Cleaning services
Books and taxes for upholstery and area rug cleaning companies.
Pickup and delivery rug jobs, in-home upholstery cleans, a designer referral fee here and there, and a plant that runs water and dye all day. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $7,500. Holiday hosting season brought in three designer referrals, which is more than usual for this time of year.
- Pickup and delivery jobRug cleaning jobs
- In-home upholstery cleanUpholstery jobs
- Plant water and sewer billPlant operating costs
- Designer referral feeMarketing and referrals
- Rug pad and wrapping suppliesCleaning supplies
Why your books are different
Upholstery and rug cleaning books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is pickup and delivery logistics, a cleaning plant with its own utility costs, and rugs worth more than most people's furniture. When the books do not know that, the return misses what it should catch.
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1
Pickup and delivery costs disappear into the job price
A rug job usually includes a pickup trip and a delivery trip, both burning fuel and time, but if the whole job is one flat price, you cannot see how much the logistics side is actually costing you.
What we doKeeps vehicle and delivery costs in their own line so you can see what pickup and delivery really adds to a job. -
2
Plant utility costs get buried in general expenses
Running a wash plant means water, sewer, and often gas bills that are much higher than a typical service business, and they can get lost among rent and other overhead if nobody separates them out.
What we doKeeps plant water, sewer, and gas costs in their own line so you can see the real cost of running the facility. -
3
A high-value rug creates real insurance exposure
A single antique or hand-knotted rug can be worth more than a month of regular business, and if something goes wrong in the wash, that liability is not something typical coverage always catches.
What we doKeeps insurance costs visible and flags when a job's rug value looks like it may be outside a standard policy, so the owner can check coverage before it becomes a problem. -
4
Designer and showroom referral fees get missed
Interior designers and rug showrooms sometimes get a referral cut for sending a client your way. If it is paid in cash or off the invoice, it is easy to forget it is a real, deductible cost.
What we doKeeps referral payments in their own line so they are recorded and counted the same as any other marketing cost.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an upholstery and rug cleaning company.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Rug cleaning jobsPickup and delivery jobs cleaned at the plant, billed per rug or by size.
- Upholstery jobsIn-home cleaning of sofas, chairs, and other furniture.
- Repair and restorationFringe repair, reweaving, and restoration work on damaged rugs.
- Storage feesSeasonal or long-term storage charged for rugs held at the plant.
Money out
- Plant operating costsWater, sewer, and gas bills tied to running the wash facility.
- Cleaning suppliesRug shampoo, dye stabilizers, and protective wrapping materials.
- Vehicles and fuelThe van used for pickup and delivery runs.
- Marketing and referralsFees paid to designers and showrooms, plus general advertising.
- Insurance and bondingLiability coverage, with attention to high-value rug jobs.
What we watch for you
- Pickup and delivery cost
Vehicle and time cost against jobs run. Worth pricing into the job if delivery routes get longer.
- Plant cost per job
Water, sewer, and gas costs divided across jobs cleaned. Shows the real facility overhead per rug.
- Referral share
How much of your business comes through designer and showroom referrals versus direct customers.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things upholstery and rug cleaning owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes, as long as it is a real business cost. Tell me what you paid and I will keep it in its own marketing line.
Not necessarily. I keep plant utility costs on their own line, so you can see if it is a real trend or just a heavier month of washing.
That is more of an insurance question than a tax one. I flagged it so you can check with your carrier that a rug that valuable is covered while it is in your care.
The tax side
The tax side of an upholstery and rug cleaning business.
Most of what goes wrong here is plant costs and vehicle logistics. Keep those separate and the rest tends to be steady.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Vehicle costs for pickup and deliveryThe van used to pick up and deliver rugs can deduct business mileage at 72.5 cents a mile from January through June 2026 and 76 cents a mile from July through December 2026, or actual vehicle costs instead.
- Equipment for the plantWash tanks, dryers, and other plant equipment can usually be written off in the year they are bought, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner who takes profit directly instead of a paycheck owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of regular income tax, up to the Social Security wage base.
Deductions upholstery and area rug cleaning companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Rug shampoo and dye stabilizers
- Protective wrapping materials
- Plant water and sewer costs
- Vehicle fuel and repairs
- Liability insurance
- Designer and showroom referral fees
- Uniforms and gloves
- Storage racks and equipment
- Phone for scheduling pickups
- Advertising and website costs
- Repair and reweaving supplies
- Business licenses
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An upholstery and rug cleaning year, kept every month.
Holiday hosting brings the biggest rush. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring cleaning season changed the number.
- October
Before holiday hosting season
Before the pre-holiday rug and upholstery rush, Gus looks at plant equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for upholstery and area rug cleaning companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions upholstery and rug cleaning owners ask first.
Do I need to track my water and gas bills separately from other overhead?
It helps a lot in this trade. Gus keeps plant utility costs in their own line so you can see the real cost of running the facility, not just a blended overhead number.
I take in some very valuable rugs. Does that change how the books are kept?
It mainly changes what you should check with your insurance carrier. Gus flags jobs that look like they carry unusual value so you can confirm coverage, though the policy itself is outside the subscription.
Some of my business comes from designer referrals I pay a cut on. Is that normal to deduct?
Yes, referral fees paid for real business are a legitimate marketing cost. Gus keeps them in their own line so they are recorded and counted correctly.
My income is lumpy because rug jobs are less frequent than regular house cleaning. Is that a problem?
No, but it is exactly why the set-aside matters. Gus tracks it every month so a big rug season does not turn into a tax bill you did not see coming.
Can Gus help me see if my pickup and delivery routes are worth the cost?
He keeps vehicle costs against jobs run, so you can see whether pickup and delivery is adding real cost as your service area grows.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in cleaning services
We keep books for the business next door too.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever