Welcome fellow rug cleaners to the 21st century! We are at a time in history where information on just about anything and everything is but a click away. Yes, I am talking about the internet. Want to build a deck? Click click, you have plans, supplies needed, and how-to’s. Want to know the population of Estonia? Click click, you have access to census and private outlet data. Want to know how far it is to a desired destination? Click click, you have the distance, estimated travel time and a list of eateries and hotels with discounts just for you. What about rug cleaning? Are there resources on the internet that can help us improve our operations or maybe help us figure out a tough cleaning issue?

Rug cleaning was for a very long time a very “hush-hush” type of business. You didn’t tell anybody outside of your company what actually went on in your wash plant. To this day, there are people who covet their rug cleaning secrets. Fortunately, there are others who have become more forthcoming with their knowledge in hopes of advancing the industry as a whole and combatting the public’s misconceptions. A great deal of this information is available on the web, though it may take more creativity to find than simply typing “Armenian rug cleaning secrets” into Google. This article highlights some of the different e-resources available, relating directly to our industry as well as indirect sources that might not immediately come to mind.

By now you are probably familiar with social media and networking. Forums, blogs, Facebook, and YouTube are a few of the ways people are coming together over the web. Over the last ten years, these social media sites have fundamentally changed the way we relate to each other on both a personal and professional level. Our ability to connect with individuals of similar interests is no longer limited to our immediate vicinity but can literally stretch across the globe. This makes social media a powerful tool for rug cleaners and rug enthusiasts to share experience and expertise.

Most prefer Facebook because it allows you to connect with both individuals and groups of people with like interests. Some of these groups will be “open” meaning anyone can join. Other groups are “closed” meaning you have to be approved by the group’s administrator to access and share content. Because groups of interest to the cleaner are so numerous, using Facebook’s search feature is not the best way to identify which ones are right for you. The most interesting content I’ve found has come from Facebook’s algorithmic recommendations and my connections to professional colleagues. To find out what groups a “friend” is involved in, you can visit their personal page and click on their “about” tab.

Some of the best rug groups I belong to are “What is My Rug”, “Woolsafe North America Service Providers”, and “Persian to Navajo rugs” to name a few. Others that may be of interest are “Turkmen Woven Arts…”, “The Weftkickers”, “Academy of Oriental Rugs”, “Carpet Merchants Worldwide” and “Rug Appraisals”. These are a small sampling of the groups available to the rug professional that can be not only helpful but fun. I’ve seen some incredibly beautiful rugs grace the pages of these groups and been a “virtual witness” to scholarly debates by some of the most knowledgeable rug people in the world. One can also keep up easily with classes and upcoming events from multiple groups and individuals.

Blogs are another useful form of social media. Blogs are web pages run by individuals who contribute written and visual material in formal or conversational style. There are numerous blogs on rug related topics. A few that come to mind are “rugmaster.blogspot.com” by Dr. Khosrow Sobhe, “Rugchick.com” by Lisa Wagner, and “persiancarpetguide.com” by Barry O’Connell. Blogs can offer a wealth of information and the writer’s opinions and interpretations of that information on many facets of the rug industry such as rug identification, cleaning tips and techniques, market trends, and educational opportunities.

YouTube is popular form of visual social media. In fact, YouTube is the number one “How-to” site in the world with a vast array of video offering instruction on almost anything. Rug related how-to’s on this site will not be comprehensive but can be informative. You can tour many different wash plants as well as see a variety of wash processes all from the comfort of your office. In addition to manufacturers’ demo videos, individuals often post video of themselves using equipment and products in real world situations, making it a valuable tool when contemplating purchasing decisions. In addition to these promotional videos, there are videos on rug repair, rug identification, and rug dyeing to name a few.

