Big Red, Rusty Blue and Ancient Green Rug Cleaning Equipment

I manage to irritate a few people because I have opinions about Rug Cleaning and Rug Cleaning products and equipment.  I freely admit that Dusty, Tom Greg and all those chemical guys are great guys and I am sure even their mothers like them. While I admit they are nice guys I am not particularly nice and I make no bones about my opinions. I will explain why I feel the way I do. Keep in mind I do not sell equipment or  chemicals. As they say back home, “I got no horse in this race”.

Dusty makes nice equipment. I think he sells it fairly and if I didn't think that, I would say so. I also try not to be a shill for Dusty. He loves his Yorkster but for the life of me I don’t understand it so I do not recommend it. I think some people get confused when I speak about equipment they think I am speaking for Dusty. I have never seen Dusty post anything critical about the Rusty Blue team. I have been critical and when I do I speak for me.

Safe and Effective RugBadge Rug Duster

 My main concerns about Centrum Force are in two parts. Tom & Greg have on their website that you can use tubs to decrease your water consumption over floor or pit washing. I think that is reckless and risky. Tubs are OK but proper rinsing and flushing are crucial. I spoke to Paul Iskyan at Rug Renovating and nobody has more experience with tubs then Paul. He says that he Tub washes 5% to 10% of their total rug volume and that they rinse profusely. I told him about T&G’s claims and Paul said they sounded like guys trying to sell equipment. To be fair Centrum has a secret report proving that their system is safe and effective. But and this is a big BUT the report is secret and they won’t let me see it. I don’t like SECRET REPORTS. Imagine if Chevy had a report proving the Chevy pickup truck was way better than the Ford, do you really think they would keep it secret. I bet they would put it on their website and probably mail a copy to anyone and everyone who would read it. Vice President of the United States  John Nance Garner was once asked what he thought of being VP. Cactus Jack  replied that it was “Not worth a bucket of warm piss”. I feel the same way about Tom & Greg’s secret report. Until they get me a copy and let me read it and check the credentials of the “Testing Lab” I am not buying it.

My other criticism of Blue is rust. I was visiting a plant with a new blue spinner. I looked at the tube and patches of rust were showing. I warned them that they needed to touch that up. They told me they already had and it was back. It was less than one year old. I don’t know what they paid but had to be in the 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS range. For that kind of money there should be no visible tube rust.

I generally like MOR equipment. That being said I do not know anyone living who ever bought any MOR equipment new. My best understanding is that everyone who bought the equipment at Bon Ton, Hagopian, Rug Renovating, etc… is dead and the guys running the plants are mostly 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th generation.  My mentor and friend the late Uncle Jimmy Keshishian bought a complete MOR/Moore plant years ago. Uncle Jimmy is dead but many of you may know his son Mark Keshishian who is active on FaceBook. Jimmy sold his MOR plant shortly after buying it. He found the MOR washer so destructive that he did not feel it was safe for antique rugs. That was Jimmy Keshishian, he was a past president of the Armenian Rug Society, the group that is now RIA and the senior Oriental Rug appraiser for the AAA. Jimmy wrote the exam that AAA appraisers must pass. He was no lightweight in the field. But I also know good men who wash rugs with MOR equipment. 

Personally I like the MOR equipment for dusting, the MOR press for wringing the water out of a rug and I have had good experiences with the MOR drying room and hoist system. If I were setting up a production shop today I would consider MOR if I could get a great deal on good used equipment. I like the roll press but unless it was a lot cheaper I would rather spend the money on a good centrifuge with a stainless steel tube. I have been in Paul Iskyan’s Rug Renovating the highest volume rug washing plant in the USA and maybe the world. Paul uses old MOR equipment but he junked the washer and his crew washes the rugs primarily on a wash floor. I have it on good authority that most of the top MOR operators have work arounds for the MOR washing problems. Rug Renovating also uses large stainless steel tubs for a small percentage of their cleaning. I also have to note that Rug Renovating regularly provides services that are too advanced for most rug washers. I consider those tubs specialty equipment and not something the average washers wants or needs.

So that is the way I see it. If I am off base feel free to call me on it. I will make space available for opposing opinions. As for the colors Rug Badger is Big Red, Centrum Force is Rusty Blue until they fix the tube rust problem  and MOR is an old fashioned solution that I call Ancient Green. The colors are from the color the equipment is painted from the factory.

BTW I reserve and retain all copyright.

