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Buyers' Guide > Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Chemicals & Equipment Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Chemicals & Equipment

Click below for a list of manufacturers who produce that product type.

Blowers (Carpet Drying)
Carpet & Upholstery Spot Remover/Kit Carpet (Dyes)
Carpet Anti-Soil Treatment
Carpet Anti-Static Products
Carpet Bonnets
Carpet Cleaning Chemicals
(Dry Compound and Foam)
Carpet Cleaning Chemicals( Encapsulation)
Carpet Cleaning Chemicals (Enzymes)
Carpet Cleaning Chemicals (Shampoo) Carpet Cleaning Chemicals (Water Extraction)
Carpet Extractors Carpet Extractors (Dry)
Carpet Machine Accessories
Carpet Machines (Encapsulation)
Carpet Pile Lifter
Carpet Protection Pads
Carpet Sweepers
Carpet Wands (Powered)
Cleaners (Rugs & Upholstery)
Magnet Attachment for Vacuums Motors (Vacuum Cleaner)
Upholstery Cleaning Hand Tools Upholstery/Drapery Cleaning Machines Vacuum Accessories (Bags, Filters, Hoses, Parts)
Vacuum Cleaners (Backpack)
Vacuum Cleaners (Battery) V
Vacuum Cleaners (Drum Top)
Vacuum Cleaners (Pile Lifter)
Vacuum Cleaners (Upright)
Vacuum Cleaners (Wet or Dry Pickup) 

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Carpet Cleaning Prices

Carpet Care / Encapsulant / Spot/Stain Removal /Equipment / Dyeing/Color Matching / Chemicals

Carpet Cleaning Pricing And Production Rates

By William R. Griffin and Gary Clipperton

MARCH 10, 2014

 

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On one hand, the pricing of a carpet cleaning job appears to be a simple mathematical calculation.

However, you may realize that there are numerous variables involved that will impact how long the job takes and which processes, chemicals and equipment will obtain the best results.

You also have to consider the condition of the carpet and the customer''s expectations.

In this article, we provide many different price and production rates.

Variables That Impact Time And Cost

Here''s a short list of some variables that should be taken into consideration when pricing a carpet cleaning job:

Is the work you are doing residential or commercial?Is it a big job or a small job?Is there anything special, out of the ordinary or unique about the job that will take more time?Are you doing interim cleaning or deep/restorative cleaning?What is the soil level and are spots present?Are pre-vacuuming, pile lifting or pre-spraying and agitation required?Are you hiring employees or using sub/independent contractors?Is it a one-time job or a repeat job you can do several times per year that will likely lead to additional work?

Are There Hidden Profit Opportunities?

What can you do to make the job more profitable than the cleaning itself that may allow you to be more competitive in your pricing?

This includes such things as: Repairs; spot removal; odor removal; furniture moving; topical treatments; disinfection or sanitization; inspection/consulting services; mini blind cleaning; ceiling cleaning; upholstery cleaning; and window cleaning.

Beyond carpet, are there opportunities for hard floor maintenance?

Evaluating Your Costs

Examine your costs for the following:

Profit: 20 to 400 percent or more for markup on labor and suppliesOverhead: 10 to 40 percent for markup on labor and supplies — 15 to 20 percent is commonLabor and staffing: 40 to 75 percentChemicals: 2 to 5 percentFuel: 2 to 6 percentEquipment: 2 to 8 percentSupplies: 2 to 3 percent.

Bidding And Estimating Strategies

Cost per square foot:Commercial: 4 to 25 cents for wet extraction; 3 to 15 cents for low-moisture interim processes.Note: Larger commercial work is often bid at a cost per square foot that is half or less than rates charged for residential jobs of 1,000 to 1,200 square feet.Time and materials:Set rate per hour and cost of supplies, $20 to $65 or more per hour, $100 minimum.By the hour:$25 to $65 or more per hour.Computerized bidding:Per program or user-definable, commercial and residential programs are available.Difficulty factor approach:A systematic approach to pricing involves tracking the production time for every job. In addition, the following difficulty factors can be assigned a weighted score to arrive at a composite score. With some tweaking, the total score can be totaled and divided by two. This computation then becomes your price per square foot.Soil loadStain removalFurniture to moveColor of carpetTotal square feetObstacles to go aroundCarpet cleaned on a regular scheduleNumerous small rooms to clean (congestion level)Pre-vacuum necessaryRake cut pile when finishedSetup and put away timeTotal score (divide by two to arrive at your final price per square foot).

Production Rates

Listed below are average production rates for various systems and processes.

Hot-water extraction (using a truckmount with wand): 600 to 1,400 square feet per hourHot-water extraction (using a truckmount with rotary wand): 800 to 1,500 square feet per hourHot-water extraction (using a portable/box unit with wand): 600 to 1,200 square feet per hourHot-water extraction (using a pull back/self-contained unit): 800 to 1,800 square feet per hourHot-water extraction followed by bonnet cleaning: 400 to 500 square feet per hourHigh-flow extraction rinse (with auto dump and fill): 1,500 to 2,500 square feet per hourEncapsulation (with an 18- to 20-inch planetary head): 1,500 to 2,000 square feet per hourEncapsulation (with an 18-inch cylindrical brush): 1,000 to 1,250 square feet per hourEncapsulation (dry foam with a 24-inch cylindrical brush and vacuum): up to 12,000 square feet per hourEncapsulation (with walk behind 12- to 15-inch machine with a cylindrical brush): 500 to 1,200 square feet per hourWalk behind extractor: 1,800 to 4,000 square feet per hourRiding extractor: 5,000 to 15,000 square feet per hourRotary shampoo (with a 17- or 20-inch/175 revolutions per minute (RPM) machine): 1,000 to 1,500 square feet per hourRotary shampoo and extract (with a 17- or 20-inch/175 RPM machine): 400 to 500 square feet per hourSpin bonnet (with a 17- or 20-inch/175 RPM machine): 1,500 to 2,500 square feet per hourDry absorbent powder: 750 to 1,500 square feet per hour at 2 to 7 or more cents per square foot for materials.

