Franchise opportunities compared
Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner vs The Grout Doctor
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner: 2, The Grout Doctor: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | SSStanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner | TGThe Grout Doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $83,000 – $509,745 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $24,065 – $38,085 TOTAL 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $10,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11 | $500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 3% · percentage of Gross Sales; 7% from Core Business and 3% from Related Business Monthly Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $0.00 Royalty minimum per household 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 0% of percentage of monthly gross sales National Advertising Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $1.50 Current advertising fund 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 264 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 77 | 80 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −5 Calculated: 269 at end of 2023 → 264 at end of 2025 | −2 Calculated: 82 at end of 2023 → 80 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1972 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 1972 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Franchised (208 locations) — revenue — Two hundred eight (208) Stanley Steemer franchisees were in operation during al… $1,742,025 other Gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74 Franchised (208 locations) — revenue — Nationwide franchisees in operation during all of 2025 $43,724 other Gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard >2 years 40 percent other Standard >2 years · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 49 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard 12–24 months 66.67 percent other Standard 12–24 months · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Non-standard >2 years 1 franchisees other Non-standard >2 years · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.