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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Fish Window Cleaning Franchise

Fish Window Cleaning is a window cleaning franchise serving both residential and commercial customers across the United States. Founded in 1978 and franchising since 1998, the brand has grown to an established network of over 270 locations and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognised by its long-running “Fish” mascot branding and a reputation built on repeat, relationship-driven service work.

Although named for window cleaning, the model covers a wider set of light exterior and interior services, including chandelier, mirror, skylight, screen, ceiling fan and seasonal gutter cleaning. This mix is designed to keep crews busy year-round rather than leaving the business exposed to a single season. Much of the work runs on recurring commercial and residential schedules, which supports a steadier revenue base than one-off project work.

Operationally, Fish Window Cleaning is a home-based, employee-led model: owners recruit and manage cleaning teams rather than performing every job themselves, and each franchise runs a protected territory defined by zip codes. With no retail premises or heavy equipment required, the model is structured for low overhead and local scalability.

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Why buy a Fish Window Cleaning Franchise?

Window cleaning sits within the broader home and commercial services category, which has proved resilient across economic cycles because property upkeep continues in any climate. Buying a Fish Window Cleaning franchise gives an owner an established brand in a market where most competitors are small independents without national recognition or systems.

The ownership case rests on the model’s economics and support depth. The home-based, employee-led structure keeps fixed overhead low, while recurring commercial and residential contracts build predictable, repeat revenue rather than relying on continual new-customer acquisition. The diversified service list helps smooth seasonality, and decades of refined operating systems, recruiting tools and corporate support give a new owner an established playbook. Consistent national recognition, including ten straight years on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500, adds credibility when winning commercial accounts.

Fish Window Cleaning Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1978

    • Franchising Since

      1998

    • New Startup Cost

      $107,200 – $173,700

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $49,900 - $74,900

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $10,000

      plus any applicable broker/referral fees

    • Royalty Fee

      5–8%

      of Gross Revenue

    • Marketing Fee

      1%

      of Gross Sales

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      270

    • New Units Opened *

      16

    • Units Transferred *

      17

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      Not Disclosed

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

Fish Window Cleaning – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Initial onboarding is led by the corporate support team, including senior leadership, and covers residential and commercial service operations, safety and ladder standards, employee recruitment and pay systems, scheduling, routing and territory management, pricing, customer retention and invoicing. Owners gain recruiting tools and scheduling and customer-management software, plus ongoing marketing resources, operational best practices and performance benchmarks refined over decades. Resale buyers should confirm with Fish what onboarding and software access transfers to an incoming owner when a unit changes hands.

  2. Ideal Owner

    The model suits a sales-minded manager rather than a hands-on cleaner. No window cleaning experience is required, as training covers the trade, but owners should be comfortable recruiting and leading cleaning crews, managing schedules and routes, and building ongoing relationships with commercial property managers and residential clients. Success leans on local sales effort, staff retention and consistent service quality, so the brand fits organised, people-focused operators who can win repeat contracts and run a team-based service business day to day rather than passive or absentee investors.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Fish Window Cleaning has ranked on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 for ten consecutive years, reaching #185 in 2026 (up from #222 in 2025) and #1 in the window cleaning category. It also appears in the Franchise Times Top 400 (#285 in 2025) and was named a Franchise Business Review Top 200 Franchise in 2026 for franchisee satisfaction. Further recognition includes an Inc. 5000 listing, IFA and VetFran membership, and a Franchise Connect Top 100 Home Service ranking. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the specific territory's local reviews and reputation.

  4. Industry / Market

    Window cleaning sits within the large US cleaning services industry, where commercial janitorial and residential cleaning together generate tens of billions in annual revenue and have proved resilient across economic cycles. Growth is supported by aging housing stock, dual-income households outsourcing upkeep, and commercial property managers maintaining their premises. Recurring maintenance contracts add stability, while diversified services such as gutter, screen and interior cleaning help offset the seasonality of exterior window work. For resale buyers, local demand depends on commercial density and the account base within a territory.

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