I will expand more on this later but for now I will add this to this blog post:

Best of luck to Stephen Dusty Roberts. He is in secret negotiations with a major player in Automated machinery. They want to move in an completely change the parts, service and repair of big equipment such as Moore Plants as well as the other brand name rug cleaning equipment. If you own a MOR you no longer need to go to the characters in Michigan for authentic Moore Replacement parts. You know how expensive parts have gotten these guys will not just beat the new prices but they can often beat the old prices on Moore, Connersville MIRZA and the Cleve-O-Matic.  Resurfacing and replacing Moore compression wringers is no longer a checking account busting nightmare, you can now buy at reasonable prices from men of integrity. Buying Authentic Moore replacement parts should not have to be like shower time in prison. 
Don't let Tom get More out of your Wallet, get More out of your Moore.

Build a Better Spinner and the World Will…

Congratulations to Dusty Roberts on the big increase in equipment sales especially Centrifuge sales.  The new ad campaign featuring a comparison between the Rug Badger spinner and the lesser machines is really drawing interest. But Dusty has a secret weapon in the Spinner Wars, Dusty doesn't just tell people to ask the man who owns one he tells people to ask the guys that own the other brand. Dusty has a growing number of Blue Guys who are telling prospects that they bought the wrong machine.

What I don’t get is why the blue guys don’t focus on making their spinner as good as the Rug Badger.  It would make more sense to fix the rust problems and the speed deficiencies then throwing it all away to focus on reviving the ancient green brand.  Dusty keeps marching into the future while blue looks for business miracles in the past. Did you see their Tumbler, Where are you going with 100 year old technology?

http://www.rugbadger.com/rugrevolutions.html

I think Dusty keeps his eye on the ball and invests back into building better equipment. He believes that R&D is more important that sucking money out of the business to buy mid-life crisis convertibles.

Be sure to read:
Big Red, Rusty Blue and Ancient Green Rug Cleaning Equipment 

Carpet Collector Magazine

Very nice new Oriental Rug magazine in English and German. Carpet Collector is devoted exclusively to antique rugs and textiles. This new magazine is aimed at all fans of this fascinating topic. The editorial spectrum is correspondingly broad: auction reports, book presentations, reports from collectors’ meetings, reports about the important rug collections of major museums,  presentations of exceptional collector’s rugs and essays by international rug experts. www.carpet-collector.com

TYVEK – Better Rug Cleaning Through Science

TYVEK – Better Rug Cleaning Through Science

Dusty Roberts copied me on this and I thought it was to good to throw away. Dusty is a funny guy in that on an intellectual level he likes social media and blogging but on a personal level he will send emails all day and never bother to blog the better ones.

Protecting Fragile Rugs:

If you get a wide roll of TYVEK type of housewrap you can protect weaker rugs and smaller rugs from the RugBadgers Vibro-Straps.

Just cut an oversized piece and lay over the back of the rug or group of small rugs that are for Badgering. Viola, problem solved.

Now there is more you can do with the big roll of TYVEK.

1. Use it to Badger nasty rugs on top of for photo opportunities to put in your brag book/web site etc
2. Use it to wrap rugs for long term storage. Make it policy to always ask all clients if they want any of their rugs wrapped for storage. If they say yes then charge between .35-.55 per square foot of the rugs size to wrap. 
-make sure you take a photo first and print it. Write on the back of the pic the size etc so that 2 months or 20 years later someone will know what this wrapped up rug is. 
-roll on a carpet core to keep it stiff. Get the core from a carpet store bin and cut them 2 feet longer then the rug is wide. 
-Roll the rug up onto the core and tie it securely. 
-Wrap in the TYVEK with the printing on the outside.
-Attach a clear paper sleeve to the outside and put the photo in the sleeve
-use the overhanging core to carry the rug and to hang from a garage/basement ceiling as this will keep vermin/water/bugs out.

Benefits of the TYVEK
-breaths and will not trap moisture
-resists water
-keeps bugs out
-keeps dust off
-looks professional.

The New York RugLovers Tour 2012

The New York RugLovers Tour is a mix of seeing some of the most amazing textiles in the country, and some of the most powerful rug business training in the industry. Its fun and profit all rolled up into a "can't miss" event November 30 - December 2.
Friday we start the day with an adventure through the magical world of New York's Rug District. Barry O'Connell and the Academy of Oriental Rugs literally rolls out the red carpet to take you behind the scenes to some of the most savvy rug merchants and experts in the rug world today. Then we move over to the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art to experience one of the most important exhibits on tour in the nation, the Islamic Art Show. Barry shares the stories behind some of the most important works of textile art that comprise this priceless collection.

