[andy roberts]

Give us newbies some idea what we could expect to earn carpet/upholstery cleaning in a year and fill in the poll.

[Liahona]

You need to find out the profit, not what is earned. As these vary so much between cleaners the results might not give you any help. Same as always, work out what you need as a profit and then find the work to do so. That will give you an idea of what market to "go" for as well. A lot of a little is the same as a liitle of a lot just more work. Best, Dave.

[andy roberts]

Liahona I disagree.

Last year my company gave £3k to charity and continued to sponcer a darts team which took a chunk out of our profits.  If I had asked for profit on the poll there is no telling what other cleaners are doing with their hard earned cash and would have probably given me a false reading. Also where I live, income tax & contributions are much lower than the UK, and we dont pay VAT, which would again have distorted the figures.

Furthermore, when one sells a business the gross annual turnover of the company becomes a relevant issue and often determines the sale price, so its more of an interest to me what my company may be worth in the future by adding carpet/upholstery cleaning as an additional service.

So far its interesting to note that the majority of cleaners are grossing over £46K   

[mark_roberts]

Carpetmate

Id say anyone with at least few years in this trade will be doing over £46k gross easily.

I know of one owner operator doing £175k.

Mark

[andy roberts]

Mark, thanks for that. (I had to check your profile cos my brothers name is Mark Roberts, thought he was moonlighting)  ;

I'll just have to jump in and start trading.

Regards,  Andy.

[craigp]

37% over 47k my arrrssse

dont believe that in a hurry,not solely carpet cleaning.

[the red carpet]

why not craig
Thats only £200 a day, working a 5 day week and you can take 5 weeks holiday a year.
I dont think thats hard to achieve after a couple years in buisness, im half way there already and still within my first year.
and thats working on my own with a portable

Then you have the option to

get a tm
take on a helper
work weekends
or raise prices, to earn even more

[Dave_Lee]

Many low end/low priced CCs cant even imagine £46K per year, because they simply dont have the know how to achieve it. I put my prices up by 50% in one go, crossed my fingers, had no repeat customer resistancs and in so doing just that one thing added £23.000 to my turnover the following year.
Dave.

[mark_roberts]

Craigp

Maybe you should buy fasttrack

Im surprised its not more than 37%.

Mark

[craigp]

behave, 37% 47k  reflective of carpet cleaners no chance, why over half live in council properties where i live then.? and go round in beat up old vans?


its possible yes, 37% no no no!

[craigp]

i know the competition they do NOT earn that, 1 or 2 might out of 60 !! c/c covering my area most (who are carpet cleaners only) earn between 10-20k

now why would you want to tell newbies any different.

[andy roberts]

Craig

I know what your saying. In my area by looking in the yellow pages Ive seen CC's come and go year by year, some survive others don't. A friend who has been doing CC for years had to start diversifying into other things cos he couldn't make a living just out of CC. The principle reason that there are so many in the game. He now does deliveries, sells products, removals. When you think its so easy to be a CC, just buy the machinery and away you go. You don't have to have training and alot of the time you can bluff your way through. Maybe the larger more established company's with office cleaning or some other source of income to support them earn that amount of cash, but I'm very weary of one man band operators who claim to earn £50 -£70k a year. One has to keep an open mind.

Newbies on here are often looking for the 'inside' information before they commit to buying expensive machinery & stock to see whether their investment would be financially viable long term. However, one seems to get conflicting opinions in this forum all the time (which is sometimes healthy) and can be confusing to newbies like me.

Regards,  Andy

[cleaning co]

i go with craig on this one

[cleaning co]

i only know of one carpet cleaner who earns this sort of money and must stress he only dos carpet cleaning and the reason he earns this amount is because he puts out 10s of thousands of leaflets week in week out all year  at really cheap prices  and has to do 5-8 jobs a day
ive bin just carpet cleaning for over 10 years and do about £25k max   my first year i might hav touched £10k if i was lucky
gary

[andy roberts]

Gary

If your gross turnover is £25k, what sort of profit are you left with?

I know that there are underlying factors as to why some earn more than others (depends on which area of the counrty you live in, how well you market your services etc etc) but I feel that surely one man using one machine can only do so much in one day and some of the quotes on here for earnings have been hard to believe.

Some cleaner's simply say to put your prices up, but if your competition aren't doing so and there just as competent and as well known as you are, then your the one going to struggle to find & maintain the work if you increase prices.

