How does a carpet cleaning franchise work?
A carpet cleaning franchise is a home-based, van-based business sold with a proprietary cleaning method. The franchisor supplies the brand, the equipment package or the spec for it, the cleaning solutions you must buy, training and some form of lead generation; you buy the van, hire technicians as you grow and pay a royalty for the term, typically seven to ten years.
Carpet is unusual among cleaning franchises because the method is the product. Each brand owns a process and markets it against the others, so choosing a franchise is also choosing how you will clean and what you will say about competitors:
- Chem-Dry builds its equipment packages around truck-mounted hot carbonated cleaning systems, serves residential and commercial clients, and is part of BELFOR Franchise Group (Chem-Dry franchise site).
- Oxi Fresh runs a low-moisture oxygen-based system from a van, with bookings taken by a central scheduling center that charges per job (Oxi Fresh investment page). Its Entrepreneur listing adds upholstery, dryer vent, hardwood, tile and grout cleaning and odor control to the service list (Entrepreneur: Oxi Fresh).
- Zerorez markets patented water technology meant to replace harsh chemicals, and sells larger territories at a higher investment (Zerorez franchising; Zerorez investment page).
- Smart Carpet Cleaning is a small, newer brand, founded 2005 and franchising since 2021 with one unit listed (Entrepreneur: Smart Carpet Cleaning).
For how the carpet business itself works (hot water extraction versus low moisture, portable versus truck mount, pricing per room and per square foot), read our guide on starting a carpet cleaning business. This page is about what the franchises charge for it.
What do the carpet cleaning franchise opportunities cost?
Posted franchise fees run from $15,000 to $47,900 and total initial investments from $50,700 to $250,000. Chem-Dry, Oxi Fresh and Zerorez post figures on their own franchise sites; Oxi Fresh’s total and all of Smart Carpet’s figures come from Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 directory, which draws on each brand’s FDD. Checked October 28, 2026.
| Brand | Franchise fee | Total initial investment | Ongoing fees posted | Capital and term posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chem-Dry | $36,000 | $92,150 to $249,500 | Tiered royalty, lower rate as revenue grows (percentages not posted) | $50,000 liquid, $250,000 net worth |
| Oxi Fresh | $47,900 (includes territory and equipment) | $50,700 to $87,304 (Entrepreneur) | $475 a month flat royalty; 3% national ad and technology fee, minimum $150 a month; $15 scheduling center fee per completed job | $47,900 cash requirement; 7-year renewable term (Entrepreneur) |
| Zerorez | $15,000 to $60,000 | $130,000 to $250,000 | 6% continuing royalty, 1% brand fund | Not posted; site notes figures are estimates that vary by market |
| Smart Carpet Cleaning | $34,000 | $123,565 to $177,225 | 6% royalty, 2% ad royalty | 10-year renewable term; $2,000 off first-unit fee for veterans |
What drives the spread:
- Equipment. Chem-Dry says the investment is tailored to the equipment package and services you choose, which is why its range runs from $92,150 to $249,500 (Chem-Dry: investment and costs). A truck mount can be the single biggest line.
- Territory. Oxi Fresh bundles a territory of up to 110,000 households into its fee. Zerorez’s $15,000 to $60,000 fee range suggests the fee scales with the market; ask what a territory of your size costs.
- Who takes the calls. Oxi Fresh’s model routes bookings through its scheduling center at $15 a job. That replaces an office phone, and it is a cost that grows with volume.
What do the royalties cost on a one-van business?
On a hypothetical $180,000 year of 900 jobs, Oxi Fresh’s posted fees come to about $24,600, Zerorez’s 6% plus 1% to $12,600 and Smart Carpet’s 6% plus 2% to $14,400. Chem-Dry does not post percentages, so it is not in the table. The numbers are round and the structures are the posted ones; Item 6 of each FDD is the only source for the real fees.
| Hypothetical year: $180,000 revenue, 900 jobs | Oxi Fresh (posted) | Zerorez (posted) | Smart Carpet (Entrepreneur) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | $5,700 ($475 x 12) | $10,800 (6%) | $10,800 (6%) |
| Advertising or brand fund | $5,400 (3%) | $1,800 (1%) | $3,600 (2%) |
| Per-job scheduling fee | $13,500 (900 x $15) | Not posted | Not posted |
| Total to the franchisor | $24,600 | $12,600 | $14,400 |
| Share of revenue | 13.7% | 7.0% | 8.0% |
Two things the table shows that a fee list hides:
- A flat royalty favors a busy van. Oxi Fresh’s $475 a month is 3.2% of a $180,000 year and 1.6% of a $360,000 year. A percentage royalty never gets cheaper as you grow unless the brand has tiers, which Chem-Dry says it does.
- Per-job fees punish small tickets. $15 on a $120 single-room job is 12.5%; on a $400 whole-house job it is under 4%. Pricing strategy and the fee structure interact, so model your real average ticket.
Run your own numbers through the cleaning business profit calculator with the brand’s rates subtracted, and compare with the independent per-job economics in our carpet cleaning business guide.