Saturday and Sunday are focused growing your rug business. Mark Kennedy and Lisa Wagner team up for the morning sessions on the "real dirt" on building a wildly successful rug care company. No fluff in these sessions, it is all tactical, practical, and profitable consulting on how the best in this business got there, and what you need to do to get there too. Everyone will walk away with a clear action plan for transforming their rug business. The afternoon sessions delve into marketing training and panels on best practices from rug business owners from across the nation.
BONUS SESSIONS: RugLover Coaching and marketing with Barry O'Connell and Dusty Roberts
Do you have the dream to grow a fun and profitable rug care business? Have you already figured out that one of the biggest hurdles is not HOW TO CLEAN or even HOW TO SET UP YOUR RUG CARE STUDIO? Have you figured out that the biggest hurdles for almost everyone getting into this lucrative niche is in fact HOW TO GET people to trust you with their fine (and even not so fine rugs)!
Here is the good news. Barry and Dusty will be doing Hands-On RugLover coaching sessions with you in NYC and will dig deep into the 4 most important profit drivers for your rug care business and YOU WILL make your own action plan to take home and plug into your dream business and grow the business that will make you proud!
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for behind the scenes access to some breath-taking oriental rug viewing, some high-level business development training, incredible networking with a large group of passionate rug care company owners, and a chance to experience one of the greatest cities in the US.

Dates: November 30 - December 2
Recommended Hotel: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Newark Airport
128 Frontage Road
Newark, NJ 07114
RESERVATIONS AT (800) 222-8733

Closest Airport: Newark NJ
1st registration: $700 / 2nd: $350.00 / 3rd: $175
Special Alumni Rate $600/300/150 for any alumni who reserve your spot in October.

Call Jodi at 570-320-3282 today to register and for information on pricing if you are a RugLovers Alumni attendee.

Smalltown Service in the Big City - Interlink

People Who Really Care About Cleaners

Saturday morning I needed a little Microban X590. So when I need supplies I think Interlink. It the Baltimore area the Interlink Supply is the former Cleaners Closet. I didn’t know if they are open Saturdays so I called and got a machine. Since it was just after 8 I called back at 8:30. This time I listened and the hours are Monday thru Friday. So I called a friend and borrowed a little. With that I promptly put Interlink Supply out of my mind. So you can imagine my surprise when my phone rang and it was Kim from Interlink Supply. The store was closed but she had a little work to do so she was in the office. She explained that she saw that I had called and wanted to see if she could help. I explained that I was OK and I thanked her for caring enough to check.

Kim didn't know me so this was not special treatment. This is the level of care they extend to all their customers. In my experience Interlink means quality, good prices and great service.  Now I know Interlink Supply by Cleaners Closet  means service beyond any expectations that I had.

Interlink Supply by Cleaners Closet 796 Cromwell Park Drive Glen Burnie, MD 21061(410) 761-9283cleaner
http://interlinksupply.com/

Pittsburgh with People who can Teach Me Something.

One of the best parts of the Pittsburgh RugLovers Tour is the people. Some of the very best people in the business including Mike Reed, Lisa Wagner, Paul Lucas, Nathan Koets, Mark Kennedy, Anthony and Shannon Belmonte, Doug and Amanda Moresbacher, Jan Sandler and others. Many are good friends but some will be newbies. One of the newbies is one of the oldest and best established hand washers in the country. It is quite an honor to have George Bell of Jackson Mississippi coming to the tour. George is said to be one of the busiest if not the busiest hand washers in the country. I really want to talk to George; he grew up in a Moore plant, switched to Ausheralian and now runs two Rug Badger Rug Revolution Centrifuges just to keep up with the work load in his plant. George is the only dual centrifuge rug washing plants in the country. So I want to know how a semi-rural small market cleaner can live the dream that eludes most major market cleaners.
That is the thing about the RugLovers Tour; we pull together the best and the brightest and make them available to the group. I know a bit about rugs but it is exciting to me that there will be so many people on the Tour who can teach me something.

