provides a clear overview and makes accounting easier.

If you take these points into account early on, you’ll create a solid foundation for the next steps of setting up your company. 

Choosing the right legal form for your cleaning company

A sole proprietorship is a straightforward way to start your own business. It’s particularly suitable if you want to manage your cleaning company alone and gauge demand. 

A limited liability company can make sense if you want to plan bigger from the outset, employ more staff or create a greater distinction between your private assets and your business liability. The startup costs and administrative workload are higher for this type of company. 

Sole proprietorship or limited liability company?

CriterionSole proprietorshipLimited liability company
Criterion
Starting capital
 Sole proprietorship
No minimum capital
 Limited liability company
CHF 20,000 share capital
Criterion
Startup costs
 Sole proprietorship
Low: no notary required; entry in the commercial register is only required for annual revenue of CHF 100,000 or more 
 Limited liability company
Higher: public certification by a notary is required; entry in the commercial register is mandatory
Criterion
Liability
 Sole proprietorship
With private assets
 Limited liability company
With company assets
Criterion
Administration
 Sole proprietorship
Fewer formal requirements and less administrative effort
 Limited liability company
More legal requirements and administrative tasks
Criterion
Suitable for
 Sole proprietorship
Individuals who are starting their own business
 Limited liability company
Planned growth, staff 

Ultimately, the right legal form depends on your individual situation. You can find a detailed overview of other legal forms and their differences in the article "How to find the right legal form for your company".

How much does it cost to set up a cleaning company in Switzerland?

When calculating the costs of a cleaning company, you shouldn’t just consider the startup costs. A significant share of the expenses arises later on for equipment, a vehicle and ongoing operations.

The startup costs depend primarily on the legal form. While a sole proprietorship can be set up with minimal effort, setting up a limited liability company requires a share capital of 20,000 francs and incurs additional costs for the notary’s office and commercial register.

Depending on the situation, you may also have to pay for a website, business equipment or fiduciary services.

The basic equipment includes cleaning agents, vacuum cleaners, mopping/sweeping equipment, workwear and other materials. The equipment you need to purchase depends on the services you offer.

A major cost factor is often the vehicle. If you take on apartment hand-overs or relocation cleaning or if you clean several properties per day, you’ll struggle to manage without your own vehicle. Fuel, maintenance and insurance should also be factored into the purchase price.

After startup, regular costs are incurred which should be taken into account when setting your prices. These include expenses for:

  • Cleaning materials
  • Insurance
  • OASI contributions 
  • Vehicle maintenance
  • Accounting or fiduciary services
  • Telephone and internet
  • Software and digital tools 
  • Website and marketing

These expenses are incurred regardless of how many jobs you complete in a month. You should therefore take them into account when calculating your services.

You can find an overview of the general costs of setting up a company in Switzerland in the article “How much does it really cost to set up a company in Switzerland?”. Here you can find out what costs are incurred depending on the legal form and what company founders should expect.

The insurance policies required by a cleaning company

If you set up a cleaning company, you assume responsibility for customers’ homes, offices and properties. That’s why it’s so important to have the right insurance coverage. The insurance policies that are required or worthwhile depend on whether you work alone or employ staff.

The mandatory insurance you need depends primarily on the legal form you choose. As soon as you employ staff, you must take into account various social insurance schemes, such as Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance, disability insurance, accident insurance and employee benefits. If you employ staff, you should also check whether the collective employment contract (CEC) for the cleaning sector applies to your company. Once you have six or more employees, the CEC may become relevant, depending on your business activities and company structure.

If you manage your cleaning company as a sole proprietorship, you should also check your personal insurance. Unlike employees, self-employed people aren’t automatically protected against loss of earnings. Depending on the situation, additional retirement planning solutions may therefore be advisable.

Find out more in the article “Insurance when setting up a company in Switzerland”.

Business liability insurance is part of the basic coverage for many cleaning companies.

