Area Rugs

[Phil R]

I do these now and again. I always carry em home to do. Vacuum...vacuum...vacuuum. Pre-spray ( Iuse a couple different encap products)...then I scrub w/OP tuways.

Then...I rinse rinse rinse with a rotovac and porty.

Pad dry....air mover. Post Vac.

Thye usually come out really good. But this is self taught..and I want to NOT do damage to Mr Finklstiens husbands brothers 50 year rare tigger blood sheep weed african blend bedroom throw rug. You know the one.

Is there something I should be doing differently? (should I be sober when I do this rug  )

• 

[micky navarro]

actually, yer better off smokin a bone when doing these    

back in the day i did tons of orientals and did them pretty much how you described you do them. except, there  were no encap products around when i did em. i used chemspecs oriental rug shampoo with cold water, then a product from cleancraft called o so clean.

the thing to remember is to always do a pre-test regardless of what others may say or think.
the more these type rugs are vacuumed, the better they look, and being you like that encap stuff, you should definately vacuum like a mad man when dry, and return to the custy crystal free.

[Mike M]

Sober........Yes.

If it is a wool carpet make sure you test it for bleeding. Natural fiber rugs do require more care so those are the ones to be careful with.

If it is a synthetic rug you should be fine with what you're doing.

This is a very brief response to a big question.........or you could try what Micky said?  

[John Bolton]

Phil,

The first stage of cleaning any rug should be back-dusting - especially if you intend to clean by a shampoo method. Do you omit this vital step?

PS.

Micky, encapsulating shampoos have been around for decades - I used some over 40 years ago. The modern varieties are much improved though.

[Phil R]

Man..this board rocks.

Okay, first, I do not know how to test a fiber. It'd  be cool if one a ya ''splained me how. Or, linked me to where somebody else might.

Second, John, no...I have no clue what "back dusting is".
By the wording, I can kinda figure out the results....but not the method. (hint hint)

I recall aonther web-site wantin to sell me a rug badger. Betcha that does this "back dusting" thing...but I aint got 3 grand sitting around for one.

Come to think of it, this board makes me stupid
Where did you guys get so stinking smart?

[Mike Charles]

Couple of tips...

Turn the rug over, use your regular vacuum if that's all you have, a pile lifter is better, a Rug Duster is best, and vacuum the back, in all directions....this shakes the dust loose from the bottom of the rug and from all the little crags in the fibers...much like when Grandma beat the rug hung over the washline...

On Oriental Rugs....ALWAYS use neutral PH cleaners...Whamm is great, Steve Smith at Vacaway makes an Oriental specific encap cleaner called LPH. He also makes a Red Vanish product for wool...

Dry the rug, and when it's dry, use your stepson and some Wham to go back over it to dress it before you carry it back...

You can comb the fringe once you bring it back with a simple large hair comb from WalMart....it makes it look really good.

We clean them in place at the home with the stepson and Whamm for one price (topical clean), and off site for deep clean for much more.

[micky navarro]

john,
i'm very much aware that encap shampoo's have been around for eons. i know, i've used them, however, they were of such poor quality, and promoted such rapid resoiling, via the residue they left behind, i chose not to mention it here in my initial response. they paled in comparison to todays products cause the old encap products didnt encap squat!

i did also omit my initial cleaning step with orientals, and thats back dusting using compressed air. i did that under my carport at the time over an A frame stand i built just for the rugs.

there was a time in this business when doing orientals was an extremely profitable endeavor, the same way upholstery cleaning was. but due to the many so called experts in the field, i no longer persue them. these questionable at best so called experts, dont know thier ass from a hole in the ground, and lil by lil, they drove the prices down so much, i found it no longer worth my time.
but thats just me i guess.
some folks like to work for peanuts, so god bless em  

[John Bolton]

Phil,

Well, back dusting has been explained. I would add a couple of points though.