What do you give up on method, supplies and territory?
You give up the right to choose how you clean, what you clean with and where you sell. In a carpet franchise, those are the brand, so the agreement protects them. Expect the restrictions below in Items 8, 12 and 16 of the FDD.
- Required solutions and equipment (Item 8). Proprietary chemistry is the point of Chem-Dry and Oxi Fresh. You buy it from the franchisor or an approved supplier at their price, and the franchisor may earn a margin on it. Ask what a year of solutions costs at your volume.
- Approved services (Item 16). Adding upholstery, tile, hardwood or dryer vent cleaning is usually allowed where the brand offers it, and not where it does not.
- Territory (Item 12). Oxi Fresh’s territory of up to 110,000 households is a ceiling. Ask how it is drawn, whether it is exclusive, and whether the scheduling center can route jobs inside it to another franchisee.
- Pricing. Most brands publish suggested prices and some run national promotions. Find out whether you must honor them.
An independent carpet cleaner chooses hot water extraction, low moisture or both, buys any truck mount or portable, and can follow IICRC standards without a franchisor’s approval. The equipment decision and its cost are covered in the independent guide; the insurance an operator needs is in cleaning business insurance.
What does Item 19 tell you about a carpet franchise’s earnings?
Only what the franchisor chooses to show, and only if it has a reasonable basis and written substantiation for it. Under 16 CFR 436.5(s), any financial performance representation must be stated in Item 19 of the disclosure document, and a franchisor that makes none must say so there (16 CFR 436.5). None of the four brands posts an earnings figure on the pages we checked, so the FDD is where you look.
For a van-based business, these are the Item 19 questions that matter:
- Revenue per van, not per franchisee. A franchisee with four vans and a $600,000 year is not comparable to your first van.
- Jobs and average ticket. If Item 19 shows revenue, ask for job counts; the per-job fee and your fuel both scale with jobs.
- How many outlets were excluded and why. Outlets open less than a year are often left out, which removes the start-up period you are about to live through.
- Item 20 closures and transfers. Entrepreneur shows Oxi Fresh at 445 units with a negative growth rate on its current listing (Entrepreneur: Oxi Fresh). A shrinking count is not a verdict, but it is a question to put to the franchisor and to former owners.
You must receive the FDD at least 14 calendar days before you sign a binding agreement or pay the franchisor anything (16 CFR 436.2). Our cleaning business franchise guide walks through every item and the questions to ask franchisees.
Carpet cleaning franchise or independent: which pays?
The franchise pays if the brand’s name and lead flow in your metro get a van busy faster than you could, by more than the fees. Independent pays if you can generate your own leads, because the equipment, van and chemistry cost about the same either way and the royalty is the only line that disappears.
| What you need | Franchise | Independent |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning method and training | The brand’s system, taught at headquarters | IICRC courses and equipment vendor training, chosen by you |
| Equipment and van | Required package, in Item 7 (Chem-Dry: tailored to the package you choose) | Any truck mount or portable; see the independent guide for costs |
| Leads | Brand advertising funded by the ad fee; Oxi Fresh also takes the calls for $15 a job | Your Google Business Profile, reviews, realtor and property manager referrals |
| Booking, scheduling, reminders, payment | The brand’s required software or call center | Software you choose. Broombook is one option: online booking, recurring scheduling, a reminder the day before each visit, card payments and a receipt after each charge. It is free for an owner with up to 2 cleaners, or $39 a month on Pro for a bigger crew, with no credit card to start. |
| Cost over the term | Fee plus 6% to 8% of sales, or a flat royalty plus per-job fees | Your marketing and software budget |
We make Broombook, so the limit is worth stating plainly: it covers booking, scheduling, reminders and card-on-file billing, the back office a franchisor would otherwise provide. It does not clean carpets, bring leads or carry a national name, and it has no QuickBooks sync or native app-store app. Other tools are compared on the software comparison page.
A franchise suits a first-time owner who wants a method and a phone that rings from day one and can fund $50,700 to $250,000. Independent suits a technician who already knows extraction, can sell, and wants to keep the 7% to 8%.
What should you check before you buy a carpet cleaning franchise?
Check the territory, the chemistry bill, the exit terms and the owners. Carpet franchises are cheaper to enter than maid franchises, which makes it tempting to skip the homework; the agreement still runs seven to ten years.
- Count the households in your territory and compare with the territories behind any Item 19 figure. A 110,000-household ceiling means nothing if half of them rent and the brand targets homeowners.
- Price a year of required solutions and parts from the approved supplier list in Item 8, at your expected job count.
- Model the fees on your average ticket, especially per-job and minimum fees.
- Read Item 17 for transfer and renewal. If you want to sell the van and territory in year five, you need the franchisor’s approval and will pay a transfer fee.
- Call five current and five former owners from Item 20. Ask what the first twelve months looked like, job by job.
- Have a franchise lawyer read the agreement before the 14 days run out. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.