I am humbled by rugs

Nomad74

Nomad74

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Well, I now have a better appreciation and understanding for the rug plants. I’ve been working on a bunch of 10’x14’ Karastan rugs for over a week. These things were stored in a barn on the dirt floor for years. I finally cleaned the last one this evening and it’s drying in my shop.

Holy cow did these things give me a run. I knew these rugs were capable of holding a large about of dirt, but apparently I really didn’t know. The about of fine powdery dirt that was removed from vacuuming and beating was totally unbelievable. The amount of time it took to dry these titanic rugs in humid weather was also mind blowing.

I really see the beauty of a tumbler, badger, pit, hanging system, and centrifuge. I’m afraid to put out the money for this equipment. I’m not sire if my area would justify it. We do have one business in town that has the equipment. I wonder how they do.

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Cleanworks

Cleanworks

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Nomad74 said:
Well, I now have a better appreciation and understanding for the rug plants. I’ve been working on a bunch of 10’x14’ Karastan rugs for over a week. These things were stored in a barn on the dirt floor for years. I finally cleaned the last one this evening and it’s drying in my shop.

Holy cow did these things give me a run. I knew these rugs were capable of holding a large about of dirt, but apparently I really didn’t know. The about of fine powdery dirt that was removed from vacuuming and beating was totally unbelievable. The amount of time it took to dry these titanic rugs in humid weather was also mind blowing.

I really see the beauty of a tumbler, badger, pit, hanging system, and centrifuge. I’m afraid to put out the money for this equipment. I’m not sire if my area would justify it. We do have one business in town that has the equipment. I wonder how they do.

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Make friends with them. Especially if they do repairs. Think about a portable washpit and drying racks. The Zipper makes a good extraction tool. A 175 with shampoo brush and tank really simplifies things.
 
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Nomad74

Nomad74

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Cleanworks said:
Make friends with them. Especially if they do repairs. Think about a portable washpit and drying racks. The Zipper makes a good extraction tool. A 175 with shampoo brush and tank really simplifies things.
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I’m going to build up my rug tools. Beating a large rug over the lumber rack of my truck is not the image I’m trying to build for my company.
 
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BIG WOOD

BIG WOOD

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Nomad74 said:
Well, I now have a better appreciation and understanding for the rug plants. I’ve been working on a bunch of 10’x14’ Karastan rugs for over a week. These things were stored in a barn on the dirt floor for years. I finally cleaned the last one this evening and it’s drying in my shop.

Holy cow did these things give me a run. I knew these rugs were capable of holding a large about of dirt, but apparently I really didn’t know. The about of fine powdery dirt that was removed from vacuuming and beating was totally unbelievable. The amount of time it took to dry these titanic rugs in humid weather was also mind blowing.

I really see the beauty of a tumbler, badger, pit, hanging system, and centrifuge. I’m afraid to put out the money for this equipment. I’m not sire if my area would justify it. We do have one business in town that has the equipment. I wonder how they do.

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Damon, it's really something you shouldn't be considering until ALL your current business debt is paid off. Due to the fact that a shop built specifically for rugs only is just as costly as a whole other business. So, if I were you, next time you get a big rug order like this...I'd sub it out to a rug cleaning shop, and just clean rugs on site from now on.
 
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Brian H

Brian H

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Matt Wood said:
Damon, it's really something you shouldn't be considering until ALL your current business debt is paid off. Due to the fact that a shop built specifically for rugs only is just as costly as a whole other business. So, if I were you, next time you get a big rug order like this...I'd sub it out to a rug cleaning shop, and just clean rugs on site from now on.
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I completely agree with you Matt! I see guys with dollar signs in their eyes investing a ton of money in equipment before they have the clientele to support it. Just because you have the equipment doesn't mean people will beat a path to your door.

Work out wholesale pricing with someone local and build up your business before making a big investment. You may also find that going that route brings in enough profit to make you change your mind about doing them yourself.
 
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Sierra Clean Care

Sierra Clean Care

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That’s why a guy SHOULD CHARGE BETWEEN 3-5$ a sqft.... yes, they are a lot of work, yes, YOU NEED TO GET EDUCATED....yes, they are profitable.
 
J Scott W

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Thanks for bringing up EDUCATION, Jeff. The final Doug "The Cobra" Heiferman and Scott Warrington Hands-on Rug washing class is May 14th - May 16th in sunny Orlando, FL. Come join us. Bring your problem rugs, but hopefully something smaller than a 12' x 14'.
 
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Tom Forsythe

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There is nothing wrong with a range of cleaning of area rugs: good, better, best. Extract what you can and sub out what you cannot do. You can evaluate your market over time. About 5 years ago, we pit washed one of my rugs at a class. I loved the results. I brought it home and did not tell my wife how well it was cleaned. She did not notice any difference between when I encapped it, or extracted it at home. Not all customers notice or care about the level of clean as long as the appearance has been noticeably improved. On another note there are alot of cheap rugs filling up homes in America that are not worth pit washing. Why spend $3 to $4 a foot to clean a rug that costs $4 to $6 a foot to purchase it. A simple extraction on site makes more economic sense. We developed Wool Perfect for both those who pit wash and those who extract on site or in their shop.
 
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Acp

Acp

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we have small rug shops here that do them off site but its basically a thorough vacuuming and some sort of encap or dry cleaning.

I
 
Nomad74

Nomad74

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Mikey P said:
How much money did you lose on your Karastan Katastrophie?
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You never really lose when it's paid on the job training :) I'm happy with what I made on the rugs. Just a lot more work than I expected for how dirty they were. Next time I'll charge more and be better prepared. These rugs were so beat up they were a great platform to experiment with.
 
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ruff

ruff

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Reading the labels, it says permanently "moth resistant" and on the other it says "moth proof".
  1. Anybody knows what they do to make it such?
  2. And are they really never damaged by moth?
 
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Tom Forsythe

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Most moth repellents are removed with water so it has to be reapplied after every cleaning (this is both good and bad depending on your point of view). The SDS for one that I got a sample of one time did not meet our profile for safety. Moths will usually not attack wool with regular traffic, vacuuming and sunlight. The problems generally occur under heavy furniture and beds which are not moved, not open areas.
 
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Cleanworks

Cleanworks

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Tom Forsythe said:
Most moth repellents are removed with water so it has to be reapplied after every cleaning (this is both good and bad depending on your point of view). The SDS for one that I got a sample of one time did not meet our profile for safety. Moths will usually not attack wool with regular traffic, vacuuming and sunlight. The problems generally occur under heavy furniture and beds which are not moved, not open areas.
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We do both moth killing and moth repellent. For moth killing, we first vacuum the rug thoroughly then spray a pyrethrin product in a fine oil solution on both the back and face of the rug. Bag it in plastic and leave for 3 days. Vacuum and hand pick the larva carcasses and cocoons out, thoroughly clean the rug. For moth proofing, after we have cleaned the rug, we apply Masterblends Repel product.
 
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