oven cleaning

« **on:** May 06, 2006, 11:54:26 am »

can somebody advise me on oven cleaning do i buy the equipment myself or is it best to go down the franchise route

« **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2006, 01:17:41 pm »

I do ovens occasionally, its hard work but you can charge arround £18 to £20 per hour. average Oven takes me arround 2 hrs I charge arround £35 to £45 per oven. what ever system the frachisors offer it still boils down to scrubbing. My hi tech equipment is as follows
1 x large bucket the type u see in B&Q for storage
1 x collection of scrubbers
1x tool kit for removing doors, glass etc
as far as chemicals go, on a slightly soiled oven Brillo oven cleaner and soak grills in a strong detergent. or baked on grime, Caustic gel and soak grills in Caustic soda (I know I will get slated for using this, but its not as bad as some think and if you take care its not a problem) read the instructions for this and use at your own risk. and remember to catch all waste water and disspose of in the appropriate way.

The only advantage as I see it with a francise is the heated tank, if I wanted to do more of this type of work I am sure it wouldn,t take much to knock one up. ( just ask your local metal merchant to knock you up a stainless steel tank with a lid £200 max and fit a 12v caravan water heater element and a drain tap
They you go, a franchise would have charged £3,000 plus for that info.
on a serious note take care using caustic soda, you need gloves and gogles when using the stuff, I will only use as a week mixture and never ad water to caustic soda allways the other way round and never add caustic soda to boiling water, read up on it first before using.
hope this helps Phil

« **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2006, 05:26:35 pm »

hi karl
i would strongly advice that you get some form of training, it's not as easy as you might think. What you have to remember is that you gonna be working on someones oven which probably cost them £500+.....if something goes wrong you'll be in deep sh*t.
for instance, did you know that the cleaning gel used to get rid of the baked on carbon will strip the paint off any plastic parts of the oven??? Health and safety is another issue, not just for your customer but for you also. I'm glad i started with my own oven because i stupidly sprayed the grill area with degreaser and when 1st used filled the kitchen with smoke and set off the smoke alarms. Bit embarrasing to say the least if you do this in a customers home......Anyway you do'nt have to go down the franchise route (this will cost you around £14000) and you'll still have management fees etc:.....There are people out there who can train you and provide you with the right equipment and materials for a lot less, and your not tied to a franchise agreement.
some have been mentioned on this forum, check back and have a look.....as for me i can only recomend the guy who trained me and that was ian robinshaw, take a look at his web site www.clean-my-oven.co.uk he does the lot, training, dipping tank, and enough chemicals to recupe your initial investment...all for around £2000.................... hope this is of some help
cheers
dave :

« **Reply #3 on:** May 10, 2006, 05:48:39 pm »

cheer guys looking at non franchise route only thing that worrys me is having a water tank heated by a gas bottle and not 24volt is this standard practice?

« **Reply #4 on:** May 11, 2006, 12:12:25 am »

yse i'll explain tommorow cause i'm knackered...been using calor gas all day no probs

« **Reply #5 on:** May 11, 2006, 01:35:56 pm »

look forward to it got bunff from oven master would you reccomend as from all the ones ive read about they seem to be the best!

« **Reply #6 on:** May 11, 2006, 03:28:51 pm »

Karl,

I was chatting to a cookerburra guy the other day and they've got a dip tank with no gas burner.
After a couple of minutes in the tank all the burnt on carbon came off very easily.
Everything was built into a rascal, and he reckons he's working 5.5 days per week.
I'm not suggesting taking on a franchise, as personally i think most franchises are a rip- off, but you could phone them up and ask some questions about there system.

