Stop Losing Money: Cleaning Business Receipts
- Nov 15, 2025
- 6 min read
💰 Track Your Money Like a Boss – Part 3 of 5
Stop Losing Money in the Trash: What Receipts to Save (Part 3)
Picture this: it’s tax time, you open a drawer and a pile of wrinkled receipts jumps out like confetti. 😅 Some are faded, some are missing, and suddenly you’re guessing.
We’re not doing that anymore, Bonafide Peeps. Here in Part 3, I’ll show you exactly which receipts to save and how to track products you buy for your cleaning business—simple, not fancy, so you can stay stress-free and legit.
You can apply what you learn from this series to any small service business you have—or one you’re planning to start.
Let’s talk bookkeeping—yep, that thing we’re diving into here and in the next parts of this series. Real talk: it’s the part many owners dread.
But, I’ve seen it a hundred times: a good business with messy books. Receipts vanish, systems get “too fancy,” and folks freeze. In this series, we’ll flip that script. Simple steps. Real habits. Clean books.
How Long to Keep Business Receipts (IRS Rules)
Keep business receipts at least 3 years after you file your return. Keep 7 years if you claim a loss from worthless securities or a bad-debt deduction, 4 years for employment/payroll tax records, and keep property/asset records while you own the item (and through the year you dispose of it) to prove your cost basis. States can have their own rules for sales tax, so check yours. IRS+1
What Receipts to Save for a Cleaning Business
Why You Should Keep Track of the Products You Buy
If you’re buying supplies or products for your business, keep a clear record. Here’s why:
💸 Save on Taxes Many business purchases are tax-deductible, which helps reduce how much tax you owe.
🧾 Proof for the IRS Receipts and invoices prove your expenses are real business costs—especially during tax season.
🛡️ Protect Yourself in an Audit If you’re ever audited, organized receipts protect you from penalties and interest.
📘 Stay Organized Good records = clear finances. You’ll see your income, expenses, and growth with ease.
🧮 Report Sales Tax Accurately In some states, you may need to report/pay sales tax on items you resell or use to provide your service. Accurate tracking makes this easier.
🔍 Separate Business from Personal Clear records show what’s strictly business—especially important for small business owners and sole proprietors.
Friendly note: Tax rules vary by location. Always follow your local/state guidance.
✅ Cleaning Business Expense Checklist (Save These Receipts)
Tech + Subscriptions (phones, tablets, apps)
Marketing + Website (domain, hosting, ads)
Branding (cards, shirts, stickers)
Supplies (rags, gloves, sprays)
Uniforms + Safety gear
Equipment (vacuums, steamers, mops, ladders)
Your business planner counts, too!
Pro Tip: Separate Business vs Personal Purchases
When ordering or shopping:
Only order business products in one order.
In-store, separate business and personal items in the cart.
Pay for business items in a separate transaction so your receipt is clean and accurate.
This makes tracking and filing your expenses way easier.
Simple Bookkeeping System: My 3-Step Receipt Method
My simple, not-fancy system: You don’t need an expensive system.
Here’s what I do:
Bag it: Ziploc labeled with the year, use a quart-size Ziploc bag and write the year on it.
Every time I buy cleaning supplies or equipment, I put the receipt in the bag. then Bundle monthly: staple + total.
Step 2: Staple all the receipt for the month and Total them! 
Every Month's Receipts is Nicely Organized, Staple & Total! 3. Log it: record monthly total in planner. At the end of each month, I staple the receipts together, add up the total, and record it as my monthly product expense.
Step 3: Use a Planner to have as A Business Record.
Do this monthly = no year-end chaos
✅ Doing this every month saves you time and stress at the end of the year. If you wait until tax season, you’ll have a mountain of paper to sort—by month, by category, then totals. Trust me, it’s way more work than it needs to be.
Use the Profit Tracker Pro Planner (Available on Amazon)
Your receipts are handled—now log them. The Profit Tracker Pro Planner on Amazon gives you a simple dedicated space to record monthly product expenses, so you stay organized all year and breeze through tax season.
Q&A Section
Alright Bonafide Fam, this space is all about learning and growing together. At the end of my videos and blogs, I always love to wrap things up with a quick Q&A section — because sometimes seeing the answers laid out makes everything click even more. My goal is to help you understand clearly, relate it to your business, and take confident action as you build and grow your service business.
If something in this topic sparked a question, drop it in the comments — I do read them! And who knows… your question might be the exact one someone else needed, too. We grow better together.
Q1) Do I really need to save receipts for my house cleaning business?
A: Yes. Save receipts for at least 5 years. They support your deductions, protect you in an audit, and keep your numbers clean and clear.
Q2) What receipts should I save specifically?
A: Anything you buy for the business: cleaning supplies, equipment (vacuums, steamers, mops), uniforms/PPE, phones/tablets, software/app subscriptions, website/domain/hosting, marketing (flyers, business cards, ads), branded materials (shirts, stickers), and even your business planner.
Q3) Can I keep digital copies instead of paper?
A: Yes. Clear scans or photos are typically acceptable. Keep them organized in date-named folders and back them up (cloud + one other place). Check your local/state rules.
Q4) My receipts fade—what should I do?
A: Scan within the same week you receive them. Thermal paper fades fast. A quick photo or scan saves the details before they disappear.
Q5) What’s your simple, not-fancy system?
A: The Ziploc Method (3 steps):
Bag it: Use a quart-size Ziploc labeled with the year.
Bundle it monthly: End of month, staple that month’s receipts and total them.
Log it: Record the total in your planner under “Monthly Product Expenses.”
Q6) Why separate business and personal purchases at checkout?
A: You want a clean business receipt. One transaction = one neat record. It makes year-end totals, taxes, and audits way easier.
Q7) What if I forgot to get a receipt or I lost it?
A: Grab a copy from your email/order history (Amazon, hardware store apps, etc.). For cash purchases, ask the store to reprint. If you absolutely can’t get one, keep a contemporaneous note (date, item, amount, purpose) and a bank/credit statement. Do your best to avoid this going forward.
Q8) Are all cleaning supplies deductible?
A: If they’re ordinary and necessary for your business (rags, gloves, sprays, buckets, etc.), they’re typically deductible. Keep the receipt + a note on business use.
Q9) Do I need to track sales tax, too?
A: It depends on your state. If you resell items or have taxable services, you may need to track and remit sales tax. Accurate receipts make filing simpler. Check your state’s rules.
Q10) Do I need expensive software to do this right?
A: No. Start with the Ziploc + monthly tally + planner. Later, if you want, add a simple spreadsheet or basic bookkeeping app. Consistency > complexity.
Q11) How do I record my monthly totals?
A: At month-end, total the receipts and enter the number into your planner’s Monthly Product Expenses. Repeat every month. This keeps your annual total accurate without the year-end scramble.
Q12) What’s the biggest mistake cleaners make with receipts?
A: Mixing personal and business purchases on one receipt, letting receipts pile up until tax season, and not scanning fading receipts. Keep it simple and do a 10-minute monthly routine.
Q13) Is my business planner deductible?
A: If you use it for your business, yes—organizational tools and reference materials used to run your business can be deductible.
Q14) How does this help during an audit?
A: You’ll have organized proof: dated receipts, monthly totals, and a planner log. That combo reduces stress, speeds up verification, and helps avoid penalties/interest.
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