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I’ve seen a few posts in the past about area rugs.
Prices for cleaning area rugs can can go quite high and you can make some good money doing it. However, you need to know what you are doing. This subject is not part of our training and as such, many operators may not provide this service.
Consider finding someone who does. In some cities, there are businesses that specialize in selling and/or cleaning area rugs. I approached one such place with a good reputation to discuss an arrangement (I have some experience and have been cleaning some area rugs, but I felt a bit unsure on some others and hated to turn down my customers). To make a long story short, we agreed on a 60/40 split if I bring them the rugs — they keep 60% and I keep 40%. Actually, they simply charge me 60% of their normal price.
Concerning our customers, there are two approaches.
1. One is to admit to them that you are taking their rugs to another place that will actually do the work. In that case, you can probably give them a price range and let them know the final price after your back-end rug cleaner sees a rug and gives you his price.
2. My preference is that my customers don’t know someone else is cleaning. I am their one-stop shop. With this approach, your back-end cleaner needs to have a fairly simple pricing structure and you need to know it well. Mine does, which enables me to quote a price to my customer with confidence of what my cost will be, leaving me some profit.
Of course you will be free to charge an even higher rate than your back-end cleaner’s full price, which will leave you with more profit.
It would probably be a good idea to seek out a class and try your hand at actually doing the work eventually. But you do need a bit of space. Until then, this idea can do two things for you:
– Give you additional revenue/profit source when you are new and don’t have the experience to clean area rugs yourself.
– Allow you to satisfy your customers’ needs without them looking to another carpet cleaner. I feel this is important. Being in their homes, you will be asked about cleaning area rugs. I prefer my customers not search out another service provider. My arrangement is with a non-competing business (as far as wall-to-wall carpeting goes). However, your customers may come across a larger carpet cleaner who cleans area rugs as well as wall-to-wall carpeting if you are unable to provide the service.
As you gain experience, you will learn that there are many types of area rugs and you may start to clean some of them yourself. I clean quite a few myself because I have a large area and some reasonable working knowledge of them. However, I like having the back-end cleaner who can handle anything I bring him.
As an example, I will pick up three area rugs on Monday that my customer will pay me $1000 to clean and deodorize. Even if I offload this to my back-end cleaner, I will still make $500 (I am charging a bit more than my back-end cleaner’s full price, so I’ll end up with half) for pickup and delivery.
Cautionary note: I posted this mostly for newer operators as a way to provide area rug cleaning to customers prior to actually having the necessary knowledge and experience to clean them yourself. If you are new and haven’t worked on any area rugs yet, you need to be very careful. Many are quite expensive (I mean worth thousands of dollars) and can be damaged or ruined. For example, many area rugs have colors that can bleed very easily. So be sure of your back-end cleaner’s reputation and quality of service. You should probably discuss his guarantees and so forth. And just in case I’ve aroused your interest in cleaning area rugs on your own, be careful.
Good luck!
Mike
OUTSTANDING!!
I do well with area rugs. Go to oldcarpet.com and put in “how much to clean rug” on the search engine they provide. Enter in the data, and tells you how much they charge. It gives you an idea on what you can charge as well. I always pick ’em up and return in nice plastic wrap with a bow wrapped like a new package. House wives like the bows.
Mike
For those of you that clean area rugs; what are you using to do so? I’ve recently purchased a Troy Built (Lowe’s brand) 3000 psi 2.7 gallon power washer. I’ve heard that some guys use a power washer to clean rugs. If you do this type of cleaning can you call or pm me?
Ron,
I don’t use a power sprayer, however, I have resorted to taking a few rugs down to my local spray-n-wash. I’ve had a few rugs that were in customers’ kitchens and had tons of ground in dirt, food, grime, grease, etc. I had worked on them quite a bit and just wasn’t satisfied, so I decided to try the power wand sprayer at the spray-n-wash. Results were actually very good.Caution for anyone new reading this – this is not the answer for any and all area rugs.
Ron – if you are interested in further discussion based on my limited experience, I’ll be happy to call you.
Mike
Ron, this is how I would like do it if I had the volume and facility for rugs. Use 8-12 gpm at around 300-400 psi if the rug would tollerate it. Of course this is for serious rug washers.
Ed Hernandez
Sorry, try again with this URL…
I do this a lot different than you guys. We do bring them in to clean them. We just use the upholstery mate and whatever products needed to remove the stains. We charge accordinly. If the customer caught you at the “spray and wash” don’t you think they might get a little pissed.
Mike
WOW!!! that is awesome. That is way to clean a rug. You better ensure that you have dryers that are capable of drying it pretty quick though.
@Mike Nowlin wrote:
I do this a lot different than you guys. We do bring them in to clean them. We just use the upholstery mate and whatever products needed to remove the stains. We charge accordinly. If the customer caught you at the “spray and wash” don’t you think they might get a little pissed.
