How to get trash can cleaning customers

The short versionPick one neighborhood. Hand out door hangers the day after trash day. Turn every happy customer into two more with a referral reward. Sell monthly plans so you don't have to find new customers every month.

1. Pick one neighborhood and one trash day

Every street with the same trash day is a route you can wash in one go. Ten customers on three streets earn more than ten customers across town, because you're not driving. Find out the pickup days for your city (most cities post them online) and focus on one area first.

2. Door hangers the day after trash day

The day after pickup, bins are empty, sitting at the curb and often smelly. It's the moment people think about them. A door hanger with your price and one way to book does more than any ad. Don't use mailboxes: in the US only mail with postage can go in one. Make a free flyer.

3. Wash a few bins for photos

A real before and after from your own street beats any stock photo. Offer a few neighbors a free wash in exchange for photos you can use. Ask for Google reviews only from paying customers: Google removes reviews given in exchange for something, or written by family.

4. Show your price up front

"DM for prices" loses people. Put your one-time and monthly prices on every flyer, post and page. If you're not sure what to charge, see the price guide.

5. One link to book

Every flyer, bio and post should send people to one place where they can see the price and pick a day without messaging you. That's what Binly does, but any booking page is better than back-and-forth texts.

6. Google Business Profile

When someone searches "trash can cleaning near me", Google shows local businesses on a map. A free Google Business Profile with your service area, photos and reviews is how you show up there. Ask every happy customer for a review.

7. Local Facebook groups and Nextdoor

Post before and after photos in neighborhood groups, following each group's rules about businesses. Answer questions helpfully. Don't spam the same post everywhere.

8. Referral rewards

Give every customer a code. When a neighbor books with it and pays, the customer gets credit off their next wash. Binly does this automatically. Neighbors trust neighbors more than flyers.

9. Sell monthly plans

A one-time customer is one wash. A monthly customer is 13 washes a year (every 4 weeks) without more marketing. Price the monthly plan lower per wash than a one-time clean, so it's the obvious choice.

10. Ask HOAs and property managers

One HOA or apartment manager can mean dozens of bins on one stop. Bring photos, a simple price per bin and proof of insurance.

11. Restaurants and businesses

Restaurant dumpsters and bins smell worse and need cleaning more often. They usually need more equipment and insurance, so add them once your home route is steady.

12. Win back people who stopped

Customers who haven't booked in two months are the easiest to win back. A friendly text with a small reason to come back works better than a new flyer drop. Binly lists them for you with the text ready to send.

What to measure

• Bookings from each flyer drop, group post or ad. Do more of what works.
• How many one-time customers switch to monthly.
• How many monthly customers you keep each month.