Cleaning services

Books and taxes for tile and grout cleaning companies.

Kitchen and bathroom jobs priced by the square foot, a sealant upsell that doubles the ticket, a commercial account with a slow property manager, and a rotary machine that needs new pads every few jobs. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MayExample month
$7,600
what you made

May came in at $7,600. Sealant upsells were up again this month, which is a bigger share of your income than most owners in this trade get.

  • Residential job, SquareResidential jobs
  • Sealant application add-onSealant upsells
  • Grout sealant supply orderCleaning supplies
  • Rotary pad replacementEquipment maintenance
  • Angi lead feesLead fees
Money in$24,800
Money out$17,200
Set aside for taxes$1,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Tile and grout cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is priced by the square foot, sells a sealant upsell that can double a ticket, and runs a machine that eats through pads and attachments. When the books do not know that, you cannot see what actually makes a job worth it.

  1. 1

    Sealant upsells hide inside the base job

    Applying grout sealant after a cleaning job can nearly double what a customer pays, but if it is billed as one lump job total, you cannot tell how much of your income depends on that upsell versus the cleaning alone.

    What we doKeeps sealant application revenue in its own line against the base cleaning, so the real value of the upsell is visible.
  2. 2

    Rotary machine pads and attachments get lost as general supplies

    Diamond pads, brushes, and attachments for a rotary tile machine wear out steadily and get bought often in small amounts, and lumped into general supplies, it is hard to see the real equipment upkeep cost per job.

    What we doKeeps equipment maintenance in its own line so you can see what keeping the rig running actually costs.
  3. 3

    Per-square-foot pricing hides which jobs are actually worth it

    A large open kitchen floor and a cramped, grout-heavy bathroom might bill at the same rate per square foot, even though one takes twice as long to finish.

    What we doTracks job revenue against the time a crew reports, so you can see which jobs are underpriced for the labor they take.
  4. 4

    Commercial accounts pay slower than residential jobs

    A property manager or restaurant chain contract often pays on a 30-day cycle, while a homeowner pays the same day. Mixed together in one deposit pile, a slow commercial payment can make a good month look thin.

    What we doNotes which jobs are waiting on a commercial account's payment terms so a payment lag does not read as a slow month.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a tile and grout cleaning company.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Residential jobsKitchen, bathroom, and floor cleaning priced by the square foot.
  • Sealant upsellsGrout sealant application billed on top of the base clean.
  • Commercial contractsRestaurant, retail, and property management accounts billed on their terms.
  • Regrouting referralsReferral fees when a job is passed to a tile setter for repair work.

Money out

  • Cleaning suppliesGrout cleaner, sealant, and acid-based stone-safe cleaners.
  • Equipment maintenanceDiamond pads, brushes, and rotary machine repairs.
  • Vehicles and fuelThe van hauling the rig between residential and commercial jobs.
  • Lead fees and marketingAngi, Thumbtack, and Google local services ad spend.
  • Insurance and bondingLiability coverage and the bonding some commercial accounts require.

What we watch for you

  • Sealant attach rate

    How often a cleaning job turns into a sealant upsell. It shows how much extra revenue the upsell pitch is worth.

  • Equipment upkeep cost

    Pad and attachment spending against jobs run. A rising number is worth pricing into future jobs.

  • Commercial share

    How much of the month is slower-paying contract work versus same-day residential jobs.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things tile and grout cleaning owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

How much of my income actually comes from the sealant upsell versus just cleaning?

I keep sealant revenue in its own line against the base job, so you can see the real dollar value of that upsell every month.

I go through diamond pads fast. Is that eating into my margin more than I realize?

I keep pad and attachment spending on its own line, so you can watch that cost instead of it hiding inside general supplies.

The restaurant chain contract pays 30 days late every time. Is that a problem for my numbers?

No. I note that account's payment terms, so a slow month on paper does not get mistaken for a slow month of actual work.

The tax side

The tax side of a tile and grout cleaning business.

Most of what goes wrong here is equipment upkeep and slow-paying commercial accounts. Keep those separate and the rest tends to be steady.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Equipment write-offsA rotary machine or major equipment upgrade can usually be written off in the year it is bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Vehicle costsThe van used between residential and commercial jobs can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions tile and grout cleaning companies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Grout cleaner and sealant
  • Diamond pads and brushes
  • Stone-safe cleaning agents
  • Vehicle fuel and repairs
  • Liability and bonding insurance
  • Lead fees from booking apps
  • Uniforms and knee pads
  • Phone for scheduling
  • Rotary machine repairs
  • Advertising and website costs
  • Business licenses
  • Storage for equipment and supplies

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A tile and grout cleaning year, kept every month.

Spring cleaning brings the busiest stretch. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring cleaning rush changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday hosting rush

    Before homeowners want floors ready for guests, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for tile and grout cleaning companies. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions tile and grout cleaning owners ask first.

How does Gus know if my sealant upsell is actually worth the extra time it takes?

He keeps sealant revenue in its own line against the base cleaning job, so you can see the real dollar value of the upsell instead of guessing.

I price by the square foot but some jobs take way longer than others. Can the books show that?

Gus tracks job revenue against labor time when you report it, so you can spot which kinds of jobs are underpriced for what they actually take.

My restaurant contract pays slower than my residential customers. Is that a problem?

No. Gus notes which jobs are waiting on that account's payment terms, so a slow-paying month does not get mistaken for a slow-working one.

Do I need to track every pad and brush I buy for the rotary machine?

Just send the receipts or let them show up on your statement. Gus keeps equipment maintenance in its own line so you can see what upkeep really costs.

My books are behind because tile jobs come in unevenly. Can you catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in cleaning services

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever