What Multiple Does a Carpet Cleaning Business Sell For?

Carpet Cleaning Business Multiples in 2026

Carpet cleaning businesses sell for 2.0x to 3.5x SDE — seller's discretionary earnings. The multiple is not random. It reflects how predictable the revenue is, how dependent the business is on the owner, and how much service diversification exists. Most transactions close in the 2.2x to 2.8x range. The businesses that reach 3.0x or above have earned that multiple by building something a buyer can operate and grow without the seller.

What Each Multiple Range Means

2.0x to 2.2x SDE — Residential-only operations where the owner is the primary technician. Revenue is inconsistent, marketing-dependent, and tied to the owner's labor. Buyers price in the risk of customer attrition during transition and the cost of replacing the owner on the truck.

2.3x to 2.6x SDE — The median range. Businesses with some commercial accounts, one additional technician, a documented customer database, and clean financials. This is where most established carpet cleaning businesses land.

2.7x to 3.0x SDE — Operations with 30% or more commercial revenue, two trained technicians running independent routes, a 60% or higher repeat rate, and three years of reviewed financials. These businesses show buyers a reliable cash flow that does not depend on the owner's presence.

3.0x to 3.5x SDE — Premium multiple businesses. Commercial accounts above 40% of revenue, water damage restoration capability, IICRC-certified technicians, a CRM with 2,000-plus documented customer records, and service diversification into tile and upholstery. These businesses attract restoration companies and PE-backed home services platforms willing to pay for quality.

See where your business currently sits using the YourExitValue carpet cleaning valuation tool.

Revenue Multiple vs SDE Multiple

Some carpet cleaning buyers also evaluate businesses on a revenue multiple — typically 0.45x to 0.85x annual gross revenue. Strategic buyers from restoration or janitorial backgrounds use revenue multiples when they are acquiring customer relationships and routes rather than earnings. Individual buyers almost always use SDE multiples because they need to evaluate cash flow against their purchase price and financing costs.

If your SDE multiple and revenue multiple produce very different valuations, use the lower number as your conservative estimate and the higher as your ceiling. Most deals close somewhere between the two.

How to Move Your Multiple Up Before You Sell

The three changes that move carpet cleaning multiples most are commercial account growth, technician hiring, and financial documentation. Growing commercial revenue from 20% to 40% of total revenue adds 0.4x to 0.6x to your multiple — on a $150,000 SDE business that is $60,000 to $90,000 in sale price. Hiring and retaining a second technician removes the owner-dependency discount and typically adds 0.3x to 0.5x. Clean three-year financials with documented add-backs add 0.2x to 0.4x by reducing buyer risk and enabling SBA financing.

None of these changes happen overnight. That is why owners who start preparing three to five years before their target sale date consistently sell for more than those who list without preparation.