Over 35,000 carpet cleaners work in the United States. As a carpet cleaner, you specialize in removing the toughest dirt and grime from the fibers of your client's carpet. The market size of carpet cleaners has steadily increased in the past ten years. Experts estimate that the carpet cleaning market has gone from 5.2 billion in 2021 to over 6.5 billion in 2022.
Before starting your business, a common question to ask is how much do carpet cleaners make. This article will examine the different metrics of carpet cleaner income and the correct carpet cleaner insurance to protect earnings.
How much does a carpet cleaning business make every year? Carpet cleaners make an average of $33,139 annually. The typical range of salaries for carpet cleaners is between $25,000 and $42,000.
Carpet cleaning income is directly correlated with customers' disposable income. When people have more money to spend, they are more likely to hire a professional carpet cleaning company than do it themselves. This means that your salary will vary from year to year and will depend on economic factors like customer spending habits and the income levels of your clients.
| Percentile | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $25,000 |
| 20th | $27,125 |
| 30th | $29,250 |
| 40th | $31,375 |
| 50th | $33,139 |
| 60th | $35,625 |
| 70th | $37,750 |
| 80th | $39,875 |
| 90th | $42,000 |
Are you wondering how much do rug cleaners make every month? The median monthly salary for carpet cleaners is $2,761. Monthly wages for carpet cleaners typically range between $2,083 and $3,500.
The pay you receive will vary from month to month. Depending on your area, business may slow down during the winter months. However, not every area has the same market trends. You will want to research the area where you plan to operate your business to see just how seasonal the work is. In some places, carpet cleaners only work seasonally during the busy months because of the lack of business or different clients during the slower months.
| Percentile | Monthly Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,083 |
| 20th | $2,260 |
| 30th | $2,437 |
| 40th | $2,614 |
| 50th | $2,761 |
| 60th | $2,968 |
| 70th | $3,145 |
| 80th | $3,322 |
| 90th | $3,500 |
How much do carpet cleaning businesses make weekly? On average, a carpet cleaner has a weekly salary of $637. A typical range for weekly pay carpet cleaners earns between $480 and $807.
| Percentile | Weekly Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $480 |
| 20th | $521 |
| 30th | $562 |
| 40th | $603 |
| 50th | $637 |
| 60th | $685 |
| 70th | $725 |
| 80th | $766 |
| 90th | $807 |
Do you want to know how much money do carpet cleaners make for a day’s work? The average daily wage of a carpet cleaner, assuming a 5-day workweek, is $127. The daily wage range for carpet cleaners is between $96 and $161.
| Percentile | Daily Wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $96 |
| 20th | $104 |
| 30th | $112 |
| 40th | $120 |
| 50th | $127 |
| 60th | $137 |
| 70th | $145 |
| 80th | $153 |
| 90th | $161 |
Are you curious how much do carpet cleaning companies make at an hourly rate? The average hourly rate for carpet cleaners is $15.93. As a carpet cleaner, you will likely work at an effective hourly rate between $12 and $20.
| Percentile | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| 10th | $12.01 |
| 20th | $13.04 |
| 30th | $14.06 |
| 40th | $15.08 |
| 50th | $15.93 |
| 60th | $17.12 |
| 70th | $18.14 |
| 80th | $19.17 |
| 90th | $20.19 |
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How much do carpet cleaners earn at the entry level? The answer is that entry-level carpet cleaners make an average salary of $26,000 annually. Entry-level carpet cleaners earn $2,185 monthly and $500 weekly on average. You will earn an average $12.49 per hour as an entry-level carpet cleaner.
Entry-level carpet cleaners often must be high school graduates or have a GED. You will also need a driver’s license to operate your own cleaning vehicle. You may also need a commercial driver’s license to drive a cleaning cargo van. A commercial driver's license requires passing a written test and skills exam. In many states, you must also have a clean driving record.
A mid-level carpet cleaner has an average annual salary of $33,900. The average monthly salary for carpet cleaners is $2,825, around $651 a week. Mid-level carpet cleaners make an average hourly rate of $16.32. As you advance in your carpet cleaning career, you will gain experience and hone specific skills that make you more valuable.
You can apply for a Carpet Cleaning Technician (CCT) certification. Through a CCT, you can learn about professional carpet cleaning techniques and apply them to your own business. To get a CCT, you must demonstrate you can identify fabrics and the proper cleaning techniques. You must also demonstrate a basic understanding of the effects of cleaning chemicals and how your machinery works.
Getting a CCT allows you to enter the carpet cleaning industry's mid and senior levels. Certification gives you instant credibility in the eyes of your customers. This means they will be more likely to hire you because they see you as less likely to do a poor job. A CCT will also help with your confidence when talking to customers because you have a wider knowledge base in your trade.
