The authentic rug cleaner primarily utilizes the immersion method of cleaning, which is the best way of cleaning area rugs. [1]

Because of the risk, depth of knowledge, and attention required, specialty rug cleaners usually don’t clean carpets as well.

As family-owned businesses dedicated to establishing long-term relationships with their clients, expect the highest quality work possible at reasonable prices.

These are carpet cleaners, dry cleaners, or otherwise non-rug cleaners who decided that whatever tools they have at their disposal can also be used to clean area rugs.

They mean well, they just don’t know what they’re doing, and usually make things worse by permanently setting in stains and damaging the fiber of your rugs.

They may have nice reviews, but few are for their rug cleaning, and fewer yet for fine rugs, so expect lower prices but don’t expect clean.

A lot of “rug cleaners” are just middlemen too, but these are mainly retailers, lead generators, and go-getters who send your work elsewhere to be cleaned.

They may send it to a place like ours but since their work is done in bulk at a wholesale rate, it doesn’t receive the same attention to detail.

Expect higher prices than an authentic cleaner (they have to get their mark up in somehow) with a lower quality clean and customer care.

Unfortunately, there’s outright fraud in our industry: entities with invalid business licenses utilize fake reviews and even hack other companies’ websites and business listings to gain leads.

These guys have been accused of baiting and switching, sexually harassing their customers, and have even been known to take rugs from clients and request ransom to return them.

You can spot them from their non-existent physical addresses, which are usually friend’s houses or random office buildings, and their hyper-generic business names.