$5000 rug

[Joel D]

based on the other posts this is bad timing but oh well

a lady called to get an estimate on cleaning the rug and some other rugs and carpet. She just wants it cleaned on site but is worried about her hard wood floors.

another company came but they wanted to put something under the rug before they cleaned it and she didnt like them.
I thought that was odd since i would want to do the same thing(newly refinished hardwood)

so anyway i want to say---I will put moving blankets under all edges to keep your hardwood floor from getting any moisture
but first i will test with water on a cloth then the cleaner on a cloth to make sure its not a bleeder after reading the tag and or testing the fibers then based on the results i will proceed accordingly.

if it doesnt bleed i plan on using punch (neutral) and possibly aggitating with my gls with softer brushes then rinse

i have cleaned several wool rugs but this one scares me i do have some dye blocker

so what do you think of my wording and process? no im not spending 300 bucks right now

ps whats your favorite fringe cleaner

 

[Ken Snow]

your wording is okay, but why clean it in their home vs taking it back to your shop? You will have more control and be able to deal with it over a couple days if you take it out of the home.

 

[Tony Dees]

I'm with Ken, and why risk damaging newly refinished flooring....hope you have good insurance. Any moisture is too much imo.

It places higher value on your service to take rugs out to clean them.

I use RX for fringe, got it at Magic Wand.

 

[-JB-]

one simple question.


Is it really worth it?

 

[Lora Olson]

Honestly, if you need to ask about a rug on a forum...don't do it. If you have any doubts about a rug, don't do it. You're the professional, do it right!!

I own rugs that are 30+ year old expensive family heirlooms...and I wouldn't let a cleaner near mine that wanted to clean it in my home. But I know better...

I don't think your homeowner does.

If you decide to go ahead...I hope you have a savings account with at least $5000 in it (and if something goes wrong...I'm sure the price for replacement is gonna go up fast!!).

 

[Bob Foster]

I think you are likely near enough to remove the rug and take it to a good rug plant. Many rug plants offer a 50% discount for the trade. If you sub it to them then you know the rug will get expert attention, you just picup and reinstall and don't have to do the work and still make decent money.

If you want to make even more margin on the job sell them some proper undermat which the rug plant will also likely sell you at a discount.

I bet someone here knows where a good rug plant is located near you.

 

[Joel D]

can I just get a straight answer on whats wrong with my chosen process other than maybe i should set a cloth with the cleaner on it over night before cleaning. She doesnt want the backing wet. I want to give the customer what she wants.

I will ask if its been cleaned before etc.

what can I do at home that I cant do there besides pit washing?

thank you Ken and Tony for answers

spare me the rug snob nonsense

 

[Ken Snow]

When you say backing what do you mean? Did you mean pad, or the backside of the rug- which is the bottom of the knots? If the rug actually has a backing such as on a tufted rug it is certainly not a $5000 rug.

Go ahead and clean carefully in the home, if that is what she wants and just be very careful with the surrounding floor.

Ken

 

[Joel D]

backing of the rug im going to look at it now

 

[harryhides]

can I just get a straight answer on whats wrong with my chosen process other than maybe i should set a cloth with the cleaner on it over night before cleaning. She doesnt want the backing wet.

I want to give the customer what she wants.

I will ask if its been cleaned before etc.
what can I do at home that I cant do there besides pit washing?
thank you Ken and Tony for answers
spare me the rug snob nonsense

After being in this biz for a few years, I learned that bowing to the customer's demands is dangerous and is usually a mistake.
For example, if you did what she wanted and it resulted in damage to either the rug or the wood floor and you whined to the judge that you were "just doing what the customer wanted" what do you think his next few words would be?

You are the "Professional" !
You should have known better !

In my experience, if you take this rug back to your place you will do a better job and save a lot of time going back to redo the fringes or wicking or whatever.

 

[-JB-]

spare me the rug snob nonsense

WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE BUDDY!









Randy hasn't even replied yet!

 

[rhyde]

Yeah, JB I would have replied sooner but I was chugging chardonnay at the opera it’s so nice mingle with you commoners …..


