Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: darren Jones on May 03, 2010, 07:00:50 pm
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Fellow CC
Thinking of adding oven cleaning onto the business. Any feedback regarding this market would be very gratefully appreciated.
Clinton where did you get the decals for your van done and how much did it cost.
Many thanks
Darren Jones
Dazzling Carpets and possibly Dazzling ovens
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Colin Day is the guy to speak to
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Yes add oven cleaning.
We added carpet cleaning to our Office Cleaning Programme and its the perfect add on. We were originally just doing Low Moisture. Then moved over to HWE.
We now have 2 CC machines on the road. Now looking for a 3rd.
We do Oven cleaning if we do a EOT clean. We dont do ovens for general residential.
Oven cleaning is fairly simple, As long as you know how to unbolt the doors and remove the glass.
If you cannot afford a heated dip tank, then lakeland has a a very large tray where you can lay and soak all the racking and hob bits.
Dont use caustic cleaner on stainless steal.
Dave
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It's an add on that I have never regretted. A dip tank's a must IMO as using a Lakeland tray will be absolutely sole destroying and will almost certainly stop you wanting to persue your new chosen side line.
The money's not as good as Carpet Cleaning and it's a minging job, but it's a cheaper business to run as the only real big outlay is the dip tank.... A gas canister lasts a good 3-6 Months.... (I've used mine for the BBQ tonight ;D
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Hi Darren barclay signs did mine for me hes on reddish road not far from halfords roundabout just past macdonalds
Think it was under 400,had the bottom of the van wrapped mind you and the cartoon and lots of blue bubbles,so guess if you didnt want all that it would be cheaper,he did a great job mind you and have always used him...
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wow colin, i get through a gas bottle approx every 3 to 4 weeks. ???
Darren - i agree with colin you must have a dip tank if ya gonna do it, would be a nightmare without
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3-4 weeks ??? I must be dragging my heels ;D ;D ;D
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3-4 weeks ??? I must be dragging my heels ;D ;D ;D
Perhaps he has a leak!!! ;D
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No offence but I could imagine it being humiliating and demining work, especially with the customer or other people in the home watching you with a smug grin.
You have to draw the line at some point guys. Cleaning other people’s ovens is sad situation to find yourself in.
Have some pride in yourself, let them clean their own f***ing ovens! >:(
Pete
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No offence but I could imagine it being humiliating and demining work, especially with the customer or other people in the home watching you with a smug grin.
You have to draw the line at some point guys. Cleaning other people’s ovens is sad situation to find yourself in.
Have some pride in yourself, let them clean their own f***ing ovens! >:(
Pete
Have you been on the drink since this morning or something...... ???
Pete, you're a proper crank, almost witty even...... ;D
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No offence but I could imagine it being humiliating and demining work, especially with the customer or other people in the home watching you with a smug grin.
You have to draw the line at some point guys. Cleaning other people’s ovens is sad situation to find yourself in.
Have some pride in yourself, let them clean their own f***ing ovens! >:(
Pete
Eh! ???
Must admit mate, its a mingin job as times ;D
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Good friend of mine has just lost a small fortune on an oven cleaning franchise.
This guy aint afraid of hard work, but he hated every minute of it !
The money was poor and and he found cleaning ovens a horrible, disgusting thing to do !
After giving it a go for 18 months he threw the towel in....and very little to show for it.
I know everyone is different and if it were your OWN business then it could be different, but something to think about :-\
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Have some pride in yourself, let them clean their own f***ing ovens! >:(
Pete
oven pride
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Thought that was a loaf of bread derek ;D
Just remembered it were mothers pride ;D
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Clinton lol thought the same google the oven pride sexist ad
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Pete,
Most on this forum would clean other peoples arses if it paid a few quid, so what you say about pride and self respect is nonsense. They have non.
Matt
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Derek thees another avenue to look at with that bowser of yours ouch ;D
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Derek thees another avenue to look at with that bowser of yours ouch ;D
you could call it a gap in the market. ;D
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Pete,
Most on this forum would clean other peoples arses if it paid a few quid, so what you say about pride and self respect is nonsense. They have non.
Matt
;D ;D
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matt i have bird Sh*** on my aerial go and wipe it off theres a good lad
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They might do it for free if you ask nice ;D
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Id do it for the crack ;D
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Pete,
Most on this forum would clean other peoples arses if it paid a few quid, so what you say about pride and self respect is nonsense. They have non.
Matt
It's funny that, you'd be like cleaning a double oven....seeing as you have an a**e on both ends of your digestive system..... ;D
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No offence but I could imagine it being humiliating and demining work, especially with the customer or other people in the home watching you with a smug grin.
You have to draw the line at some point guys. Cleaning other people’s ovens is sad situation to find yourself in.