How much can you make with a carpet cleaning business as a senior-level carpet cleaner? Senior-level carpet cleaners take home an average annual salary of $42,800. You can expect to make $3,566 every month and $823 weekly. Senior-level carpet cleaners work at a $20.60 average hourly rate.
To help advance your career, it helps to apply for master-level certifications that allow you to take more complex jobs. Some master-level certifications you can get after acquiring a CCT include the following:
Master fire and smoke restoration certification: To obtain a master-level certification with the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) for fire and smoke restoration, you must have been IICRC certified for at least three years. A master fire and smoke restorer must also have a Health and Safety Technician (HST) certification. You must also obtain a Journeymen fire and smoke restoration certification beforehand.
Master textile cleaner: You must be certified as a CCT with the IICRC for at least three years and have obtained a Journeyman Textile Cleaner (JTC) certification. Other requirements include being certified as a Color Repair Technician (CRT), Odor Control Technician (OCT), and Rug Cleaning Technician (RCT).
As a carpet cleaner, having a higher education degree can help improve your average income. However, some higher forms of education don’t seem to have as much of a positive impact on your income level. The chart below compares the average income for carpet cleaners at different levels of educational attainment.
| Education Level | Average Annual Salary | Average Monthly Salary | Average Weekly Wage | Average Daily Earnings | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-school | $34,067 | $2,838 | $655 | $131.02 | $16.38 |
| Associate’s Degree | $35,066 | $2,922 | $674 | $134.86 | $16.86 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | $34,259 | $2,854 | $658 | $131.76 | $16.47 |
| Master’s Degree | $34,088 | $2,840 | $655 | $131.10 | $16.38 |
Not every industry pays carpet cleaners the same on average. Retail stores will need regular upkeep of their carpets, especially in high-traffic areas. They will choose the services of a carpet cleaner because they are experts at removing stains and dirt that can be tricky to remove. The highest-paying industries for carpet cleaners are compared below.
| Industries | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | $33,218 | $15.97 |
| Professional | $32,649 | $15.70 |
| Manufacturing | $32,540 | $15.64 |
| Hospitality | $31,463 | $15.13 |
| Real Estate | $30,172 | $14.51 |
What you make as a carpet cleaner will vary state-to-state. The top states for carpet cleaners include Massachusetts, California, New York, Connecticut, and North Dakota. The chart below compares the average salary for carpet cleaners in different states.
| State | Average Annual Wage | Average Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24,524 | $11.79 |
| Alaska | $35,075 | $16.86 |
| Arizona | $31,425 | $15.11 |
| Arkansas | $26,305 | $12.65 |
| California | $40,895 | $19.66 |
| Colorado | $33,162 | $15.94 |
| Connecticut | $39,868 | $19.17 |
| Delaware | $32,337 | $15.50 |
| Florida | $28,924 | $13.91 |
| Georgia | $26,481 | $12.73 |
| Hawaii | $38,428 | $18.48 |
| Idaho | $29,365 | $14.12 |
| Illinois | $33,450 | $16.08 |
| Indiana | $33,359 | $16.04 |
| Iowa | $34,569 | $16.62 |
| Kansas | $31,621 | $15.20 |
| Kentucky | $27,307 | $13.13 |
| Louisiana | $23,967 | $11.52 |
| Maine | $35,135 | $16.89 |
| Maryland | $33,090 | $15.91 |
| Massachusetts | $45,943 | $22.09 |
| Michigan | $34,696 | $16.68 |
| Minnesota | $36,866 | $17.72 |
| Mississippi | $22,206 | $10.68 |
| Missouri | $29,568 | $14.22 |
| Montana | $31,635 | $15.21 |
| Nebraska | $31,445 | $15.12 |
| Nevada | $35,353 | $17.00 |
| New Hampshire | $35,462 | $17.05 |
| New Jersey | $35,713 | $17.17 |
| New Mexico | $25,432 | $12.23 |
| New York | $40,027 | $19.24 |
| North Carolina | $26,267 | $12.63 |
| North Dakota | $39,344 | $18.92 |
| Ohio | $31,963 | $15.37 |
| Oklahoma | $26,572 | $12.78 |
| Oregon | $33,892 | $16.29 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,189 | $15.96 |
| Rhode Island | $33,982 | $16.34 |
| South Carolina | $26,797 | $12.88 |
| South Dakota | $32,576 | $15.66 |
| Tennessee | $27,326 | $13.14 |
| Texas | $24,625 | $11.84 |
| Utah | $27,598 | $13.27 |
| Vermont | $36,952 | $17.77 |
| Virginia | $29,944 | $14.40 |
| Washington | $38,568 | $18.54 |
| West Virginia | $30,044 | $14.44 |
| Wisconsin | $35,582 | $17.24 |
| Wyoming | $32,335 | $15.55 |
If you are considering starting a carpet cleaning business, you should investigate the top-paying cities for your profession. Below is a comparison of the top 20 highest-paying cities for carpet cleaners.
