Furniture cleaning: can you make as much money as CCing?

[lance]

With the economy the way it is, are your customers getting their couches and recliners cleaned on a regular basis or just once every four or five years? Do you push furniture cleaning while you are in the home or on the phone before you get there?

Is furn. cleaning an upsell for you? Or can a cleaner really go out and make a strong business based on furniture being almost an equal partner to carpet cleaning?

 

[Johnny]

With the economy the way it is, are your customers getting their couches and recliners cleaned on a regular basis or just once every four or five years? Do you push furniture cleaning while you are in the home or on the phone before you get there?

Is furn. cleaning an upsell for you? Or can a cleaner really go out and make a strong business based on furniture being almost an equal partner to carpet cleaning?

I do not solicit uph cleaning cuz carpet cleaning is usually funner and I got plenty of carpet to clean. And because I'm so anal and meticulous, a piece of furn can cost more to PROPERLY clean than it's worth. But I rarely decline a request to clean uph cuz someone's gotta do it.

So I'm off to clean all the uph (cotton) in my brother's law offices this pm. Why don't you bring that new rig up here and do it for me?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

As a business owner its inportant to find ways to increase revenue. The EPA recommends every 12-24 months... Upholstery can retain vast amounts of germs and pollutants, lowering indoor air quality... You can do a dry soil test on upholstery by hold a clean white cloth over your TM vac hose, then vacuum a few times, the cloth filters out the air and shows the customer first hand what they sit on and sometimes put their face on.

Upholstery is big money, get educated if youre unsure.. but without a doubt you can make good money cleaning upholstery, maybe not as much as carpet. You only need to own an upholstery tool and youre already set up.

With anything, you have to add value of having it cleaned... makes it last longer and just the health aspect shoould make anyone want to have their uph cleaned.

 

[Doug Cox]

Why would the EPA have anything to say about upholstery cleaning?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Why would the EPA have anything to say about upholstery cleaning?

IAQ.

 

[Able 1]

Cleaning Furniture is a must and you can make great money! I never push up-sales on upholstery but if you would just ask I would say you would gain 10-25% income in a year... Just don't like to clean it myself, but will every time someone asks.

 

[Mike Draper]

Brent is a liberal and he cares what the EPA and Al Gore says.

 

[Charlie Lyman]

Brent is a liberal and he cares what the EPA and Al Gore says.

Without Al Gore none of us would be here.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

I'm convinced we can make as much if not more curb to curb cleaning uph vs carpet, IF you have cost effective equipment and fast efficient systems. I would gladly throw carpet under the bus if I could grow my uph sales and my small tile and grout jobs. Carpet simple wears on my body.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Brent is a liberal and he cares what the EPA and Al Gore says.

Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb

I'm convinced we can make as much if not more curb to curb cleaning uph vs carpet, IF you have cost effective equipment and fast efficient systems. I would gladly throw carpet under the bus if I could grow my uph sales and my small tile and grout jobs. Carpet simple wears on my body.

http://www.acevacuums.com/powr-flite-po ... actor.html

 

[GCP]

it"s pretty good $ performing both, if you have the means to.

 

[steve g]

I thought about this the other day after taking 3 hours to clean a sectional sofa. I charged $130 for it. not anywhere near enough money. but I had quoted the price ahead of time without looking at it. and this one had all cushions that came off and tons of them. the problem as I see it, for one I dislike cleaning uph, probably because I am making a lower hourly rate doing it, or maybe because I just don't like doing it. the other is there is alot more risk involved with cleaning it, over the years yeah I have ruined a piece here or there, because of problems there was no way to know would have that effect on it. bottom line is if I charged what I deserved and what I am risking by doing it, I think it would lead to me charging to the point of no longer customers wanting it done. I have already quit doing cars, except my own. that really got ridiculous, to do a decent job on a car can take a while. so I just tell people I don't do cars.

 

[Giorgio]

I've never heard of any upholstery cleaning only shops before.