Arthur

« **Reply #7 on:** May 11, 2006, 04:14:49 pm »

hi karl
ca'nt say for sure there the best, because i only investigated a couple of other companies (both franchises)....i went with ovenmaster because, as far as i could see they were offering as much as the others but at a much reduced cost. About the only advantage of a franchise, as far as i can see is the promise of company backup...but as this is a relatively new business i came to the conclusion that back up would be limited. Fair enough if you were buying a Macdonalds or burger king because everyone knows the name and is aware of what they doing. You do'nt go out for a burger, you go out for a macdonalds!!!....By enlarge you will have to build the business yourself, franchise or no franchise.
Over and above the £2000 for training and equipment you will need to get yourself a reliable van and preferably sign written...
I paid £1600 for a second hand vaxhall combo (plenty room) and £160 for sign writting (very effective). Insurance £160 for business. .........BUT you will have to budget a fair amount for advertising (around £1500 to start). This should reduce as your business builds because hopefully at least 80% of your customers will have it done again 6 months down the road. Ian from ovenmaster does virtually no advertising 3 years down the line because his books are usually filled with previous regular customers, but of course this will take time......As for myself i have started on a part-time basis and find this is working for me, but i can see myself working full time within 6 months. doing that way i do'nt have to eat into my savings or have a large overdraft to live and eat while the business builds.........................anyway hope this is of some help

dave clifford
p.s. i you go with ovenmaster please mention my name, i might get some discount from ian (a great guy by the way)

« **Reply #8 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:12:01 pm »

Dave,

Is it ovenmaster that dont use any caustic chemicals?

Arthur

« **Reply #9 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:01:47 pm »

yes

but there not the only one's, pretty general throughout the business.....trying to be impartional.....still would go with ovenmaster though....................why do'nt you give ian a bell

dave

« **Reply #10 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:03:33 pm »

sorry arthur....thought u were karl

« **Reply #11 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:20:51 pm »

Quote from: clifford123 on May 11, 2006, 10:03:33 pm

sorry arthur....thought u were karl

It must be all that gas your breathing in

Is it because the chemicals are not caustic that you need the burner ?

« **Reply #12 on:** May 12, 2006, 05:47:47 am »

Clifford,

Just wondering what return you get on your avertising spend.

ie £100 spent = xxxxxxxx sales.

Also what is the cost of insurance Public Liability, plus damage to goods worked on, and what excess.

Prestige Phil

Does your insurance cover you for all your activities

Oven cleaning, domestic cleaning, Ironing, Carpet cleaning? Window Cleaning?etc etc

« **Reply #13 on:** May 20, 2006, 07:24:26 pm »

Hi, I am also thinking of taking up oven cleaning as an add on to pressure washing.
Dave could you tell me more about Ians (ovenmaster) training and kit. I have been in touch with him but he is on holiday at the moment (lucky b@***@**), he is going to send an information pack but there is also another firm offering similar on the auction site at around half of what you say ovenmasters training & kit is.

« **Reply #14 on:** May 21, 2006, 04:54:19 pm »

You do not need a heated Tank...my partner has worked for Rentokil Hygiene as an area Manager for a number of years and has 20 years experience in this field, with other large industrial cleaning companies!

As someone else said it really is not as easy as it looks or sounds - and you can really be in deep poop if it all went wrong!

Unless you are experienced / trained in areas such as these i would steer well clear! Enforcements are coming into efffect in these areas for premises - however 'the cleaning companies' who offer these services will also be under scrutiny.

Also you must take care too ensure you knoe EXACTLY what you are doing!!! You could damage the floors (and then how will you afford thousands of pounds to buy them a new floor?) it's not just caustci that ruins floors - and oven gel - boy oh boy the trouble that can face you with!, the ovens, the oven controls and you really do not want to go there!

Do not be fooled into thinking that what you are charging is cheaper than companies who specialise in this (franchised or large industrial cleaning groups) - and in all honesty there is far more too this than using a brillo pad or dipping it in a tank! And make sure your insurance covers you......

« **Reply #15 on:** May 21, 2006, 05:02:10 pm »

oOOPS APOLOGIES FOR TYPO'S LITTLE DAUGHTER HELPING MUMMY!!!

But seriously please ensure that you do serious homework regarding this service- if you require any help in the matter then please feel free to ask!!