| City | Annual Average Salary | Average Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, Massachusetts | $45,969 | $22.10 |
| Novato, California | $41,759 | $20.08 |
| Bismark, North Dakota | $39,082 | $18.79 |
| Seattle, Washington | $38,627 | $18.57 |
| Eden Prairie, Minnesota | $36,627 | $17.69 |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | $35,852 | $17.24 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | $35,186 | $16.92 |
| Grand Rapids, Michigan | $34,715 | $16.69 |
| Northbrook, Illinois | $33,806 | $16.25 |
| Portland, Oregon | $33,805 | $16.25 |
| Baltimore, Maryland | $33,203 | $15.96 |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | $32,869 | $15.80 |
| Lenexa, Kansas | $31,912 | $15.34 |
| Billings, Montana | $31,691 | $15.24 |
| Peoria, Arizona | $31,571 | $15.18 |
| Athens, Ohio | $31,284 | $15.04 |
| Saint Louis, Missouri | $29,630 | $14.25 |
| Roanoke, Virginia | $29,162 | $14.02 |
| Miami, Florida | $28,733 | $13.81 |
| Atlanta, Georgia | $26,577 | $12.78 |
To protect your carpet cleaning income, you must purchase insurance policies to counter unexpected financial loss events. A customer may sue your business for failing to fulfill a contract, which could cost you thousands of dollars. You may also experience a weather event that damages your business property and financially burdens you. The next section will examine the insurance policies you need to set yourself up for business success by protecting your earnings.
General liability insurance protects you from third-party claims. Typically this policy will cover claims that include:
Advertising injury: These claims involve libel, slander, and infringing on someone else’s copyright.
Bodily injury: A customer might file a bodily injury claim if they trip and hurt themselves on a carpet you have cleaned. The customer will want to recover medical costs to treat their injury.
Property damage: If your carpet cleaning services damage someone’s carpet or other property, you may have to defend yourself against this claim.
For general liability insurance, we recommend Thimble. Thimble offers short-term general liability insurance policies that can set the duration to the hour. They are an excellent choice for first-time buyers. Over 75% of their customers are buying insurance for the first time, and they have sold over 200,000 policies. Thimble has an A+ score from the Better Business Bureau.
Professional liability insurance is the policy to protect yourself from negligent business decisions that cause someone else financial loss. It covers when you or your employees make errors or omissions in your business practices. Hiscox is an excellent choice for your professional liability policy. They offer specialty insurance policies customized to your business's needs. You enjoy privileges like a 14-day refund policy and additional discounts when you bundle multiple policies. They offer worldwide coverage if your claim is filed in the US or Canada. 4.7/5 Hiscox customers surveyed said they would recommend them to other people.
Your commercial property insurance policy protects your equipment and building during damaging physical events. Covered events typically include:
Fire damage
Theft
Vandalism
Wind damage
Water damage
Explosions
We recommend CoverWallet for your commercial property policy. With CoverWallet, you can shop online from over ten top-rated insurance partners. They give you access to a convenient mobile app and a dashboard that simplify policy tracking. CoverWallet operates in 48 states and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
A commercial auto policy protects your business vehicles from damage and your business from vehicle accident liability costs. If one of your vehicles gets into an accident, this policy can help you pay for repair costs and protect you from legal costs.
Tivly offers excellent options for your commercial auto insurance policy. They are a digital platform that connects you to over 200 insurance partners. You can shop for policies tailored for you from insurance companies like The Hartford, Progressive, and Liberty Mutual. Their commercial auto policies can cover cargo vans, which carpet cleaners often need to transport their equipment to a job site.
Your workers’ compensation insurance policy is required in most states once you start hiring employees. This policy helps your employees compensate for lost wages due to an illness or injury. It will cover the employee's medical costs until they have recovered. The Hartford is our pick for your workers’ comp policy. They let you pay as you go for workers comp, eliminating unnecessary up-front costs that other insurers might make you pay. They also use real-time payroll estimates to calculate your premiums to ensure you never pay too much for coverage.
A business owner's policy is one of the most comprehensive options for your carpet cleaning business. This policy combines general liability and commercial property coverage into one convenient package. Often you can save money compared to purchasing the policy coverage separately.
NEXT is our top choice for a business owner's policy. The company has transparent pricing and ensures you won't have to deal with hidden fees. Upon receipt of your policy, you get instant access to your live insurance certificate. You can get quotes online tailored to your occupation and industry within a few minutes. NEXT has an A- rating with AM Best.
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1 / 5
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
1 / 5
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
1 / 5
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
5 / 5
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
5 / 5
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
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