CC seems very labour intensive & competitive and could be a costly mistake if things don't financially work out. I respect your honesty.

Regards,  Andy

[cleaning co]

lol  not lot andy     p.s (only so much one carpet cleaner can do in a day ?)  lol  most carpet cleaners only work for few hours aday)

[stains-away]

As with any other business the level of earnings will to a big extent depend on the individuals ability to market themselves and the amount of time and effort put in, I've read on here before people saying that its down to creating a perceived demand, if someones pipes have burst they need a plumber, not want a plumber, if someone notices their carpets are dirty half way through the month then they may well say I'll get them done come payday, come payday will they remember, probably not, theyve got money in their pocket and theyve got better things to do with it, Andy

[craigp]

its gone up to 40% now,   

thats 40% of carpet cleaners earn 47k plus per year!!

eeerrrr, but they don't.

what im saying is that is not the true picture,

either its a big coninsidence that only sucessfull c/c ers write on this boards or somes telling porkies cus they got big egoes!

[Liahona]

Craig, dont forget mate it is the gross that we are talking about which is why I made the comment about profit not

gross. If say for example a cleaner gross's the $47k and no more........by the time you take out all the expenses that

 could be as low as £1000 a month but that will do as a figure......he would only end up with £35k....then take out his

 taxes etcetera etcetera and he could be well below £30k..... ....... With all this in mind it should be relatively easy to


 be able to gross upwards of £50k per year. Afetr all that is only 200 quid a day. Best, Dave.

[cleaning co]

MMMMMMMM

[Glynn]

Why do you find it hard to believe £47K is unobtainable ? you should be able to more than double that.
Why not just go to companies house & buy their accounts if their ltd, that will show you.

[the red carpet]

I will be totally honest and tell you what iv achived so far
Tommorow i will have been trading exactly 9 months, in that time including tommorows wages iv taken exactly £11,065

I am now taking £2000 a month and thats increasing, and have another 3 months till iv been going a year so i expect at least another £6000 in my first year.

So thats £17,065+ in my first year

And remember to start with i had no repeats or referalls, and didnt have a clue how to market so was earning about £500 a month
I see no reason why i cant earn double £17000 next year

I dont belive im dear compared to a lot of people on here i charge £38 for a average lounge and discount when doing larger jobs

Ps, im only working about half the week to get £2000 a month, so if i can get the jobs in i can double that to £4000 a month as a one man band with a portable.

I earned £200 today and was finished by 1.30

[andy roberts]

Red Carpet,

Thanks for being so open. I hope you don't mind answering the following questions.

1. Your turnover is expected at £17k circ. What then is your projected nett profit for the same period?

2. Do you have a back up machine should your excel go down?

3. What source of advertising/marketing do you use to generate your core income?

4. And finally, has the job lived up to your expectations both financially & satisfaction wise? And would you do it again knowing what you know now?

Don't answer if you don't want to.

Regards,  Andy

[the red carpet]

1.  That i havent got a clue??? but one thing i will say if i take £17k this year and £17k next year i will have a lot more profit from next years, when you start you waste a lot of money on advertising that dosent work to well, but if your sensible you learn from that and concentrate on what does work for you. You will also find better suppliers etc. All your expenses should go down and what you are paying for should become more effective, so generate more profit.

2. No (however have found a company that hires alltec machines for £29 a day 10 minute drive from me) and when the excell go's down and it does go wrong, i live within a short drive of Alltec, Woodbridge, and Ashbys so can usually get repaired same or next day, so wouldnt expect to loose much work from machine failure

3. Leaflets, internet, repeats/referalls (in y/p but loosing money every month, wont be repeating)

4. The job has more potential than i expected, but is hard work and unfortunatly i am completly skint at the minute and really struggling, but i am covering all my bills personal and business (just) and as i say only working half the week so any extra work now is profit so i can see things looking up in the near future

[craigp]

red, i earned not much more in my 3rd year than my first. thats the point you miss.

it does not go up that much from referals/repeats. 

in fact due to less enfusaism, i earned less in second year than first  (slowed down on leaflets)

[andy roberts]

So I'm not going to make my fortune from carpet cleaning then 

[craigp]

you can make a living (depends on your local market of course, try to see how they are doing) but you will NOT get rich!

[the red carpet]

I have 4 this week on top of my usual new customers, when i started i had none

How are you keeping in touch with old customers?
could it be they want to come back to you but havent a clue were to find you?

