Mikey P
Administrator
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listen to Jim..
- Thread starter Mikey P
- Start date
When i quote somebody $150 to clean their couch and $199 for a sectional they just hang up on me.
Here's a nice pic i took of a microfiber sofa and love seat that looked to be in good condition that somebody tossed out next to a dumpster.
Here's a nice pic i took of a microfiber sofa and love seat that looked to be in good condition that somebody tossed out next to a dumpster.
Steve Lawrence
Member
Price shoppers have no idea what furniture cleaning costs. They see the cheap ads for $49 for a sofa cleaning and base their search on that.
Most of our furniture cleaning inquiries last about 1 minute or when they are told our pricing structure.
Most of our furniture cleaning inquiries last about 1 minute or when they are told our pricing structure.
dealtimeman
Everyday is Saturday.
We don't to well with closing jobs on upholstery but that I am sure is my fault. The return per hour in my market is not great but again probably my fault.
The Great Oz
Member
A sofa that cost $300 new probably won't last long enough to be cleaned and wouldn't be worth cleaning anyway.
We have people buying consignment furniture that pay us twice as much to clean as they paid for the furniture, but Seattle is fairy land.
Lol , I add Microshit sofas onto carpet jobs every day for 60 bucks and am thankful for the experience. I love Jim and believe in knowing what your getting into but I honestly almost never clean anything but synthetics.
SamIam
Member
Good advice but my issue with implant has always been chimps dropping and damaging mostly do synthetics but on the the rare cotton or silk low ph lie moisture and qualify . There are something's better left untouched .
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
We do furniture from a nice nursing home, 30+ couches each time.
It's much easier to do them at our place, where I can nuke with abandon and follow thru while they dry.
The boys bring 3 at a time in either the box truck or trailer. Usually 3 are ready to go back each trip if I hussle.
This avoids curious "helpers", hazards, and surprises.
It's much easier to do them at our place, where I can nuke with abandon and follow thru while they dry.
The boys bring 3 at a time in either the box truck or trailer. Usually 3 are ready to go back each trip if I hussle.
This avoids curious "helpers", hazards, and surprises.
hogjowl
Idiot™
I don't normally reach my target hourly rate on upholstery. I am slow as heck doing it. I charge $150 for a normal sofa and it often takes me two hours to clean it. I don't know why I am so slow, but if I speed up, then I will screw up. I can do one in about an hour and a half if I don't prevacuum, but most times prevacuuming is a must. If I could get $200 on a 6 ft., 3 cushion sofa, I wouldn't mind it so much.
Vivers
Supportive Member
We do not do implant cleaning of upholstery and I hate upholstery personally. We charge at least $100 for a sofa and more if difficult fabric to clean or heavily soiled. We don't book them all and I'm fine with it. If I was slow I would change my tune. Supply & demand I guess. But I hate cleaning upholstery
KevinL
Supportive Member
The going price here is 65-75 for a sofa. Any higher and they will go elsewhere or skip it. Even the rich folks with cotton or linen balk at the price and say, how much to just do the bad spots?
Mikey P
Administrator
are you toweling dry too Marty?
fan dry?
tarp?
un zipping each cushion looking for pen marks?
pile/nap grooming?
hogjowl
Idiot™
As the particular situation requires.
Steve Lawrence
Member
Marty, you're probably a really good upholstery cleaner. Too many rush through this service to help reach their target hourly rate but are not doing a very good job. We usually dual tool furniture and a sofa still takes an hour to do a quality job. We typically charge about $110 for an HWE job thus falling a little short of our hourly target. I'd like to charge more but as it is most inquirers hang up on us when they hear that price.
We are at $125 for sectionals and most times that will reach our target $ per hour, however on the above job (with 2 techs) it took almost 2 hrs so I can't say I lost money on that particular job however did not make as much as normal. The only hope is that I can also clean their carpets in the future!
I also used to hate doing upholstery until I raised my prices to the point that if they request it I make sufficient income thus do not dis-like it as much.
I also used to hate doing upholstery until I raised my prices to the point that if they request it I make sufficient income thus do not dis-like it as much.
hogjowl
Idiot™
I COMPLETELY understand everyone's reasoning related to upholstery pricing. Having to reduce your desired price to stay within your markets parameters is something we sometimes feel we have to do. I already do that for commercial carpet cleaning, I just can not make myself do it for upholstery.
Yet ...
Yet ...
Desk Jockey
Member
I think your price is fine but you need to be more productive with your time.
The base unless totally soiled shouldn't be more than 20-30 minutes. That leaves you with cushions, base cushions shouldn't be more than 5-minutes a piece. So a 7-ft divan with 3-base cushions should take you no more than an hour. Loose back cushions and side pillows plus arm caps could add another 20-30 minutes.
I'm pretty sure I know what you're doing wrong, quit looking for loose change in the crevice and you'll be more productive!
