Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: kinder clean on August 21, 2008, 11:13:17 am

Title: Rug cleaning - Those of you that offer this service via local dry cleaners
Post by: kinder clean on August 21, 2008, 11:13:17 am
I was wondering how you guys work this, for instance:

Do you leave a price list for customers on display at the dry cleaners and would this be based on a size chart?

Do you instruct the owner of limitations, if so what are they (for instance if someone drops off a priceless persian!!)

Do you clean the more delicate fabrics such a silk?? or is it the 'next style' rugs only?

I understand there are Belgian Wilton rugs also, I know the basics of Identifying a belgian wilton carpet, pattern strength through the carpet, fibre float test and burn test to see if the fabric is polyprop, but can anyone explain or better still post a photo of the way to I.D by looking at the backing, I mean the way the backing is woven, never been able to do this so bonus points to anyone who can explain that one to me.

Is it just a case of saying in your litterature something like ' Not all rugs can be cleaned???

Any advice much appreciated

Paul - Kinder Clean
Title: Re: Rug cleaning - Those of you that offer this service via local dry cleaners
Post by: Jim_77 on August 21, 2008, 12:39:27 pm
From my experiences, I don't think you're going to pick up high-value rugs in any great quantity from this.  When I used to clean rugs brought into a dry cleaners shop they were normally small and cheap.

It's a bit of a catch 22 with the price list thing I suppose - people may expect to see prices because they're in a dry cleaners shop.  You could possibly advertise a price list based on your average Next/Ikea type rug and state in very bold letters that pricing is on a bespoke basis for orientals or shaggy ones that take loads more time.

Belgian Wiltons aren't normally a problem, you can normally achieve a very effective back-dust on them and leave the rest up to your LM system.  However if they're not too big and have a decent  length of pile, I've extracted quite a lot, using a hand tool with the pressure turned down a bit and loads of dry passes, then dry off with a bonnet and bang some fans on it quick!

What sized facility have you got to clean the rugs?  If you pick up, clean and drop off one at a time it may not work out very profitable.  Ideally you'd need to be processing several at a time to make it pay.  You could maybe do that by having a 7 day turn around, i.e. you call in to the shop once a week and pick up the ones that have been left and drop off the ones that have been cleaned.
Title: Re: Rug cleaning - Those of you that offer this service via local dry cleaners
Post by: kinder clean on August 21, 2008, 06:47:54 pm
Cheers Jim
Title: Re: Rug cleaning - Those of you that offer this service via local dry cleaners
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on August 21, 2008, 07:03:16 pm
I don't get hardly any from our shop, people on the whole don't go to the dry cleaners for the expensive stuff to be cleaned they contact a professional cleaner.

The cheaper rugs are sometimes cheaper than the clean itself so to add on pick up and delivery I think you could price yourself out of the market.

Shaun
Title: Re: Rug cleaning - Those of you that offer this service via local dry cleaners
Post by: clinton on August 21, 2008, 07:09:22 pm
Same as you said shaun you can get rugs from b n q, ikea etc for a cheaper than clean price.