Info on the Pittsburgh RugLovers Tour

Four Steps to Building a Rug Cleaning Business - REVISED

The foundation of a Rug Cleaning business is you have to be able to safely and effectively wash a rug. If you cannot wash a rug safely and effectively then you are not a rug cleaner. You can take classes, clean for someone else with their tutoring or even buy thrift store rugs and practice until you get it right. But washing a rug is the ground floor of a rug washing business. It sounds obvious but this point is lost on some people.
The Ground Floor Step
The cheapest way to wash a rug is with a brush, a hose, a floor or driveway and a beater bar vacuum to dust the rug. You can do a great job but this is slow. I have washed rugs with a scrub brush and it is hard backbreaking work. To fully dust a rug with a beater bar vacuum can take up to 4 hours on a 9 by 12 rug. So here at the ground floor stage one 9 by 12 rug a day can be a full days work.
Step One
Marketing is the first step. The whole exercise is pointless unless you keep the rugs coming in. Realistically most obvious marketing is either expensive or very time consuming. I have worked with Dusty Roberts to develop RugLover Marketing. It is not free but Dusty has easy inexpensive ways to get started in his program where he shows you highly effective and very inexpensive ways to grow your business. Whether you use RugLover  Marketing or grab your checkbook and do it on your own you need rugs to clean.
Step Two
As soon as you get over 500 square feet of rugs to wash a week time becomes your biggest enemy. To grow you need to speed up your process or cut corners. One of the first places cleaners cut time is on the dusting. Dusting is 80% of getting a rug clean. So instead of taking up to 4 hours on a 9 by 12 they dust for 10 minutes and call it good enough. Doing “Good Enough” work is not the path to success so the smart cleaner looks for equipment to speed up the process. Scrubbing with a brush is brutal so most cleaners look for something like a rotary scrubber to speed things up until they can move up to something like a Brush Pro Industrial Counter Rotating Brush Machine. Dusting usually gets pushed back so cleaners learn to set a “Clean” rug down carefully in front of a customer so that the tell tale puff of dust when you drop a rug doesn't tell the customer that the rug may look clean but is still dirty. Cleaners with Pride and Integrity have the choice of the ever so time consuming beater bar vacuum as a duster or they look to an air dusting system or a Rug Badger. Air dusting has some good advantages but it is expensive. Since it takes a 100 CFM compressor or bigger to do the job getting into Air Dusting can be 4 times as expensive as a Rug Badger Cub and more than twice as expensive the top of the line Rug badger. A Rug Badger can do in less than 30 minutes what might take you up to 4 hours on a 9 by 12 with a Sanitaire Vacuum.

Step Three
As soon as you start cleaning rugs faster you need more drying capacity. If you have the room you can flat dry your rugs. If you live in a hot sunny southern state flat drying is a viable alternative. But since not all of us live in Death Valley or San Diego most of us have to look to hanging rugs as volumes increase. A word of caution. If you are scrimping on the dusting stage hanging a wet rug that you did not get the dirt out of will cause the dirt to turn to mud and cause the mud slide to show up in the fringes. So the first choice drying method for cleaners who do not really get the rugs clean to the foundation is to flat dry the rugs upside down so that the mud slide wicks to the foundation rather then the fringe. This is a cleaver trick but do you want to trick your customers? The cleaner the rug is the easier it is to hang dry a rug.
So cleaners have to turn to drying rooms, drying racks, drying poles or the very popular drying towers. I am partial to the drying towers with wheels. In many parts of the country it is a huge advantage to be able to wheel a rack of rugs out into the sun and roll it back in if the weather turns. There is no one answer but drying becomes a crucial point as volumes increase.
Step Four
At a certain point rug cleaners begin to outgrow their capacity to hang dry. The next step is something to speed drying up. The old standby is a Moore style compression wringer that squeezes the water out of a rug like the wringers on an old fashion wringer washer. The pros are that they do a pretty good job for antiquated technology and allow you to decrease hanging time. The cons are that Moore wringers are no longer made so you have to buy used. A used wringer is very expensive to move, and rust is a major problem so if you find one it usually needs to be rebuilt which adds to the cost. (After I wrote this a company in Michigan has resurrected the MOR/Moore brand and old fashioned methodology. Time will tell if they can do anything meaningful with it.)

The newer alternative is a spinner or Centrifuge as they are called. By spinning the water out of a rug the drying time is decreased dramatically. Rugs are still hung but using a centrifuge allows you to get the rug cleaner and flushing and spinning is a major time saver in urine decontamination. Many of the cleaners I work with find a centrifuge a necessity when they start to move towards 100 rugs a week.
Where you are in the process of building your business volume has to determine what equipment you purchase. Marketing is the key determinate. The greater the number of rugs through your door the more you need to incorporate the time savers. A great place to be is where you are so busy that you either need to increase capacity or cut back on marketing.
As a final note of caution buying equipment you do not need is a bad move. Marketing is the key and scale your business to meet the demands of your customers.

Authority Marketing Part 1

Authority Marketing Part 1
If you clean Oriental Rugs, who are you? Are you a professional, an expert; are you someone who commands and demands respect? Or are you just a flunky who does a dirty job.

