#1 on our list is an in-plant rug cleaning process. This is a great option for many homes because you roll up your rug and bring it in to be cleaned and dried. Most companies will offer a pick up and delivery service, there can be a fee depending on your location and project size.
Not only is this process the most thorough out of the options but it can also cater to the more challenging rugs that may have concerns with; for example with dyes, shrinkage and differing materials. If you have silk, antique or custom made rugs this is the best option for you from a technical standpoint.
So what is an in-plant rug cleaning company?
An in-plant rug plant is a company that has large rug cleaning equipment installed in their facility. Here is an image of our wash plant so you can get an idea. You can check out our website Simonian Rug Cleaners for more on our process.
This equipment can remove far more dust, dirt, allergens but also be gentle enough for antique and specialized rugs. The rugs are dried properly then returned home without any risk of mold growth.
Parking and accessibility
The next key thing to consider is parking. In most cases, if you are lucky enough to get a spot for a carpet cleaner to come to your home, they have a challenge getting their cleaning equipment into your home safely. Having an in-plant rug cleaning company can solve this issue by picking up and delivering rugs to your home.
Price for services
In-plant cleaning is most times at the higher side of the pricing range. You would be surprised on the fluctuation of pricing between cleaning styles. Some of the other cleaning styles are charging the same if not higher rates than this service without the bells and whistles. Yes, that means that you paid more and your rug is still dirty. The biggest factor is dusting, in-plant rug cleaning is the only cleaning method that can really effectively remove all of the dust before you start to clean. Any leftover dust and dirt turns to mud creating a dullness to your rug.
Most In-plant rug cleaners price by the size of your rug.
In the Bay Area there are only a handful of these companies, us being one of them. One thing we take pride in is we have the widest range of cleaning options in the Bay Area. For years the price has been based on construction or material, but if you clean it every year or every 10 years it's been the same price. We have gone outside of the box and charge our services based on the rugs needs!
We created a pricing system that is more efficient for everyone. It has 3 levels of service that can cater to rugs from target all the way to a 300 year old tapestry in one of the many estates. For more on our pricing visit our website.
Throughout this blog I will use a rug that 6' x 9' as an example for price comparison. A 6' x 9' rug has a total of 54 sqft in which we will use to calculate our costs.
$149.00 Level 1 Refresh- this is for light cleaning, we recommend in-between deep cleanings.
$285.00 Level 2- The works This is most rugs come in it covers the works and handle most situations heavy traffic spots
$432.00 Level 3- Specialty This is our specialty section this is for silk, oversized, shagg, viscose, fire damage and so on
Steam cleaning is another effective way to get your rugs cleaned up in SF it can be done in the home and also offsite as well. This can be convenient if your trying to just spot clean an area or clean up after an accident. But again you come across the parking issue and getting equipment into your home. This really comes down to a company by company approach and how they tackle projects.
So what is a "Steam Cleaning" anyway?
A carpet cleaning company that offers steam cleaning or Hot water extraction has these two set ups
1. Truck mounted system most times mounted in a white Van and hoses are brought into your home to perform cleaning.
2. Portable extraction system , in this case the entire unit is brought into your home, it is filled with water from your sink and the dirty water is dumped in the toilet or sewage outlet.
Prices for services
Most cases a steam cleaner will take your rug out of your home and bring it to an In-Plant rug cleaner.
In-plant Rug facilities are more efficient and produce better results, it can take more time for a steam cleaner so they have to charge more in some cases. Typically with a steam cleaner you have a min charge of $250-300. But the pricing is pretty similar to In-plant rug pricing.
A rug that is 6 x 9 is usually $300-500
Well there are also Dry cleaning companies that handle carpet, rugs, upholstery and so on, they do not clean clothing. These practices are usually really safe and can be effective with rugs that are not very dirty.
How ever they in most cases are using more solvents and chemicals, there are a few out there that offer green products. We in fact use some of these Green products in our plant because it works well in some situations. In your home it can be challenging to remove all of the powders and products used compared to off site.
So what is a Dry cleaning system for rugs?
There are a many types and forms that we won't dive into here but the basic idea is that a product is applied that attracts dirt, it is then agitated with a brush, pad or towel and all of the dirt is absorbed into the cleaning product and removed. The issue that I have with this process is removing all of the cleaning product. That is why we tend to stick with more water soluble products that rinse easier.
Prices for services
You can start to see a trend here, in most cases a professional service is out sourcing this work to In-Plant rug services and so therefore much of the pricing is similar. The problem that we see is that most of the companies out sourcing work are charging more than the Inplant services therefore your better off just going straight to the source rather than figuring out who you should choose.
For a 6' x 9' rug it is around $300-400
So you want to give it a shot renting a machine! This can work on machine made and synthetic rugs, but I would be very cautious with rugs that are Tufted or Handwoven. The issue here is that you start dealing with different dyes and natural fibers that can potentially go wrong. Synthetic rugs in most cases will be easier to clean, dry and usually you won't have to worry about the dyes bleeding into each other.
So how do these rental machines work?
We really don't have any recommended machines, you are mostly looking at the suction and how well can it effectively remove soil. One word of caution is that the products that are used with these types of rental or home machines work very similar to some dry cleaning products.
Remove the residue!
After you have used the machine and cleaned the rug or carpet you will need to let it dry fully. During drying the dirt wicks to the surface leaving the carpet feeling crunchy (this is the soap & dirt residue) You must vacuum 2 times minimum to remove the dried soap that has all of the dirt captured to effectively clean the carpet and not have it continue to attract dirt.
Pricing- a rental for 1 day is about $40
Cleaning products about $30 for 1,000 sqft
So your in it for around $100 , it will also require a good vacuum to remove all of the soap and dirt as well.
Ok so the whole take the rug out in the drive way and get it cleaned just is not going to work in most cases for San Francisco. It just can not dry and you will have major problems. One of the best things you can do is have a good vacuum, just by vacuuming you can remove 80 % of the dust and dirt from your rug if done properly and consistently.
If you mist a light mixture of vinegar and water is a great at home cleaner that you can easily remove spots and light soiling. Just mist and wipe with a clean white towel, if you see any color transfer on the towel stop and refer to a pro.
Let's talk home machines
Buying a machine means some serious dedication, in most cases when using these machines it is best to clean the whole room and not just some areas of a room. If you only do spots you will have clean spots or an uneven look. Another thing to consider is dry time, it is best to have the carpet dry before you put all of your furniture back or you may stain the carpeting.
Over all though some of these machines can work really well it is just a big commitment. I would only use this on synthetic materials though as you may damage natural fibers like wool or cotton.
You can buy machines starting at $300-400
Conclusion
As you can see each system has it's purpose and depending on your project and your needs one system may work best for a particular situation. I hope that this blog helped you understand the difference between the 5 services and better guide you on your next project.
If you have rug cleaning needs it is usually easiest to schedule a pick up service, the crew will pick up and deliver the rug for you. It usually takes about 5 days turn around, you want have to try and figure out how to get it done. If you are ready to schedule an appointment we made that easy for you you can set an appointment below if you are a Bay Area resident.
Want to keep exploring check out some of our other articles or you can visit our website for more services.
I would love to hear any feed back and comments.