Should you wish to invest in a white-collar management business with considerable scope for expansion, the cleaning sector contains some of the biggest brands in franchising. If, however, you seek a business that can be run from home, there are numerous owner-operator options to research.

Whatever your goals, the cleaning sector is a fast growing industry with many franchisee success stories to its name. The cleaning sector is broadly split into three areas: commercial cleaning, domestic cleaning and specialist cleaning. What's more, many cleaning franchises provide services to a number of markets meaning multiple revenue streams for the franchisee. Here we take a look at just some of the UK's cleaning franchise opportunities...

Commercial Cleaning

Ideal for business builders seeking a management franchise, the commercial cleaning sector offers investors a substantial opportunity.

With customers needing cleaning on a year-round basis, commercial cleaning companies provide a sought after and valuable service that yields consistent results for investors.

Jani-King

One of the biggest names in franchising, Jani-King has enabled over 11,000 franchisees worldwide to start their own business over a 38 year period. This success is reflected in US business magazine Entrepreneur ranking Jani-King's US operations as the number one commercial cleaning company in its 2007 franchise 500 edition. Jani-King also appears as the 10th Fastest Growing Franchise and 13th in the overall Top 100 Franchises.

Offering a management opportunity that focuses upon building the business and managing cleaning staff, Jani-King utilises a dedicated sales-support team to provide contracts for franchisee. So confident is Jani-King (GB) in the power of its sales machine, that it offers franchisees the facility to nominate and purchase a guaranteed level of turnover for their geographical area. This is backed by a commitment to refund the estimated profit margin on any agreed turnover level not delivered.

Dublcheck

Having put over 100 franchises into business over 14 years, Dublcheck is one of the UK's leading Franchised commercial cleaning companies. With low entry, low overhead costs and repeat monthly income, this people-based business is ideally suited to franchising.

As a Dublcheck franchisee you can build a substantial commercial cleaning business supported by a company with many years of experience in supplying services to many national high-profile groups and high-street establishments. These clients are brought to the franchisee by a dedicated sales team and under the 'Dublcheck Business Builder Guarantee', franchisees are guaranteed initial turnover, profit and growth. "With our experience and track record," reveals founder Carol Stewart-Gill, "we can safely say that if you put the effort in and follow our system, with Dublcheck the rewards are there for everyone to see."

Ecocleen

With a growing awareness of environmental concerns, big businesses are increasingly looking at ways that they can make a difference. Seeing this opportunity, Ecocleen was established to provide an environmentally friendly solution to commercial cleaning. With 11 years experience Ecocleen provides a proven, ISO certificated system, a full training and support programme and national contract leads and direct sales support. With investments starting at £18,000 and with up to 70 per cent financing, Ecocleen lets franchisees develop a management business with high profit potential.

The Cleaning Company (TCC)

The Cleaning Company offers franchisees a range of investment opportunities to suit both experience and available finances and adds flexibility with its in-house 'finance' package. The packages include a 'hands-on' operation at the minimum investment level while at the higher levels are full management opportunities. In order to let franchisees concentrate on developing their business, The Cleaning Company itself takes on every operational task on behalf of franchisees, including quotations, sales, scheduling, payroll, debt collection and business analysis. With specially tailored training that includes both classroom instruction and on-site experience, the franchisee also benefits from a 12-month mentor programme. An established brand, The Cleaning Company guarantees franchisees the opportunity to grow their business to a turnover in excess of £250,000 pa. The Cleaning Company is now expanding into the home cleaning sector and is looking to replicate its success in this growing market.

Domestic Cleaning

With the hectic schedules of modern life, more and more people are looking to professional cleaning companies to help them around the home. With an increasingly cash-rich but time-poor population, domestic cleaning is a huge and fast developing market.

Myhome

Recognised as a proven leader in the marketplace, Myhome provides a premium residential cleaning service and has over 10 years of success in the business. With a system backed by Unilever, Myhome offers a professional management opportunity for franchisees which includes one of the most thorough induction programmes in the UK franchise industry. Comprehensive training covers every aspect of the franchise and the ongoing support package includes constant access to a support team, pre launch marketing and a bespoke Myhome management IT system. "Demand for our services has quadrupled over the past 10 years," explains Myhome CEO Russell O'Connell. "As figures are predicted to double over the next three years, the future looks very bright for potential Myhome franchisees."

