What is my cleaning business worth?

Residential and commercial cleaning companies sell on SDE. Commercial janitorial contracts and a manager who handles staffing are worth the most, because labor turnover is the main risk buyers price in.

Avg SDE multiple

2.25×

Typical range

1.62–2.72×

Avg revenue multiple

0.72×

Median sale price

$282K

BizBuySell industry row: Cleaning Businesses. Range applies the typical quartile spread (0.72×–1.21× of the average, from BizBuySell's HVAC quartiles) because no trade quartiles are published. Source: BizBuySell — Business Valuation Multiples by Industry (businesses sold Q3 2021–Q2 2026).

Value your cleaning business

Let's estimate what your business is worth. Seven quick questions, no email needed.

Trade: Cleaning ·

Which state is it in?

Worked example

Hypothetical. A commercial and recurring-residential cleaner with 20 part-time staff and an operations manager.

Revenue $550,000, owner earnings (SDE) $140,000, 7 years, about 70% recurring, “I manage, my team does the work”.
Start at the published 2.25× average.
Owner involvement: I manage, my team does the work: +0.15×. Buyers pay more when the business runs without the owner.
Recurring revenue 60%+: +0.25×. Contracts and memberships make next year's revenue predictable.
Owner earnings $75K–$150K: -0.10×. Below the typical sold main-street business.
Adjusted multiple 2.55× × $140,000 = $357,000, range $258,000 – $433,000.
Revenue cross-check: $550,000 × 0.72× = $396,000.

What raises the price

Written commercial janitorial contracts
Recurring weekly or biweekly residential clients
A manager who handles hiring and scheduling
Low staff turnover and documented processes

What lowers it

One-off move-out or deep-clean jobs
Owner cleaning or doing all sales
Workers paid informally or misclassified
One large client making up much of revenue

Calculating SDE for a cleaning business

Start from net profit on your tax return or P&L, then add back:

Owner salary
Personal vehicle
Depreciation on equipment
One-time recruiting costs

Only add back what a buyer can verify. If there are two working owners, the second owner's salary usually stays as a cost, because a buyer will need to replace that person.

Questions

Do franchised cleaning businesses sell for the same multiple?

Franchise transfers add fees and approval steps, and the franchisor's royalty lowers SDE. The BizBuySell row covers cleaning businesses generally.

Compare other trades

Trade	Avg SDE multiple	Avg revenue multiple	Median sale price	Basis
Plumbing	2.61×	0.69×	$699,000	Trade row
HVAC	2.83×quartiles 1.99–3.33×	0.60×	$750,000	Trade row
Electrical	2.77×	0.63×	$1,009,000	Trade row
Landscaping	2.49×	0.72×	$449,950	Trade row
Pool service / routes	2.61×	0.83×	—	Sector average (no trade row)
Pest control	2.46×quartiles 1.69–3×	1.01×	$250,000	Trade row
Cleaning	2.25×	0.72×	$281,500	Trade row
Roofing	2.65×	0.59×	$750,500	Sector average (no trade row)
Auto repair	2.85×	0.65×	$430,000	Trade row
Salon / barbershop	2.10×	0.52×	$117,375	Trade row
Other main-street business	2.61×	0.83×	$350,000	General main-street range

Source: BizBuySell, Business Valuation Multiples by Industry, businesses sold Q3 2021–Q2 2026; quartiles from BizBuySell's HVAC and pest-control benchmark pages (sold 2021–2025). Pool and roofing use sector averages; “Other” uses the Service Businesses sector. Retrieved Oct 30, 2026.

Estimates for information only; not an appraisal or an offer. MainStreetKeys is not a business broker. Data retrieved Oct 30, 2026.