Most cleaning franchises specialize in cleaning homes, commercial premises or a mix of both, with laundry and oven cleaning franchises available too.  The industry’s growth rate has long been lifted by a trend towards organizations outsourcing cleaning tasks.

However, revenues slumped when Covid-19 forced many businesses to close, although supermarkets, hospitals and food product manufacturers fueled a surge in demand for deep cleaning services.

Firms with an office-heavy client list, meanwhile, might be wise to diversify in case the work-from-home industry trend persists beyond the pandemic.  It’s a fragmented sector in Australia, with no single company’s market share exceeding 5%, according to market research from IBISWorld.

Franchise industry analysis

Cleaning franchisees typically work flexible hours from home, enjoy plenty of repeat business, and operate to a proven formula, under a trusted brand, with extensive support from head office.

Jani-King has 9,000 businesses globally, including 600 in Australia, and cleans everything from office buildings to hotels, hospitals and manufacturing facilities.

Franchisees sometimes start out part-time but eventually count multi-site blue chips among their clients.

Fantastic Cleaners promises franchisees guaranteed weekly jobs to suit their schedule.

Part of the Fantastic Services brand, the franchisor has separate apps for customers and franchisees, and a back-end system that removes “repetitive and boring work” such as invoicing and service development.

Eco Laundry Room offers franchisees the chance to run an eco-friendly laundromat using only their mobile – meaning they could do so from home or the beach.

The laundries offer smart, energy-efficient Tesla Professional washing machines, an auto payment system, loyalty cards, QR code-enabled promotions and CCTV monitoring.

Founded in the UK in 1994, the OvenU franchise has serious pedigree in the oven cleaning segment.

A comparatively modest investment gives franchisees the opportunity to expand to a lucrative multi-van operation, supported by cross-platform marketing campaigns.