2023 First Quarter Newsletter
Recap of 2022 and thank you to our members!
First off, I want to say a big thank you to our members. ARCS is the organization it is today because of your efforts and continued support. We couldn’t do it without you!
2022 came and went in a blur of classes and events, wrapping up with the return of our favorite event, Rug-A-Palooza! 2023 is looking pretty bright as well! Read on for a recap of Rug-A-Palooza, highlights for the spring 2023 education schedule, details on the annual convention, and an overview of a renovation at Aladdin Rug Cleaning in San Antonio.
Rug-A-Palooza 2022 Recap
This past November brought the return of Rug-A-Palooza. The event was hosted graciously by Robert Mann Rugs in Denver, CO. We had an incredible line-up of speakers on day one, hands-on demonstrations on day two, and concluded with BYOB (Bring Your Own Boots) on day three. So much information was shared, knowledge gained and skills honed. John Bonath, photographer extraordinaire, captured the event and Robert Mann has an excellent blog post with all the details fit to print!
https://mannrugs.com/arcs-2022-rug-a-paloosa-conference/
https://johnbonath.com/
Upcoming Class Schedule
Spring Education Schedule:
Along with our online classes, we have two in-person classes scheduled for this spring. Limited space in each class. Sign up today!
Dye Strip/Finishing Combo Class
Dates: March 23-25, 2023
Location: Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN
Two-day intensive, hands-on dye correction class and a one-day hands-on finishing class. Participants get ample time to experience wash floor stripping, spot dye removal, and fringe color correction with reducing agents and oxidizers. The third day is a hands-on course that teaches you to evaluate a rug’s condition and assess what finishing procedures will make it look its best! Topics covered: stain removal, dry soil removal, stretching/blocking, grooming pile surfaces, shearing, and fringe treatment.
Member Registration
Non-Member Registration
Intermediate Wash Class
Dates: May 9-11, 2023
Location: Certified Clean Care in Athens, GA
A three-day course that blends classroom theory with hands-on practice. Students learn universally applicable cleaning techniques and get hands-on experience on everything from rug ID and cleaning strategies to finishing and spotting skills.
Member Registration
Non-Member Registration
2023 Annual Convention - Dallas, TX
April 19-22, 2023
Get your boots and cowboy hats ready because the 2023 ARCS Annual Convention is coming to Dallas! Join us from April 19th through the 22nd for a jam-packed event.
Wednesday, April 19th – Arrive in Dallas in time for our welcome happy hour at the hotel.
Thursday, April 20th – Our business day is full of presentations and discussions on topics ranging from training your customer service reps to transitioning ownership of a rug cleaning business to capital improvements in rug cleaning plants.
Friday, April 21st – Get ready for some Texas-sized hospitality as we visit three rug plants in the Dallas area: Dalworth Rug Cleaning, Stanley Steemer, and Oriental Rug Cleaning Co.
Do not miss this opportunity to visit with your fellow rug cleaners, see some great plants, and fine-tune your business and cleaning skills! Registration is live!
Aladdin's Magical Renovation
By: Meg WalkerBefore we begin the renovation story, let me tell you a little bit about Aladdin…
We are a typical old school MOR Wash Plant, however we are not the typical 4th generation rug washers. Aladdin has had 3 owners, none of them rug washers. Aladdin began in 1956, and in 1963 we purchased our first MOR Equipment, a fully automated washer-rinser ringer, a flatbed duster, and a 40-pole heated dry room. Up until just a few years ago, this is all we had.
In 1996, Bob Spalten, the current owner came on board and expanded our service lines to include air duct cleaning, tile & grout cleaning and 24-hour fire/water restoration. We already had carpet and upholstery cleaning along with a six-station drapery dry cleaning equipment. In 1998 we expanded our service area and opened an office in New Braunfels, Texas. In 2010 we opened another office in Boerne, TX, both about 30 minutes from San Antonio. Between 2017 and 2019 we purchased some much needed, new rug washing equipment- a Rug Duster and Centrifuge, both drastically improving our rug cleaning capabilities. If anyone has transitioned from the flatbed “beater” duster, its life changing, the reduction in noise and improvement in dust removal is amazing. One of my favorite pieces of equipment ever. And I have to thank Tom Monahan and Centrum Force for making ours Aladdin Red!
As we all know, with 2020 came Covid Pandemic and with that came the PPP Loan… We’ve always had hopes and dreams of replacing our 1960’s ringer and when our accountant gave us the go ahead, my first call was to Tom Monahan! Thus, began a quick, unplanned, extensive renovation.
