Stanley SteemerFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Stanley Steemer franchise requires a total initial investment of $147K – $427K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.7M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $147K – $427K
- 58th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- 47th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 28th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 269
- 74th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 6.1x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Only 0.0% of 14 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Franchising since 1972. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $147K – $427K including a $20K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.7M/year (median $1.3M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Stanley Steemer International, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- 5800 Innovation Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43016
- Auditor
- GBQ Partners LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $285.6M
- vs $263.7M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Stanley Steemer National Advertising Fund
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate carpet, tile, and upholstery cleaning services for residential and commercial clients. Day-to-day work involves managing service crews, scheduling jobs, maintaining cleaning equipment, and handling customer relations within their protected territory. Growth comes from expanding service offerings (water damage restoration, hardwood cleaning) and building recurring residential/commercial contracts.
- CEO
- Wesley C. Bates
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 1947
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 44
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $20K | $100K | |
| Real Propertynot refundable | — | — | |
| Stanley Steemer Cleaning Platform and Accessoriesnot refundable | $29K | $63K | |
| Stanley Steemer Vehiclenot refundable | $45K | $60K | |
| Water Restoration Equipmentnot refundable | $10K | $40K | |
| Air Duct Cleaning Equipmentnot refundable | $8K | $82K | |
| Inventory (Cleaning Products)not refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Telephone Depositnot refundable | $0 | $250 | |
| Comprehensive Liability Insurance (per year)not refundable | $8K | $15K | |
| Computer Systemnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Local Market Advertising Listingsnot refundable | $600 | $7K | |
| Internet Connectionnot refundable | $40 | $200 | |
| Data Hosting/Backupnot refundable | $75 | $250 | |
| Advertisingnot refundable | $9K | $14K | |
| Travel, Room and Board for Trainingnot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Proprietary Software Set Up or Conversion Feenot refundable | $495 | $495 | |
| Additional Funds - 6 Months of Operationnot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $147K | $427K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$139K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
45%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
26 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $147K – $427K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Monthly Royalty · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $8K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 209 units
- vs category median 31 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $11K→$13.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Revenue is 6.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Stanley Steemer Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 269
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.4%
- Company-owned
- 57
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 79%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -1.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 10
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 3
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 76.9%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 98.1%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 7.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 14
- Loan volume
- $11.0M
- Median loan
- $543K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 13
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Stanley Steemer's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 7-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Stanley Steemer presents moderate-to-elevated risk due to shrinking unit count, missing net income disclosures, and high royalty rates that obscure true profitability for franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $123,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · GBQ Partners LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 1.4% YoY (269 units) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 makes ROI analysis impossible; only average revenue ($1.74M) provided
- 03MEDHigh royalty burden (7% core + 3% related) combined with undisclosed profitability creates uncertainty on actual franchisee earnings
- 04MINORInvestment range wide ($147K–$427K) indicates high variability in startup costs and potential hidden expenses
- 05HIGHNo going concern statement is positive, but combined with unit decline raises questions about franchisee sustainability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 7 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 50 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 60 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Powermagic, Fusion, Nimbus and Nimbus X
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Powermagic, Fusion, Nimbus and Nimbus X
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
65 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Stanley Steemer · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Stanley Steemer franchise?
The total investment to open a Stanley Steemer franchise ranges from $147K – $427K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Stanley Steemer franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Stanley Steemer FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.7M. The median is $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Stanley Steemer's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Stanley Steemer has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Stanley Steemer franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Stanley Steemer has 269 total units in the United States, including 55 franchised units and 57 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Stanley Steemer a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Stanley Steemer as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.