More than four out of five rugs to be cleansed in the average shop have some sort of pet contamination, usually urine. That may be how you make your money but if you allow that to define you professionally then you are at a severe disadvantage.
(Looking back at this article after 14 months I find it interesting that the nice young lady who insisted that we don't need Rug ID launched her own moderately successful Rug ID program on-line with a live portion at her shop. She is not the only one since I started pushing Rug ID several courses have been launched.) 

Rug ID opens doors and causes your customers to trust you with their better rugs. My good friend Dusty Roberts of Rug Badger and Lov-a-Rug in Victoria British Columbia tells the story of a customer who trusted their lesser rugs to Dusty but would send their better rugs to a local Oriental rug shop to be cleaned. What the customer did not know was that Dusty did the cleaning for that shop. The customer had greater trust in the store because the store had that aura of authority. Over time Dusty earned their trust and got their entire rug cleaning business but it took work. Nathan Koets a Michigan rug washer tells me that Rug ID is his most important form of marketing. If you know the rugs your customers recognize it and your business will grow.

Many rug washers have come to rugs by way of Carpet Cleaning. But if you look and act like a Carpet Cleaner it is harder to grow your business. How you brand your business will dictate how easy it will be to grow your business. Using my name as an example, customers will be less trusting of Barry’s Carpet Cleaning for their fine rugs than they would be for Barry’s Rug Spa. Spa and Salon are very popular right now for rug cleaners but frankly when I recently renamed my rug cleaning business I chose “Barry O'Connell Oriental Rug Cleaning”.  I am well known so I used my name but if I was less well known I might have chosen “Baltimore Oriental Rug Cleaning”. With length a consideration in a name did I need to include” Oriental”? I did because Oriental Rugs are the top of the heap. By saying Oriental I am making it clear that I clean the best. I am willing to use a longer name to increase my authority.

I have a friend who dresses very casually to do his pickups and deliveries. When I told him I thought it was a bad idea to dress like a Carpet Cleaner he corrected me and explained that he does not even dress up that much. I think it is the wrong message. I used to help out my friend Harold Keshishian with his shop and when dealing with the customers I usually wore leather dressy shoes, wool slacks and a starched shirt. They never asked me to and it was not part of my job but one of the very first things I would do was check the rest room and tidy it up before the customers got in. My rug knowledge, the way I dressed, the appearance of the shop down to the tidiness of the restroom set the tone for how we dealt with our customers. God help anyone who ever talked down to Harold Keshishian in his shop. At least once or twice a year I would see him tell a customer to take their rugs and get out of his shop. I remember him throwing out one customer because she said, “Now don’t lose my rug.” Harold let he know we don’t lose rugs as he ordered her out.

I am a firm believer in selling from a position of authority. I equate it to moving water on a hillside. Selling from a position of low authority is like carrying 55 gallons of water from the bottomof the hill to the top of a hill. But when you master selling from a position of Authority it is like standing on top of the hill and knocking over that 55 drum of water and watching the water flow down hill. Being the authority does not happen over night but the better you get the more it helps your business.

The Real Rug Tour in August is in Pittsburgh

Our Rug Tour this August is in Pittsburgh. It is a worry that people I care about are saying that they are going to our event in Hollywood.  We have no association with that other event.  

First of all the crew from RugLovers College on ProCleanersNetwork Wednesday night, Dusty Roberts, Paul Lucas, and myself BarryO’Connell are having the “go to” rug event in Pittsburgh.  

If you want PowerPoints and Videos in a Hotel Ballroom this is not your event. If you want top experts in a hands on format in a real rug repair facility then you want Pittsburgh. 

Barry O'Connell
PS. Experts include George Bell, Wade Shehady, Lisa Wagner, Mike Reed, Lynn Tall, Mark Kennedy, the Wednesday night regulars and too many more to list.

The Great Pittsburgh RugLovers Tour

O'Connell's Great Pittsburgh RugLovers Tour

August 3, 4 & 5, 2012

For detailed information on this tour be sure to visit:
http://procleanersnetwork.com/rugsupersuccess.html

Shehady’s Oriental Rugs

135 Freeport Road, Aspinwall, PA 15215

(412) 782-2020 ‎

Friday Aug 3

• 9 am to Noon & 1pm to 4pm
• Rug Repair Workshop at Shehady’s Oriental Rugs
  We will break into small groups and learn rug repair, conservation, and how to sell these services. The groups will be divided into skill level appropriate. We will cover everything from How to Thread A Needle on up to Advanced Rug Repair. We will have at least 6 Master restorers on hand to help.

