Franchise
How to start a laundry and dry cleaning business in India
A practical guide from the team that runs Swan Clean in the Chandigarh Tricity: the decisions that matter, in the order you will face them.
- Model and location
- Equipment and process
- Licences
- Getting customers
1. Choose your model
You can open an independent shop, join a franchise, or build a plant that serves several stores. The biggest choice is where the cleaning happens. Machines in every shop are expensive and hard to run well; a central plant serving several compact stores spreads that cost. See the three Swan franchise formats.
2. Pick the location
- Dense residential areas with working households
- Markets that people visit every week
- Nearby hostels, hotels, clinics and offices for business accounts
- Parking or easy access for collection and delivery
3. Equipment and process
Dry cleaning needs a professional dry cleaning machine and solvent handling; laundry needs commercial washers and dryers with professional chemistry; finishing needs form finishers and pressing equipment. Just as important is the process: tagging every garment, inspecting before cleaning, stain treatment, quality checks and packing.
4. Registrations and licences
Common registrations include GST, a shop and establishment licence, a trade licence from the local body and, for a plant, pollution control board consent. Requirements vary by state and city, so confirm them locally.
5. Pricing and customers
Price per garment for dry cleaning and per kg for laundry, and keep the rate card simple. Doorstep collection, WhatsApp booking and an app bring repeat customers; hotels, salons, hostels and clinics add steady volume.
6. Start faster with a franchise
A franchise gives you a brand, process, technology and training from day one. Explore the Swan Clean franchise.
Send a franchise enquiry
Thank you. Your enquiry is with our franchise team.
Our franchise team will call you to talk through the model, locations and next steps. Your reference is .
Frequently asked questions
What licences do I need for a laundry business in India?
Is it better to start independently or with a franchise?
Does Swan Clean offer franchises across India?
Inside our plant
European-engineered garment care, in Sector 82, Mohali
- German Seitz dry cleaningProfessional dry cleaning chemistry and process
- DiverseyProfessional laundry chemistry, CII GreenPro certified
- Veit, Macpi and NaomotoForm finishers and pressing for collars, shoulders and creases
- Green Earth Cleaning certifiedGentle, non-toxic and odour-free dry cleaning
- One central plantEvery order inspected, tagged and packed in-house