Before starting, place the rug on a plastic or canvas tarpaulin to catch the detritus that comes out.* After going over the entire rug slowly, lift it and vacuum the tarpaulin, replace and repeat. Do this again and again untill no significant amount of soil comes out. This is often the longest stage of the cleaning process and also the stage at which most of the soil is removed. After back-dusting, dry vacuum the pile thoroughly.

Regarding fibre identification, there is a short article I wrote on identification of the main upholstery fibres that may be of some help Click Here!


* There are grills of various type on which you can place the rugs. These permit the soil to fall away from the pile. If you intend to clean a significant number of rugs off site, consider investing in one such.

PS.

The article I mentioned does not include wool:

When offered to the flame, wool shrinks away, burns with a yellow, guttering flame and self-extinguishes when removed from flame. There is a smell of burning hair and the residue is a black, crumbly ash that crushes easily.

[Phil R]

Thanks!

[T.Peterson]

Has anyone tried or seen a demo of the rug badger?  http://www.rugbadger.com/
I was wondering what your thoughts were, it looks interesting enough

[Mo]

Cleaning the fringes are a pain. I combed in mechanics hand cleaner , water and hydrogen peroxide and still no improvement.

[Mike M]

John - Thanks for sharing that article with us.

I've seen a video of the Rugbadger and it looks like it works great. I agree with Phil though. They are pricey and unless you do a quantity of rugs it would be hard to justify the price.

Forgot to mention.........Dusty has a forum called the Rug Hub. There is a link in our Links section. All they talk about is rugs over there.

[ChemBright]

I had trouble getting into the RugHub for some reason. I didn't have trouble recieving a TON of emails each week from the "Administrator".....    

Area rug cleaning is a pain. I choose not to specialize in it because I think that is what someone should do to properly clean one. Now I do run over the cheap walfart and homedecrap ones. I stay away from anything with vegatable dye....meaning most imported ones.

PS.
Phil, Thanks for the compliment on the website.

[Phil R]

I may have OCD...or ADD or ADHD..or...ADHDCOD.....but I tend to focus on all of the OTHER things I COULD be doing. (often, instead of marketing what I do NOW  ) can anyone relate?

But I see the side-line cleaning services such as throw rugs, blinds, mattresses etc...as "bolt-on" services that can add tremendous value/profit margins.

I like to build relationships w/my custy's so they end up trusting ME the professional to service certain cleaning needs.

I do not approve of the shot-gun approach wherein one asks: "can we clean your carpets or blinds or mattress or yadda yadda yadda." But I do like being able to notice that certain items are dirty..the upsell one or two of them. makes for a larger pay-check as well as closing the deal solid.

so, if I am gonna do it, I'd just as soon do it right. otherwise, I feel I loose that 'expert' image I find vital for my goals.

Phil

ps You are most welcome.

[Mike M]

Chem - Now that you mention it, I've gotten quite a few emails from the RugHub admin as well. He hasn't been over here to post in a long time. Maybe he's a member of the "good boys" network?    Doesn't hurt to check it out though if you're looking for rug info.

I honestly don't think rugs are that hard to clean. Did many of them right on site if the customer asked me to when we cleaned residential. You do need to know fiber types and take the proper precautions.

We actually had a small shop for a while where we cleaned area rugs and customers could pickup/drop off. Worked great. The landlord was the issue there. Now there's a Walgreens on the site. I never bothered to get another site because of other directions we were taking the business. Mainly I decided to get out of residential and go all commercial.

[azsteamer]

Phil, do the "burn test" on the fiber in the rug.  If it melts into a ball, it's synthetic and you can go to town on it.  If it smells like burning hair and turns into ash, it's natural and you'd better be careful.  I believe we had a rug section in this forum (Mike??) so post your questions there and they will be answered.  I do quite a bit of rugs (two in the garage now) so I can help.

