Pricing area rugs

[noweare]

How do you charge for area rugs?

Different than carpets?

Any difference if its an oriental or brightly colored?

I dont think I am charging enough for area rugs. Cant
tell you what I charge because I just look at it and
pull a # out of the air or some other place.

My first cut is charge 0.40 for synthetic and 0.60 for oriental.

My new years res. is to develop repeatable pricing.

Thanks
Joe

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[azsteamer]

Joe here is the trick: if your client says it's wool, you immediately make a big deal about the fact that it is wool and tell her that it needs special attention and special chemicals.  Build VALUE in your service.  If YOU think that it's only worth .60 a foot to clean then your client will believe the same thing.  Do this for me, and when you get done explaining to your client that the wool is in good hands with you, measure the rug and charge 3 to 5 dollars a foot (5 if it has a fringe).  Look her straight in the eyes when you tell her the price and make it sound like you have been charging that for a hundred years, like it's no big deal.  If you do it right I PROMISE you you'll get your price.  As for synthetic, you're in the right range.

Now in order to have the confidence to do this, you must know how to clean wool rugs properly and have a good understanding of fiber construction and ph/buffers.  Take a class.  You can also post your questions here.  Below is a post I wrote on wool on another forum, please visit that forum as well.....

http://independent-cleaners-bb.com/forum45/1076.html

Wool.  Since we have been hitting on wool already, let's get it out of the way.  Keep in mind that once I finish describing the types of fibers I will do a summary post wrapping it all up.

Wool is considered one of the best fibers used in carpet.  It is a protein fiber, made up of organic elements.  One of these is sulfur, which is the reason it smells like a wet dog when wet.  It's resiliency (ability to hold it's shape) is second to none, meaning it will outlast any other fiber.  It has excellent soil hiding capabilities due to the fact that it is opaque  (not see-through), so you don't see the soil as easily.  Light does not reflect off of it due to the naturally dull surface.  Wool is very strong and elastic, another plus in high traffic areas.  Wool cleans well and releases soil easily.  It is also a great insulator.

Now the bad part.  Wool is very absorbent, making it very easy to stain.  Once a stain is in the chances of getting it out are slim.  This brings up another point, wool is very prone to distortion, especially from hot steam or scrubbing.  You must groom it immediately after cleaning to avoid permanent cleaning marks.  Because wool is a staple yarn (made from many small strands instead of one continuous) you tend to get a lot of shedding of fibers.  Take note that most synthetics are "continuous filament" yarns.  Wool  is easily damaged or even dissolved in chlorine bleach!  It is also sensitive to high or low ph chemicals.  Improper cleaning will make wool brittle or discolored, or both.  

My experience with wool in Arizona has been limited to mostly area rugs.  I have cleaned many carpets made of wool, but they are few and far between.  I do not recommend wool in our climate due to the fact that it is an insulator, and the sun can dry it out and fade the color.  I would never recommend wool in a home that is prone to spills or pet stains, it is not at all stain resistant.  Pets seem to love to pee on wool.  Wool is beautiful and costly, it belongs in homes that the owner is willing to be very strict about it's use.

Silk is very similar to wool in many ways except for the fact that silk is a continuous filament.  I would not clean silk unless you have some experience or training.

In terms of cleaning wool, here are some guidelines:

1.  Pre-vac to remove loose soil before cleaning.

2.  Use lower tempuratures, below 175 degrees.

3.  Use chemicals with a ph lower than 9 and greater than 4.5, I suggest pre-      spraying with around an 8.5 and rinsing with around a 5.          

4.  Groom wool as soon as you are done cleaning to remove any tooling marks.

5.  Make dry passes and use air movers or fans to speed dry times.

For you housekeepers out there: do not use store-bought spot removers on wool!  Go to your nearest carpet supply house and tell them you need a neutral spotter that is safe on wool.  Keep it on hand for that "oops" leaking bag of trash that left a spot on the wool rug.  Some wool and silk rugs can run into the thousands, don't risk it!  I have cleaned some that were worth over $15,000.

az

[ChemBright]

Nice write up Kerry.

The only thing I would add is ALWAYS check for colorfastness on rugs. Take your spotter or a damp terry towel and blot an area on the rug (preferably an area that is red in color) and see if there is any transfer. If so, walk away.

[noweare]

Thanks guys, I've done a lot of upholstery in the last 8 months.
But.. I need to get paid for it just for liability alone.
I am raising my prices across the board on carpets too.
I need to start making a profit!

Thanks
Joe

[Mike M]

Profit = A good thing.  

[ChemBright]

Profit? What the heck is that! I work for Uncle Sam...  

Joe, good luck with the rate increase. I am sure you will do well.

[azsteamer]

Jon, funny you should catch the fact that I forgot to write about testing the colors in that post.  If you click on the link and read the whole thread you will find that in the next post I corrected this oversight.  Nice catch!  I wondered if anyone would.

Hey Joe, start keeping track of how long it takes to do each service, decide how much you need to make per hour doing that service, and that is how you can come up with your pricing.  I always think in my head how much I made per hour on each job after finishing.  It gives me an idea on the status of my pricing.  

az