[John Kelly]

"You will not get rich" True if you remain a one man band which is what some people are happy with. One man is limited to what he can do and earn. However the freedom of being self employed and master of your own destiny does have a lot going for it. This is the same for any tradesman who works by himself.
Also you can get rich cleaning carpets or plumbing etc. But you need to expand the business, take on staff, spend mega bucks on marketing. I know carpet cleaners with brand new Range Rovers, Porsches etc., but they all have staff carrying out the work and cover large areas.

[mark_roberts]

Honestly guys, and Im no expert just trying to help, I think you need to really re-evaluate where your going wrong and why your not making money.  Some of you would earn more in Tescos with all the benefits.  Dont forget you dont have sick pay, holiday pay or a pension being self employed so you must earn more to cover.

A general rule of thumb is that youll earn for yourself less tax about half of your turnover.  The more you make the more you spend on toys, tools etc.

Of course the key is not only marketing but selling.  You need to start by understanding marketing and why people buy.  You also need to charge enough by effective selling.  When I started i did lots of marketing but not so much now more to no time during the day.

A few tips would be to focus on commercial while the residential grows.  Only this year (4 years in business) am i able to rely on the residential sales to cover everything and cut back on commercial.

Become conversant (sp) in cleaning so you sound confident when talking to customers.  Become a great cleaner by training and practice.

Always quote in the house until you havent time.  Chances of getting the job will shoot up dramatically.

Use all the marketing methods on these forums but the key is a good mix not all the eggs in one basket.  Letters to businesses worked well for me as did yellow pages, a little flyers and letters to previous clients.

It does take time but you can become rich if you want to and you will also stay poor if you dont open your mind.

Mark

[Mark Roberts]

Totally agree with Mark.
250 to 400+ quid every day is more than achievable even with 1 van.
I would go back to my old job if we were not doing that.
Up your prices, improve your image, selling, ideas, area coverage, the list goes on.
Give yourself targets to acheive rather than saying its impossible. If you dont beleive its possible it wont be.
I can see why people need fast track now.

[craigp]

mark_roberts is your y/p advert joe polish?

[mark_roberts]

No its not the JP ad as you know it but it is direct responce if thats how you want to descibe it BUT a YP ad is not the only marketing tool you must use.  A YP ad will only achieve a 1-5 return or less from my experience.

Dont get hung up on the fast track ads rather what an ad says and the volume of the ads put out.

Mark

[Dave Parry]

Guys, listen to Mark and others like Glynn.
I'm a one man band. Only do the odd commercial job, started with a porty, saved like mad and bought a t/m.
Start at 09:30, usually finish between 3 and 4.
Started cleaning 4 years ago, make a GOOD living, wouldnt do anything else and wish I'd done it years ago.
Dont advertise in Y/P or thompsons. use leaflets (about 3000/week) and local Parish mags or similar. Also go round estate and letting agents.
Its NOT about being the best cleaner, allthough that helps. Its about being a SALESMAN. Promote yourself to customers, initially do not quote on the phone, you'll get 3 times more jobs by site visits, until you dont have the time.
Look and act professional and work will come.
£ 47 is possible doing domestics using a porty, but a lot easier with a t/m (no I'm not trying to start a t/m versus porty thing)
Craigp on your earnings how do you survive? Your in business, act like a businessman. Analyse your jobs, costs etc where you get work from, look at adding other work even if only temporary (Car valeting) but above all dont work cheap.

[craigp]

i survive plus bit on top, never said im not, im trying to get the point across, i think the pole is giving the wrong impression to newbies.

as i said before this years been good for me, (in forth year now)

but lets face it more in this game struggle THAN DO NOT.

its not helpful to encourge people to start by suggesting these earnings, many go pop!

im simpling making sure they know the other side, that they should think carfully about starting, i know people it was the worse thing they ever did.

i cant understand why im the only one attempting to give a true picture of the market to beginers.

[Mark Roberts]

The trouble is the questions does not match the poll. It asks what people turn over followed by what newbies could expect to earn in a year.
The poll should have asked what we all earned in our first year. The results would have been much different.

I agree with you, far too many people start in this business and go pop thinking its going to be easy. Normally they have never worked for themselves and don't realise the effort and commitment required.

Anyone thinking of starting a business should thoughly investigate there potential market and have plan in place before they start. The average new cc buisness lasts 1 month. There is a true picture for beginers

[andy roberts]

Mark

The question is striaght forward enough asking what cleaners turned over last year. This will give some indication on what income to expect (or at least to work to) in a few years down the line wants we gain experience.

