Competition in Carpet Cleaning

          Broadly speaking, in Carpet Cleaning a cleaner is competing either to be the cheapest or to be the best.
These thoughts occurred to me lately while I was working on a client's home carpet. A neighbor of hers had called to say she had her 2000sf home cleaned for $150.00. My first thought was "Could I do that?"  
To come up with a "YES" answer what would I need to do?

       Time:   I would need to be in and out of the job in about 2 hours.  Now I spend more than 4 hours on a job that size.
         Chemicals:   I'd need to use cheaper chemicals- maybe over-the-counter broad spectrum soaps instead of the Free-Rinsing Detergents I currently use.
(The problem is that I know too many reasons why these cheap soaps should not be used)

    Fuel Costs: Turning down my temperatures from Steam to warm. Some of the laundry soaps are made for cold water - so that would help.

       Cleaning:  I'd need to wash over Animal Spots as if they were common soil instead of disinfecting, rinsing, and deodorizing.

      I would need to do away with the education and improvement budget and instead attend Marketing seminars where the language of "cheap" has become a religion.
I would need to do away with Business Insurance, Quality Check calls, and free offers.
      The Industry Standards that were developed to protect consumers could not be followed because they dictate steps too costly to implement.  
             (these involve knowledge and proper techniques for fiber and chemistry , behavior of soils in textiles, protection of  homeowners  investment. etc..)

        I couldn't permit myself the enjoyment of washing down baseboards and vents, and corners thick with dust, or making small repairs.
        I would not be allowed to stand back after a day's hard work and enjoy the GLOW of the TRANSFORMED and HEALTHY HOME knowing that I had used my knowledge and training, the
BEST PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT available, and mostly-
my Whole Heart in bringing this all to my client.

Can I mention- Your Carpet Cleaner finds Great JOY providing his service? He feels that "Life is too short!"

When budgets are an issue I can work out solutions with a client. If that is necessary I can make cuts in areas that don't compromise someone's health and happiness. The difference here is that we make decisions using KNOWLEDGE rather than a scarcity .

A Great Cleaner knows there is no way to get cheaper and cheaper without cutting corners, reducing quality, and cheating.

The Great Carpet Cleaner and the cheap carpet cleaner come from different worlds and really have a very hard time being friends because their ideologies clash.
The readers of this newsletter have not fallen for cheapness and have received good knowledgeable care on their textiles. We at USAC renew our commitment for out Work Integrity , Quality, and Truly Fair Pricing.