I’m Ruth Travis aka the “Rug Lady” and I’m a “Rug-a-holic.” Of course, if you know me, you already know that I’m quite obsessed with or even “addicted to rugs.” However, if you don’t know me let me introduce myself and explain how I became “hooked.”

I’ve been in love with fabric and textiles all my life and actually received a BS degree in Textiles from the University of Tennessee. In 1985 I was hired as the Manager of a Fiberseal franchise in Chattanooga, TN and without taking any classes,

I have to admit, I have a passion for rugs; hence the nickname “Rug Lady.” I consider rugs “artwork for the floor.” I owned and operated a retail rug store for five years and became familiar with all types and styles of rugs, both old and new. Unfortunately, living so close to Dalton, GA, the carpet capital of the world, I couldn’t compete with the “big boys” and finally closed my store. But while in business, I acquired literally hundreds of rugs, several of which I still have in my home. They

Rugs, carpet . . . if they’re made of wool, what’s the difference?  They both require the very best cleaner that money can buy . . . well, that money can hire. 

Problem is, most carpet cleaners – even the good ones – clean mostly synthetic carpet in their day-to-day operation.  Good old durable, color-fast nylon, polyester or olefin, using a good old high-pH (about a gazillion!) traffic lane cleaner that’ll take the hide off a water buffalo. 

“So what’s the problem?” you

O.K.!  You've got the biggest, most powerful, super suckin’, cleaning machine in town.  You use the best cleaning solutions known to mankind, or at least that’s what you’ve been told.  You’ve been to all the courses about carpet and upholstery cleaning.  You’ve read all the industry-related magazines front to back.  Your supplier has taught you all he knows about chemicals and procedures . . . so, you can handle anything procedurally that comes along.  BUT WAIT! . . . No one's calling

Ours industry is made up of numerous trustworthy, hard working individuals who are dedicated to protecting the health and safety, as well as, valuable furnishings of many people.  As such, we develop very special relationships with our customers.  We have access to the personal areas of their homes and offices, most often with no direct supervision from them, at all.  They trust us so much that they literally open their homes or offices to us so that we may perform cleaning or restoration

I was invited to attend a luncheon of the Middle Tennessee Flooring Association the other day.  The guest speaker was Brain Warren with Mohawk Floor Care and his topic was “Branding Your Company.”  Although he was talking to flooring retailers, his message could have easily been directed to professional cleaning companies as well.

He asked the audience who they thought their residential “target market” was and after several wrong guesses from the mostly male audience, he quoted some

As you may know, I ran a fabric cleaning business in Chattanooga,Tennessee for about 15 years.  And now I’m back working in the “business” again in Denver. I maintained a lot of repeat customers over the years and was very successful.  I attribute my business accomplishments to a few simple things . . . consistently hard work, persistence and trying very hard to avoid some costly mistakes I see other cleaning companies do all the time. 

Those mistakes typically include:

1. No

I love pets.  As a “kid” I grew up with dogs, cats, horses, cows, ducks, chickens and even quail.  At one time I was “supporting” thirteen outdoor cats (I’m a sucker for strays), two indoor cats, three dogs and two horses. 

I also love rugs.  I owned a rug store for five years and have accumulated quite a few Orientals and other wool and synthetic rugs that cover the hardwood and tile floors in my home. Unfortunately, rugs and pets don’t mix!  No matter how careful I was in keeping

Rug experts agree that in-plant rug cleaning is highly recommended for proper maintenance of Orientals and other loose-laid rugs. They should not be cleaned on location like synthetic, wall-to-wall carpet for many reasons:

• Rug fibers are very different from those found in residential and commercial broadloom carpet. There is far more natural fiber such as wool, cotton, silk and jute used in rugs than in broadloom carpet.
• Backings are very different, as natural foundation yarns are more