[davep]

G'day, i have been thinking of going into the carpet and upholstery cleaning business for a while. (my uncle does it down south, im in merseyside)

 I was looking at getting a Prochem machine and doing what training i can, but havent got the money together yet.  I have been offered a deal at work (im a Postie) where i can go part time (28hrs from 40) and they will give me £3500 for the pleasure.

Im just debating what to do as if i go part time i will have the money and hours to invest, but if it goes pear shaped i can't return to full time....

Can i ask  how much time do you fella's spend on dropping leaflets and how many jobs a day do you do on a average day?

Thanks.....  :

[andy roberts]

Dave,

I'm in the same boat as you, just starting out in CC. Ive been gathering as much information as I can together about the business. I too am looking at Prochem products. The biggest draw back I can see is its going to take alot of capital to get going. By the time ive paid for my training, machinery, extras, chemicals stock etc, insurance/s, van (half decent), advertising, marketing, etc etc, Im looking at about £13k. Dont forget also its a labour intensive job with alot of cut price competition out there. Im just waying up the pros and cons before I dive in head first!

Regards,  Andy.

[davep]

Andy,  Thanks for your response.  I wasn't going to spend that much at first.  Prob around £1500 for Powerplus with stair tool and you get training with that.  I will do the NCCA cource too.  I will prob spend £200 or so on chemicals to start, and around £400 on leaflets.

I know a van is great (for advertising too) but i will get one a bit further down the line and use my car for the first few months.

[John Kelly]

Bit of advice guys, try not to compete on price. I know its hard when you are first starting off. But the people who buy on price are only loyal to the cheapest. So if you charge 20 today the guy who charges 19 next time will get the job.
You should aim to be earning at least £50 per hour. That is while actually cleaning and that has to make up for all the time travelling, marketing etc. If you can do £50 an hour and get 20 hours cleaning in theres a grand for starters.

Good luck.

[davep]

Ta John, how long have you been in the game for?  20 Hours at £50 sounds great.  Is that how you charge or is it more per room or foot..   Also for thoses 20 hrs cleaning how much marketing is needed (like leafleting)

Does anyone have a good leaflet i can have a peak at?

[John Kelly]

Been cleaning for 13 years as well as other things. We have a £48 minimum charge. This would cover a lounge or 1 chair.
As with any business the trick isn't the actual work, it is the marketing to get enough work to sustain a good lifestyle.
There is plenty to trawl through on this site and if you read enough you should glean the basics of what to do.

[andy roberts]

John

I'd like to think I could earn £50 an hour cleaning carpets but I very much doubt it somehow (and I live on a affluent Island).

I only make £35 per hour fitting carpets (market rate)! Where do u find that type of work from, surely must be commercial blue chip companies and not domestic?

Regards, Andy.

[John Kelly]

Cmon Andy, 50 quid an hour is not even a high price. I charge a minnimum £95 for a 3 pce suite which usually takes me an hour and a half. A lounge carpet, £48 - 40 minutes. I quote over the phone as I have probably cleaned every kind of house in the area and know what to expect. Probably get 8 out of 10 jobs i quote for.
And thats in Newcastle where most peoples priority is to spend their money on drink, hic!

Servicemaster up here charge £250 to clean a suite, they are willing to sub it out for £75, ask Steve Gunn. Safeclean charge 150-200.
I spend a lot of my time now doing flood restoration and have amalgamated my carpet cleaning, supply and flood businesses into one entity. That means I now have to charge vat on my carpet cleaning. I haven't yet got round to putting my prices up as I reckon the 17.5% vat is just saving me tax on profit.
Far too many of you are competing against each other on price, charge what you need from the job and go out and find the customers that will pay it, there are thousands of them.

[andy roberts]

John,

I undertsand what your saying. You must be good at cleaning cos what ive read on here it takes other people 4 hours normally to clean a 3 pc suite and 1.5 to clean a lounge carpet. What system do you use to enable you to cover this work in such short time?

I think one has to be mindful of competitors prices, but not be governed by them. I will probably set mine on par with the medium to high bracket cos it is such a big capital outlay one has to make for machinery, training & vehicle etc.

Regards, Andy.

[John Kelly]

Using a truck mount has cut my cleaning time in half. Upholstery can take a long time until you get the hang of it. I was told the other day that it used to take one guy 6 hours. You could make one in that time.
When you are starting it will take you a little longer than the times I have quoted especially if you are using a porty.
Don't forget if you pitch at the high end, say 250 for a suite, you can take as long as you like.

[stains-away]

I remember the first 3 piece I cleaned, 5 hours, thought I'd never come to the end of it, I've learned a bit since then (4 hours 45 minutes now) ,Andy

[andy roberts]

Andy

As a newbie to CC I took the oppurtunity to go out with a mate of mine who has been in the business for years (but still wont tell me how much he earns). He cleaned a 3 pc suite. By the time we had set up, chatted to the cust, had coffee, treated, cleaned then packed away it was 4.5 hrs too. Time flys when your having fun. I had a go and really enjoyed it. He charged £160 for the job which I thought was good money.

Going out again tom for another taster. This is a really useful way of getting to know the fundamentals at an early stage.

Regards, Andy.

[andy roberts]

Sorry that last post was ment for Dave

Regards, Andy

[davep]

Hi Andy, im not lucky enough to have someone to watch, relying on training.  How did you find the upholstery work?

[andy roberts]

Dave

Found it interesting. He tested the fabric for colour run, pre sprayed it with something or other, put a dye stabiliser on then cleaned it with all sorts of added 'ingrediants'. Suite came up really well after we put the turbo dryer to work on it. I wouldn't like to make a mistake too often though when cleaning suites, I think most would be unforgiving. Yes it was back breaking work, but I enjoyed my little outing.

Carpet cleaning tom.  Regards,  Andy

[andy roberts]

Went to get some more hands on experience cleaning a lounge carpet this morning with an experienced cc.  Oooooops, messed up big time, spilt my coffee over hallway carpet (tripped on hoses). Cust laughing, me embarraresed (spelling) CC not amused! Cust got free hallway cleaned by me, my first ever clean! Wont forget that one. Made up with my mate after buying him bacon rolls & tea, cest le vie!

Regards, Andy.