Saturday Aug 4

• 9 am at Shehady’s Oriental Rugs
• Bleeders: Learn to be fearless with Crocking and Bleeding rugs with, The master of Disaster, The man, The Myth, The legendary Mr. Nathan Koets.
• Nathan is widely recognized as one of the Top 5 Rug Washers in the world (We would call him #1 but it embarrasses him). Nathan will be assisted by his faithful friend Paul Lucas inventor of the Chem Max Oriental Rug Cleaning Products and keeper of the LST Formula.

Topics will include, Dye Tests (Dye Tests? We don’t need no stinking Dye Tests), Washing them wet Washing them dry all the major cleaning methods. We will also cover dye striping so that you can fix the disasters of people who don’t come to this program.

Sunday Aug 52

• 10:00 am:  Marketing Secrets with Dusty Roberts and Barry O’Connell

******************************************************

COST

• 1st attendee; $700
• 2nd attendee; $350
• 3rd or more attendee; $175

For reservations call Sue at Chem Max Phone: 231.798-7980   Fax: 231.798-8080  1.800.ULTRA DRY   1.800.858.7237

******************************************************
When reserving a room please let them know the block of rooms is setup under the Rug Lovers Seminar.

Comfort Inn & Suites‎
180 Gamma Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238

(412) 963-0600

We have reserved a small block of 15 rooms for this seminar

• Free deluxe hot breakfast buffet
• Free daily newspaper
• Free high-speed Internet
• Exercise room
• Heated indoor pool and sundry shop

Pittsburgh RugLovers tour is filling up

The Pittsburgh RugLovers tour is filling up nicely. One reason I keep hearing is the feeling of community, a feeling of Brotherhood. We don’t try to control every minute of your day. It would be so simple to sit everyone in a Hotel Ballroom and show Videos and PowerPoints. But that is not how I learn, it is a great way to control people but unless the speaker is spectacular it makes me sleepy.

We get people who would feel swamped if 10 rugs came in and others who if it gets under a hundred rugs a week they get nervous. Many of the folks were not washing rugs three years ago and a fair number are over 20 years in the business. 

So why do they come?

We structure the event so people form into groups. We don’t assign the groups they just form. Mark Keshishian and Sons hosted a reception for us at their gallery and without planning a Rug ID class broke out. Suddenly Mark Keshishian and Dusty Roberts had a whole group going through the stacks looking at rugs and comparing. Or at the Rug ID seminar Lisa Wagner had a crowd around her talking shop and picking her brain. Poor Lisa came for a social weekend, after all what are we going to teach her? But instead she coached and tutored a constant stream of people about a wide range of problems. Nathan Koets tells me he gets the most out of the off time talking in the bar after class. Nathan is sharp enough to know  that even after 20 some years in the rug washing pit he can still learn. In fact a lot of our experienced cleaners come to hear how others are doing it and what chemicals and equipment is working for other people.

What is the value of getting one on one time to discuss your issues with Nathan Koets, Mark Keshishian, Dusty Roberts, Lynn Tall, Paul Lucas and so on. But for some crazy reason it does not end on the last day of the event. We make the ties that continue after we go home. Have a problem? Now you have a new network of friends to call when you need them. My mother had a way of mixing metaphors and one of my favorites was what she called, “Out of the frying pan into the fan.” When we get to that point we are not alone any more.

On Friday in Pittsburgh we will have at least 6 restorers showing us how to do the repair and getting us started. Some of us will need the “How to Thread a needle” tutorial and that is OK. You will learn some basic skills but moere importantly you will learn to talk the Talk so that you can sell it and job the work out to someone else. The more your shop does the more your customers will trust you. If you cannot offer repair or appraisals and have to send your customer away you will find a number of them never come back,

On Saturday Nathan Koets will have a new strategy with Bleeders. At my urging Nathan will do as little work as possible. Why? Because we want you to do it for him. Bring your rubber boots because we need you on the wash floor under Nathan’s careful instruction. . It is one thing to watch an expert deal with a bleeder but it is much better when the non-experts jump on in and do it. This is the full gamut from Testing Colors to Cleaning, Remediation and even Dye Stripping.

Sunday we will launch a new idea. Well actually it is an old idea that no one talks about and most people have to learn it the long, hard, painful, expensive way. We will have a special panel presentation of Authority Marketing.

Then we will follow up with the wildly successful RugLover Marketing. Dusty Roberts will show you how to generate substantial business and positive growth for very little cost.

This is where the best get better by coming together. I hope to see you there.

