The Carpet ChemistFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Carpet Chemist franchise requires a total initial investment of $82K – $121K, including a $30K franchise fee. Per the 2022 FDD, average unit revenue was $283K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $82K – $121K
- 23rd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $283K
- 6th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 1
- 2nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Bottom line
- Total investment $82K – $121K including a $30K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $283K/year. Estimated payback in 0.4 years (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 49/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- The Carpet Chemist Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Brandon Cerrito
- CEO experience
- 11 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- KY
- HQ
- 560 Gordon Lane, Shelbyville, Kentucky 40065
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
The Carpet Chemist appears to be a carpet and upholstery cleaning service franchise. Franchisees likely manage customer acquisition, direct field cleaning operations, schedule appointments, and oversee application of proprietary cleaning chemistry. Daily work involves operating as a mobile service business with technician coordination and customer service delivery.
- CEO
- Brandon Cerrito
- Headquarters
- KY
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $23K | $36K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $29K | $55K |
| Total initial investment | $82K | $121K |
Source: The Carpet Chemist 2022 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$31K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
24%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $82K – $121K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $23K – $36K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 8% of Gross Sales or Minimum Monthly Royalty R…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Greater of 8% of Gross Sales or Minimum Monthly Royalty Requirements |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $100 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $283K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $242K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Item 19 type
- Company Owned
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 31 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $283K→$283K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How The Carpet Chemist Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Single-unit system with unvalidated financial claims and vague royalty terms presents significant replication and growth uncertainty risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 operating unit despite 10-year franchise term indicates system has failed to scale or expand
- 02HIGHNo Item 19 Financial Performance Representation ('Going Concern: False') means franchisor cannot/will not validate the $283k revenue and $242k net income claims with historical data
- 03MEDTiered royalty structure (8% or minimum monthly requirement) is ambiguous — minimum amount not disclosed, creating uncertainty around actual cost burden
- 04MINORHigh investment-to-revenue ratio ($82-121k initial cost vs. $283k average revenue) requires significant ramp-up and assumes the single unit's performance is replicable
- 05MINORFranchise fee ($30k) plus royalties represent 18-20%+ of first-year revenue if new franchisee achieves average performance, leaving thin margins
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 300,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Henry County, Kentucky |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Kentucky |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 48 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- Shelbyville, Kentucky
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Housecall Pro
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Housecall Pro
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Carpet Chemist franchise?
The total investment to open a The Carpet Chemist franchise ranges from $82K – $121K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Carpet Chemist franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Carpet Chemist FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $283K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Carpet Chemist's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Carpet Chemist (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many The Carpet Chemist franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Carpet Chemist has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is The Carpet Chemist a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Carpet Chemist as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 49 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.