"Mini-Plant"Guys: What detergents do you use?

[Jim Pemberton]

This is aimed at the "new generation" ruggies who are have set up mini plants. I appreciate the feedback of my large plant friends, but I'm looking to know what the former "always on location guys" who are moving in the in plant direction are using.

I'd also like to know who taught you how to enter this field, what equipment you are using, and how its been working out for you, or if its not, for that matter.

As always, complete disclosure:

I am going to be introducing some new "rug stuff" in my supply business, and want to better understand what you're doing and what works for you already.

 

[Mikey P]

During my 4 months of living the Mini Plant American Dream I used all Master Blend stuff.




After four months of that nightmare I reinstated the ol' Coit slogan of "truck it or **** it" to my business.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I have used your Coit slogan (also cleaned up) many times in training since you first shared that with me Mike.

You're like my best friend in school that managed to get me well known in the principle's office because of his less than stellar influence on my behavior.

Back on point: Feel free to share that you use the "same stuff" with the same wand that you use to clean carpet.

 

[FB7777]

that Coit slogan has been my dirty lil secret for over 22 years now

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Trust Mikey to derail a thread........

Though answering that you "truck it" is a fair answer.

OK, Mr P, could you also let us know the chemicals you use, what temperature you use, and if your helper stands on the rug itself or the fringe to keep the rug in place during the trucking process?

 

[sweendogg]

How about a company that use to send it to the big plants in chicago and now we are slowing growing ours.

Who taught us to enter the field or where did we get any training. Our own clients and rug detailes up north were really pushing it.. they were happy taking the rugs we were sending them but they insisted that adding rug cleaning would really help drive our rug retail.. they were right. So far as training. After stumbling into the field, finally tooke the iicrc RCT course and then the master rug course with Ellen and Aaron. Equipment we use. Well rug badger was the most popular at the time so we have the badger, big dry tower, and a few other badger goodies. We've been using masterblend products and our go to detergent is the Inplant, we like to adhere to Ellen's Armenian culture, the less the soap the better even if you use the soap left by the last guy. (Every so often I'll get a dirty as can be rug and i'll nuke it with way more cleaning detergents than I need, and spend alot more time rinsing to get it all out. )

Since we started into full in plant rug cleaning we have doubled our rug cleaning business each year. We plan on adding a centrifuge at some point so we don't have to extract with the trucks. We do all of our work, outside, in big pits, or tufted rugs/ non washable rugs on our work floor. Our.. ok my goal is to build either an addition to our building to seperate the cleaning and retail a little more or build a new building that encorporates it. Only need about 35 rugs a week to justify it..

 

[John Watson]

This is aimed at the "new generation" ruggies who are have set up mini plants.
Sorry if I don't meet all your qualifications, I don't think anyone considers me "New Generation" But I have set up a couple of mini plant set ups.

I appreciate the feedback of my large plant friends, but I'm looking to know what the former "always on location guys" who are moving in the in plant direction are using.

1981 Anchorage, AK Started with just a truck mount and already had drying racks from the water damage side of the buisness,( Maybe a few out there remember we used to pull flooded carpets to dry them, before On-location drying became first a fad then the norm).Started out doing Syns and Karastans by just wanding both sides using LST,
or scrubbing Chem Spec Ori rug shampoo, rinsing with TM and then hang drying. Real ori and things we didn't know we would ship to Seattle to Fuzzy Wuzzeys, Ace Cartozians, Emmanuels or D.A. Burns.

1987 when I went to work for Claude, all rugs were being taken to Seattle, I started doing Syns and Karastans in house, Larger ones drying flat on the shop floor, small ones hung where ever. We now rotery scrubed with a LST or a Neautral shampoo and then rinsed with the truck mount, All others went to Seattle.

1992 I saw an ad in an ICS Mag. where a Hild portable rug duster and grate were for sale in the Spokane area. Richard Karician just installed a new Moore system, Duster, wringer and towers. We negoceated over 3 months before I bought my Miss Hildy, (Richard said I was 1 of just a few calls and the only one interested in paying more than $500 for it. We built a special Dry room with 10 poles pinned for rugs, elec. hoist, thermostaticly and humidity controled atmophere. and would clean almost anything. Started using the boosters and buffers along withe the neut. shampoos, used acid shampoos as well followed by an acid rince with the TM
We moved to another location in 1999 so we removed our dry room and rebuilt in the new location. We used many different Brands of solutions, Pro Chem, Chem Spec, Master Blend, Bridgepoint, we bought from all, we liked to try all

Took the plant down in 2010 when we moved and downsized. My drying racks, elec hoist are loaded and straped to a metal wheeled cart, The dusting grid and Miss Hildy could be placed on top and are looking for a new owner and home.

I'd also like to know who taught you how to enter this field,

Dr Edgar P York was my first exposier and he taught me that there were only a few secrets to learn and master to clean almost anything. He also introduced me to Keith Williams and Keiths LST, Keith took me in his Lab and showed me how to make colors bleed and and what to do so they wouldn't bleed on ori rugs. Bob Hughes of Chemspec (Got to see Bob and son Jim when they came to Alaska on their fishing trips. Lee Pemberton when he was on his Nation wide tour with Pro Chems new and improved juices. Bob Behmer from Fuzzy Wuzzys, Joyce and Thea Sands from Emmanuels, Bob Pace from Ace Cortosian/Prefered Chem. Ascar's Rug class, Both Ellen and Aaron. Ernie David on how to correct dye bleeding. Aarons rug class, and D.A. Burns, I consider Bryan O'Halek and many of the above mentioned close and personal friends.

what equipment you are using, and how its been working out for you, or if its not, for that matter.