« **Reply #16 on:** May 21, 2006, 05:39:37 pm »

Well we best not try anything new then!! It all sounds so scary!!! Please don't assume all on this site lack the ability to make judgements based on there own experience. You come across as "if you have never done something before don’t go there" if I had done that I wouldn’t tackling the things I do now. I am extremely confident in anything I would undertake based on my own experience.

Oven cleaning has its problems, but anything you do in the cleaning arena does, providing you listen, read and make your own decisions based on your own experience you will be able to take on most things. However I do understand there are doers and donters people who will sit back and ponder things till the cows come home, and those who just get stuck in.
You also find people who have paid for training or franchises build up oven cleaning as if its brain surgery, its not! What ever system you have or chemicals you use it boils down to hard work every time simple as!

Regards Phil

« **Reply #17 on:** May 21, 2006, 05:44:45 pm »

thanks for advice the more i delve the harder it seems to get,ive spent the last 10 years or so in industrial wall to wall cleaning at a large car manufacturing site as a supervisor so i didnt think a little oven cleaning round would cause so much trouble!!! spoke to one of the countrys biggest franchises last week but think its far too expensive so now looking at either oven master or the oven cleaning company the only difference i can see is heated tank one is gas other is electric,please offer more advice i dont mind more the better

« **Reply #18 on:** May 21, 2006, 05:58:20 pm »

I'm not saying do not tackle anything new..just make sure you have the right advice and know your chemicals before using something you know nothing about!

'Oven Cleaners' do not make out it is brain surgery :

.....but they will of, at some stage seen the horrendous cock-ups that people make. You have to think about the effect on the client if something does go wrong! It is better to be safe than sorry than footing the bill or being sued as you were unsure of the effects that chemical can have....

As long as you are confident that you know what you are doing and what you are using. All said and done most clients do not want a full hygiene deep clean - just an clean oven. But there are many that do and really know the difference!

Being a wall to wall cleaner in a warehouse is not the same as stripping down plant machinery or cater cleaning - these run a higher risk of contamination. However it isn't brain surgery you just need the know how!

Also it may be worth thinking about the fact if you say you are 'deep cleaning' a premises or cooking equipment according to the food act of 1974 you will need to provide a certificate to your customer to show they are having this service done. (A lot of clients ask for this as it lowers their insurance premiums) - then it is your company name in the limelight if anything were to go wrong. It's more than just making sure there is no carbon or dirt....

If you feel confident enough good luck to you.... and it's a booming business......

« **Reply #19 on:** May 21, 2006, 06:11:02 pm »

Karl
My advise to you is clean your own oven, your freinds oven etc. I will gurenntee the more you do the better the results and you will develop your own system, you find what ever you do or job you take on its allways at the back of your mind that there must be a machine or chemical that will do it better, even those boys who pay for a franchise will feel this, if you don't then you would never improve. I hate oven cleaning and have tried loads of things from barbaque rack bags to heated tanks, it always boils down to hard work and mess. regards Phil

« **Reply #20 on:** May 21, 2006, 06:21:20 pm »

Phil i totally agree with you there!!!

And there are plenty of companies and people who would be willing to give you advise etc!!!

In all honesty most of the larger companies do not waste time and money on heated tanks - they just use a caustic tank with boiling water and caustic - and leave it to soak. But then they are probably doing the whole kitchen and it's equipment so can take 8-12 hours on the oven gradually rather than 1 or 2.

It's trial and error with taking all ovens aprt - yes they are all made differently and with different materials. However you do not want to be dismantling a machine and not being able to put it back together (the amount of times my partner was called out in the middle of the night because a technician who was highly trained couldn't put it back together- ha ha).

Honestly it's not all bad and if you think it's for you - GO FOR IT!

« **Reply #21 on:** May 25, 2006, 01:50:09 pm »

For non-franchise training, that will teach you everything you need to know plus ongoing support at no extra cost, using non-caustic, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, no animal testing products in the customers home, and with a tank system that requires no on-site heating or gas cylinders, you need the training course run by The Oven Cleaning Company, see www.theovencleaningco.com