26 Pros & Cons Of Starting A Carpet Cleaning Service (2024)

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a carpet cleaning service costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 39,765.

Rewarding work

Starting a carpet cleaning service can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

No overhead costs

To get your carpet cleaning service started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

High margins

The gross margins for your carpet cleaning service are typically around 95%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily.

Quick build time

The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 8 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster.

Control of workload

With starting a carpet cleaning service, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you.

Daily physical activity

Carpet Cleaning Service's typically involve a much greater degree of movement than other lines of work. Most days, you will spend your day walking, running errands for your business, and performing a multitude of tasks. This can have a positive impact on energy levels and your overall health.

You are your own boss!

With starting a carpet cleaning service, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!

Simple business model

A carpet cleaning service has the advantage of a simple business model, which makes launching and building the business more seamless.

Strong Demand & Relatively Recession Proof

The demand for carpet cleaning service is increasing year over year and the business is known to be relatively recession proof.

Easy to Learn The Business

When starting your carpet cleaning service, there is a ton of information readily available to you online (Facebook groups, Youtube videos, Starter Story etc). This will help you get the business started and answer any questions, doubts or concerns you may have.

High Hourly Pay Rates

On average, the hourly pay rates are high for your carpet cleaning service - which means quality of clients is often superior to quantity of clients.

Can build solid foundation of clients

It's unlikely you will have one-off customers as a carpet cleaning service. Typically, you have a solid foundation of clients that use your product and services regularly.

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

Stressful work

This line of work can be stressful for both you and your clients. This type of transaction is a significant financial decision for your client, so expectations are very high for you. Although this career path can be very rewarding, it also comes with its challenges and stressful moments.

Work can be repetitive

You may find creating the same product over and over repetitive and tiresome. One way of avoiding this is to diversify product lines and revenue streams - this will keep things interesting!

Time commitment

With starting a carpet cleaning service, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Impatient customers

You may offer an engaging user experience for your customer, but customers expect a lot and may be impatient if they aren't pleased with your product or service.

You might struggle financially (at first)!

If you bootstrap your business or choose not to pay yourself (or pay yourself less than you were making at your corporate job), this can be financially taxing. It's important to adjust your lifestyle and set a plan for yourself so you don't find yourself in a stressful situation.

More of a challenge to run your business from home!

Running your business from the comfort of your own home is a big appeal for many entrepreneurs. With a carpet cleaning service, you are more likely to run your business out of your office or storefront space.

Work is not always glamorous

With starting a carpet cleaning service, you may need to get your hands a little dirty. Although it may seem glamorous from the outside to start this business, the work can require a lot of physical activity and repetition.

The job can be demanding

This is one of the major disadvantages starting a carpet cleaning service. It's important to understand that you may need to make yourself available on a 24/7 basis.

Equipment Breakdowns

Over the years, your equipment can get damaged, break down, and may need repairs which can be expensive. It's important you prepare for these expenses and try to avoid damages/wear & tear as much as possible.

Answering Phones

The carpet cleaning service is still considered a traditional business, which means answering phones is a big part of the job. If you or your team miss phone calls, you could be missing out on potential revenue opportunities. If you are unable to attend to your phone throughout the day, it would be in your best interest to hire a call center or an employee dedicated to this.

More challenging to earn passive income

It can be more of a challenge to make passive income in this business. Often times, the amount of revenue you bring in is limited by the amount of time you have in the day.