Like mention earlier, I built my own tower/rug pole system with elec hoist system. Miss Hildy and her 10x13 grate handled our dusting. We had a 17 swing machine with carpet brush, a cimex scrubber, an argonaut machine. Till we closed the mini plant down our system worked great for our needs. Plus my ace in the hole was D.A. Burns. My Julie was always there for me for repairs of any kind. When we got over loaded and or behind we would just run them aprx 75 miles thru t r a f f i c and pick them up a week later.

Infact, we now process all except syn this way. we just schedule the time to go to Seattle.

We pick up and deliver all our clients rugs ant they know we take the utmost care of them and have had I client say "If I had know you were taking them to Seattle, I would have done that myself.

My rates are higher than Seattles and with the 30-50% discount recieved from the big guys it makes it profitable for both them and me and our client still gets door to door service and an excelant job.

Jim, I hope any of my ramblings will help you in any way, Helens and my Best to Lee, You and yours John

 

[Nate The Great]

This is aimed at the "new generation" ruggies who are have set up mini plants.
Sorry if I don't meet all your qualifications, I don't think anyone considers me "New Generation" But I have set up a couple of mini plant set ups.

I appreciate the feedback of my large plant friends, but I'm looking to know what the former "always on location guys" who are moving in the in plant direction are using.

1981 Anchorage, AK Started with just a truck mount and already had drying racks from the water damage side of the buisness,( Maybe a few out there remember we used to pull flooded carpets to dry them, before On-location drying became first a fad then the norm).Started out doing Syns and Karastans by just wanding both sides using LST,
or scrubbing Chem Spec Ori rug shampoo, rinsing with TM and then hang drying. Real ori and things we didn't know we would ship to Seattle to Fuzzy Wuzzeys, Ace Cartozians, Emmanuels or D.A. Burns.

1987 when I went to work for Claude, all rugs were being taken to Seattle, I started doing Syns and Karastans in house, Larger ones drying flat on the shop floor, small ones hung where ever. We now rotery scrubed with a LST or a Neautral shampoo and then rinsed with the truck mount, All others went to Seattle.

1992 I saw an ad in an ICS Mag. where a Hild portable rug duster and grate were for sale in the Spokane area. Richard Karician just installed a new Moore system, Duster, wringer and towers. We negoceated over 3 months before I bought my Miss Hildy, (Richard said I was 1 of just a few calls and the only one interested in paying more than $500 for it. We built a special Dry room with 10 poles pinned for rugs, elec. hoist, thermostaticly and humidity controled atmophere. and would clean almost anything. Started using the boosters and buffers along withe the neut. shampoos, used acid shampoos as well followed by an acid rince with the TM
We moved to another location in 1999 so we removed our dry room and rebuilt in the new location. We used many different Brands of solutions, Pro Chem, Chem Spec, Master Blend, Bridgepoint, we bought from all, we liked to try all

Took the plant down in 2010 when we moved and downsized. My drying racks, elec hoist are loaded and straped to a metal wheeled cart, The dusting grid and Miss Hildy could be placed on top and are looking for a new owner and home.

I'd also like to know who taught you how to enter this field,

Dr Edgar P York was my first exposier and he taught me that there were only a few secrets to learn and master to clean almost anything. He also introduced me to Keith Williams and Keiths LST, Keith took me in his Lab and showed me how to make colors bleed and and what to do so they wouldn't bleed on ori rugs. Bob Hughes of Chemspec (Got to see Bob and son Jim when they came to Alaska on their fishing trips. Lee Pemberton when he was on his Nation wide tour with Pro Chems new and improved juices. Bob Behmer from Fuzzy Wuzzys, Joyce and Thea Sands from Emmanuels, Bob Pace from Ace Cortosian/Prefered Chem. Ascar's Rug class, Both Ellen and Aaron. Ernie David on how to correct dye bleeding. Aarons rug class, and D.A. Burns, I consider Bryan O'Halek and many of the above mentioned close and personal friends.

what equipment you are using, and how its been working out for you, or if its not, for that matter.

Like mention earlier, I built my own tower/rug pole system with elec hoist system. Miss Hildy and her 10x13 grate handled our dusting. We had a 17 swing machine with carpet brush, a cimex scrubber, an argonaut machine. Till we closed the mini plant down our system worked great for our needs. Plus my ace in the hole was D.A. Burns. My Julie was always there for me for repairs of any kind. When we got over loaded and or behind we would just run them aprx 75 miles thru t r a f f i c and pick them up a week later.

Infact, we now process all except syn this way. we just schedule the time to go to Seattle.

We pick up and deliver all our clients rugs ant they know we take the utmost care of them and have had I client say "If I had know you were taking them to Seattle, I would have done that myself.

My rates are higher than Seattles and with the 30-50% discount recieved from the big guys it makes it profitable for both them and me and our client still gets door to door service and an excelant job.

Jim, I hope any of my ramblings will help you in any way, Helens and my Best to Lee, You and yours John

Damn John, sounds like your an old fart? Been around for a long time ....

Next time Helen's going to sit next to me at dinner..... !gotcha!

 

[Mikey P]

OK, Mr P, could you also let us know the chemicals you use, what temperature you use, and if your helper stands on the rug itself or the fringe to keep the rug in place during the trucking process?

any rug that can be safely cleaned in the home is not going to be effected by high heat is my experience.


with a hole glided wand, 9 times out of ten a guy can clean fringes over a plastic tarp, carpet to be cleaned or concrete just fine, by himself.

Judson's 02 works great on home cleaned wools.
as does Soap Free and Hard Ball's Power Pack.


Tufteds and earth toned modern wools are a cinch and I have no issue getting 1 to 2 a foot in the home.


They LOOK great, dry quick and are put back to use the next daY.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Thanks Mike!

Extracting a serious answer from you takes effort at times, but that's part of the fun.