The problem with these types of discussions is the lack of tangible info to make informed opinions of soil levels, problems & issues? I for one, have never shown up to a job and the description doesn’t match reality that 12x18 is really an 8x10, handmade rug is actually machine made, the lightly soiled like new rug that just needs “freshened up” is soaked with urine on one end and full of color run cuz… ”my pets are trained they don’t pee in the house” or my personal favorite “it wasn’t our dog it was a friend/relative/ house sitter who was visiting with their dog”…yet I digress! I know you want to show up ready to do the job there’s no money running back and forth asking for advise make sure you don’t show up ready to provide a level of service that will result in poor or marginal results in a faverable customer experience.


As far as cleaning …Lower moisture with extra dry passes is the safest bet it doesn’t get a rug very clean ..Use air movers to speed dry, don’t use dye lock unless you really need it if and if you are doing the above you shouldn’t

After being in this biz for a few years, I learned that bowing to the customer's demands is dangerous and is usually a mistake.

I agree with Harry this is a very important skill keeping control and in charge of your service.



Now it’s off the yacht race & regalia ..TA,TA

 

[Joel D]

Thanks Randy

I think i worried for nothing -it has a backing on it similar to carpet and no fringe does not look old to me at all made in india
"no child labor was used to make this rug", zero wear. Can newer rugs be that valuable?

i think she got ripped off

no visble spots or dirt whatsoever just hair -I do it in 2 weeks and will just go slow and use common sense after more testing and low moisture cleaning

sorry if I wasted your time

 

[Ron Werner]

how big is this rug Joel?

 

[sweendogg]

Just because its a tufted does not make it any less expensive or ripped off. While they often do not have the lifespan of a woven rug, tufted rugs.. like that you are describing, can still take quite alot of work to produce them. They are often tufted out of wool with a cotton or jute foundation. They can have just as many cleaning problems as woven wools such as dye instability, texture distortion, and shading, but often can have their own challengeds as well such as backing delamination, latex off gassing, poor wool quality, excessive shedding.

Do not underestimate this type of rug just because it does not look very expensive.

Your best approach would be to vacuum very very well. Lay a piece of visquine or as you have stated, furniture blankets may work as well.

then as you have stated, check for bleeding. Then proceed as you wish. But understand that heat and high alkalinity are your enemies in this situation.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Ok 2 things jump out at me with your post. First she says she didnt like the other company. Second she is worried about the hardwoods. Ok 3rd, it doesnt sound like you have alot of experience cleaning rugs. All 3 of those combined is a recipe for problems.

It sounds like she is a high maintainence customer. And they are the worst. I think you are walking into a bad situation. I would not clean the rug in house. Tell her you need to take the rug and clean it. I tell you if you get one drop of water on those floors you are on her sh!t list. Even with the furniture blankets there is a chance.

IMO i would not clean that rug in her house on her hardwoods.

 

[Harry Myers]

You can buy a new rug for 50,000.00 . Some Indian rugs can also be very expensive . Also I believe this woman could already have had a bad experience once before. That is why I never clean rugs on site. Not at all. It can not and will not get cleaned that way. The rug might look pretty immerse it and see what comes out of it .

 

[Joel D]

its 8.5x9.5 with 2 matching 4' round rugs ill see if she will go for paying more and take it to "my shop"-garage.

you are right apout the inexperience but sometimes you just have to go for and i have plenty of insurance

i already made the same competitor look bad by out cleaning them cleaning several large rugs in the customers driveway on plastic
i think one was 12x12 and 12x20 pus a cotton backed rug and some others. She said the other company supposedly pit washed them but they came back with same urine smell and ugly fringes that they left with. I cleaned them there and removed the odor and got the fringes clean and bright using buff all. Not bragging this company obviously stinks just saying....shock ....rugs can be cleaned on sight

thanks all for the info im pushing ahead one way or another the more i do the better i will get

 

[ACE]

Cleaning on a hot driveway will dry a rug faster than in any garage. There is nothing wrong with on site wool rug cleaning as long as it's not a high risk item. I plan on doing allot more on site rug cleaning now that I have an airpath.

 

[-JB-]

Let's be honest here guys, unless you sell underlay, or offer other additional services to rug custys, taking rugs back to you "shop" is not nearly as profitable at the "rug guys" would have you think anyway,
by the time you...

- drive to the custys home
- quote the rug,
- precondition the custy,
- move the furn,
- roll up the rug,
- move the furn back,
- get it outta the house,
- get it to the shop,
- make space in the "shop" (move the cars, lawnmower and wheel barrow)
- sweep/vac mop the shop"
- get it in the shop,
- dust it,
- vac it front and back,
- determine the best way to clean it,
- clean it,
- clean the fringes,
- spot it,
- bonnet dry it,
- dry it,
- vac it,
- roll it,
- get it outta the shop,
- get it to the custys home,
- get it in the custys,
- move the furn,
- roll it out,
- move the furn back.
- drive back to the "shop"

There aint as much profit in that as others would have you believe...
at any price, $2-3-4 per sq., whatever.

