We have already explored the business idea of carpet cleaning and the less expensive start up version of area rug cleaning.
But if the approximate $1,000.00 start up cost for the area rug cleaning business idea is still to steep for you, the cost to get started with Old World Upholstery Cleaning is less than $400.00.
And that’s including a vacuum. If you already have one you could get started for around $200.00.
Of course that’s assuming you have decent transportation, but most people have a car or truck. And you won’t need a big vehicle because you won’t be transporting a lot of equipment.
So what is Old World Upholstery Cleaning?
Well I’ll tell you a little story. As you know if you have read the
Effective Carpet Cleaning
or
Area Rug Cleaning
articles, my friend has had a carpet cleaning business for over 20 years.
Now as much as we love our carpet cleaning system, it doesn’t really work for upholstery cleaning.
The machinery is just too bulky to try and sit it on a couch or chair and move it around. Almost comical to think of really.
So we researched other upholstery cleaning methods as we get regular requests for this service along with the carpet cleaning.
And it’s a great way to add to another income stream to your business.
But we were disappointed in our search. Most of the machines we researched had the same drawbacks as some of the carpet cleaning methods we despised. If you used a machine that sprayed shampoo into the upholstery and then you tried to rinse it out, you couldn’t get all the residue out and that would just make things worse over the long run.
And if you used dry chemicals, you basically were just “hiding or masking the dirt” and eventually it would resurface and look even worse.
So one day I happened to see some advertising materials from a fellow Carpet Care Systems cleaner. And he mentioned his “Old World Upholstery Cleaning Services.”
I called him up right away and asked him just what he used to clean upholstery. And his answer – good old fashioned elbow grease!
Yes he cleaned upholstery by hand using terry cloth cotton towel mitts dampened in warm water and the carpet cleaning solution sprayed onto the upholstery to be cleaned.
It’s basically the human equivalent of the carpet care systems machine, but you get to be the machine.
And is it effective?
The answer is yes, and it’s not as hard as it sounds. I have worked with my husband on some jobs where he cleaned the carpet and I cleaned the sofas and it’s really simple.
You get a good upper body workout, the sofa, loveseat, or chair gets clean, and the customer is very happy.
Now the advantages of starting an upholstery cleaning business are many.
1. This business idea can be started fairly inexpensively. As small business ideas go, $200 to $400 is a low start up cost.
2. You can be seen as a specialist if you offer this service and make the fact that you “hand clean” the upholstery an asset in your marketing.
3. This is an easy business to start, and you have the flexibility of scheduling the jobs around your family’s needs. You could even do cleaning at night if necessary.
4. The supplies you need can be purchased easily from
Argosheen.
Visit their website for more info and give them a call. They have the terry towel mittens for $4.00 each and a gallon of Argosheen costs $14.00 and goes a long way with upholstery cleaning. Buy a good quality spray bottle at your local hardware store, bring your vacuum with attachments and a pail to wet your towels in and you are set. (Bring another pail for your dirty towels too.)
5. This would be a very eco-friendly green business. Argosheen is a non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning solution which is friendly to the environment with no toxic chemical smell, and everything else is just water.
6. Everyone has sofas and chairs and not very many people know how to keep them clean. And most sofas and chairs are made of durable upholstery fabrics that are easy to clean.
If you think this business idea might be a good fit for you be sure to do your research and acquaint yourself with fibers and materials used in different upholstery fabrics.
I would not recommend using this method on expensive materials like silk or wool or linen. And if you are not sure, test your cleaning on an inconspicuous area of the furniture to be cleaned first.
Or just say no! Better to turn a job down than to have to replace an expensive piece of furniture, or pay to have it reupholstered.
But the majority of people will have regular sturdy wearing upholstery fabrics on their furniture to be cleaned and you will find it easy to clean.
It also pays to become more familiar with stain removal procedures, but in all honesty, we have found that Argosheen removes the majority of stains we encounter, especially on upholstery.
The one notable exception is rust, and there is a product called “Wink” that you can get in any hardware store that takes rust stains right out.
Now marketing this idea would be easy too.
Print up attractive flyers and start posting them anywhere you can. Let friends and family know about your services and offer to do some furniture for free to get some practical experience and get word of mouth buzz started.
Be sure to get a dedicated phone line and directory listings both in the phone book and on the internet.
For more marketing ideas and good information about cleaning fibers I would recommend reading the Effective Carpet Cleaning and Area Rug Cleaning Articles.
