Franchise funding by sector
Crews go out today, carriers and commercial clients pay weeks later. Here is how each cleaning and restoration cost line gets funded.
✓ Merchant Fund Express starts with a soft credit pull. Terms depend on your business's revenue and history.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
Already running a cleaning or restoration franchise and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing owners of residential maid, commercial janitorial, carpet care and water and fire restoration units with business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing, invoice factoring and working capital. We read unit-level deposits, count royalty and ad fund drafts as normal costs, and give a same-day decision on a complete file.
This sector has two very different cash cycles under one roof. Residential maid and carpet units get paid at or near the job, often by card on a recurring weekly or biweekly schedule, so their deposits are steady. Commercial janitorial units bill buildings and property managers on monthly invoices with payment terms. Restoration units are the extreme case: after a burst pipe, a fire or a storm, crews, dehumidifiers and air movers go to work the same day, and the insurance carrier pays the invoice after adjusters, scope reviews and supplements.
So the busiest restoration month is often the tightest one. Payroll, fuel, consumables and equipment rentals are paid now against receivables that settle later. Merchant Fund Express treats that as the normal shape of the business and matches the product to the cycle: invoice factoring for carrier and commercial receivables, equipment financing for drying gear and truck-mounts, and working capital or a line of credit for the payroll gap.
| Cost line | Timing | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| Crew payroll during a storm surge | Weekly; jumps with call volume | Payroll funding or line of credit draws |
| Insurance carrier receivables | Paid after adjuster review | Invoice factoring against the approved invoices |
| Commercial janitorial invoices | Monthly billing on payment terms | Invoice factoring or a line of credit |
| Dehumidifiers, air movers, moisture meters | Fleet growth before storm season | Equipment financing on the quote |
| Truck-mount carpet units and service vans | Replacement or adding a route | Vehicle funding or equipment financing |
| Chemicals, filters, PPE and consumables | Weekly orders; spikes after events | Inventory funding or working capital |
Any operating cleaning or restoration franchise can apply even if its brand is not on this list. Name the concept on the application so the reviewer reads the royalty drafts and receivable pattern correctly.
Factoring leans on the invoices themselves rather than on the unit's average balance. A reviewer looks at who owes the money (an insurance carrier or a commercial client), whether the work is complete and documented, and the payment terms on the invoice. That suits restoration owners whose deposits look lumpy month to month but whose open invoices are owed by large, creditworthy payers. MFEBL publishes no factoring rates, and none are quoted here; terms depend on the business's revenue and history and on the invoices.
Residential maid units rarely need factoring, because their customers pay at the visit. For them, a line of credit or revenue-based financing usually fits better. The generic comparison is on invoice factoring vs merchant cash advance.
A hypothetical restoration franchise normally deposits $70,000 a month. After a regional storm it takes on 28 water jobs in three weeks. Crew payroll for the month rises to $46,000, consumables and fuel to $9,000, and the owner adds 20 air movers and 6 dehumidifiers quoted at $14,400. Carrier invoices for the month total $165,000, and most will not settle for several weeks.
Figures in this example are illustrations of the arithmetic, not an offer, quote or approval. Real terms depend on the file and the funder.
Cleaning franchises are often sold by territory, and owners commonly hold two or three territories under one LLC with one bank account. In that case the account is read as one file. When territories sit in separate entities, Merchant Fund Express reads each entity on its own deposits and its own royalty drafts. Existing positions are counted per entity, and a new structure can lower the payment where an earlier advance is heavy. The multi-unit guide covers sequencing.
No tax returns for a typical first review. Funding runs from $25,000 to $5,000,000. Industry background is on cleaning business funding and cleaning payroll funding.
Yes. Invoice factoring is built for that: the review leans on the completed invoices and who owes them, so open carrier receivables become usable cash.
Usually not. Maid customers pay at or near the visit, so a line of credit or revenue-based financing fits the steady deposit pattern better.
Yes. Equipment financing on a vendor quote keeps the payment matched to the gear, and the fleet earns on the next event.
As recurring obligations. Merchant Fund Express sizes the new payment after they come out, along with rent and any existing notes.
No. Payment terms are normal in commercial cleaning. Factoring or a line of credit can carry payroll until those invoices pay.
Yes. Existing positions are counted, and a new structure can lower the current payment. Up to 2 current advances are allowed for revenue-based financing.
Merchant Fund Express reviews your location's revenue, deposits and existing payments. Same-day decision on a complete file; funding often the next business day. About five minutes to apply.