 

[DavidVB]

I've also seen a lot of cleaners say you can't make any money cleaning commercial carpet for 8 - 10 cents a foot, yet others know how to make big money doing that.

It is all about what you know and what you know is a result of what you are willing to learn.

Much of this is just opinion. My opinion is that most rugs of any value, should at least be throroughly dusted before cleaning and fully dried while under the control of the cleaner. That takes a little investment and having the rug at your shop (garage).

For years I only cleaned rugs when I was asked to. Now we actively pursue them. Some of these "rug snobs" as you call them, are very helpful.

 

[-JB-]

Some of these "rug snobs" as you call them, are very helpful.

I would agree to that, also I would add that when you are viewed as one of them, you wont call then "rug snobs"

 

[Ron Werner]

the challenge with the comparison with the guys cleaning for 8-10cents/sf is that they don't do very good work, its good enough, but not near the quality thats required for an area rug.

What about if you:
- drive to the custys home
- quote the rug,
- precondition the custy,
- move the furn,
- roll up the rug,
- move the furn back,
- get it outta the house,

Take it to another guys shop who cleans them every day and has all the right equipment and knowledge, he inspects dusts, immerses/washes/etc
PIck it up from them. He charges you at a good discount.

- get it to the custys home,
- get it in the custys,
- move the furn,
- roll it out,
- move the furn back.
The custy pays the very same had they taken it to your friends shop, yet know I've made some money on it as well. Everyone is happy and I don't have the worries.

 

[DavidVB]

A. I am not "one of them." "They" don't even know who I am and yet I wouldn't choose to call them snobs. Can some rug cleaners be impatient with those who are learning? Yes, but that is nothing unusual.

B. My comparison about commercial cleaning for 8 - 10 cents had nothing to do with rug cleaning. It was meant to illustrate that some cleaners think they know everything and when someone is successful doing something they don't know anything about, they conclude it can't or shouldn't be done. Your assumption that anyone doing commercial cleaning at that price is not doing good work only proves my point.

 

[XTREME1]

I do rug cleaning. I don't do the wash pit anymore.

I lay out 8-10 rugs at a time. Depending on size I can lay out about 20
Pile lift
Vacuum
vacuum
vacuum
prespray rake it in
spot & fringe
extract/rinse
Groom and dry
Roll wrap on monday morning
I keep the place at about 80 degrees no humidity

On site I do a low psi clean and explain to the customer what my expectations are and that I would prefer to take it and the cost onsite is $45 for the first $25 each additional and if I am doing other rooms I start with the area rug and start the drying process

 

[rhyde]

Let's be honest here guys, unless you sell underlay, or offer other additional services to rug custys, taking rugs back to you "shop" is not nearly as profitable at the "rug guys" would have you think .

I’ve been saying that all along... it's not some magic money pit. As for additional or Up selling other services the magic word in the whole industry not just rugs is up selling we actually survive without up selling in all washing is still the most profitable part of the business.


The downside with on-location rug cleaning is the limitation of service frankly you cannot get a rug clean or at least what I consider clean in a customers home. I doubt anyone is going to carry a badger on their truck and dust the 9x12 in the family room of the house before extracting it or come back the next day when it’s dry to make sure it looks good Some problems cannot be adequately addressed during cleaning and some don’t present themselves until drying

 

[Ron Werner]

Your assumption that anyone doing commercial cleaning at that price is not doing good work only proves my point.

Its not an assumption, its from experience and hearsay, ie clients telling me about their experience. At 10cents /sf they aren't going to take much time. That wand is a flying!

 

[DavidVB]

Your assumption is that the cleaning is being done with a wand. There are many large commercial facilities who hire regular scheduled carpet maintenance. A large percentage of a big office building can be cleaned with low moisture systems many times before restorative cleaning is needed.

To get back to the thread, making a statement that in plant rug cleaning isn't profitable is just as misinformed as saying that commercial carpet cleaning can't be profitable at 8 - 10 cents. Calling those who know how to do it snobs or hacks doesn't do anything to make the comments more valid.