Standard Care 1-1.5 hours (Use PC Tool or similar flood tool)
Special Care 1.5-2 hours (Sapphire, similar sheering dry tool)
The base unless totally soiled shouldn't be more than 20-30 minutes. That leaves you with cushions, base cushions shouldn't be more than 5-minutes a piece. So a 7-ft divan with 3-base cushions should take you no more than an hour. Loose back cushions and side pillows plus arm caps could add another 20-30 minutes.
I'm pretty sure I know what you're doing wrong, quit looking for loose change in the crevice and you'll be more productive!
Standard Care 1-1.5 hours (Use PC Tool or similar flood tool)
Special Care 1.5-2 hours (Sapphire, similar sheering dry tool)
Mikey P
Administrator
3 seat sofas run $150 to 175 with some $210 exceptions for real PITA fabrics
love seats are $90 to 125
sectionals are treated like a sofas/love combos so most are $300 to 350
lazy boys/over size chairs are $60 to 90
dr chairs 10 to 25
ottos- 20 to 40
doing 4 dr chairs today for our minimum $150
so far this year we've cleaned $29,742.00 worth...
Not sure if that number is good or bad I guess Im happy with it.
and we don't even do as good as job as Merpy says he does.
love seats are $90 to 125
sectionals are treated like a sofas/love combos so most are $300 to 350
lazy boys/over size chairs are $60 to 90
dr chairs 10 to 25
ottos- 20 to 40
doing 4 dr chairs today for our minimum $150
so far this year we've cleaned $29,742.00 worth...
Not sure if that number is good or bad I guess Im happy with it.
and we don't even do as good as job as Merpy says he does.
Ken Snow
RIP
If that is between 10-15% of your total that seems pretty good Mike. Do you lower it any when you are doing the carpet at the same time?
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Mikey P
Administrator
yep, right on at 10 to 15%
Sometimes Ken, if we are slow and are up selling AND we can use the carpet to be cleaned as a tarp we will give a package deal of sorts.
We also offer a "traffic lane" discount on situations and fabrics that allow us to clean just the seats, arms and head rest areas.
We have some customers who have us do that almost every visit on their TV room furniture
Sometimes Ken, if we are slow and are up selling AND we can use the carpet to be cleaned as a tarp we will give a package deal of sorts.
We also offer a "traffic lane" discount on situations and fabrics that allow us to clean just the seats, arms and head rest areas.
We have some customers who have us do that almost every visit on their TV room furniture
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Ken Snow
RIP
Right on!
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billyeadon
Supportive Member
I have always considered Jim to be the premier fabric man followed closely by Steve Andrews.
akleenerimage
Member
I like the idea of the traffic lane areas on the furniture..do you find that there is a noticeable difference though in the cleaned areas vs. the uncleaned and if so how often do the customers then go ahead and have you clean the rest of the areas?
Interesting thread and article, with some really good tips.
I too struggle with the target hourly rate on upholstery, Jim's suggestion of rescheduling difficult or challenging upholstery jobs is a good common sense piece of advice. I agree, it would be easier to reschedule upholstery than carpet. It's a little reassuring to know that it's not just me who struggles on the timing of these jobs.
Mikey I think your traffic lane idea is great and I think I might borrow that one off you.
Does or has anyone Encapped sofas that are not too badly soiled and what is your opinion on this?
Cheers
Jamie
I too struggle with the target hourly rate on upholstery, Jim's suggestion of rescheduling difficult or challenging upholstery jobs is a good common sense piece of advice. I agree, it would be easier to reschedule upholstery than carpet. It's a little reassuring to know that it's not just me who struggles on the timing of these jobs.
Mikey I think your traffic lane idea is great and I think I might borrow that one off you.
Does or has anyone Encapped sofas that are not too badly soiled and what is your opinion on this?
Cheers
Jamie
SamIam
Member
here's a sectional we did today and it was a killer! We could've cleaned a whole house of carpet in the time it took to clean all these cushions and pillows! It also had to be groomed. And No we did not clean it with the Ti ! That was for the overspray
You know everyone was thinking, did he use the Ti wand LOL I know I thought it.
Mikey P
Administrator
in my Coit days we would scrub and run upholstery a lot.
We do touch ups by spraying an Encap and toweling off the suds (and some soil)
works great on almost any synthetic.
but just like carpet, I like the moral effect of using a rinse/extraction to kill the cooties.
try this..
get half way through the tv room carpet and go find Mrs Piftleton and bring her into the room, show her how nice the carpet is coming out and then point to the soiled arms and seat on her uph, especially where hubby, chompers or the brats sit.
Whack the tops of the beck cushions and MOST times a dust cloud will rise..
or something like that..
Mikey P
Administrator
and dont forget to read the other 3 chapters of Jim's article on The Main Page...
Hi Foster!
Hi Foster!
hogjowl
Idiot™
Not sure where that came from. I gave no comment on my method. I only said it took me forever and told you my price for a sofa. There you go again ...
