Someone called me today asking me to clean a wool rug (area rug).  It is creme color with pink and blue flowers on the corners.  No big stains just dirty.  I could not do the rug because she wanted it removed from her house and cleaned then brought back.  She didn't want it cleaned over top of her hardwood floors.  Anyway lets say I had a place to take her rug to and clean it.  Is there anything special I should be aware of when cleaning a light colored wool rug?  And also how do you guys charge for area rugs?  like 12x 12 or whatever....  Thanks a lot for any info.

My personal beleif is that all area carpets should be removed from the house to be cleaned. While others may disagree, it does eliminate any chance of damaging the floor underneath the rug. As well it gives you the time to do a proper job.

As far as the proper procedure my suggestion would be as follows:

1. Do a proper inspection. make a note of any and all problems. Make sure the customer signs and understands whatever pre-exisiting conditions are there.

2. Do a good dry soil vacuuming. Dry soil accounts for somewhere near 80% of all soil in a carpet. This is a very important step.

3. Apply a neutral pH prepsray. At Chemspec we make several - I'm sure there are others.

4. Agitate with a Grandi Groomer or like tool although my prreferecne would be a low speed floor machine if possible.

5 Rinse the carpet with the extraction process (I assume this is what you are doing.) I would highly recommend the use of a rinse agent. It neutralizes the carpet and is excellent at removing residues.

6. Dry the carpet as fast as you can. This will help minimize problems.

No doubt others will have their own opinion. Good luck. Area carpets are on the increase and i would certainly make this part of your overall service that you offer. 

6. Groom the carpet and dry it as fast as

All this info sounds great....but rotti...charge the lady 1.50 per sq ft(at Least) and take it to someone that does it....If your in Toronto there are a few like New Way or Turco...they only charge .40 cents a sq ft...all you have to do is drop it off and pick it up....a whole 1.10....just to drop it off and pick it up...

but what Jim says is great if you want to make all the money yourself...

I would also suggest an air mover to help dry...and peroxide for the fringes.  When doing the fringes make sure that you brush them out correctly...so that none of the strings over lap...they'll brown where they overlap if your not careful

if that's all she wants done, don't waste your time. it aint worth it!

I agree with Jim's instructions

I would like to add that I would use LOW heat and LOW psi,actually I would like a porty just for area rugs in my shop er um I mean basement.

I like to hang them and put an air mover on them.

I'm very pleased with the results I get with Ecogent on wool .

 Thanks for all the replies.  Right now I don't have anywhere to bring the carpet to clean it, but I am looking for a new office so I think I'll look for something with an extra room that I could use just for cleaning area rugs.

   Yep, she's still on hold listening to intrumental versions of your favorite pop hits of the 70's.

Rotti123 wrote:  Luckily I don't need the money that much.

I am glad you have reached fininical independence.  What the hell are you doing cleaning carpets?  Just to see how the other half lives?  Just  my opinion

Take the rug out, 3.00 a square foot without fringe, 3.50 with.

Inspect the carpet for damages and test for dye lock.

Place on slanted driveway upside down, vacuum but better yet give it an hour with an airmover blowing everything out of it. Place blower under edge and secure so rug flaps in the breeze.

Turn over, vacuum again, then SOAK it with a hose, prespray with neutral cleaners, scrub with floor macine or op, soak more.

Get a hand held vinyl roller, velcro a hose to it, and roll the carpet several ways and times to remove not only chems, but also all soil. Turn off hose, continue to roll out the excess moisture, hang it up and place airblower on it till dry, brush it by hand to stand up all the fibers while it is drying.

When dry, prespray and lightly brush fringe, and extract, let dry and deliver to a customer that will sing your praises.

She will tell her friends, "this guy costs alot but you ought to see what he did for my rug".

COllect check and let her call her freinds to have them call you.

Just another day in paradise!

"I am glad you have reached fininical independence.  What the hell are you doing cleaning carpets?  Just to see how the other half lives?"

 Carpet cleaning is a small part of what I do.  I own a Janitorial service that does office cleaning, window cleaning, floor stripping and waxing, etc...   We've been in business since '93 and right now I have 6 employees working with me full time.  I have always shy'd away from carpet cleaning jobs because I just didn't know that much about the work.  Now I am trying to get more into carpet cleaning.  I find that the more I do it, the more I enjoy it.  So I would definately like to be able to clean people's area rugs, but I'm not going to do it until I at least have a decent place to lay out the carpet and work on it.  Right now my basement is full of stuff and my office is way too small.

 I should add that when I said I don't need the money that much I was not trying to imply that I am rich or anything.  I just meant that I don't need the money from that job enough to be cleaning her carpet on my front lawn.

  Thanks again to all who offered good advice.   

Woooooooooooooo  Doug

I feel a nightmare coming on.    Let's not be to short with the newbies.

Rotti thanks for you honesty. You never did say were you were from. Is it a secret 

Adwa, I'm in Bathurst NB.  It's about 3 hours drive north of Moncton.

Rotti123 wrote: Adwa, I'm in Bathurst NB.  It's about 3 hours drive north of Moncton.

Rotti 123:  I orignally came from P.E.I.  I have relatives who own the Servicemaster Franchise there. 

I can not believe how many people we have on this forum that are from down east.

I was born and raised in Toronto but all my family are from Newfoundland. I am proud to be raised with that down east mentality. Good People