Vanguard Cleaning Systems franchise
An area franchise business selling and supporting commercial cleaning subfranchises. At the end of 2025 there were 48 Vanguard Cleaning Systems locations in the US, 45 franchised and 3 company-owned. This is a master franchise supporting commercial cleaning subfranchises, rather than an individual cleaning business.
- Cost to open
- $165K–$473K
- Franchise fee
- $100K–$350K
- Royalty
- 5% of area-franchise revenue
- Locations, 2025
- 48
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Vanguard Cleaning Systems franchise costs
Opening Master franchise costs an estimated $164,961 to $472,556. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc, 2026 filing, page 19
Vanguard Cleaning Systems franchise fee
The franchise fee is $100,000 to $350,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc, 2026 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of master-franchise gross revenue, including subfranchise fees and related income; successor and multiple-area agreements may differ. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc, 2026 filing, page 14
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Vanguard Cleaning Systems publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: Reports area franchise businesses, not individual cleaning operators.. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc, 2026 filing, page 40
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 48 (0) | 1 |
| 2024 | 48 (0) | 1 |
| 2025 | 45 (−3) | 3 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Counts represent master franchise agreements. One area franchise business may hold more than one agreement.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
Source: Vanguard Cleaning Systems, Inc, 2026 filing, page 43
How Vanguard Cleaning Systems compares
Of the 13 commercial cleaning franchises on this site, Vanguard Cleaning Systems is the 10th cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Vanguard Cleaning Systems | Typical commercial cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $165K | $97K |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −6.3% | +0.9% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 11 of 13 |
Typical is the median across the 13 brands in commercial cleaning franchises.
