CarpetBossPro Blog — Tech App

Upholstery, Area Rug and Tile Steps on the Carpet Tech's Checklist

Very few carpet jobs are only carpet. The customer who books three bedrooms also wants the sectional done. The move-out cleaning includes the kitchen tile. The living room has a wool rug on the hardwood that needs its own attention. Each of those is extra work and extra revenue, and each one needs to show up on the tech's phone so it does not get missed.

The Same Rule as Other Add-Ons

Pet odor, protector and deodorizer are covered in Add-On Steps That Only Appear When They Were Sold: Pet Odor, Protector and Deodorizer. Upholstery, area rugs and tile follow the same rule: the step appears on the checklist only when that work is on the job.

In the carpet job details, upholstery, area rug, mattress and tile & grout are checkboxes alongside the rooms. When one is checked, the job card shows it and the checklist shows a step for “Upholstery / area rug / tile cleaned” covering what is on the job. When none are checked, the step stays hidden and the checklist is a straight carpet job.

Upholstery

Upholstery is the most common extra on a residential carpet job. A sofa, a loveseat, a pair of recliners or a sectional each take real time, and they often need different tools from the carpet. Many companies price them by the piece from their service list, such as $129 for a sofa.

For the tech, the important things are knowing which pieces are on the ticket and finding out anything special during the walk-through. A customer who says “just the sofa” at the door when the estimate listed the sofa and the loveseat is worth a note, so the office can adjust the invoice. Fabric matters a great deal for upholstery, and checking care tags and following your company's fabric procedures is part of the job. The app does not replace that training. It makes sure the tech knows the upholstery is there.

Before-and-after photos are especially useful on upholstery. Arm rests and seat cushions show the difference clearly, and the customer can see the photos in the customer app.

Area Rugs

Area rugs come in two flavors on a carpet route. Some are part of a bigger job, like a rug in the living room of a house getting wall-to-wall cleaning. Others are the whole job, which is why “Area Rug Only” is one of the carpet type choices. A tech who sees Area Rug Only on the card knows not to plan for a full truck-mount setup through the whole house.

Rugs vary widely in fiber and construction, and many companies have a specific rug procedure or decide some rugs need to come back to the shop. When a rug is on the job, the tech should note anything unusual: fringe condition, color concerns or a rug that should not be cleaned on site. That note helps the office talk to the customer and helps the next tech.

Mattresses

Mattress cleaning shows up as its own checkbox on the job, often as an extra on a bedroom job. The card tells the tech it is on the ticket so the right tools come in with the first trip. Keep claims about results general. Talk about cleaning the surface and the look of the mattress, and let your own service description set expectations.

Tile and Grout

Tile & grout is a different kind of work from carpet, and many carpet companies offer it with the same equipment. Kitchens, bathrooms and entryways are common on residential jobs and on move-out cleanings. When tile & grout is on the job, it shows on the card and on the checklist, so the tech does not finish the carpet, roll up the hose and forget the kitchen floor.

As with carpet, the condition field is useful here. Cracked tiles or grout that is missing in places are worth recording as Needs attention or Repair recommended, with a short note, so the customer understands what cleaning can and cannot do.

Keeping Multi-Service Jobs Straight

A job with carpet, upholstery, a rug and tile is a long day at one house. A few habits keep it organized:

• Plan the order at the walk-through. Many techs do upholstery while the carpet starts drying, or tile first so the hose does not cross wet carpet.
• Check each step as it is done. On a long job, it is easy to lose track.
• Photograph each item. One before and one after for each piece of upholstery and each rug.
• Record rooms and items cleaned. If something was skipped, say so on the checklist.

All of it lands on the finished checklist the office sees, covered in What the Office Sees When a Carpet Tech Completes a Job. Next in this series is what to do when a stain will not budge: Stains That Did Not Come Out: Recording Them in the Carpet Tech App Before the Customer Calls. For the full tech app, visit the CarpetBossPro carpet cleaning app page.