On-site cleaning · United States
How to Start a Carpet Cleaning Business (Costs, Insurance, and Price per Room)
Price the room and the drive. A plant that cleans rugs off site is in the same Census code and is a different offer.
- 6,673NAICS 561740 establishments, Census 2023
- 72.4%of those have fewer than 5 employees (4,829 ÷ 6,673)
- $73/mogeneral liability in the Insureon carpet sample
- $500deductible in that liability sample
Decision summary
- The 2022 NAICS index file lists “Carpet cleaning on customers’ premises,” “Carpet cleaning plants,” and “Upholstery cleaning services” under 561740.
- Census County Business Patterns 2023, legal form
-: 6,673 establishments and 36,157 employees in 561740. The employment cell carries noise flag G. 4,829 establishments have fewer than 5 employees, which is 72.4% (4,829 ÷ 6,673). Read from cbp23us.zip on November 6, 2026. - That count includes plants and upholstery cleaning. It is not a count of one-van house calls alone.
- Insureon’s carpet and upholstery page, updated September 1, 2026, says customers pay on average $73 a month for general liability. Insureon. The method note uses the median of carpet cleaning business owners who apply.
On this page
0. A few rooms
- Price rooms you can drive between. A plant that customers mail rugs to is a different offer.
- Stairs and a large open room are different minutes. Measure before you quote.
- Upholstery is in the same Census code and is not this room price.
Carpet cleaning startup costs
A national startup total is not on this page. No portable extractor or truck-mount shelf price opened on November 6, 2026. Renting a machine for a month is a fixed cost you type once you have the invoice. Buying one is the same, after you know the payment.
| Line | Figure | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|
| General liability, monthly average | $73 | Page updated September 1, 2026. The page also prints $871 a year. Limits: $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, $500 deductible. Method note: median of carpet cleaning owners who apply. |
| Workers’ compensation, monthly average | $117 | The page’s list of policies purchased by carpet cleaning companies. The workers’ compensation paragraph says cleaning businesses pay $117 a month, or $1,406 a year. A separate policy. |
| Commercial auto, monthly average | $214 | The page’s list. The commercial-auto paragraph says cleaning businesses pay $214 a month, or $2,573 a year. A separate policy. Do not add it to the $73. |
| Business owner’s policy, monthly average | $83 | Same page, for cleaning businesses that qualify. The page also prints $1,001 a year. Not a second copy of the $73. |
Permits
A state license that names only carpet cleaning was not opened. Not yet researched as a 50-state table. A voluntary certificate was not opened, so it is not treated here as a legal gate. Wastewater from a portable machine still has to go somewhere the local utility allows. Open that rule before you dump a tank in a storm drain.
Insurance
The carpet page lists general liability at $73 a month, workers’ compensation at $117, commercial auto at $214, and a business owner’s policy at $83 for businesses that qualify. Updated September 1, 2026. Headings say average. The method note says the median is of carpet cleaning business owners who apply. A wet floor and a stained antique are the examples on that page. Get the quote for the rooms you will actually clean.
Does the room pay?
Profit on one room is the price minus paid minutes minus solution. Profit for the month also has to clear the machine, insurance, and the vehicle. The establishment count does not set the price. No national price per room was opened. A heavily soiled room is more minutes. Type the minutes you measured.
Price one room
Type the price, the minutes on the carpet, the minutes driving, and what you spend on solution for that room. Empty stays unknown.
10. A second machine
Add another machine when paid rooms already overflow the week and the contribution still covers the payment, the solution, and a second driver. The section number is an outline label, not a fleet size. A cleaning plant is a different building and a different fixed cost.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: time a few rooms, including the drive, before you quote a route.
- Days 15–45: price insurance and ask where tank water may be dumped. The $73 figure is the carpet page’s general-liability sample.
- Days 46–90: put real rooms in the tool. Rent or buy a machine only after those rooms cover solution, minutes, and the month’s fixed costs.
When to stop
Drop a room when the minutes and the solution use up the price, or when you cannot say where the dirty water goes. The tool hides the break-even count in the first case. Upholstery and a rug plant stay off this room price.
Questions people ask
How do you start a carpet cleaning business?
Start with rooms you can reach, and price the room before you buy a truck-mount. The 2022 NAICS index lists carpet cleaning on customers’ premises, carpet cleaning plants, and upholstery cleaning under 561740. A machine shelf price was not opened on November 6, 2026.
How much does it cost to start carpet cleaning?
This page does not have a national startup total. Insureon’s carpet-cleaning page, updated September 1, 2026, says customers pay on average $73 a month for general liability. A rented machine and a purchased truck-mount are different fixed costs. Neither shelf price was opened, so neither is printed.
How much should I charge per room for carpet cleaning?
On this page, a room pays when the price covers paid minutes and solution, and the month’s rooms cover the fixed costs you type. The tool prints a break-even room count only when that contribution is positive. No national price per room was opened.
How many carpet cleaning businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 6,673 employer establishments and 36,157 employees in NAICS 561740. The employment cell carries noise flag G. 4,829 establishments have fewer than 5 employees, which is 4,829 ÷ 6,673, or 72.4%. The index also includes cleaning plants and upholstery cleaning, so 6,673 is not house-call carpet cleaners alone.
Do I need a carpet cleaning license?
A state page that licenses only carpet cleaning was not opened on November 6, 2026. A voluntary certification was not opened either, so this page does not treat a certificate as a legal requirement. Other states are not yet researched.
How much is carpet cleaning insurance?
Insureon’s carpet and upholstery page, updated September 1, 2026, says carpet cleaning companies pay an average of $73 a month for general liability. The same page lists workers’ compensation at $117 a month and commercial auto at $214 a month among policies purchased by carpet cleaning companies. The workers’ compensation paragraph says cleaning businesses pay $117 a month, or $1,406 a year. The auto paragraph says cleaning businesses pay $214 a month, or $2,573 a year. The method note uses the median of carpet cleaning business owners who apply for quotes. The general-liability sample is $1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, and a $500 deductible. Do not add the monthly figures into one premium.
Should I rent a machine or buy one?
This page does not have either price. A rental belongs in the month’s fixed costs for the months you rent it. A purchase belongs there only after you know the payment. The tool does not assume a truck-mount.
How do you price one carpeted room?
Type the price, the minutes on the carpet, the paid drive minutes, a loaded hourly rate, and the solution for that room. Empty stays unknown. Break-even rooms appear only after you also type the month’s fixed costs and the contribution is still positive.
Is upholstery the same job?
The index lists upholstery cleaning in the same code, 561740. A sofa is not a room of carpet. Price it as its own line. The tool on this page is for one carpeted room.
Still open
- 6,673 is all of NAICS 561740, including plants and upholstery cleaning.
- No portable or truck-mount shelf price was opened.
- No 50-state license table, and no certification fee was opened.
- No Bureau of Labor Statistics wage was opened.