Carpet cleaning is a practical home service business to start: demand is steady, customers rebook every year or so, and the same visit can include upholstery, area rugs and stain treatment. Equipment is the biggest decision and expense, and certification counts for more here than in most cleaning work.
This guide covers how to start a carpet cleaning business step by step: services, certification, equipment, wastewater rules, insurance, pricing and finding customers.
1. Choose your services
- Residential carpet cleaning. The core service for most new businesses.
- Upholstery and area rugs. Higher price per item. Some rugs need specialist knowledge of fibers and dyes.
- Spot, stain and odor treatment, especially pet urine.
- Carpet protector applied after cleaning.
- Commercial carpet maintenance. Offices and property managers on recurring contracts.
- Tile and grout cleaning, often using the same equipment.
- Water damage restoration. Lucrative, but it needs separate training, equipment and, in some states, licensing for mold work. Most new businesses leave it until later.
2. Register the business
The SBA's launch steps are a good checklist:
- Pick your business location.
- Choose a business structure.
- Choose your business name.
- Register your business.
- Get federal and state tax ID numbers.
- Apply for licenses and permits.
- Open a business bank account.
- Get business insurance.
Get an employer identification number (EIN) from the IRS. It's free and takes minutes online, and you never have to pay a fee for one.
Licensing. We found no state that licenses carpet cleaning itself, so you'll usually need only a general business license from your city or county. Related services can be licensed, though. Florida, for example, requires a license for mold remediation: removing, cleaning, sanitizing or otherwise treating mold-contaminated material over 10 square feet. If you plan to add water damage or mold work, check your state's rules first.
3. Get IICRC certified
The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is the main certification body in the industry. Its Carpet Cleaning Technician (CCT) course covers pre-inspection, fabric identification, basic cleaning chemicals and equipment, and cleaning techniques, with a residential and light commercial emphasis.
- No prerequisites. You don't need industry experience.
- Two days, 14 hours of instruction, not counting the exam, lunch and breaks. You can take it in person or by live stream, and it's offered in Spanish.
- Exam fee: $80. You get up to three attempts. Schools set their own course fees.
- Annual renewal keeps certifications active, plus 14 hours of continuing education every four years.
IICRC says CCT lets you complete warranty work for carpet mills and manufacturers. Many carpet warranties expect professional cleaning, so it's worth mentioning to customers.
IICRC Certified Firm. Once you're certified, your company can become a Certified Firm and appear in IICRC's locator. You need at least one active certified technician and current liability insurance. There's a $25 application fee plus a prorated first-year fee, then $199 a year to renew.
The industry's cleaning standard is the ANSI/IICRC S100, Standard for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings (seventh edition, 2021). It sets out procedures for residential and commercial carpet and rug cleaning, from pre-inspection and cleaning chemistry to spot removal and safety.
4. Get insured
Talk to an agent about:
- General liability, for damage to carpets, furniture and floors, or injuries to others
- Commercial auto, especially if your equipment is mounted in a van
- Workers' compensation once you hire, where your state requires it
- Equipment coverage for your extractor or truck-mount
General liability is also required for IICRC Certified Firm status, and commercial clients will ask for a certificate of insurance.
5. Choose your equipment: portable or truck-mount
The biggest equipment decision is how you extract:
- Portable extractors are carried into the home and plugged in. They cost much less, fit any vehicle, and work in apartments and high-rises where hoses from a truck can't reach. They're slower and less powerful on large, heavily soiled jobs.
- Truck-mounted systems are built into a van and run hoses into the home. They have more heat and suction, so they're faster on big jobs, but they cost far more, need a suitable van and have their own maintenance needs.
Many carpet cleaners start with a good portable and add a truck-mount when they have enough steady work to pay for it. Either way, you'll also need:
- Hoses and wands, plus an upholstery tool
- A pre-spray sprayer and an agitation tool (a grooming rake or rotary machine)
- Spot and stain chemicals, including pet treatments
- Corner guards, furniture blocks and tabs to protect the home
- An air mover to speed drying
- Filters for wastewater before disposal
- Personal protective equipment as the product labels require
When choosing chemicals, EPA's voluntary Safer Choice program certifies products whose ingredients it has reviewed for human health and environmental safety, and it limits their VOC content. Some customers and commercial clients look for it.
6. Handle wastewater correctly
Dirty water from carpet cleaning must go to the sanitary sewer, never a storm drain. Storm drains usually lead straight to creeks and rivers without treatment. Local stormwater guidance for carpet cleaners is consistent:
- Never discharge wash water to a street, gutter, driveway, parking lot or storm drain, even when the products are labeled nontoxic or biodegradable.
- With the owner's permission, empty the waste tank into a toilet, utility sink or sewer cleanout at the customer's property.
- Or take it back to your shop and dispose of it into a sewer connection there.
- Filter it first so you don't clog pipes, and put the filtered material in the trash, unless the carpet was contaminated with hazardous materials.
- Keep spill cleanup supplies on hand and train employees on these rules.
These points come from city and county guidance in California and Washington. Check your local wastewater authority's requirements too.
7. Price your jobs
Carpet cleaners usually price in one of these ways:
- Per room, with a size limit per room. Easy to quote over the phone.
- Per square foot, more accurate for large or open-plan homes and commercial jobs.
- Per item for stairs, area rugs, sofas, chairs and mattresses.
Add a minimum charge per visit so small jobs still cover your travel and setup. Price add-ons separately: pre-treatment of heavy soiling, pet odor treatment, stain removal and protector. To set prices, work out your time per job (including setup and drying equipment), your chemical and fuel cost, and your hourly target, then check what local competitors advertise.
Send a clear estimate and invoice for every job. Our free contractor estimate template and contractor invoice template work for this.
8. Find your first customers
- Google Business Profile. Many customers search "carpet cleaning near me." Set up a service-area profile with real before-and-after photos. See our Google Business Profile guide.
- Reviews. Ask every happy customer. See how to get more Google reviews.
- Rebooking. Remind past customers each year. A list of past customers is the cheapest source of jobs.
- Partners. Property managers, realtors (move-in and move-out cleans), house cleaners and flooring stores.
- Local advertising. Our house cleaning marketing guide covers ideas that work for carpet cleaners too.
9. Run the business
As you grow, scheduling, reminders, estimates and payments take more of your time. Field service apps handle booking, recurring reminders and invoicing. See our cleaning business software roundup and field service management app comparison.
Carpet cleaning business startup checklist
- Choose services: carpet, upholstery, rugs, stains and odor, commercial
- Register the business, get an EIN, open a business bank account
- Check city, county and state rules, especially for mold or water damage work
- Take the IICRC CCT course and exam
- Get general liability, commercial auto and, once you hire, workers' comp
- Buy a portable extractor or truck-mount, plus tools and chemicals
- Set up wastewater filtering and disposal to the sanitary sewer
- Set pricing, minimum charge and add-ons
- Create a Google Business Profile and start collecting reviews
- Apply for IICRC Certified Firm status once you're certified and insured
Thinking about other cleaning work? See our guides on how to start a cleaning business, how to start a commercial cleaning business how to start a window cleaning business and how to start a pool cleaning business.
