[Mike Halliday]

If asked by a multimillionaire  to give the best clean possible and he would pay whatever the price, how would you clean a carpet?

So you would use the best machinery, the best chemicals, the best method.... etc...etc

I would:

1) vacuum with a powerbrush & dust bag attached to the truckmount Vacuum hose and vac the carpet until no more crap is filling the dust bag

2) prespray with an appropriate prespray

3) agitate with a Cimex

4) rinse with very hot water that has passed through a reverse osmosis system to create  totally pure water

5) use airmovers on the job until the carpet is dry.

To me there is no better way to give the best clean possible. Anyone disagree or have a better way to clean a carpet?

[Robin Ray]

It depends on the carpet type, a cimex is good but perhaps not the best on a loop pile wool carpet.

[Mike Halliday]

You would need to be slightly flexible in your approach,( eg. some carpets I wouldn’t touch with HWE)  but on the whole how I suggest would be best for 95% of carpets, maybe using the a soft shampoo brushes with the cimex might be advisable of some carpet types

[jasonl]

Cost no object,

lift carpet and take to a unit where it gets back dusted and then cleaned as above

[Mike Halliday]

Cost no object,

lift carpet and take to a unit where it gets back dusted and then cleaned as above

Spot on! I did it with my living room carpet just before I ripped it up, vacced it to death then cut a square out of the middle  and upturned it on my kitchen Lino, then beat it to death. The amount of crap that came out of it was amazing..... even after a massive vacuum,

Does vacuuming get the really deep down dirt?...... I don’t think so😢

[Robin Ray]

Not knocking the cimex at all as it is an excellent machine but I personally prefer a crb for most domestic carpets as it not only agitates but also lifts the pile.

I thought you had stopped cleaning carpets Mike... are you thinking of making a return?

[Mike Halliday]

I’m in a quandary, I know The pressure washing will slow down from the end of October to March but i’ve earned enough through the busy season to take 4 months off but I will get bored poopless.

But I can’t go back to earning the lower carpet cleaning rates it would pee me off. So the only option i’ve Got is to charge the same hourly rate I did when pressure washing but it would mean a minimum charge of £120 (even for the smallest room)

Hence my question, if i’m Going to charge a very premium rate I need to give a very premium clean.

[Robin Ray]

Up the minimum charge.

As i have got busier and busier it is what I have been doing and people haven't dropped off, rather the opposite. The discerning customer wants quality first and is willing to pay more for it.

Having said all that if you have so much money you can take 4 months off that's what I would do. There are plenty more interesting things out there to do than clean things.

Also if you advertise for carpets you will end up with of a load when you want to do pressure washing and turning down customers. Which is not only confusing for the customer but also difficult when switching between different types of gear. I tried mixing exterior cleaning and carpet cleaning for years and decided I needed to specialize more to keep consistent and sane.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Years ago I used to work for a company that did take carpets up and take them away the thing that impressed me most about the vibro beating process was that carpets after a damn good shake could come out looking like they’d been cleaned they also were a lot easier to lift and handle in general.

Back to your original question, why not offer 3 for 2 on a very good rate ? You know yourself that when you’re set up with a van system it’s just as fast cleaning the 3rd room for free it’s tne single room set ups you need to get rid of.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Having said all that if you have so much money you can take 4 months off that's what I would do. There are plenty more interesting things out there to do than clean things.

Why not keep working hard at existing or better rates, then retire earlier and/or sell your business for a hefty premium.

Time is your most precious commodity and having the luxury of choosing what to do with it rather than being dictated to by a working pattern  is wonderful.

Having retired  over three years ago it’s amazing the things I have achieved and managed to get interested in doing without being forced back to work by commitments.

[Mike Halliday]

My wife retired in March at 55, she worked from leaving school in the NHS (over 30yrs) she paid into her pension schemes from the first day. If I work half a day I earn more than her weekly pension. I will never retire as long as I am mentally fit (physically I can get someone to do what I cannot) my earning potential is too great.

Work does not stop me doing everything in life that I wish to do it makes it possible, our original plan for when my wife retired was for me to work March to October then we holiday/live abroad for the winter months but my wife’s family circumstances mean we need to alter these plans.

This is why i’m Thinking of offering carpet cleaning from October time, I need to do so thing because the pressure washing slows down to almost nothing and I will be incredibly bored.

I’m not willing to to work for less than my pressure washing hourly rate (which due to using a big truck mounted jetter which is incredibly efficient) is a lot higher than what my carpet cleaning was.

