Do you clean rugs in the home?
- Thread starter Mikey P
- Start date
Bob Pruitt
Member
Sort of funny. I had considered picking up rugs and taking them to our local Cape Coral Rug Cleaners.
Someone arrogant a$$ on this board said that I shouldn't even be cleaning the rugs in pre-schools with the picture of car and race track...numbers and letters on location.
So...
I went there and introduced myself to the Manager at the local Rug Cleaning Plant and asked to see their facility. Over 50 rugs rolled up in there. Several wrapped up for delivery.
The Cleaning Area was a big concrete slab. That's it.
No way to flood it or drain it. They clean them the same way I do except they pick them up and deliver them. Only need one smart guy that way.
Idiots pick up and deliver. The smart guy tells them how to clean the rug...maybe he even helps.
They are doing very well. Love rugs.
Someone arrogant a$$ on this board said that I shouldn't even be cleaning the rugs in pre-schools with the picture of car and race track...numbers and letters on location.
So...
I went there and introduced myself to the Manager at the local Rug Cleaning Plant and asked to see their facility. Over 50 rugs rolled up in there. Several wrapped up for delivery.
The Cleaning Area was a big concrete slab. That's it.
No way to flood it or drain it. They clean them the same way I do except they pick them up and deliver them. Only need one smart guy that way.
Idiots pick up and deliver. The smart guy tells them how to clean the rug...maybe he even helps.
They are doing very well. Love rugs.
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
At the Bane Clene school they proudly showed a clip of an upscale rug shop dropping off rugs that Bane then cleaned on the warehouse floor.
Joseph's?
Joseph's?
Hack Attack
Member
yeah I've got workmanship coverage, I wouldn't touch some of the launches and yachts here without itYou have to know enough about rugs and flooring to to do more than a quick skim on-location. Anything else you're taking a big risk, and no matter what the customer says, like, "just do your best" they'll expect you to buy it when you ruin it.
Make sure your insurance covers your workmanship, since most policies don't. (I suppose if you wreck a rug you can take it back to your shop for additional work and have it "fall off the truck" on the way.)
Target/Walmart rugs are usually safe to clean and don't cost much to replace, but there's a lot of very expensive junk out there. Be careful!
Hack Attack is pretty honest, so no offense.
when I quoted $160 for cleaning and delivery, he said it hadn't cost him that at 2nd hand store (it had a ton of soil still in it) I find those who want them cleaned onsite dont care
I've got a rug in garage I'm told cost them 12k 20 years ago, it's waiting an indefinite period of time (hopefully next week) for a suitable day to be done on my drive, it's the contempary $$$ rugs that make me nervy
Cleanworks
Moderator
It's not so much that rugs have to immersed to be cleaned. There's a lot more you can do in a warehouse or even a garage than you can in a customers home. After dusting and vacuuming I some times am pouring pet stain solution from a watering can to flood specific stains. Not going to hurt my concrete but I wouldn't do that on a customers hardwood floor. I often use a 175 to scrub, it can fling a lot of detergent around. When we flush, we use a higher volume tool than we use in a customers home. We often flip the rug so we can do both sides. We can do a better, more thorough clean in the shop, we also inspect the rugs and often clean them a second time or perform other services such as moth repellent, etc. I clean simple rugs in customers homes when appropiate but most of the time they come to the shop. Things are not as simple as they look.
Bob Pruitt
Member
Thats why Customers have driveways.
Sometimes things are as simple as they look. A slab is pretty simple...and smart...and cheap.
I'm sure you do a better job though and I always say to Customers "You could call a rug plant to have the rug picked up." I refuse rugs that I believe to be ruined...rare.
Mostly I'm cleaning Vacation Rentals these days so I don't see urine soaked anything.
Moth repellant not a big add on here in Florida.
Mosquito repellant is BIG business!
Dolly Llama
Number 5
So y'all got me wondering now...
is full blown rug spa necessary?
or is wand cleaning in the home just "good'nuff"?
..LTA.
is full blown rug spa necessary?
or is wand cleaning in the home just "good'nuff"?
..LTA.
Cleanworks
Moderator
It all depends on the results you need. I can clean a rug in a home and it will please the customer, but bring it to the shop and get a shit load more soil out of it, then bring it to a proper rug washing plant and put it through a flatbed duster and get another couple of pounds of dry soil out of it.
Hack Attack
Member
like most things you get what you pay for
Doug Cox
Supportive Member
Some people clean their rugs to maintain them. They're not all full of piss. If the rug is thick enough I don't have any problem. I wouldn't clean a dhurrie- like rugs on a wood floor, nor a polypropylene.
Mikey P
Administrator
You have to know enough about rugs and flooring to to do more than a quick skim on-location. Anything else you're taking a big risk, and no matter what the customer says, like, "just do your best" they'll expect you to buy it when you ruin it.
Make sure your insurance covers your workmanship, since most policies don't. (I suppose if you wreck a rug you can take it back to your shop for additional work and have it "fall off the truck" on the way.)
Target/Walmart rugs are usually safe to clean and don't cost much to replace, but there's a lot of very expensive junk out there. Be careful!
Hack Attack is pretty honest, so no offense.
Agreed, I'll be kind to say it probably takes 10 years of experience to be able to pull off in home rug cleaning without a worry
If you are using low moisture to clean an area rug in a home you have almost ZERO risk. This idea that rug cleaning is such a refined craft is hilarious. I know a guy that keeps a Von Shrader around for this purpose and he makes serious bank with it. Rug shops can't match his $1.00 a square foot charge and he gets good results. The same can be done with a Host machine or Whittaker CRB with the white or Gray brushes.
