724 posts, read 557,634 times 2,749 posts, read 2,726,471 times 19,599 posts, read 40,330,690 times CrazyReligiousCult - CarpetCleaningCabal - YouTube 20,921 posts, read 33,566,939 times 12,965 posts, read 19,681,856 times 13,597 posts, read 14,554,324 times 25,674 posts, read 53,192,649 times 2,501 posts, read 2,407,294 times Originally Posted by Tac-Sea start a business you actually know something about or where you have contacts in the industry. home inspectors make good money but there's only so many homes being sold and re market is down. most inspectors ive met have a wife who's a realtor or works with a bank so you can get contacts. your starting from scratch and nobody knows you. also most inspectors are either former or current contractors or construction guys who already have a knowledge of homes, problems, how to fix hings, etc. as for your carpet cleaning business you'll be laughed out of most houses showing up with a rug doctor.

rug doctors are not professional equipment and odnt do a very good job. even the bissel green machine which is a rental machine from lowes is better than a rug doctor. these have narrow tracks so it will take you forever to clean plus it wont do a professional job. you are right about competition being stiff. some guys like russel martin will charge a few hundred bucks for a room but they have top notch equip and do a great job. you can find guys on craigslist for like 10 bucks a room who still do a really nice job. if you plan on using a rug doctor you could maybe advertise on craigslist and offer dirt cheap pricing but no respectable carpet cleaning biz uses a rug doctor. one other thing to add. you really have no know your chemicals because you can change the collor or ruin peoples carpet using the wrong chemicals and that is out of your pocket to replace unless you have a bond or insurance. 1,687 posts, read 1,585,577 times Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

If you show up to my door with your rug doctor, I would not let you in.Posted on Jun 18, 2012 by FBiframes You need to Create a basic Facebook timeline fan page; “How can I get more likes?” I’m not a big fan of trying to see how many “likes” you can get on your businesses Facebook page, I prefer business owners to be more focused on utilizing Facebook to drive relationships, engagement, and activity back to your actual brand. Now you can entice visitors to become fans by offering them something in return. Perhaps do a contest where you pull one or two winners or you could also offer everyone who enters a coupon for a certain amount or a percentage off your services.  They have to “like” your page to enter, so now when you send out information; it becomes part of their daily news feed. All of their friends will also see it, and that can only help with your success. Two ways to create “likes” is to offer a “fan only” coupon or sweepstakes/giveaway.

Lead Generation for Direct Marketing Many people are familiar with post cards and flyers when marketing carpet cleaning. Being able to delivering your message directly to your customer’s hands can be extremely efficient.  Research shows that direct marketing campaigns can see about a 5% return on investment. Of course, nowadays there a few choices as to where that “mail” can be sent.T Shirt Gangster Utilizing Facebook as a lead generation component can be very inexpensive and also help you ensure that you are spending marketing dollars on qualified leads.  Atv Light Bulb Application ChartDeveloping a solid and targeted mailing list, and delivering to them a compelling and nicely designed coupon will help gain your potential client’s attention.Riding Lawn Mower Tires Cheap

Your job is to continue to fuel the fire by giving your customers good returns for referring your business and continue to reward loyal customers, especially when they bring you new customers.  Send coupons out to your customer base on a regular schedule. Your customers will help you by forwarding your coupons to their contacts while also helping your build your customer base. Be sure to customize the “custom fields” in our Lead Generation or Sweepstakes/Giveway app to develop and gain the needed contact information for you to run successful direct marketing campaigns. A few things to remember:Check out our Facebook Page, our blog, or contact us and we will respond quickly.Mother Earth News Blogs Building for the future, today – combining the best of historical wisdom and modern technology. I'm a clean freak, but with a husband who works on heavy equipment, a Great Dane, and two children, plenty of dirt gets tracked into my home (plus sand, snow, gravel, and grease).

This is why I use outdoor rugs to catch dirt before it comes into my house. That's the idea, anyhow! I ask my family to wipe their feet and take off their shoes before entering the house. Most of the time, they listen. The outdoor rugs that line my garage and mud room, in turn, get filthy and need a good cleaning every now and again-a cleaning that usually goes beyond just vacuuming. Whether or not you need to hire a professional carpet cleaner depends on what your outdoor rug is made of; some are wool, cotton or natural fibers that can easily be discolored or damaged. Always check to see what your rug is made of and spot test a small area. I clean my outdoor rugs (after sweeping and vacuuming) with a combination of eco-friendly dish soap, white vinegar and baking soda. I spot clean stains with the dish soap and then sprinkle with baking soda, spray some vinegar and then scrub with an outdoor broom. Some stains require more scrubbing than others! When the weather is nice, I hose off my outdoor rugs, after spot cleaning, and let them dry in the sunlight.

Often times, the sunlight will bleach out any stains. This is how I've always cleaned my outdoor rug, as well as those we use for car camping in the summer. I've had great luck, but I was curious what a professional carpet cleaner would advise, so I reached out to Jeff Voorhies of Voorhies Cleaning and Restoration. Jeff's a go-to guy for all carpet cleaning and stains and he had some excellent advice for naturally cleaning outdoor rugs. He reminded me that most outdoor rugs are made of synthetic fibers, like olefin or polypropylene. And like your indoor rugs, they can be professionally cleaned or cleaned using a carpet cleaner, but if you want to go the natural route, Jeff suggests a couple of recipes and procedures: For stains on carpet or rugs, sprinkle dry baking soda followed by vinegar and let bubble. Then, agitate this stain solution lightly with a brush. After this stain treatment has been given 15 minutes to work, it can be vacuumed out (use a Shop-Vac) or wiped away with rags.

Mix 1/8 cup of baking soda per gallon of hot water. Stir well to dilute baking soda. Add this solution to a carpet cleaning machine and follow directions for cleaning and drying. This solution will act as a natural cleaner and deodorizer for your carpet. So there you have it-an easy solution for cleaning your outdoor carpets. If you're like me and you have dirty outdoor rugs, the first days of spring are a great time to give them a good cleaning. You'll be amazed at the dirt they've collected! Sommer Poquette, the Green and Clean Mom, writes all sorts of cleaning tips for The Home Depot. Sommer's advice for outdoor rug cleaning will come in handy as the warmer days of spring begin to settle in. View outdoor rugs available from Home Depot's Home Decorators collection. All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Best Practices, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. To learn more about the author of this post, click on the byline link at the top of the page.