As for adding services: great idea.  Add as many as you can and you will find yourself irreplaceable to your clients.  The only problem is that the more services you provide the slower you are in production, and the more crap in the truck.  It's kind of like the difference between In and Out Burger (here in Az and Cal.) and Sonic.  In and Out only serves burgers, fries and shakes, that's it.  Sonic serves everything you can imagine, along with thousands of drink combinations.  The average wait time at Sonic is ten minutes, the average at In and Out is two minutes.  I guess instead of that long story I could have just said "don't diversify yourself into oblivion".  

Pick what can easily make you more money with what you've already got in the truck.  Then, add the bigger toys that make the bigger dollars, such as a tile cleaning porty.  Pick a few things that you are good at and go for it.  Area rug cleaning may be one of those things that you may be a natural at, or you may want to partner up with another cleaner to service them for you.  I actually do this once in awhile.  I pick up the rug, take it to a friend who has a rug cleaning plant, and he cleans it.  I don't make much on the exchange, but I keep my client happy.

az

[Phil R]

az....a-w-e-s-o-m-e Post bro! I got goose bumps....actually, they are Phil Bumps as I have no goose. But, if i did HE would have goose bumps (because he is a goose).

I see another problem with multi-services business: You tend to have few clients...and when an economic crunch hits...it hurts more.

But the irreplaceable this is soooo true.

[Mike M]

Forgot.......AZ - We used to have an area rug section and no one used it so I combined with carpet and upholstery.

If we find a need I can certainly create a forum for it again.

[azsteamer]

And there it is....  thanks Mike.

PHil, there is also the fact that more and more people want "one stop shopping" for all of their needs.  Instead of calling three service people they call one who can do all three services.  Saves time, money and headaches for the client.  Makes a bigger check for you with less drive time.  More money from each client, that is what we should all be working towards.

az

[Phil R]

az, strong point indeed.

I am amazed how much money is left on the table by many cc who simply do not want or do not know how...to up-sell other services.

I am almost certain that once my client(s) see my work ethics and commitment to quality...it becomes easier to build trust. Once trust is established, I can sell them other services.

Many might argue the valid point too: "I clean X and it is all i want to to do so i focus on that and stay busy."

[clearlypro]

I had some free time and this thread grabbed my eyes. I decided to re-read. although the subject was first about area rugs, the digression into 'multiple services' was refreshing to read again.

This is where my company has found focus and success as of late. We have begun to target franchise owners of multiple locations, pounce on the operations manager or district manager and offer our services (ones they currently use from our competitors) and 'bundle' these services to eliminate them having multiple invoices, checks, phone numbers etc. It has tremendous value in this arena.

[noweare]

Phil,

What other services do you offer? I know you do windows and if I remember was going to get
out of carpet cleaning.

I just dropped VCT and will never do it again.

Joe

[clearlypro]

I still do carpets only some-what against my will. the reason being greasy carpets are way too much for VLM systems and I need no more equipment to clutter up my truck. and, most of my clients who have carpets also have grease.

We offer power washing, gum removal, soon blind cleaning, awning cleaning and window washing as a bundled service.
 sigh...

[Bill Martins]

We offer power washing, gum removal, soon blind cleaning, awning cleaning and window washing as a bundled service.
 sigh...

That's the direction im heading, except still w/ the carpet cleaning side as well as flood damage.  Even though it's all carpet/upholstery/flood cleaning right now.

[Bill Martins]

This is where my company has found focus and success as of late. We have begun to target franchise owners of multiple locations, pounce on the operations manager or district manager and offer our services (ones they currently use from our competitors) and 'bundle' these services to eliminate them having multiple invoices, checks, phone numbers etc. It has tremendous value in this arena.

I like your way of thinking sir, now when you "bundle" them up, are u offering a discount or just telling them we are your "one stop shop"? I know some guys that offer air duct, dryer vent, n carpet cleaning, usually do a package pricing sometimes by throwing in Free dryer vents, etc.

Im not much about the whole discounts ordeal, trying to get some ideas, because this is deff in our marketing/business plan for the future.