To Dye Test, or not to Dye Test

 To Dye Test, or not to Dye Test: that is the question. When William Shakespeare wrote “To be, or not to be” (from Hamlet 3/1) he was writing of the question of doing something or doing nothing and then suffering the consequences;

To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

When we turn to the question of Dye Testing Rugs we are not confined to a simple choice of testing or not testing and then suffering the consequences. There is in fact a third alternative which methinks may be the wiser course if you can manage it. So when the pundits demand that everyone must dye test every rug I think they are offering a false dichotomy.
The point of Dye Testing an Oriental Rug is to determine if it is likely to bleed or crock so that they can prepare to handle the dye migration. Some would have us believe that everyone MUST do a 10 minute hot water crocking test. The problem with the 10 minute Hot and Wet Crocking test is that it is a crocking test and may or may not catch all dye bleeding. To properly dye test one is then compelled to use the Overnight Press Test. There are variations but normally you put a little surfactant on a white cloth or paper towel and hold it to the rug overnight. This is often done with a clamp or brick and obviously it means that you cannot inspect and wash on the same work shift. This has a host of problems, it slows down production, it is space intensive and it is not suited to a volume shop.
So then if you are not satisfied with either the risky Hot and Wet test or the slow Overnight Press test what choice do you have? Well if the point of the dye test is to determine if it will bleed so that you can then prepare to deal with it why not bypass the test and treat every rug as if it is a bleeder. Obviously this is not for everyone. Some washers test and take the bad ones to a more experienced cleaner. Others do the best they can hoping not to buy the rug. But experienced rug washers have the option of assuming that every rug will bleed and act accordingly.  So let me put it this way, “Dye Tests? I don’t need no stinkin Dye Tests”.

A word to the wise, if you go this route you had better know what to do when the bleeding starts but that discussion is for another day.
N.B.  In a thread on facebook Thea Sand of Emmanuel's Rug & Upholstery Cleaners made some pertinent comments.
 “Eventually you recognize them by sight”
“You'd get nothing done sitting around waiting for test results.....swilling coffee and swapping lies.”
The important part is that Thea and her staff know how to handle every situation. In fact Thea is the GOTO person for other cleaners who make a mistake and need it fixed,

Old School Rug Washing with Peter Saunders

World renowned Oriental Rug Expert Peter Saunders tells how they did Oriental Rug Washing years  ago. Filmed on the New York City RugLovers Tour 2011.

Dusting Rugs at Rug Renovating East Orange, NJ

On the 2011 New York City RugLovers Tour  we visited with Paul Iskyan at Rug Renovating in East Orange, NJ. Paul runs the biggest and one of the very Best Rug Washing plants in the world. Paul explains why dusting a rug is so important.
For information on Barry O'Connell's Great Pittsburgh RugLover Tour

Rug Renovating is listed on the Guide to the Best Oriental Rug and Carpet Cleaners and Restorers of New York

The Power of a Thank You

I have a lot of respect for Howard Partridge but I have to tell you we have never been close.  We got off to a rough start. Howard didn’t return a phone call and as all my friends know I am petty, thin-skinned and have the biggest ego on the Internet. So rather than be gracious about it I had to, as my Daddy used to say, poke Howard with a sharp stick. Now it wasn't a real stick but I had to tease Howard a little. It was not very kind or mature on my part but what the heck I can be a real stinker sometimes.

But the problem with Howard is despite teasing him a little I have to admit he is the real deal. So I try to be honest with people that if you do what Howard says you will make money. When it comes to business coaches the two big ones in Carpet Cleaning are Howard Partridge and Joe Polish.  They compliment each other.  By that I mean they are different styles and very different approaches. But if you work the system each one will make money for you. Which one is better? That comes down to you. Listen to each and see which style suits your personality

Howard is a Christian and so am I so that is a plus in my case but I also know some folks shy away from him for that reason. So if you think being washed in the blood of the Lamb sounds sticky Howard might not be your guy. On the other hand if you like Zig Ziglar Howard is definitely your guy.  Howard is very much in the Zigler style and they have worked together. Howard is also closely associated with John Maxwell. As a theologian that guy drives me crazy but as a business coach Maxwell is well thought of.

So in my long winded and somewhat stuffy style what I am really trying to say is: Sorry Howard for poking you with a sharp stick.

So for the rest of you let me explain why I am filled with remorse at my shameless teasing of Howard. It is the power of a Thank You. I include an email thread where Howard sent me a note of thanks. You see Howard neutralized me with his small note. It was a kind act and as a human I get called to account by the natural law of reciprocity. Howard was nice so now I have to be nice. As a master of persuasion Howard knows that the best way to deal with a pain the neck like me is to try a little kindness. So next time you want to tell that other fellow to go pound sand DON”T. Look for a chance to try a little kindness first. You may find that a Thank you can be more powerful than poking someone with a sharp stick.

