[Liahona]

Alan, my eyes arent that good at small print but I think your web site says your prices are £25 per square meter to clean wool rugs and £65 per square meter to clean silk. I thought I charged high but if these are what you charge then well done. Best, Dave.

[idealrob]

If I were to put that rug in our dry cleaning machine it would

a. soak up a lot of dry cleaning solution (which is far more expensive than water)

b. the filters on this very expensive machine would want replacing not cleaning out

c. the potential damage done would mean I would have to charge the customer a fortune.

These rugs are not made to be dry cleaned.

Shaun
 
oh Shaun you have a lot to learn, we have been cleaning rugs like this for over  40 years all with no problems ever.  we maybe loose about a litre, cost £1.50 and charge sometimes into hundreds so plenty of profit, but the rugs are worth £7000 each.

The filter would not want replacing as all chemical would go to the still, even if i did use the filters, i would just do a filter clean program cost about £2

Potential damage, never had any, insured anyway, pay first £200

Who says these rugs are not ment to be drycleaned, i have never had a problem or seen a do not dryclean sign.

I say this a former " DRYCLEANER OF THE YEAR" the only ever winner, north of Rugby.

How you getting on with the new SED regs

robert t

[Liahona]

Rob, who says these rugs shouldnt be dry cleaned? Answer,  almost every dealer anywhere in the world, take your pick. Anyone with any knowledge of area rugs and where they are made and how the makers indeed clean them.  And anyone who cleans them properly, which isnt in a dry cleaning machine. Do you think there are dry cleaning machines in the countries these rugs are made? More to the point if there are they certainly arent used for cleaning rugs. As for Shaun having a lot to learn, hmm be careful what you say about people you know nothing about. For the record, at least with my insurance company, if I was to dry clean an oriental rug or indeed any rug and it goes wrong.......I as the cleaner would be buying the rug so to speak. The reason for this is ignorance and negligence is not covered by insurance. Their reasoning is: as a cleaner I should know better than to put an area rug in a dry cleaning machine. I am not saying you dont get good results in doing it the way you have been. I am just saying it is the incorrect way to clean a woven textile. Sorry but thats just how it is. Best, Dave.

[idealrob]

My oponion on the  rug is one name "chinese superwash", but i wouldnt wash them... as  for drycleaning machines in the country they are made, there are machines in china etc, also ski wear is made in countries who never get snow, what difference does that make. All i kno99  times out of 100 i would dryclean an oriental rug, and still thinks the tassle clean best this way. Shaun made a comment about machines and filters, which in my opomion as a second generation dry cleaner and carpet cleaner was totally amateur .  I have never seen a sign in the international care labeling for shampoo, HWE etc but i have for dryclean and do not dryclean.

I am not looking for an argument, just a pleasant discussion based on many years experience in both, a fact many other carpet cleaners dont. Drycleaning has many, many advantages and is an excellent
disease killing properties, but has poor waterbased stain removal unless pretreated.
robert t

[Scott Young]

Rob, who says these rugs shouldnt be dry cleaned? Answer,  almost every dealer anywhere in the world, take your pick. Anyone with any knowledge of area rugs and where they are made and how the makers indeed clean them.  And anyone who cleans them properly, which isnt in a dry cleaning machine. Do you think there are dry cleaning machines in the countries these rugs are made? More to the point if there are they certainly arent used for cleaning rugs. As for Shaun having a lot to learn, hmm be careful what you say about people you know nothing about. For the record, at least with my insurance company, if I was to dry clean an oriental rug or indeed any rug and it goes wrong.......I as the cleaner would be buying the rug so to speak. The reason for this is ignorance and negligence is not covered by insurance. Their reasoning is: as a cleaner I should know better than to put an area rug in a dry cleaning machine. I am not saying you dont get good results in doing it the way you have been. I am just saying it is the incorrect way to clean a woven textile. Sorry but thats just how it is. Best, Dave.

Why is this guy always so sure of himself? Because he doesn't agree with the way someone else does it in his opinion its the wrong way and his ways best. Not very pleasent is he!! I thought this forum was all about constructive debate.

[Liahona]

Rob, I wasnt looking for an argument either and I understand your opinions on the knowledge of a lot of people, or lack there of of cleaning oriental rugs. I also said that I am sure you get good results in the way that you clean. My comment was simply it isnt the best or proper way of doing so. My comment about dry cleaning machines in the countries mentioned earlier was that they arent used to clean rugs.............. Scott, I am sure of myself which is why I am able to do what I do within this business. So thinking my way is the best is or should be the same view everyone should have of themselves. I havent attempted to be unpleasant and by the way Rob has posted he hasnt felt that I have. With regards cleaning oriental rugs I have just worked it out approx how many I have cleaned (granted i have help of course) in the last 13 years. The answer is or very close to....... 365,000. Having cleaned so many and not one I might add was  dry cleaned, I feel I have some knowledge of the best way or not too to clean a woven textile. Just as a passing thought, would you clean your own hair with a dry cleaning chemical? No. I am hoping you would use some sort of soap designed for said purpose and then rinse it out with water. Best, Dave. P.S. Most or about 25% of my rugs to clean come from dry cleaners because they know better than to put them in a dry cleaning machine...... And lastly and again, an insurance company will not cover an oriental rug that had been cleaned in a dry cleaning machine if heaven forbid something did go wrong.

[carpetguy]

365,000, now that's an astonishing figure, particularly when you only work one day per week !

Got my caculater out and working from the opposite direction - higher volume, at considerably less value  -  over nearly twenty years, I reckon I've proobably cleaned around 80,000 carpets and probably about 10%, or less, of that number, of carpets and thats working five days per week, averaging three jobs per day.

That's also with help

cheers

robbie

[jasonl]

When I had a chem dry franchise, Ideal rob cleaned loads of rugs like the one above, smoke damaged, water damaged, ones chem dry chemicals could not touch, never had a problem , they all cleaned up well, I believe the vast majority went through the dry cleaning machine, old family business been around since before many of us were born!

[Liahona]

Robbie, I dont work much now but this was when I was working and the business still cleans abut 90 a day, which is how I got my figure. When I started out I worked just as long as every one else does. Now I just work very much smarter.......... Again, with regards the dry cleaning of rugs, I havent posted that this method doesnt work. Best, Dave.

[idealrob]

Thanks for the nice comments Jason, nice to hear from you again. I am not going to get involved in any right or wrong way to clean oriental rugs and dont want to be viewed as a not very pleasant as ScottYoung says. I gave an oponion, maybe cynical, but i dont sit on the fence, And lastly and again, an insurance company will not cover an oriental rug that had been cleaned in a dry cleaning machine if heaven forbid something did go wrongand i do appreciate this forum and dont want to be banned from it.

The one point i will make is after the comments
"And lastly and again, an insurance company will not cover an oriental rug that had been cleaned in a dry cleaning machine if heaven forbid something did go wrong"
Ours does. FACT With Morgan Richardson

robert

[Adam Young]

Hi All,

Thanks for the rug debate, quite interesting reading.

 Does anyone have any "generic" before/after pics?

 I have had a few emails from other newbies asking for these also, so I'm sure demand for pics is there. I will have oppertunities to do pics this week so will post them as soon as I have them.

Regards,

Adam.

[Neil Mc Anulty]

Heres a picture after a leak at sainsburys. i took the picture half way through the job

[Neil Mc Anulty]

By the way I used HWE and then a rotary system due to the lvel of soiling

[Adam Young]

Thanks, Neil.

Regards,

Adam.