Onsite HWE, or Rug Plant?

[zombie]

Is there a simple rule of thumb to know which rugs are safe to clean onsite using the same process as you would cleaning carpets, and which rugs require specialist cleaning in a rug plant and should not be cleaned onsite?

(My method would be simply based on how much the customer values the rug, ie do they care if I ruin it... but that's not very technical)

Thanks very much!
Grant

[TCS]

my new rule of thumb is to not clean any rugs on-site. Id rather lose a couple sales on-site than to bend over backwards and not do the best job i can.

[Scott W]

I feel the difference is not which rugs are safe to clean on site but rather how good a cleaning can be done on site versus in plant cleaning.

Our cleaning plant was rathr make shift set-up in the shop. But, it did allow for more thorugh dusting and submersion cleaning plus accelerated drying.

Do a better job and you can charge a better price.

I did occassionally HWE a rug in a home if there was a safe place to do the cleaning (i.e. not on a wood floor for example.) and if the client just did not want to pay for my in-plant cleaning. But I tried to discourage this type of cleaning.

[LisaWagner]

We have never cleaned rugs in the home - and this has never been a problem for us. Our clients understand a rug needs a good bath to be cleaned.

That said - even if you are surface cleaning with a portable or truckmount - there are some things to watch for:

- dye migration (on natural fiber rugs heat can make them migrate)
- high pH (on natural fiber rugs high pH can make dyes migrate, or yellow wool)
- no dusting (can create wicking during dry time that makes the face fibers CRUNCHY)
- no thorough rinsing (can lead to resoiling problems)
- the FLOOR underneath (overspray, too much moisture, unskilled hands can create problems for the floor or carpeting underneath)
- if ANYTHING goes wrong .... you have little chance to fix it in the home where the rug's owner has seen you screw it up.

Rugs can be worth $100 ... or $100,000 ... so at least be able to identify if the rug is synthetic or natural fiber. Synthetic rugs can be safely HWE cleaned. Natural fibers really should be washed. And honestly, if you are a good cleaner, after you have given a few rugs a bath and SEE the difference that cleaning does, you ethically will not be able to HWE rugs again - because you will know how much you are leaving behind.

Most people cleaning rugs today are not cleaning them well.

We get about 15% of our rugs in that are synthetic - and we still give them a bath, and the same price (because the labor is the same). Consumers who like their rugs will pay to have them properly cleaned.

Hope that helps,
Lisa

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