Due to its popularity, social media is one of the largest resources for the rug cleaner but it’s important to know its limitations. The content is only as good as the individual/s posting it. For this reason it is important that the sources can be trusted. Remember, just because it’s on the internet does not make it true. In addition to some excellent information, the web is filled with opinions, educated guesses, misrepresented information, inexperienced input and outright lies. When considering content, it’s important to remember it is a “reader beware” environment. Secondly, while there is a great deal of information on a wide range of topics available. Finding that content can be extremely time consuming and inefficient. For that reason, the information is used most reliably to slowly increase one’s knowledge and not necessarily as a problem solving tool.

Because this article is for the ARCS newsletter, I’m hoping most of us are already familiar with the ARCS forum. Collectively, ARCS’ members have well over 1000 years of combined rug cleaning experience available through the member forum on the its website. This makes the forum a great resource for everything we face in our day-to-day operations. Members can login and get help on topics ranging from rug ID and cleaning questions to employee management and supply chain issues. With all this experience, you might expect the forum to be bursting at the seams with info. This is just not the case. The combination of the high skill level of many ARCS members, the interpersonal relationships members build with each other and a certain amount of intimidation of asking the “dumb” questions keeps the ARCS forum fairly lean on content. Members typically turn to the forum when they have a very specific question they need answered or when other resources turn up dry. For that reason, it can be a great resource for the rug cleaner should they ever need it.

By nature, we are creatures of habit. It is no different when it comes to our rug cleaning operations. Over the years we determine what works for us, what we like to do and generally do not vary much. With the increase in the number of people doing rug cleaning today, we are seeing more and more manufacturers of equipment, supplies, and chemicals. These manufacturers have websites that are valuable resources for seeing what is new and interesting in the rug care world. Equipment manufacturers will often post demonstration videos of their equipment and some will offer customization services that the general public doesn’t even know are available. Most major and many minor chemical companies now have extensive product lines solely for rug cleaning. I regularly visit their websites and peruse the rug cleaning products and supplies, occasionally coming across a product that I was unaware of that may benefit our operation. This market research added several products to our arsenal that makes our job easier and more effective. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised to find a few hand tools that we were fabricating ourselves available for order, saving me time and often money. Don’t overlook manufacturer’s websites as they are great assets to stay abreast of our constantly evolving industry.

We’ve covered some sources that are directly related to rugs and rug cleaning but there are just as many indirectly related sources that can be of great value. “LiveAuctioneers.com” is a website that allows users to bid on auctions all over the world. It also allows users to search past auctions displaying the actual hammer price of goods. I use this website to check real world sale prices of commonly encountered rugs. This is far more beneficial than a dealer’s asking price, which may have little bearing to actual consummated sales. While these prices were traditionally considered to be wholesale, since the advent of the internet, I know many dealers who complain about going to auctions only to bid against their own customers for the best rugs. In fact, the most expensive documented sale of a rug was at a Sotheby’s auction in 2013. This site allows you to search by rug name, specific auction or geographic location which is a nice feature.

Art supply and dye websites can be another source of useful information. Many of us perform dye bleed correction and redyeing in our plant. This is as much art as it is science. It makes sense that websites geared toward artists, art supplies, and dyeing can be helpful. Earth Guild, Dharma Trading Company, and Jacquard Products are art supply companies whose websites contain products for textiles including dyes, dye removers, textile paints, and textile markers. Often these sites will contain instructions, tips, and even videos on how to use certain products. Dyeing websites and blogs like “dyeingworld.com” provide valuable information on dyeing different materials and textiles as well as dye removal and bleaching techniques for various fibers. Sites like these will commonly have links to other websites and suppliers that can be helpful as well.

The internet has proven to be a useful resource in many areas of life, including rug cleaning. Whether it is our trade association forum, various public social media outlets or suppliers’ websites, there is a vast amount of useful information to help us elevate our operations if we are willing to look. It may not always be apparent or comprehensive, but the little tidbits can really make a difference. So go forth my friends, into the world-wide-interweb and click yourself into a better rug professional.