You state that the average CC busines only lasts 1 month. Interesting, but where did you get that static from?

Andy

[rich hand]

I am new to this but am looking to turnover 25-30K in the 1st year easily so I can definately appreciate many CCs being on 46K plus. However, you have to appreciate that on this board we are probably going to get the more conscientious carpet cleaner who will be better in business.

[Mark Roberts]

The question is striaght forward enough asking what cleaners turned over last year. This will give some indication on what income to expect (or at least to work to) in a few years down the line wants we gain experience.

You state that the average CC busines only lasts 1 month. Interesting, but where did you get that static from?

I agree, I was just answering craigp. Newbies should be aware that earning will go up a lot after a few years with reapeat custys and experience etc.

That stat came from Paul Pearce. Dont ask me where he got it from, no idea.

[andy roberts]

Rich Hand

Your exactly right.

The person who is best to succeed in carpet cleaning is the person who works ON his business and not IN his business. Training, techinique, chemicals, machinery means very little if you haven't got fundamental business skills. The cleaner who is conscientious, diligent & shows some degree of business management and above all stays POSITIVE & FOCUSED will succeed.

On here I like to generate & stimulate debate and obtain other cleaners reactions and learn from the more experienced members.

Reagrds,  Andy  

[Mike Osbourne]

Well I think CC is a fantastic business to start for someone who is hungry enough and perhaps hasn't got a trade and pots of money to start.

However the 'never be rich' idea is probably true because you are swapping your time for their money and unless you know how to distort time or charge Harley St. hourly rates then there will be a ceiling.

Those with the drive and inclination will look to reinvest the before tax income into some way of leveraging their time.

So far I have only spent money on CC so I'm only half qualified to comment.  

[HolmansUKLTD]

Its not just carpet cleaning its carpets,rugs, upholstery, leather, curtians and hardfloors, now im going into WFP window cleaning and currantly have over 6ks worth of orders, and i dont work mondays Reminds me of a song :

[Mike Osbourne]

Tell me why.

[craigp]

thank you chaps now we're getting a balance

[*paul_moss]

For business management and accounts.
This programme does it all.
Your customer data base
invoices,Quotes,Payroll,Banking,vat,profit & loss account,job sheets ,reciepts.
And very user friendly.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110035219993&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

[John Kelly]

All businesses in any sector have big variations in turnover and profit.
I know a plumber who lives in a council house and another whos lives in a detatched with a brand new Range Rover and Jag.
I know an electrician who has built his own house worth over 700k another who lives in a semi.
What I am getting at is there is no defined amount of money you will earn as a carpet cleaner. It all depends on the person, their business acumen, ambition, being in the right place at the right time etc etc. Oh and how greedy they are

[Shaun_Ashmore]

2 1/2 years ago I bought my first petrol TM. I'd had 2 vand on the road before with 2 electric TM's but I decided to reduce to 1 van ie me!

anyway I wanted to prove to myself and any others that I could do the same amount of work and at the same standard so I did!  the following year I grossed £3K less on my own than what I did with 2 vans.

Turnover of £135K inc vat

Yes the taxman was pleased but so was I.

Shaun

[Damian]

All businesses in any sector have big variations in turnover and profit.
I know a plumber who lives in a council house and another whos lives in a detatched with a brand new Range Rover and Jag.
I know an electrician who has built his own house worth over 700k another who lives in a semi.
What I am getting at is there is no defined amount of money you will earn as a carpet cleaner. It all depends on the person, their business acumen, ambition, being in the right place at the right time etc etc. Oh and how greedy they are

John you forgot to add how big their inheritance was and how many out of six numbers they got(including bonus ball!) There are even more considerations on wealth that may or may not come from a persons chosen career i find. 

[Mike_Boxall]

We obviously have the 'creme de la creme' of carpet cleaners on this forum which is refelcted in the result of the poll. However, I suspect if the question was 'what do you think the average carpet cleaner earns' then the results would be much different.

Very few members will openly admit they struggle to make a living and yet there are plenty of people who sell their equipment 12 months after they buy it. There's no doubt that you can make very good money but, as others have said, you need to take a balanced view.

