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Does anyone charge extra on top of their regular price if the customer has pets? I’m not talking about pet accident spots, but just for pets in general. I definitely spend more time vacuuming when a customer has pets, especially around baseboards/furniture and stairs. At least 9 out of 10 times that I have to re-vacuum after I have cleaned the carpet, it is because of the excess pet hair that the vacuum and pads couldn’t get up and leave as little hair balls. Many times you can tell before you start cleaning that this may be an issue and can adjust accordingly if so desired, but many times you can’t. Didn’t know if anyone was increasing their price just for pets (i.e. extra $.01-.03 per square foot or $3 more per room). I don’t know how well this would go over with pet owners but just throwing it out there for discussion.
i’m having a hard time justifying ANY extra charges. none of my competitors charge anything extra. everything is all incuded. pet spots, red stain removal, moving furniture….EVERYTHING. Chemdry is the only one who charges extra for pet stain/odor removal. they charge a $75 flat fee to remove an unlimited amount of spots. anybody else out there noticing the same thing?
We charge all inclusive. We dont charge extra for anything except pet problems. Other wise everything is included, furniture moving, red dye, gum, fabric protector, etc.
On the hairball issue. We used to vacuum first and found 95% of the time we would have to re vacuum. So instead of wasting valuable time. We do the cleaning first the vacuum last so we dont have to vacuum twice. It works much better.
Dave, I also feel your pain. I dislike walking into unexpected situations where it involves much more work and many times you are apprehensive to mention additional cost because many customers may not understand all that is involved during and after the job. One job I remember walking into was a house with white frieze that hardly looked soiled and then I noticing a white husky dog. While vacuuming the first 100 sq ft the dust cup was loaded! 4 dust cup changes and pulling hair out of the upper bag I said never again. Well rest assured it has happened many times over because like you stated, you just can’t tell sometimes. I have just come to terms and upon noticing the unexpected I tell the customer the additional price/ sq ft. I have decided long ago that I will not work for free but will give added value.
Ed H.
We charge for excessive extraction work and use of pet enzeyme for sure. If we have an advertised special. When we go to hoouses with excessive soiling, spots, and pet problems, the special is not offered.
As far as not prevacuuming, I think you bypass the very foundation of our low moisture system. Our vac’s are designed to remove debris and fine dust particulate in the base of the carpet for a deep-down clean that the soak and suck guys don’t get. If the carpet is wet or damp after you have cleaned, I would be concerned that the final product is not as good as it could be. I find, like you, that I often have to post vac the areas too. I don’t mean this to be critical, just my 2 cents. I’m sure the carpets look great when you are done.
I agree with Bryan Ferris. I would never skip the pre-vacuum. It is a very important step in our pre-cleaning process. As far as the extra charge, we remove the discount that was offered “depending on conditions”. When I quote over the phone, I quote our top price and tell them I will base my discount according to the conditions. Most people understand. The ones that don’t are the pigs!
Ho Ho Hold the phone here. You MUST pre-vacuum. MUST MUST MUST.
If you are only post vacuuming you are leaving a LOT of dirt and crud in the carpets.
If you encounter homes with hairballs for pets, try this. While you are PRE VACUUMING drag your foot along the perimeter of the room and you will roll up a ton of loose hair. If things are real severe you may need to vacuum, rake the room and then vacuum again. On stairs, take a damp towel and do a quick rub down of the steps and risers. Furry upholstery too. A quick rub with a damp towel works great, makes the cleaning job much better and faster. If you feel you need to, then charge accordingly.
I find if I do, on occasion, need to post vacuum, the little Portapac vac with a floor tool works very well
I purchased a rubber rake from a pet store that picks up allot of dog hair after I pre vacuum. it really does work! (too bad the rake is only 10 inches wide)
Cody if you could find an industrial rubber rake to offer us I know I would purchase one!
The rubber creates static electricity when rub on the carpet causing the dog hair to stick to the rake!
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