Have some pride in yourself, let them clean their own f***ing ovens! >:(
Pete
What a co*k! its only removing burnt food,Whats the big deal? ;D
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The thing is, I've done a few carpet cleaning jobs where I still nearly throw up thinking about it (Blood, human extrement and plenty of carpet pizza ;D) and one upholstery job.... Bleurgggh
Oven cleaning is actually a doddle to be honest and I enjoy the job satisfaction... It doesn't matter how old and minging an oven is.... It's still comes up like new ;)
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carpets, ovens, muld ,fire, flood . All dignified ways of earning an honest living , providing a service.
It all buys a nice life for our families, all that matters really.
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Also,never had an oven shrink yet .
Andrew
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The risk you run when adding more and more services is that you end up being not much good at a lot of things instead of really good at one thing. Years ago we did hard floors, curtains, ceilings, fire & flood, carpet fitting, etc, etc and found that really we were a bit of a jack of all trades and so we specialised in carpet & upholstery cleaning and haven't done half bad out of it ever since.
The problem is when carpet & upholstery cleaning is only part of your focus, instead of all of you focus, especially in the early years and you get tempted to add more and more services believing that that is progress you could end up being ok at a lot of things instead of fantastic at one. If you can offer a service that you are really really good at you will always have money in your pocket.
Simon
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Oven cleaning's been a cheap add on and see's me through quiet times, it has kept my business going when the chips have been down.
The intention is to employ someone to do the oven cleaning once I am properly established, but you can't run before you can walk.... Even you Simon, with your infinate wisdom, can't argue with that! Because you've been there yourself, presumably.
I think there's a cut off point as to how many services you should offer, but never kid yourself that people can't be multi-skilled... Maybe "you" can't cope but many many people can and do, hats off to them!!!
I am not tempted to offer any other services even though I do get asked a lot about pressure washing ::)
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Oven cleaning's been a cheap add on and see's me through quiet times, it has kept my business going when the chips have been down.
The intention is to employ someone to do the oven cleaning once I am properly established, but you can't run before you can walk.... Even you Simon, with your infinate wisdom, can't argue with that! Because you've been there yourself, presumably.
I think there's a cut off point as to how many services you should offer, but never kid yourself that people can't be multi-skilled... Maybe "you" can't cope but many many people can and do, hats off to them!!!
I am not tempted to offer any other services even though I do get asked a lot about pressure washing ::)
"multiskilled" It is hardly a skill cleaning things , once you have a van and fully understand the cleaning pie and customer care, add-ons can be a great way to make a good business great. I am thinking Tescos,, into insurance , homeware goods , banking, mobile phones the list goes on.
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The one thing we must all look after are our customers, and when you have them make sure they don't wander off. Offering related multi services is no bad thing. If I don't provide a particular service I probably know someone who will and I just ensure they don't clean carpets too. The only thing I have found important is the value of my time and how I use it, if i'm getting a good return I'm happy. End of tenancy in particular has been good to me but I have to be particular who I work for as some are not prepared to pay what I charge.
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Simon
I agree with you!
Colin, I understand exactly where you are coming from but all Simon said was "the risk....". I'm sure there are many who can multi-task but I believe Simon's warning is a valid one.
When I started I did pressure washing and curtains, dry compound cleaning and a few other things which I can't remember. I do agree with you that as you get busier you do drop off some add-on services because once you become time poor you will naturally persevere with the more profitable services you offer and drop the less profitable ones.
To some extent you could then argue that the whole business becomes slightly self-fulfilling. Concentrating on more profitable jobs brings in more (and often complex work) which then extablishes you as an expert in your field; which then attracts more work to you etc etc ad infinitum.
I'd like to think that I was somewhere along that path.....
Roger
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sorry doc and simon, ahem, i mean mr gerrard.
got to disagree.
i can't understand how you can be an expert at carpet cleaning then add on hard floors and all of a sudden, your not an expert at carpet cleaning, unless you mean from the customers point of view ???
the thing is to advertise your carpet cleaning and then market your add ons to your clients. the amount of clients i have that are all ready interested in having there hardfloors done because of my quality carpet cleans is good so why would i let someone else in to do the hard floors and maybe (but i doubt it) turn it around on me.
don't want a row about it, i'm a changed man ;D, just my opinion.
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Derek,
It is perfectly reasonable to add things like hard floors to your list of services as carpet is as much a floor covering as vinyl or laminate is. The problem is when you start adding services that are not within an 'area of expertise' where the services seem erratic and can make you look a bit of a 'jack of all trades,' which is fine if you are happy to be seen that way rather than an expert in a particular field.
I know the temptation for some is to fill your diary any old way you can but I think it is the perception that it leaves the customers with that is the most damaging in the long term. I suppose it is what you hope to build in the long term that matters.
Simon
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Simon, you are contradicting yourself as usual and back peddling like a Tory.
Derek also does pressure washing, I suppose that can be classed as a sort of carpet cleaning too, can it ???