Regards

Mike

[carpetclean]

im not sure if this is healthy or doing the newbie any favours we all know unless you are very lucky that starting out in this game is very hard , and to earn that kind of money you have to have the client base . getting the client base has to be the most difficult part of the job which means getting out there  doing all sorts of advertising which takes quite a lot of money. it would be interesting to know how many cc's actually go under in the first and second year/ peop[le like red carpet has worked hard and got it right but how much of that is down to the area where he is. can a man in other parts of the country expect the same results !? i doubt it .
 i know quite a few cc's who earn a fortune  never advertise and the phone never stops ringing but they have been in the game for many years . my next door neighbour who has been in the game for 37 yrs once said he could not move to a different part of the country and expect to start up  and survive ,even with his knowledge. i think he is talking sense dont you!?

[craigp]

last two posts, well said, i believe now its harder than ever to get started, leaflets now dont have anywhere near the response they used to, shauns post shows the huge potential to earn good money, but very very few will realise that potential

[Ian Gourlay]

Craig,

You say that and obviously from your families knowledge you know the market.

But you know have a truckmount.

[craigp]

hi ian,

i meant except me, lol still working on it

[matt jones]

Hi to all,
I really don't know how some people on this forum manage 4-5 jobs a day or more as a one man band with a porty,cannot be doing a very thorough job it takes what 30 mins just to set up your equipment and 30 mins to pack up if you were doing 4-5 jobs a day that would 4-5 hours before actually putting a wand to carpet. how long does a job take some of you 5 minutes lol.

-Edited-

[craigp]

hi Matt, sounds to me like your charging pretty high prices 140 for lounge and stairs landing thats got be £4.00 - £5.00 per sqm.  more than me.  4-5 jobs a day would be a bit to much personly i like to do 2-3, only more if there all small jobs.

[rich hand]

Hi to all,
I really don't know how some people on this forum manage 4-5 jobs a day or more as a one man band with a porty,cannot be doing a very thorough job it takes what 30 mins just to set up your equipment and 30 mins to pack up if you were doing 4-5 jobs a day that would 4-5 hours before actually putting a wand to carpet. how long does a job take some of you 5 minutes lol.

-Edited-

30 minutes to set up and again to pack away?!

Takes me 5 minutes each end to deal with portable equipment. I connect and fill up whilst allowing the prespray to dwell btw.

[Mike Osbourne]

I take 20min and it's coming down, but I can't see how you can:

empty waste
drain solution tank
coil hoses
put away tools, buckets, tarp etc.
lug machine into van

in 5
 

[Liahona]

Mike, you cant mate. 20 mins is a good time though, well done. Best, Dave.

[gwrightson]

20mins , 30mins to set up a porty   

I suggest you get down to the gym and work out a bit, if you cant unload an connect some hoses and a wand in 10 mins there is something wrong 
 Geoff

[Damian]

Im with Rich on this-although i dont think i can manage 5 mins? Certainly nowhere near twenty mins! Its a case of being organised to the point where its clockwork. My machines go in first, pre spray then fill up with water. Then dash back to van and hoses under one arm and grab buckets(all brushes etc inside) and powerbrush in other hand then back on site and almost ready to begin. just sort little odds and sods out and away you go-no problem.   I always mix my pre sprays night before so i select the one i want before i take it in house. As for emptying machine-i find a grate and leave it while loading van back up. job done! less than ten mins easy!  

P.S i dont empty solution tank-it stands upright in van and if i need a different chem for next job i calculate how much is needed for present and run it right down-its all experince and knowledge.

Damian.

[Liahona]

We have gone off the subject a bit but I know thats not too unusual. Anyway, Damien, you are having a laugh surely. If you are serious then what you are saying is....... You pre-spray not only cold but also use a chemical that could be at least 10 hours old. Some chemicals although not all lose their ability to do as they should the longer they are in solution. Then you carry a portable with cleaning solution in it to the next job. Not knowing what you may need to clean the next textile I take it you are hoping it is the same as the textile you have just cleaned. Should I then take it you empty your machine to the nearest grate? This being the case is a bigger laugh than pre-spraying cold. Each to their own but if you clean like this, well it wont be long till you arent cleaning at all. Best, Dave.

[colin thomas]

i started with about 10 other guys in a truck-mount franchise and now there are only 3 of us left, the others went broke, i think that basically there are a lot of fibbers out there, when it comes to earnings, for some reason or another, in the carpet cleaning industry, nobody likes to say they are not doing well.  cb

[Damian]

Dave what works for you is fine. What works for me is finer-to me. We all have different ways of doing things and my way works just ticketyboo thankyou. As for not cleaning long then well 18 years at it and busier than ever? Dunno-it may go pete tongue next week-who knows? You openly admit to causing arguments in earlier threads? Friends with stphen edwards? lol. The post was about set up times on porty's-not condemning someones work. I understand that you say you are in fine cleaning-fine. I do not want nor look for that side of cleaning am way too busy seeing my regular custy's.