Luckily, as ARCS Members, we have access to an extensive network of rug cleaners that have been through changes, renovations and upgrades. We began with reading Jordan King, of Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis Certified Rug Specialist Paper on Planning, Designing & Executing a Small Rug Cleaning Plant. Next, we sent our plant manager, Damon Fortenberry and his associate, Levi Nolen to Santa Barbara to meet with Mike Jensen of Starr Rug Cleaners and check out his MOR Machine, which just happened to be the same model we purchased. Next, they visited Kash Sobhe, of Rug Ideas in Los Angeles, who as luck would have it, just opened a new plant! From the floor (concrete/epoxy), electrical, water and installation complexities of a new machine, these guys not only educated us but saved us from countless headaches!
We had planned the original renovation to begin after our annual 2 for 1 sale. However, mother nature disagreed with our plans and the 2021 “Snowvid” Freeze delayed us for several months due to a massive influx of business. South Texas was not prepared for a weeklong snowstorm and freeze, we literally had rugs stacked to the ceiling in every available space of the building.
When we finally could see the light at the end of the tunnel, we shut down the plant and began the reno! The initial timeline was to shut down the wash floor for 15 days and wash rugs in the parking lot. We have a large concrete pad in our back lot that we normally use for drying rugs. Our dry room and centrifuge are separate from the wash floor so that helped keep us productive and from falling too far behind. And many thanks to our contractor, Emilio Monsivais for sticking to the timeline, not only did he finish on time, but under budget!
We began taking apart the old machine several months prior to install, basically removing everything except the basic rinse ringer function during breaks. However, it took 3 days and about 20 people to fully dismantle and haul off that beast. Next, we installed new lighting and new floor drains. We installed a trench drainage system that integrated with the slight forward right slant of our 1960’s concrete slab floor. The drain runs about 12 inches from the exterior wall and runs 20 ft. The drain runs into our large commercial drain box on the other side of the wash floor. Once the drain was in, we evened out the floor and the many holes that formed over the last 50+ years with several additional layers of concrete. Then, we began the epoxy process, we used a solvent based Pigment Epoxy from ConDecor and a Poly Chem Gloss for the topcoat. In hindsight, we should have mixed some sand to give the floor a slight texture, but everyone wanted the rugs to slide, so we just bought some fancy nonskid boots to keep everyone safe!
For the lighting and new machine, we decided to do some electrical upgrades. We installed a new panel, breakers, circuits, and outlets. The MOR needs 3 phase power, which we had but replaced. We also installed 4 230-volt outlets for pressure washers along our back wall. We like Northern Tools: North Star 3000 PSI, cold water, 2.5 gallons per minute unit. Back to the lighting, we installed ten 165-watt LED Bay Lights with 22,000 Lumens each at a color temperature of 5,000k and a 0–10-volt dimmer. And what a difference it all makes, much brighter and much safer.
Once the floor cured, it was time to move our new 16ft. MOR Rinse Ringer into its new home. Special thanks to DFW Movers & Erectors, in addition to moving the machine, they also stored it for us for about 6 months! Once the machine was in place, the final plumbing and electrical touches were made. Again, I can’t stress the importance of the pre-planning and detail that went into all of this. Even with it, we ran into several unexpected issues, like working with the 3” water supply lines that were original to the building, and not when we bought it in 1956, but when Sunkist Bottling Company started in 1920!
At the end of the day, we couldn’t be more pleased with the renovation. The new Rinse Ringer’s technology is more advanced and efficient, our water bill has been cut almost in half. The cleaning capability is extraordinary, rugs literally come out practically dry, the difference is simply amazing to watch. The epoxy floor has changed the environment, our plant smells so clean and it’s so much fun to watch rugs being washed on the new floor. And talk about some good “oddly satisfying” videos, it’s been great for our advertising strategy as well.
As with most renovations, the projects seem never-ending… once we completed the wash plant, we decided it was time to upgrade our repair facility, an old 1950’s warehouse. Stay tuned for more on that in our next newsletter!
Spec Info:
Trench Drain:
https://www.trenchdrainsupply.com/proddetail.asp?prod=CPS100-20
Epoxy:
https://concretefloorsupply.com/product/epoxy-flow-100-all-day/?attribute_epoxy-all-day=3+Gallon+Kit+(+2+Part+A+to+1+Part+B)&gclid=Cj0KCQjws4aKBhDPARIsAIWH0JXcKagQwD3z2gkJ6woVYdimJ4bVMTVirS1wXLD8ClW9DcG9xoNvKcgaAj4EEALw_wcB
Pressure Washers:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200888194_200888194
See More Renovation Photos!
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