These Korean home service startups help keep homes swanky, clean & well-maintained

After a long workday, cleaning or servicing in your apartment or home can be tiresome. This is where hiring a reliable cleaning service provider can be a wise decision. In South Korea, the home cleaning and service industry has been growing exponentially and it is set to be more than $5 billion. As per a report, the demand for cleaning service has increased threefold and with more than 44% household with dual income, the industry is likely to see more demand.

The home service industry comprises firms whose primary purpose is to work on residential homes, although some firms also take on commercial businesses. These companies provide cleaning, plumbing flooring, concrete, storage, moving, and domestic helper services. These companies span across various business sectors such as home improvement, installation, maintenance, and continually growing scope as they find more services to offer.

If you are looking for some smart housekeeping services in Korea than it isn’t difficult anymore. Koreatechdesk.com has compiled a list of promising Korean home service startups that will leave your house looking better, smelling better, and squeaky clean.

MISO

Miso is a locally grown on-demand service that allows Koreans to book cleaners in Seoul and seven other major cities in South Korea on their online to the offline platform. Founded in 2015, the startup has secured $10.7 million in Series A funding from AddVenture and five other investors. Users can book Miso’s services through their website or mobile app available on IOS and Android. The platform allocates a cleaner to the order within an hour with the cleaner can perform 4-8 tasks per booking depending on the clients’ needs. For example, they can clean your living room, kitchen, bedrooms and do your laundry depending on your needs.

The platform charges $40 as their minimum cleaning costs for the first four hours, with the client being able to rate the cleaner after their services. The startup ensures homeowners’ safety by demanding their cleaners to give out their ID, health report, and other necessary details. Miso cleaners have an average rating of 4.6/5.

Miso is intent on making the lives of its homeowners and cleaners. The platform allows its cleaners to work as freelancers, giving them access to customers without registration fees and allowing them to pick their most convenient location and time to work. The startup generates revenue through a 10-15% cut in each booking.

Wahome

Moving out can be a tricky process, with even the thought of cleaning and rearranging everything making some of us opt to stay in our old house. Well, worry about that no more as Wahome is here. Wahome provides systematic and professional moving services that guarantee a delightful moving experience.

The on-demand home service startup provides safe and reliable helpers who have completed the Wahome cleaning training and have excellent customer service skills. Booking an appointment and payment only takes 30 seconds through their Android or IOS app. You only need to select the cleaning date and time, which can be 3-8 hours depending on the house’s size and situation, pay through your card, and Wahome professional cleaners will visit you on the date and time you want to clean your place.

Cleaning Lab

Launched in 2017 by an ex-employee of Kakao corporation Yeon Hyun-joo, Cleaning Lab is a startup that connects home owners with trained cleaners. Cleaning Lab boasts of more than 50,000 users having grown by an average of 30 percent every month since its launch in March 2017. Most of the cleaning managers of Cleaning Lab are housewives in age group of 45 to 55 years, who have been trained by the startup for professional cleaning jobs.

The cleaning managers are assign different rates for their services as per the size of the apartment and the number of tasks to be done. Everything is done using a simple mobile app, where users can register for free. The startup that handles the Cleaning Lab app is Life Lab and corporation Yeon Hyun-joo plans to expand the business in future to tasks like baby-sitting, petcare, etc.

House Step

House Step provides a wide array of services ranging from home constructions, renovations, maintenance, and sale of construction materials. Situated in Seoul, the startup is the leading online construction sales firm with over 500000 quotes issued, 865086 estimates, 71313 counseling sessions.

House step provides standardized construction prices under all conditions using the 3-second estimate function. The company has set up an offline showroom in Gangnam Station so that you can see and touch in person and make the right choice.

Kmong: Living Services

Kmong, South Korea’s leading freelance brokerage platform, offers living services, including cleaning air conditioners, washing machines, mattresses, and more.

In November 2023, Kmong made its foray into the cleaning services sector by recruiting a team of experienced home care experts specializing in pest control, such as bedbugs, cockroaches, and ants. This initiative marked the launch of Kmong’s “Pest Phobia Solution” service, aimed at addressing common household pest issues.

Since its initial step into cleaning services, Kmong has rapidly expanded its service portfolio to include air conditioner cleaning, washing machine maintenance, mattress cleaning, and move-in cleaning services. This
expansion reflects Kmong’s responsiveness to market demands and its dedication to providing comprehensive living solutions to customers. By leveraging its extensive network of freelance experts and its user-friendly platform, Kmong aims to continue expanding its living services offerings and providing tailored solutions to households across South Korea.

Laundry Go

Laundrygo is a laundry service that allows customers to put their laundry in a self-developed smart laundry collection box. The laundry is then done and returned to the customer by 12:00 pm on the same day. Laundrygo provides a complete laundry solution in one day including shipping it back to the customer’s door. It is a rapidly growing service as it has secured about 1,000 paid customers within one month of its release. It operates in eight districts in Seoul, including Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, Mapo, Yongsan, Dongjak, Seongdong and Yeongdeungpo.

In June 2021, Laundrygo, acquired an American laundry EPC company A+ Machinery that has the technology to build a top-notch smart laundry factory. With this acquisition, the food, clothing, clothing and shelter company can proceed with factory construction with its own technology, from laundry smart factory design, facility procurement, distribution and construction. Laundrygo plans to introduce the world’s first automatic clothing delivery system for each customer in the B2C laundry sector.

Laundry Commando

Laundry Commando, operated by Washwhat Co., Ltd., is a pioneering mobile laundry app service. It offers doorstep collection and delivery services by 11 pm. The service includes general laundry, carrier disinfection, Hanbok laundry, UGG water-repellent coating, clothing storage, and custom repairs.

Washwhat is committed to environmental sustainability and philanthropy. Through the Laundry Commando app, customers can earn points based on the weight of their used clothes, which are then collected, washed, and either donated or resold. In 2023, approximately 300 tons of used clothes were collected, reducing over 390 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Washwhat is expanding its service area to include the Chungcheong region, encompassing Daejeon Metropolitan City, Sejong Metropolitan City, and Cheonan City starting March 25, 2024. Additionally, the service is extending to Seo-gu, Incheon, and Cheoin-gu, Yongin in the metropolitan area. To mark this expansion, various events including free laundry services and discount coupons are planned for new members in the expanded areas.

Bbegi (Gatda)

Bbegi, has emerged as a leading waste platform, offering customers a seamless way to handle waste disposal through its smartphone application.

Founded in 2018 by Korean startup Gatda, Bbegi has revolutionized waste disposal by simplifying the process through digital technology. The platform allows users to report waste disposal needs effortlessly by taking a photo of the items to be disposed of, paying the collection fee online, and scheduling waste pick-up. This streamlined approach has made waste disposal more accessible and convenient for individuals and businesses alike.

Bbegi’s services extend beyond basic waste disposal, encompassing a diverse range of waste management solutions tailored to meet various needs. Users can utilize Bbegi for large waste disposal, purchase of used items, donations of clothing and books, and even disposal of construction site waste. Since its inception, Bbegi has garnered impressive traction, surpassing 1 million cumulative users.

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