Jordan Koshgarian is the fourth generation to offer rug cleaning and restoration through his family's business. Koshgarian Rug Cleaners also offers carpet, tile, grout, hardwood and upholstery cleaning. (Jim Slonoff photo)
As the rain continued to fall Sunday night, Jordan Koshgarian's phone continued to ring. Peoples' homes had water where it didn't belong, and they knew to turn to the century-old local business for help.
"They want to get their basements cleaned out and dried out," said Koshgarian, vice president of Koshgarian Rug Cleaners Inc. of Hinsdale.
Along with the rug cleaning services that remain at the heart of the family-owned business, water restoration is one in an array of professional cleaning services now offered by the Hinsdale company.
Koshgarian's great-grandfather started the business now known as Koshgarian Rug Cleaners Inc. in La Grange in 1906. As the family story goes, Mihron wanted to sell rugs, but his wife Mary saw the potential in cleaning the rugs that people already had in their homes.
"Rug cleaning is still the heart and soul of the business," said Koshgarian, the fourth generation to work in the family-owned company. He and his father, Chuck, lead a staff of 16 carefully selected professionals trained to carry on the company's commitment to quality.
While other cleaning methods make a rug look clean, Koshgarian said their method ensures a rug that's clean from fringe to floor. Machines now help to move the process along, Koshgarian said, but today's staff takes the same care his great-grandfather took to ensure every rug comes out thoroughly cleaned and without damage.
"We're hands on," Koshgarian said.
Every cleaning job is inspected for quality before the rug is moved to the company's heated drying room. After four to six hours in the 140-degree room, the rug is ready to once again add warmth, color and character to the owner's home.
Koshgarian said the cleaning method is safe for all rugs, from inexpensive synthetic rugs bought at a department store to valuable imports and antiques.
How often a rug needs professional cleaning depends on how much traffic it gets, but a good rule of thumb is every one to two years, Koshgarian said.
"If it's getting walked on, it's a good idea to get it cleaned," he said.
The experts at Koshgarian also can repair and restore rugs. They'll even pick up and deliver.
After getting its start in La Grange, Koshgarian Rug Cleaners moved to its current home at 248 East Ogden in Hinsdale in the 1950s. When wall-to-wall carpet came into fashion in the 1960s, in-home carpet cleaning was added to the company's repertoire of services.
In the decades to come, Koshgarian Rug Cleaners would further diversify by adding tile, grout, hardwood and upholstery cleaning.
Koshgarian said every member of the Koshgarian team is trained in every service offered. Before a technician enters a home, he or she is certified by the Institute of Restoration and Cleaning.
Deemed an essential service, business has remained steady, if not busy, throughout the COVID-19 shutdown.
Masks, gloves and shoe covers are now standard work attire for everyone who enters a customer's home. Equipment is disinfected between each job.
"We're ensuring our customers are going to be safe," Koshgarian said - and as always, that their homes are going to be clean.
- by Sandy Illian Bosch