Vacuuming:

12- to 14-inch upright: 2,000 to 3,000 square feet per hour16- to 18-inch upright: 3,500 to 4,500 square feet per hour24-inch upright: 4,000 to 6,000 square feet per hourBackpack: 4,000 to 11,000 square feet per hourEdging: 2,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour.

Wide-area vacuum:

28- to 32-inch: 5,000 to 12,000 or more square feet per hour48-inch: 10,000 to 15,000 or more square feet per hour.

Pile lifting (16- to 18-inch):

1,500 to 2,500 square feet per hour3 to 4 cents per square foot.

Repairs And Spot Removal:

1,500 to 2,500 square feet per hour3 to 4 cents per square foot.Small, medium to large spots: $20 to $250 or moreRed stains: $20 to $60Urine: $50 to $1,000 or moreLoom oil: $65 to $600Adhesive: $50 to $85Roll crush: $50 to $300Other specialty spot removal: $30 to $250 or moreRepairs (re-stretch, seam repair, burns, patch, re-burl, etc.): $45 to $150 or up to $85 or more per hour.

Carpet Dyeing:

Spot: $30 to $100 or more per hourFull room: 20 cents to 45 cents per square foot — minimum charge of $100Side match/feather blend correction: $15 to $25 per linear foot — minimum charge of $250.

Topical Chemical Application:

Pre-spray (prior to cleaning): 1 to 3 cents per square foot at 4,000 to 6,000 square feet per hourDeodorizer: 10 to 30 cents a square footDisinfectants and sanitizers: 10 to 20 cents a square footAnti-stats: 7 to 10 cents a square footStain/soil repellant: 12 to 25 cents a square footRemove carpet: 15 to 30 cents a square footSell carpet, cushion and install: Markup of 30 to 40 percentInstall carpet: $4 to $6 a square yardMini blinds: $4 to $10 eachDraperies: Check local services rate per pleat, per linear foot or per poundUpholstery: $20 to $220 or more per item; $15 to $45 a linear footCeiling cleaning: 10 to 35 cents per footWindow cleaning: $35 to $55 per hour or per unit or jobHard floor maintenance: 5 cents to $1.35 a square footTile and grout cleaning/sealing: 75 cents to $2 a square footStone polish: $1.50 to $2.50 a square footStone restoration: $2.50 to $15 or more per square footInspections: $75 to $1,000 or moreConsulting: $85 to $250 per hourSpecialized cleaning services: $100 to $250 or more per hour or per job.

Specialty Rug Cleaning

Area Rugs:

Woven, Oriental, specialty and machine-made: $2 to $3 per square footHandmade: $2 to $3.50 per square footSpecialty rugs, furs, hides, silk: $4 to $5 per square footDomestic area/designer rugs: $1.58 per footPickup and delivery: $150 within 25 milesRepairs: $40 to $60 per hour.

Sales Commission

For cleaning technicians:

Hourly pay rate: $9 to $15 per hour, plus 5 to 7 percent of billable amount as commissionCommission only: 15 to 30 percent of billable amount, with company providing and paying for everything, except technician labor.

Sorry, No Magic Answer

There are many factors that enter into determining the final pricing for any job, carpet cleaning in particular.

Things like discounts for a large account, regularly programmed service schedules or traffic lane maintenance versus a one-time job are all factors that need to be taken into consideration when pricing each job.

As a professional, it is also good to discuss with each customer the value and importance of prevention as it relates to cost, re-cleaning and production.

Such things as adequate entry matting, topically-applied protectants, pile lifting, vacuuming, spotting, repairs and the need for a regular maintenance program are things that will benefit the customer and make your work easier the next time you clean the customer''s carpet.

Wm R. Griffin, president of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc., has over 25 years experience in the industry. He is the author of the Comprehensive Custodial Training Manual, How to Sell and Price Contract Cleaning, How to Start and Operate a Successful Cleaning Business and other books and manuals, as well as hundreds of industry-related articles. With years of business experience, Gary Clipperton authored the Contractor Training and Certification Program. With this home study course, National Pro Clean Corporation has helped establish over 300 new cleaning contractors in North America.

William Griffin is the president of Cleaning Consultant Services, Inc. He is an industry consultant, author, and trainer with more than 35 years of experience. Contact him at  wgriffin@cleaningconsultants.com or visitwww.cleaningconsultants.com.

Gary Clipperton, a 40-year industry veteran, is president ofNational Pro Clean Corp. and Pro Clean College. He has authored several books for cleaning supervisors and produced leading software for the cleaning industry. His company provides on-site and online training for carpet and floorcare. Clipperton can be reached at (719) 598-5112 orGary@NationalProClean.com.

Recent Articles by William R. Griffin

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