Accidents can happen quickly: a window gets broken, a parquet floor gets scratched or a key gets lost. The financial consequences can quickly amount to several thousand francs. Business liability insurance covers such claims and protects your company against unexpected costs.

In addition to mandatory insurance, other types of coverage may be useful depending on your business model:

  • Daily allowance insurance: can protect part of your income if you or your staff are absent for a long period due to illness.
  • Legal protection insurance: provides support in the event of legal disputes, such as with customers, suppliers or staff. It makes sense to clarify exactly which areas of law the insurance covers and which are relevant to your company.
  • Vehicle insurance: if you transport equipment or travel to customer premises on a regular basis, you should check the insurance coverage for your company vehicle.
  • Property insurance for equipment and materials: can protect against damage to work equipment, machines or operating equipment.

The types of insurance that make sense depend on your business activity, the resources used and the size of your company.

How to officially set up your cleaning company

Once the range of services, legal form, costs and insurance have been clarified, it’s time to set up the company. The following seven steps will help you establish a solid foundation for your cleaning company.

Define your range of services, target group and positioning. Think about which cleaning services you’d like to offer and what sets your company apart from other providers.

Decide which legal form is best suited to your project. Take liability, startup costs and administrative effort into account, among other things.

Create an overview of the expected startup and operating costs, such as equipment, vehicle and insurance costs as well as current expenses.

Check which insurance policies are required or useful for your situation. Take into account social security and business liability insurance for unexpected incidents in particular.

Depending on your company’s legal form and size, you may need to register with the authorities or enter your company in the commercial register. Find out in good time about the requirements that apply to your situation.

Register with the relevant OASI compensation office, set up your accounting and define simple processes for quotes, invoices and order entry.

A separate business account makes accounting easier and ensures a clear separation between private and business finances.

The PostFinance startup package helps company founders to set up their financial infrastructure – from business account to payment transactions.

Together with the Institut für Jungunternehmen (IFJ), PostFinance helps company founders to set up their own companies. On the IFJ platform you can find information, tools and support for the individual steps involved in starting a company.

A concise checklist of your next steps

From choosing a legal form and insurance policies to registering with the authorities: setting up a company involves many different tasks. A checklist can help you to keep track and approach the individual steps in the right order.

The “Setting up a cleaning company” checklist summarizes the key points and helps you prepare for starting your own business.

Download the “Setting up a cleaning company” checklist The link will open in a new window

FAQs about financing and startup costs

  • You don’t usually need any special training or permit to set up a cleaning company. It’s important to have a clear business idea, an appropriate legal form and to plan costs and insurance.

  • In Switzerland, you don’t need a special permit for most cleaning services. However, additional requirements may apply depending on the area of use. If you offer cleaning services in hospitals, healthcare facilities or other sensitive areas, for example, you may have to meet special hygiene and quality requirements. You should therefore find out about the requirements that apply to your activity before setting up your company. 

  • The costs depend primarily on the chosen legal form and the required equipment. A sole proprietorship can be founded with relatively little financial outlay. For a limited liability company, you need to factor in an additional share capital of at least 20,000 francs as well as costs for the notary’s office and commercial register. You’ll also need to invest in cleaning materials, work clothing, a vehicle and insurance.

  • Yes. People who start a company on their own often choose a sole proprietorship. It’s easy to set up and requires no minimum capital. As the company grows and the business risk increases, it may be worth switching to a limited liability company at a later date. 

  • Yes. Self-employed people have to register with the relevant OASI compensation fund, which checks whether the preconditions for self-employment have been met. You should register as early as possible.

  • If you set up a limited liability company, the entry in the commercial register is mandatory. For sole proprietorships, an entry is generally required from an annual revenue of 100,000 francs. You can also make a voluntary entry beforehand.

Please note: this article outlines the key principles for setting up a cleaning company. For more complex legal or tax-related questions, we recommend seeking advice from a legal or fiduciary specialist.

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