It's not as if I'm offering carpet/upholstery cleaning and bouncy castle hire ::) ::) ::)
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i just love to learn, got my hardfloor course at the end of the month and really looking forward to it.
ive then got a painting and decorating course and then hedge cutting, and finally ironing with speed (not on speed) that'll do for this month, roll on next month, hairdressing, i'll be offering a free haircut with every carpet clean, got to be a winner ;D
seriously though, if thats the sort of expansion you mean then yeah, i totally agree.
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Derek,
That's exactly what I meant. Expansion purely for the sake. In fact, it's not expansion at all, but diversification and that is something you should choose to do and not something you feel obliged to do because you can't fill your diary any other way. (not suggesting that you can't fill your diary - just trying to clarify the point with others)
Simon
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I think Colin give the best reason fot not diversify into oven cleaning in his first reply.......
The money's not as good as Carpet Cleaning
why diversyfy into something that makes less money? ::) ::) seems a bit daft to me
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Mike.... Isn't carpet cleaning better money than upholstery cleaning in most cases... ??? (I expect you'll have a smart Alec reply for that ::) ) So should I not bother cleaning sofa's ???
It's cheaper to clean an oven and the outlay was considerably less, as are the running costs, but I've explained all of this before.... ::)
For the record, I started oven cleaning about 2 months after I started up, do you suggest I give it up or what....? Try and be a bit more constructive in your critisism Mike, I would at least expect that from you in your position!
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touched a bit of a raw nerve there eh colin ;D
from the amount of smilies you needed to use in that post you must deep down totally agree with me and are a little embarrassed about it.
all i did was quote you and give my opinion.
I stick by my first comment, why would anyone diversify into something that makes less money.
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Come on Mike.... You're far too insignificant for me to be bothered about your opinions :-*
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It is called your sales mix Mike, I can turnover £1000 /day out of fire restoration work, more out of flood work , yet only 2-300 on a normal carpet cleaning day. Should I give up the carpet cleaning? Of course not.
The importance of sales mix runs through most businesses. The high value high profit sales items cannot be achieved all the time ,so sometimes we need to do less lucrative work to keep the cash flowing.
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colin.... :-* :-* good answer ;)
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I grew up with mess deck banter Mike.... ;)
Our businesses are like our babies and I think it's way below the belt to question how someone provides for their families, especially in these times. It's hard not to swear and tell people where to get off and mind their own business I must admit!!!!
I have an application for the retained fire service you know..... I'm starting to wonder whether my customers might not approve and think I'm a Jack of all trades ;D!!!
At least your man enough to answer me, unlike some of the has beens on here >:(
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In 2 words
Ian Rochester
Does loads and loads of different services all connected to cleaning (apart from his hoilday lets) but as he grows so does his staff.
Paul King once said if a customer asks you if you can do a certain job which is closely related to the job you are doing then by telling them NO then you are letting in the competition (well his actual words were that you are telling them to F-OFF)
Although I only concentrate on my primary objective but if asked to do something what I see to be more profitable I will consider it.
Shaun
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ive got an oven cleaner on my books, if anyone needs it doing i just call him.
i also have an upholsterer
2 plumbers.
electrician
motor mechanic
gardener. plus others. works well, i give work, i get work.
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well said mate, its good to network, benefits all :)
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Derek dont forget a great carpet cleaner here in stockport ;D
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Regarding this business about becoming a Jack of all trades, Master of none. A lot depends on how naturally practical you are. If you are a natural at picking things up quickly because your natural practical nature, then being a Jack simply wouldn't do for you.
There's nothing quite like the satisfaction gained when you've, for example, fitted a new carpet for a customer better than most full time fitters would be able to, then brilliantly cleaned a few carpets and a Tile and Grout floor. The customer is over the moon with your expertise. Do they then see you as a Jack of all trades, absolutely not, they see you as a Master of many.
However you really have to be a Master of all that you do and get the training and research done in every aspect of your activities. Fail to do that and your individual services WILL dilute each other.
Dave.
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matt i have bird Sh*** on my aerial go and wipe it off theres a good lad
Richard,
Earlier I had Spaghetti Bolognaise for my tea. Unfortunately it did not agree with me so I needed to expel it on the toilet. I am now left with unsightly skid marks round my U-bend.
Could you come round at once and clean it off for me. I will give you some warm soup and food for your family.
Matt
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why would he want to be paid with something that caused the problem in the first place ;D
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Derek dont forget a great carpet cleaner here in stockport ;D
Don't worry Clinton, we all know where Roger lives ;D
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3 referals this week says i aint forgot ya clinton. ;)
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ive got an oven cleaner on my books, if anyone needs it doing i just call him.
i also have an upholsterer
2 plumbers.
electrician
motor mechanic
gardener. plus others. works well, i give work, i get work.
I've got hard floor cleaners, leather cleaners and pressure washer cleaners on my books too.... All different lads.... Shame you don't live close by ;)
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Adie ;D
Derek did one of the jobs mate cheers ;D
Didnt think you loved me any more woo ;D