When it comes to rug cleaning and repair, there are good customers, and then there are bad customers. Different clients call or bring in their Oriental or Persian rugs and carpets. A bad customer is the one who asks: How much do you charge to clean a rug? A good client asks: How do you clean my rug?
A bad customer (of course from my point of view) is concerned about the price and would like to shop around for carpet cleaning or repair. This is her right, but we should compare apples with apples. If you call and and reach a wall-wall carpet cleaner who works out of his bedroom with a cell phone and at most with a 1-800 number, there is a chance that you get a lower quote. But is this the type of cleaning which is appropriate for your Oriental, Persian or even your area (machine made) rug? Wall-wall carpet cleaners work hard, but do they know the construction of rugs? Do they do dusting? Dust and water equals mud. Do they use safe material not to damage the environment and your rug? Your rugs do not have polyester or nylon as their pile material. They have wool or silk pile with cotton, silk or wool foundation. Do these rugs need different shampoo and cleaning stuff? Sure they do. Do wall-wall carpet cleaners dry your rug under the sun or just leave it wet on the floor? If a rug is not properly dry, it would smell.
A good rug cleaning and repair customer is concerned about the process and the price. She/he wants to leave the rug in safe hands.
Let me know what you think on this post.
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.RugIdea.com
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
(310)770-9085
I think you make a great point in this article. Educated customers should definitely ask questions about how their rugs will be cleaned and cared for. Price is, of course, an important consideration, but it is certainly not the only one. Wall to wall carpets require something completely different than what handmade carpets require. If a handmade carpet is washed the same way that a wall to wall carpet is cleaned, the damage caused to the handmade rug may far exceed what it would have cost to have it cared for properly in the first place. As always, a customer should definitely ask lots of questions, research different providers, and seek out people experienced in caring for handmade pieces. Sometimes, experienced providers may charge a little more, but in my opinion, it's definitely worth it to preserve a client's valuable and treasured pieces.
I agree with Kosher's comment. We have clients who are only interested in a low price, but they forget that sometimes with low price comes lower quality.
We have had clients bring their rugs to us after another company has cleaned them because the weren't happy with the previous results.
There is surface cleaning and then there is cleaning. With time the good companies can educate their clients as to the right cleaning for area rugs.
Thank you Kosker and Mary both. You get what you pay for. It always pays off if we work with professionals who love and know their work.