P.S My name is spelt Damian. 

[rich hand]

Damian my methods are almost identical to yours. I too prespray cold and it has NEVER been a problem. ALL my customers are happy and I have never had a call back in 800 jobs.

I use spitfire advanced btw and only water for HWE which is usually luke warm atleast. I only need 2 trips to the van to get all my gear out, could manage it in 1 if I wanted; I have been a competetive athlete for 12 years  its easy!

5X4 lounge carpet in and out 40 minutes, inc furniture moving, for the best result poss. You would love to see me do the edges 

£/time =

[rich hand]

Mike, you cant mate. 20 mins is a good time though, well done. Best, Dave.

Dave, are you really that old 

[Damian]

Amen Rich! bout the same times i reck? Not splash and dash at all but just work very effectively!! Aint got time to hang around-money to be made! As long as stains are removed and its touch dry(fully in less than an hour) im happy and walk away from site.   Personally im not an athlete-look like one! But can box a little  

[rich hand]

Thats right mate, effective and efficient and splash and dash it certainly need not be! Keep it going 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

You have to be fit at this game it's manditory, Damian where did you used to box? I used to box in my younger years sheff boys club and the catholic club just up from Shalesmoor.

Shaun

[Shaun_Ashmore]

No haven't boxxed since I was in my early 20's, the bloke next door owns the Sheffield Boxing Centre on Burton St Hillsborough.

Sheffield

[Damian]

Damian my machine weighs 47kilos!!! But its not a problem; the service is definately there, and her majesty is gorgeous!!!!!!!

Rich what have ya got? my prochem is dunno weight? the ninja i guess all up is 25 to 30 kilo's Neither am sure you will agree are problematic  You sound bout as fit as me! Must cut out the bacon butties at dinner! haha

[rich hand]

Its actually a modest Truvox President (off ebay). Bacon butties are nothin when your a rapid cc, you wanna get onto 12' subways if you can find em. I lived on these when I had a franchise in Oz and I still lost weight!

Now this thread has diverted big time but thats fine; btw I had 3 years competing in tkd before becoming a sprinter 8 yr ago so we could all mix it for a true change of pace 

What do you eat Shaun? 

[carpetclean]

i started with about 10 other guys in a truck-mount franchise and now there are only 3 of us left, the others went broke, i think that basically there are a lot of fibbers out there, when it comes to earnings, for some reason or another, in the carpet cleaning industry, nobody likes to say they are not doing well.  cb

i for for one dont mind saying its tough getting started in this game . at the moment i find it to be an expensive hobby that i enjoy and though i have took in over £17k part time in the first year i have spent it all on re investment. it will be another couple of years providing it continues to grow before i can make a living out of it.
incidentally i was called out to do a job and when i got there the woman was looking at me puzzled said i looked different, as i had cleaned her carpets many times  [ i dont think ] i asked her where she got my number and she explained it was from the van in front of my house . i told her it was my next door neighbour  who she used ,who has been at it 37 yrs. i went a ahead any way and she was so impressed i have took over cleaning not only her house but the other properties she rents out so a stroke of luck with a written wrong number.

[murky]

Just a word of warning.
Don't empty your machine down the drain!
I did once. I didn't know the lady of the house worked for the Health and Safety she politly but firmly warned me against it, as people used to pour paint, engine oil etc down them.
Then after it had been filtered we have to drink the end product
It is highly illegal now.
You can chuck your waste down the loo or sink ok but not the roadside drain as thats for storm water only.
Thats why you don't see window cleaners slopping their buckets down the gutters any more

[carpetclean]

water goes down the man hole cover on the front drive which is the main sewer

[Mike Osbourne]

Also what do you say to 'chatty' clients? Most are fine and you can get a rapport that will help your business, but some just won't take the hint and I feel I'm being rude if I say I have to get on.

One 2hr job ended up 3hrs. As I rarely have more than one job a day it wasn't an issue, but I'm starting to quote a bit cheaper on smaller jobs and that's changing.

 

[carpetclean]

i think its a good thing to chat to clients as time given is an investment and they appreciate on the whole if you take time to explain procedure . they will remember you when they come to want it done again