We have decided to investigate drape cleaning. I understand where many CC'ers sit with regard to this service. I am NOT asking about if we should do it...instead, i AM asking about what, if anything, the posters here KNOW about the service and equipment.

I am currently looking at
US Products
Bane Clean
Kleenrite.

Rick, do you sell one or more of these and do you have a source for education regarding drape cleaning?

We sell Kleenrite products.

Unfortunately I don't have a source for education on this topic.

However I did hear John Watson share some thoughts at Yasser's Winterfest a few years ago. He said that he was having great success cleaning draperies on the rod using a Chemical Sponge. http://www.spongeco.com After cleaning the drapery with the sponge, he would mist it with a freshener/scent so it smelled clean too. John claimed that it worked really well and that he safely cleaned draperies all the time using this simple method. I haven't tried it myself, but it sounded intriguing to say the least.








Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Jon-Don sells a book on upholstery and drapes.

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

This is what I posted on 2-5-08 under HWE Question which was a question about drapes.


Drapes February 5 2008, 5:25 PM


Buy yourself a small portable DRY CLEANING machine. Add dry cleaning solution, turn on and get hot and it sort of looks like steam when it comes out. Clean drapes in place and charge by the pleat. The machines look like small spotter machines. Probably run about $300- $450. Instructors showed us how to clean during our S/M training.


Do a google search for drapery cleaning and check out the major distributors for machines.

Here is what I do

Send them to a dry cleaner I have a relationship with
I get a discount, mark up the price and be done with it.

Everyone wins and I do not have to worry about ruining someones nice drapes

David

Many "drapes" or "window treatments" cannot be removed without damage.

We are interested in the service where we perform...the service onsite.

Rick, Kleenrite makes a dry cleaning machine. Can you get this machine?

This video runs about 12 minutes but has a lot of good information for someone who wants to get into this business. These machines also come in handy for those delicate Dry Solvent cleanable only upholstery. You can charge at least $30 more for upholstery cleaning than you can for wet cleanable upholstery.




http://www.on-sitecorp.com/buspkg.html

Ed York taught me that they were "Draperies" not drapes (which is what you do when you lay them over the back of a chair" I have owned and used two Bane Drapery cleaning machines and one Kleenrite machine and they cost over $3000 each now. You will have to use OMS in them and wear a mask and vent the machines to the outside after making sure their are no children or pets in the area. There is no way I would ever go back to doing that again. We do clean Draperies now but with a different method, like John Watson and Howard Partridge do now. Go on Howards Clean as a Whistle web site and it pretty much explains it.

We did see that video..it is an awesome one.

I will check out the website.

We used to clean drapes when I worked with another company. Not much demand in my area, though. We had a US products machine that we put dry cleaning fluid in and sprayed it on the drapes and extracted it off. I wasn't much fun holding your arm above your head all day long. When we had a lot of drapes to clean we would switch have a couple of guys on the job to switch off every now and then.

The worst was cleaning some 30' tall drapes in a dormitory lobby. We had scaffolding and it was still difficult cleaning those things.

The more I hear that fewer people are doing this...the more I get excited.

My shoulders hurt when I first did window cleaning. Swinging a squeegee all day burned my hands, fingers, back, feet.

When i first started high rise, my legs and buttocks hurt from the harness.

Carpet cleaning hurt my back.

Now? My right butt cheek hurts from my wallet. It might be time to turn the other cheek.

You guys keep letting me know what you don't want to do anymore

Phil if you feel this is a direction you want to go then go for it full bore and do not let anyone stop you.

As I stated we hooked up with a dry cleaning co. they do drapery cleaning in plant and on site. I call them they do the work I get a cut, we can concentrate on what make our company the most money.
Like you I never let anything or one sway me once I made the decision to pull the rip cord on something.

What is Howard Partridge's web site?

Thanks

Brad Lewis
Surface Solutions Inc

www.cleanasawhistlehouston.com

Kevin Kluth
Pinnacle Cleaning
www.dryinonehour.com
www.fullerdirect.com/0704120

i just bring them to the cleaners . and charge double for it

Even the ones that can not be removed?

Phil 99% of the time they can be removed if you have the proper set up and the crew to remove them, sometimes it is easier to keep them in place and do the job on site. That is why i deal with company who does these things all the time. They know better then I do.

We must have way different markets. The entire reason we are looking into this is because the Interior Decorators have clearly stated...to me...out loud...that the high-end drapes and window covering they do C A N N O T be removed. Hence: They must be cleaned in place. Now, I do admit that most drapes in most homes (whatever that might be) may be easily removed....these simply can not. Otherwise...I would do as many have suggested and take them down.

I am not talking about simple little synthetic shears here...I am talking about the treatments Hunter Douglas...or Custom made....windows covering and such.

Phil
if the decorator says do not take them down, then I would listen to them. Even if they could be taken down why would you?

Here is the reason, since you are referred into the situation by the decorator your prices can be adjusted up, You are the expert and trusted by someone the client values.

Two you can make up you price more because you have to do them on site due to the fact they cannot be taken down. A double bonus for your company.

We probably do live in much different markets, my area has many different income and affluent sections. you can go from high end to lower income in a 15 mile stretch, sometimes less.

Again I have always subbed this kind of work out, but then I have a prosthetic in my dominant arm so I cannot lift it over my head.
Makes drape cleaning a *itch