CHEK Upside: Island company that livestreams carpets being cleaned sees record sales

CHEK
WatchLuv-A-Rug Service's rug washing livestreams are turning the Island business into an internet sensation.

A Victoria rug and carpet washing company is crediting a small piece of technology for its record sales.

Luv-A-Rug Service’s rug washing livestreams are turning the Vancouver Island-based business into an internet sensation.

It’s been a surprise for everyone at the company.

“We didn’t realize it was going to translate into a tsunami of business for us,” owner Stephen “Dusty” Roberts told CHEK News.

Roberts first fell in love with washing rugs and carpets when he was just a kid.

“There were some shag rugs or carpets in our hallway and they were filthy dirty because my dad had a mini farm and he decided he would get a bucket of soapy water, a scrub brush and start scrubbing it,” recalls Roberts. “Within about five minutes of my dad doing it, I grabbed that brush and I took over.”

The initial infatuation turned into Luv-A-Rug, with Roberts looking after hundreds of priceless rugs from around the country.

“As a matter of fact, we get rugs sent to us from other parts of Canada and sometimes even from the U.S. for restoration work,” explains Roberts.

At the start of the pandemic, as business slowed, Roberts decided to livestream carpets and rugs being cleaned.

It quickly became must-see viewing that captured the attention of viewers all over.

“Once we got this going people kept coming in here and they’re saying, ‘I saw you on the camera! I saw that live cam, that’s so amazing. Here’s my truckload of rugs,'” Roberts recalls. “Yesterday, a truckload came in cause they saw it on the camera.”

Viewers from around Canada, the United States even the United Kingdom, all drawn to the therapeutic sensation of a rug transformation, routinely tune into Luv-A-Rug’s livestreams.

“People, they want to see it be restored, come back to its former glory,” says Roberts. “So it’s kind of awesome to be able to see that come right back to life again.”

You can watch live carpet cleaning by visiting their website at www.luvarug.com or by clicking here.

Cole SorensonCole Sorenson

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