Mike
Mike,
Please do me a favor and provide the following:1. Define those of us in this thread whom you refer to as “you guys” in your post.
2. Please provide quotes from our posts that led you to believe you know our normal way of cleaning area rugs. I ask this because you stated you “do this a lot different than you guys.” Different from what? Your post seems to imply that you know how we normally clean area rugs. I want to be sure I understand from what method you are different.
@Mike Bishop wrote:
Ron,
I don’t use a power sprayer, however, I have resorted to taking a few rugs down to my local spray-n-wash. I’ve had a few rugs that were in customers’ kitchens and had tons of ground in dirt, food, grime, grease, etc. I had worked on them quite a bit and just wasn’t satisfied, so I decided to try the power wand sprayer at the spray-n-wash. Results were actually very good.Caution for anyone new reading this – this is not the answer for any and all area rugs.
I reviewed my earlier post quoted here, and I thought I made it clear by saying:
“I don’t use a power sprayer” and
“I have resorted to taking a few rugs down to my local spray-n-wash” and
“Caution for anyone new reading this – this is not the answer for any and all area rugs.”
that this wasn’t how I routinely clean area rugs, nor do I recommend it.
I apologize if my post confused you in any way.
Also, I have a follow up request. If you don’t mind, please share some detail about some of the stains and what products have worked well for you to remove the stains from the area rugs you cleaned.
Were some of those area rugs you cleaned handmade with wool?
I seem to recall an earlier post from you in another thread about you not being too worried about some pet stains in an area rug. How did that turn out? Also, was that rug made of wool? What products did you use on it?
I would like to be able to clean more of my customers’ area rugs, so I appreciate any help you can provide!
Thanks,
Mike
@Mike Nowlin wrote:
I do this a lot different than you guys. We do bring them in to clean them. We just use the upholstery mate and whatever products needed to remove the stains. We charge accordinly. If the customer caught you at the “spray and wash” don’t you think they might get a little pissed.
Mike
If the customer caught you making room in your garage to clean their rug they may respond the same way. You gotta do what you gotta do to deliver the best results, which is what they are paying you for. I personally find cleaning area rugs with the U-Mate to be very ineffective and labor intensive, so I don’t do it. Until I have have a wash pit or immersion tank I will no longer be doing off site cleaning of rugs because I want to be able to deliver the best cleaning possible. If someone wants me to bonnet a rug in their home I will be happy to do so, and I will charge accordingly for a maintenance cleaning. I like Mike’s idea of building a relationship with a company that specializes in cleaning area rugs. It’s a great way to deliver the best results without telling the customer the dreaded, “I can’t do that.” Until proper equipment can be purchased it’s probably the best option.
Don’t take it so personal. I never said I was the guru of area rugs or anything. I bring the rugs in because I have a spare bedroom to clean them in. If using the apholstery mate, you’re already cleaning with our low mositure system and the carpet will dry fast and not shrink. Another way to dry it quicker is to use the rapid air fan. “You guys” meant any one in general. If you guys have a method that works, stick with it by all means; just bear in mind the risk of damage. You can out source your area rug cleaning but you are losing a big pay check to someone else. Here’s how I clean area rugs. I know using the upholstery mate can be labor intisive but the results and the payment are well worth it. I’m sure that brain storming can result in some effective alternatives but I go back to our procedures manual. It has served me well.
1. Depending on type of rug, we make a decision to bring it in or not. Example: If the rug is a “wal-mart” usually made of all synthetic fibers, then we will clean with usual power spray and bonnet method. These rugs will typically clean up very easily and there is no reason to bring them in or then your just ripping people off. I also tell the customer that some of these rugs can be front load machined washed (with no rubber backing), which is usually on the tag. If no tag, then we test a spot and clean if all is well.
Example 2: If it is an oriental rug, usually made of wool or olefin then we will most likely bring it in. If no tag, then we test a spot on this one also and take a big wiff; it will smell like a wet dog.
3. Now that I have determined that the rug is and oriental rug made of wool or olefin then we give the customer a price range which goes like this:
Small oriental rugs: Minimum of $65 up to $95 depending on how heavily soiled and stained.
Medium Size oriental rugs: Minimum of $95 up to $125
Large Oriental rugs: Minimum of $125 up to $155
X-Large Rugs: Minimum of $155 up to $185
These prices are actually cheap compared to most in my area.
4. They know the price and have accepted it and now we give a time frame. We will offer next day delivery ( if possible) or set up delivery time at their convience.
5. We lay the carpet out, vacuum the bottom and the top. Then if there are pet stains we will work on that first or any other heavy stain. After stains have been extracted then we clean and extract the rest. The average time it takes is between one to two hours. Then we will dry with your everyday household cieling fan and air con or we use the rapid air fan. The rugs will dry in an hour or less.
6. We take the rug back to customer, present finished product and bill, offer a coupon for the next cleaning.
Hope this helps. Hope all is well. Let me know how things are going.
God Bless,
Mike Nowlin
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