Stanley Steemer Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Stanley Steemer is a cleaning franchise providing carpet, upholstery, tile, and air-duct cleaning plus water-damage restoration. Franchisees run a fleet of service vans with technicians serving residential and commercial customers.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Stanley Steemer franchise requires a total initial investment of $147K – $427K, including a $20K – $100K 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]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $147K – $427K
- 58th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- 37th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 30th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 264
- 76th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $147K – $427K including a $20K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.7M/year (median $1.2M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 96/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Stanley Steemer International, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Jack A. Bates (sole proprietorship prior to 1972 incorporation)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Wesley C. Bates
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 5800 Innovation Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43016
- Auditor
- GBQ Partners LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $285.6M
- vs $287.9M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Stanley Steemer National Advertising Fund
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Wesley C. Bates
- Headquarters
- Ohio
- Founded
- 1947
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 44
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 8% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $147K – $427K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- tiered · 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 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 94% above the cleaning & maintenance norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
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
44%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
27 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Stanley Steemer unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
44%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Stanley Steemer units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$348K
on $1.7M purchase
Total debt
$1.4M
SBA $0.9M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.2M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical gross sales (nationwide + 11 regional cohorts, average/median/high/low)
- Sample size
- 208
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $44K→$13.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 192 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Revenue is 6.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.7M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.2M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 6.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 11.0% (near the Cleaning & Maintenance average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (-0.9% 3-year CAGR) with 264 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Stanley Steemer Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 264
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.5%
- Company-owned
- 54
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 80%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -0.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 14
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- 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 · 15 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
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 16.6%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 385
- 3.5 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 14%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 21% went to startups / new businesses, 79% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in carpet and upholstery cleaning services, franchised businesses charge off at 16.6% vs 18.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 10% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Stanley Steemer franchisees
Showing 3 of 13 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Strong established franchisor (since 1972) with net worth of $79.06M and net income of $18.16M on $285.6M revenue. No litigation, no bankruptcy, audited financials and Item 19 disclosed across a 269-unit system.
Litigation (Item 3)
No Item 3 litigation disclosed. Separately, in Item 13, Stanley Steemer disclosed it filed a trademark infringement suit as plaintiff against Stainless Steamer LLC (Case No. 2:25-cv-01836, C.D. Cal., filed March 2025; defendant defaulted, matter pending).
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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 96 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNet worth $79,058,084, net income $18,160,789
- 02MINORZero litigation, no bankruptcy
- 03MEDAudited, Item 19 disclosed
- 04MINOREstablished 269-unit system since 1972
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 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 |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | one or more counties (varies by population density) |
| 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 |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 7 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Columbus, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No Item 3 litigation disclosed. Separately, in Item 13, Stanley Steemer disclosed it filed a trademark infringement suit as plaintiff against Stainless Steamer LLC (Case No. 2:25-cv-01836, C.D. Cal., filed March 2025; defendant defaulted, matter pending).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 38 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
- Training location
- Stanley Steemer corporate offices in Dublin, Ohio, or a company-owned branch; portions may be delivered via webinars/online modules; Field Training and Certification held at franchisee's business location.
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 32 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Integrated Technology Systems (including Powermagic platform for CRM and royalty reporting)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Integrated Technology Systems (including Powermagic platform for CRM and royalty reporting)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
163 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 $1.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Stanley Steemer FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Stanley Steemer FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 264 total units in the United States, including 210 franchised units and 54 company-owned units. 2 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 verdict score of 96 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
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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.