I  need to offer  a very premium clean to justify what I will charge hence this topic. I will like Shaun suggested do an offer to encourage multiple rooms  but still people need to get value for money

[john martin]

The whole thing about removing carpets though  ...    im thinking about all the times over the years people have said to me  ...  ' theres some small grit or dust at the bottom of the carpet that i cant see but its really bothering me '   
...  actually never ! ...   
i wouldnt even educate them to the issue  , what they dont know wont  bother them  ...    but do they want that fake tan stain removed , they sure do ...    i would concentrate on the top , and forget the bottom   

[Sergio]

If asked by a multimillionaire  to give the best clean possible and he would pay whatever the price, how would you clean a carpet?

So you would use the best machinery, the best chemicals, the best method.... etc...etc

I would:

1) vacuum with a powerbrush & dust bag attached to the truckmount Vacuum hose and vac the carpet until no more crap is filling the dust bag

2) prespray with an appropriate prespray

3) agitate with a Cimex

4) rinse with very hot water that has passed through a reverse osmosis system to create  totally pure water

5) use airmovers on the job until the carpet is dry.

To me there is no better way to give the best clean possible. Anyone disagree or have a better way to clean a carpet?

Why you prefer pure water?

[Cleanevangelist]

Mike

this question for me represents what i am trying to do. Cleaning works on two levels one you see and the one you dont which is hygiene. if we can teach people about cleaning for hygiene the they will clean more often.

For clean water to washing hygiene has done more for us than any drug. just look at the third world and you see how important clean water is. just because we live in what we think is a clean environment does not mean that hygiene is still not as important.

i read a tweet the other day about a study in new york where they found new bacteria in the subways. Ask John how much bactericide he sells and you see how under sold hygiene is.

I would add that we dont want to scare people into cleaning because of hygiene they will see right thought that but just present the facts. its not easy. I think it much better to show what an amazing world bacteria and microbiology is.

Respects

Ian

PS. hit your past customer hard with marketing with an offer relentlessly. dont let up

[Mike Halliday]

Why you prefer pure water?

A couple of reasons, 1 marketing, it makes me different from everyone else who leaves some sort of chemical in the carpet, what will customers prefer when asked.... “do you want me to leave your carpet full of chemicals or totally chemical  free”

2nd, I do believe it’s the best outcome for the customer, once that water everperates the carpet is totally free from any chemicals, how can that be a bad thing. When I cleaned my own carpets I always rinsed with plain water I honestly believed it was  the best way....... RO water is a step further in that direction

[Sergio]

Why you prefer pure water?

A couple of reasons, 1 marketing, it makes me different from everyone else who leaves some sort of chemical in the carpet, what will customers prefer when asked.... “do you want me to leave your carpet full of chemicals or totally chemical  free”

2nd, I do believe it’s the best outcome for the customer, once that water everperates the carpet is totally free from any chemicals, how can that be a bad thing. When I cleaned my own carpets I always rinsed with plain water I honestly believed it was  the best way....... RO water is a step further in that direction

Thanks Mike. What is RO water?

[Robin Ray]

RO water is water that has been filtered using Reverse Osmosis. The purpose is to remove as much metal and mineral content as possible so you are left with just pure water. It has the benefit of being very soft so allows cleaning solutions to work alot more effectively. Also when used to rinse it will leave no residues itself.

It is commonly used in water fed pole window cleaning. Also dentist chairs, and kidney dialysis machines.

[Cleanevangelist]

another way is to pick the detergent with the right charge

[Mike Halliday]

another way is to pick the detergent with the right charge

Don’t understand this reply, are you  using the word ‘charge’ as in the positive/negative connotation or as in the cost to the customer?

Either way you are incorrect, using any additive ( detergent etc)  to the water will be the complete opposite to what i’m Trying to achieve...... which is zero residue left in the carpet

[Jonathan Evans]

So do you mean Mike that you intend to vacuum the carpet then rinse with pure water nothing else?
You could try a coloid cleaning solution. These are meant to biodegrade to nothing.
On the other hand I think you are saying you want to match your pressure washing hourly rate of £120 an hour.
Why not offer the best service possible rather than the best clean.
People want a clean and visable improvement. They like Free things as I think Shaun said 3rd room free. Give the own label spotters and offer to come back free of charge within the first week or two if they have an accident free of charge.
You know the game inside out and are one of the people I look to for inspiration so you know that figure is achievable maybe not every hour but certainly most. Either way good luck whatever you do. But I do know some pressure washing guys who go virtually all year.

[JandS]

A RO in your area would not give you pure would it?

[Mike Halliday]

I have a garden centre on my road that has an aquarium section, they sell pure water at 6p a litre so I plan on calling in their and filling my water tank

But also there is a new franchise that is setting up that is going to have RO filling stations positioned around the country, they are putting one a mile down the rd from me which will be open 24/7