Molly Maid

Founded in Canada in 1978, Molly Maid is one of the world's best-known branded domestic cleaning companies. Operating in the UK for 20 years, Molly Maid offers a management franchise with high profit potential. From an affordable investment that can yield high returns, the franchisee benefits from a proven system, low overheads and good cash flow. Managing a team of trained cleaners, the franchisee concentrates on generating new business - all backed with Molly Maid's dedicated support team for the life of the franchise. As a brand with high recognition that represents a quality service, the franchisee's business is strengthened by liveried vehicles and uniformed staff that adds value and attracts customers willing to pay more for the best.

Detail Clean

By servicing both the residential and commercial cleaning markets, Detail Clean is a business offering twice the potential to its franchisees. "Combine the burgeoning residential market with the very valuable and recession-defying commercial cleaning market and Detail Clean franchisees have a varied market at which to target their business," reveals Sandra Leggett, Managing Director.

Established in 1999, Detail Clean has developed into a company that prides itself on its reputation for providing a professional, reliable and consistent service to its customers. Operating in exclusive territories, franchisees can expect to receive training and support including assistance in the pre and post-launch to vet, hire and train staff, begin marketing and supervise their first cleaning jobs.

Specialised Cleaning

Having identified a niche market, many franchises have built their business concepts to provide specialist services to target clients. Providing essential services to both commercial and domestic customers, franchisees can benefit from regular repeat business.

FiltaFry

Providing an invaluable and highly sought after service to all manner of catering establishments, FiltaFry offers a franchise opportunity with great potential. With little or no direct competition, FiltaFry provides a professional service for the onsite, micro-filtration of cooking oils and the highly efficient vacuum based cleaning of deep fat fryers.

Naming many household brands among its client base, FiltaFry has proved itself as an integral business to the catering industry. Founded in 1996 as part of the Filta Group, FiltaFry began franchising the following year and has since become recognised as one of the leading service franchises in the UK.

With the UK network now nearing completion this may represent the only opportunity to join what has probably been the fastest growing franchise of its kind in the UK.

OvenClean

The leading brand in the domestic oven cleaning industry, Ovenclean now has over 200 outlets in the UK as well as operations in Australia, Ireland, mainland Europe and the Canaries. Anthony Goozee, Ovenclean CEO, says: "We are experiencing our most exciting period of growth since Ovenclean's inception in the early 1990s and we are on target for one million cleans a year by the end of the decade."

Providing customers with an efficient, affordable high quality clean, Ovenclean is expanding its franchise network to meet the increase in customer demand. While supporting its existing franchisees to grow their businesses into a multi-van operation, Ovenclean is recruiting new franchisees who wish to benefit from owning a flexible and profitable management business.

Safeclean

Over 30 years, Safeclean has developed its proven system and created a network of over 100 operatives. It is one of the largest specialist cleaning companies in the UK, and a long established member of the British Franchise Association (bfa). Franchisees provide a range of specialist furnishing care services to their customers that include carpet, upholstery, rug & curtain cleaning, leather cleaning & conditioning and expert spot & stain removal, Safeclean has franchise packages to suit both hands-on single operators and business-building management franchisees alike. Both routes include the necessary technical training, products and solutions as well as marketing and business planning to make the business a success.

Swisher

As a top UK management franchise, Swisher's unique service benefits from no competition and continuous growth potential. Appealing to business builders, Swisher franchisees build substantial regional businesses managing teams of service staff who provide its high quality washroom cleaning service. Swisher is seeking franchisees who have the vision, focus and desire to work hard and achieve considerable financial success. These individuals will be rewarded with extensive training and the best support ratios in franchising with two franchisees to each member of corporate staff.

One of the most recognised names in the cleaning industry, Swisher is famous not only for its services but also the standard of its franchise packages.