Bring on the heat!

T Monahan

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Joined
Sep 9, 2012
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1,673
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Name
Tom Monahan
This is what we have done at Area Rug Cleaning Company: An Installation of a Cambridge System. This model was a collaborative effort between Centrum Force and engineers at Cambridge.



This is what we have sustained today with calibrating the system:

Temp 18556305_1333780516671643_7955221001001030475_n.jpg
 
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T Monahan

Supportive Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
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1,673
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Name
Tom Monahan
Heck of a facility

Will your rug production sustain the operating costs?

Time will tell. My cleaning company has been a cottage business in my back yard for years out of a 1800 square foot building for years. It would be hard to sell the business if it remains located down my driveway in the back of my home.

Now that it is located in a brick and mortar building on a busy street and accessible to major highways and communities, it makes more sense.

The facility has multiple usage.

For one thing: It is a showroom for Centrum Force that is only 10 minutes from Detroit Metropolitan Airport and near the major North, South, East and West interstate highway systems. This is conducive for visitors to come in for an inspection and use the equipment. (Better than a trade show or just watching videos)

Additionally, we will host some education of sorts. For example, Randy and Val Hyde will be coming in behalf of ARCS and teaching an introduction to Rug Repair.

We expect to see the likes of Aaron Groseclose, Ruth Travis, Jim Bardwell, Doug Heiferman and others.

Lots of free education too! Who knows, maybe even a Mikey'sFest destination tour location. We have a classroom and plenty of parking.
 

Chris A

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Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
5,475
Location
OH
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Chris
Can't wait to come up and see it sometime! Your build has given me a lot of ideas for mine (although I am on a much tighter budget and no doubt mine will take a lot more time)
 

rmann

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Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
53
Location
Denver, Colorado
Name
Robert Mann
Spending money is scary and there's is always the problem of where to find cash. But if you can wash a rug, and have identified your potential market share, then it's time to decide if you are doing everything you can to move forward. I speak from experience. We had cash, but were uncertain how to use it to make a step up. Deciding wasn't easy.
Education was scare and the 'wisdom' of 100 years of rug washing in the US was being quickly forgotten. You called the last of the equipment producers - nice guy - and he was effectively retired; too busy playing golf to take a call. At conferences the 'old guys' had no time for you. Maybe they even told you some jive to throw you off the track (why they bothered, I don't know).
Today it's different. There are options - lots of them - and chat rooms galore parsing the smallest details; what's better, what works. Deciding what's right still isn't easy, but there are lots of options and good advice .
A Cambridge system - or one like it - is the foundation of a wash plant. An efficient drying room, with every rug extracted drip free before it goes in, yields rugs ready to drop the next morning. It's not just faster, the rugs look and feel better. Dehumidifiers, fans on rugs hanging over the wash pit, and other such compromises are fine for a while, but they are not what puts you ahead of the competition.
And no, Tom and Greg didn't pay me to say this. I learned the hard way.
 

The Great Oz

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Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
5,265
Location
seattle
Name
bryan
Robert, you get extra credit for being willing to spend money on experimental projects.
A Cambridge system - or one like it - is the foundation of a wash plant. An efficient drying room, with every rug extracted drip free before it goes in, yields rugs ready to drop the next morning. It's not just faster, the rugs look and feel better. Dehumidifiers, fans on rugs hanging over the wash pit, and other such compromises are fine for a while, but they are not what puts you ahead of the competition.
And no, Tom and Greg didn't pay me to say this. I learned the hard way.
You can't sanitize a rug without the ability to hold a drying temperature above 100F, no matter how long it pre-soaks in chemical. That's a pretty good reason for a customer to choose you over someone that air dries rugs.
 

Cleanworks

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Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,929
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott

That is one nice looking rug plant. Makes me realize how far I have yet to go. My shop is in a constant state of disarray. I really need to focus on cleaning out my old junk and getting down to business. These days when more and more people are installing hard surface flooring, they are realizing how uncomfortable they are buying more and more area rugs.
 

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