---

From: Howard Partridge <howard@howardpartridge.microsoftonline.com>
To: Barry OConnell <jboc@SpongoBongo.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: Thank you

Thanks man!

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 21, 2012, at 7:23 PM, "Barry OConnell" <yesterday20785@yahoo.com> wrote:

I was just telling someone today that if they work your system they will make money. I hope i don't offend you but I tell people that you and Polish are like chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Pick the flavor you like and then do what you tell them to do. Thanks for helping so many people to realize their dreams.

Best wishes,

Barry

---

From: Howard Partridge <howard@howardpartridge.com>
To: JBOC@spongobongo.com
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 4:17 PM
Subject: Thank you

Hey Barry,

A lady found me because of your blog and came to my workshop in Houston.

Just wanted to say thanks for that!

Howard Partridge

President of Phenomenal Products, Inc.

and Author of 7 Secrets of a Phenomenal L.I.F.E.

808 Park Two Drive

Sugar Land, Texas 77478

www.HowardPartridge.com

www.SecretsOfAPhenomenalLIFE.com

Robert Pettyjohn's Strike III

I don't like secret formulas. They make me wonder if it is a trick or a scam so usually I avoid them. But for some reason I am willing to put aside my normal reticence and listen to my dear friend Robert Pettyjohn on his new product Strike III.
 Here is the video and the press release. Let me know what you think.

Robert's Stike III video

We're very excited!  Strike III is Pettyjohn's solution to one of our most aggravating problems.

We've all had to deal with those difficult spots that resist our very best efforts to remove. You have to rub and scrub those spots of unknown origin with toxic, flammable solutions with that lingering 'aroma' before the spots come out - if they come out. Then there are spots that resist everything you do and simply cannot be removed. It's very frustrating to say the least!

Well, there's good news!  We've been fortunate to acquire the exclusive rights to a brand new product. Pettyjohn's Strike III is our patented, secret formula that's guaranteed to easily remove the toughest spots without harming the rugs or other fine textiles.

Just a couple of squirts and those spots disappear like magic. And, it's odorless, non-toxic and non-flammable! And guaranteed too!  Won't this make your life easier?

Many of you have already heard about Pettyjohn's new Strike III product line, but for those not familiar just check out our website including amazing videos at Pettyjohn's Solutions, (http://PettyjohnsSolutions.com) then give us a call or reply to this email with any questions or comments.

Your Pettyjohn Team - We welcome your calls!

Herbert (Chip) Jung, Chemical & traveling Nationwide at 864-580-1672
Robert & Karen Pettyjohn, Customer Service at 919-551-4641
Marcia Karegeannes, SEO & Online Service at 904-744-1418

Oriental Rug Cleaning Austin Texas

Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎
3900 Drossett Drive Suite B
Austin, Texas 7874512-454-8300
http://www.Austonian.com/
Mike Reed of Austin Texas has built Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎ into one of the most prestigious Oriental Rug Cleaning Companies in the USA. In fact the Austonian reputation for excellence is so high that when developers set out to build Austin’s tallest building a 56-story luxury high-rise that is the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi they borrowed the Austonian name. So no matter if you need an 8 million dollar penthouse or the very best in Oriental Rug Washing Austonian is the name for the highest quality in Austin Texas.
Mike Reed is one of the very best Oriental Rug washers in the business. He was awarded the prestigious CRS (Certified Rug Specialist) from the RIA and a Clean Trust/IICRC MTC Master Textile Cleaner. Mike is also past Clean Trust/IICRC Vice President, Clean Trust/IICRC Instructors & Schools Committee Chairman and Clean Trust/IICRC Rug Cleaning Technician Technical Advisory Committee Chair. As such Mike Reed has been recognized by his peers as an Industry leader.
Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care is a state of the art Area rug and Oriental Rug cleaning facility. Reed has a large automated rug duster to remove the dirt (dry particulate matter) from the rugs. This “dusting” step is the key to getting the rugs clean and removing the abrasives that can cause a rug to wear out before its time. Then the rug is carefully washed to finish the cleaning process. Special care is paid to the fringe to get it clean without using bleach that can harm the foundation. Many Oriental Rug cleaners use bleach which causes the cotton to weaken so Austonian never takes these risky short cuts.
Once the rug is clean then it is put through a wringer to remove the majority of the water and then it is hung until dry. Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care takes great care to ensure a proper cleaning process.
If I were in Austin Texas Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎
Would be my first choice for Oriental Rug washing and cleaning.