The majority of customers aren't going to pay $4-5 a square foot for in plant cleaning. Especially when a large portion of the rugs today are machine made garbage. Huge market for someone to fill the gap between the " oh we can't clean rugs'' guys and the " a 9x12 would be $540 but that includes free pick up and delivery" operations. The in home cleaner will eventually win this battle. Rug shops will be stuck with the super-high end rugs which is a small sliver of a shrinking pie, and their high overhead.
The majority of customers aren't going to pay $4-5 a square foot for in plant cleaning. Especially when a large portion of the rugs today are machine made garbage. Huge market for someone to fill the gap between the " oh we can't clean rugs'' guys and the " a 9x12 would be $540 but that includes free pick up and delivery" operations. The in home cleaner will eventually win this battle. Rug shops will be stuck with the super-high end rugs which is a small sliver of a shrinking pie, and their high overhead.
Cleanworks
Moderator
I'm sure you're going to clean a piss soaked polyester shag rug in someone's home successfully with CRB and host
Obviously NOT, but most rugs aren't piss soaked and why would you clean a polyester shag rug if it's soaked in piss. DUMPSTER IT and replace it. Most people with rugs of value don't allow them to get piss soaked. If it really is soaked and is an expensive rug I refer them to a rug shop. Even then the results are often disappointing in my experience. Fabric can only tolerate so much urine.
Mikey P
Administrator
AdamDumphy
Member
Much rather clean the rugs back at my shop. Only a few circumstances where I'll clean in home.
Cleanworks
Moderator
You would be surprised at the cheap rugs people want cleaned. I recently had a rubber backed kitchen rug come through the shop. This is the 5th time in 2 years that the same rug has come in from the same customer. Cost of the rug is $19.95 at Walmart yet they pay $50 to have it cleaned. Has some sort of sentimental value to them. They know the value of the rug and the cost of cleaning, yet they have spent $250 cleaning a $20 rug. I agree that a lot of tufted rugs should be thrown out instead of trying to clean the urine out of them but my customers disagree. The customers is always right as long as they pay the bill.
Mikey P
Administrator
That big tufted we do in San Fran could be replaced for less than one cleaning with some bound wtw.
So far they have spent 71K with us on it
Brian H
Member
I totally agree Randy but what if you could get a quality in-plant experience for less than $1.00 per square foot? We charge $199.99 for a hand knotted 9 x 12. We also offer a 2 for 1 promotion if they are dropped off at one of our drop off locations. . If you have two 9 x 12 rugs that works out to less than $1.00 per square foot.
Our process is set up to be able to give customers a clean rug for less that it cost to replace it. We do charge extra though for repair, guaranteed odor removal, stain removal, etc.
Mikey P
Administrator
Brian H
Member
You can ship the rugs to us!!
LOL, this is true. Many years ago I cleaned a stuffed bear with a Von shrader upholstery unit. I guess people are sentimental. Personally MR Teddy would get a one way trip to the trash can before I spent money reBearing it.
That was available here I would have a different strategy for sure. You are the lowest cost rug washer I have encounter anywhere. That probably isn't a good distinction long term, but if it works for now in your market, rock on. Personally I wouldn't want to be doing it for that and attempting to " make up for it in volume ". I just haven't seen that work very often in any industry. Lets face it rug shops charge what they do because it's a lot of work and overhead to cover. In someone areas you might be able to sharpen your pencil and make it work. Try that in area like here where rents are off the charts and you would be DOA quick. One rug washer I know has $60,000 a month in rent. A buck a square won't work in that cost structure.
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If you saw his operation you would not be saying that. My words are not enough to emphasize how impressive it is. I think Brian and his team have it figured out.
Brian H
Member
We have only been in business for 81 years and are still learning. Maybe by the time we reach 100 years in business we will have it figured out.
Seriously though, how can we expect customers to pay more than the cost of the rug to clean it? We do clean a lot of rugs and do it in a way that we also make money at it.
Cleanworks
Moderator
Customer pays me $50 to clean this beauty about every 4 months. It's the dogs favorite mat to sleep on. Probably worth $19.95 at Walmart.We have only been in business for 81 years and are still learning. Maybe by the time we reach 100 years in business we will have it figured out.
Seriously though, how can we expect customers to pay more than the cost of the rug to clean it? We do clean a lot of rugs and do it in a way that we also make money at it.
Cleanworks
Moderator
I actually have no contact with her, she drops it off at one of my drycleaning agents.
Last week, I cleaned 4 very valuable rugs ($8kish each) in the home. The customer was insistent that it be cleaned there on top of the hardwood floor. They said the previous cc had no trouble with cleaning it on site. Iranian rugs with very bright red and blue colors. I did the normal with treating them with a neutral prespray and CWE with wet passes on the pull back only, and the acid rinse turned on. They came out great. It's one of many rugs I have cleaned like that with no problem. I was more concerned with the bright colors possibly bleeding but they cleaned really well.
On another job, I cleaned a polyester rug out in a driveway because their living room floor was an engineered wood that didn't like water. Not worth the risk. The dirty driveway was the only other option, lol
The only rugs that I insist be taken away are the ones that have carpet under them that I'm cleaning or just don't have any place for me to clean on site
On another job, I cleaned a polyester rug out in a driveway because their living room floor was an engineered wood that didn't like water. Not worth the risk. The dirty driveway was the only other option, lol
The only rugs that I insist be taken away are the ones that have carpet under them that I'm cleaning or just don't have any place for me to clean on site
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
Plastic is cheap.