You'd think if there is demand a few would have popped up on the radar by now.

If A fella is going to specialize in one thing only then area rugs might not be to bad. Either that or water damage restoration.

 

[GeneMiller]

it's easier to dual wand furniture then carpet. if you price over the phone by the ft plus extra per loose cushions you should be safe.

gene

 

[GreenTechAgain]

Why would the EPA have anything to say about upholstery cleaning?

Because the EPA has something to say about everything!

 

[NJ104]

As a business owner its inportant to find ways to increase revenue. The EPA recommends every 12-24 months... Upholstery can retain vast amounts of germs and pollutants, lowering indoor air quality... You can do a dry soil test on upholstery by hold a clean white cloth over your TM vac hose, then vacuum a few times, the cloth filters out the air and shows the customer first hand what they sit on and sometimes put their face on.

Upholstery is big money, get educated if youre unsure.. but without a doubt you can make good money cleaning upholstery, maybe not as much as carpet. You only need to own an upholstery tool and youre already set up.

With anything, you have to add value of having it cleaned... makes it last longer and just the health aspect shoould make anyone want to have their uph cleaned.

You actually make more money doing upholstery per sq ft than you do on carpets especially when doing natural fabric

 

[lust1kiddo]

I mostly clean upholstery and rugs so I am biased..but I have been getting calls from repeat customers who are doing it once a year or more. truth.

 

[Johnny]

As a business owner its inportant to find ways to increase revenue. The EPA recommends every 12-24 months... Upholstery can retain vast amounts of germs and pollutants, lowering indoor air quality... You can do a dry soil test on upholstery by hold a clean white cloth over your TM vac hose, then vacuum a few times, the cloth filters out the air and shows the customer first hand what they sit on and sometimes put their face on.

Upholstery is big money, get educated if youre unsure.. but without a doubt you can make good money cleaning upholstery, maybe not as much as carpet. You only need to own an upholstery tool and youre already set up.

With anything, you have to add value of having it cleaned... makes it last longer and just the health aspect shoould make anyone want to have their uph cleaned.

You actually make more money doing upholstery per sq ft than you do on carpets especially when doing natural fabric

But it takes a lot longer to clean a square foot of upholstery than carpet.

 

[Ron Werner]

I don't see why not, with some good marketing, taking courses so that you know what you can clean and what you can't, and to know how to clean those really "interesting" fabrics the interior designers tend to use.

I charge $20-30/ft plus extra cushions
A good size sectional can add up.
You could become the specialist that other cleaners call when they need help
You could charge even more.

 

[mirf]

I am starting to do more. I do think that it can be as or more profit than carpet. Have not done enough to say for sure. One thing for sure is that it is putting everything back in the truck and moving with no wand working is not profitable.

 

[Robbie]

I am starting to do more. I do think that it can be as or more profit than carpet. Have not done enough to say for sure. One thing for sure is that it is putting everything back in the truck and moving with no wand working is not profitable.

I agree if your already set up it makes absolutely no sense not to try to add on as many additional services as possible. When people say that they don't like cleaning furniture or they are over booked so they don't have time to do it while you are already at the custy house...I learned early on that its best to stay and do any/all the additional work the custy wants done while you are there because its been my experience that many times people change there mind or wait til next time ...Also its more profitable if you don't have to make a second trip or you end up losing the add on service....I will often discount additional ad on services if the person is not interested or create a package based around there budget.

 

[Art Kelley]

Furniture cleaning is much easier and more profitable than carpet cleaning. When custys want the furniture cleaned in each room it turns an average sized ticket into a megajob. Learn to do it safely and efficiently and you will look forward to it.

 

[Ron Werner]

most cleaners are afraid or don't like to clean furniture because they've never been trained, had a bad experience or heard of a bad experience
take a few courses, buy a good tool, and you'll be excited to clean them

The upsell works great as long as you haven't other work scheduled