Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jamie Lindsay on November 25, 2010, 07:18:52 pm
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I am just starting up and was wondering what are the bare essentials when it come to chemicals?
Pre spray, rinse, protector and stain removers.. my local supplier prochem
I am going to keep my business as simple as i can make it and try stick to the same chemicals
any comments on what to use would be great ???
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In terms of chemicals I'd say make sure you have stain removers specific to different stains.
Deodorisers and urine neutralisers wouldn't go amiss either. It helps to advertise the fact that use of a deodoriser comes as standard on all jobs.
Are you offering carpet protection ie Scotchguard etc?
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cheers mate,
how you anyway hope business is good..
yep gona offer protection but just want to know the best and cheepest 1 if that makes sense :P
want to keep it basic as i can
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Must haves , A pre- spray , orange gel or citrus gel of some sort for oil based stains , a coffee reducer, this will see you through 99%+ of situations.
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where would i get these gels and coffee reducers ?
do you try and keep your cleaning old school and basic jason?
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Get them from the Prochem distributor round the corner , I keep it simple ,yes
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If you are just starting up what is your total budget?
Mark
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I have every thing but the chemicals so blank chec :Pk
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I have every thing but the chemicals so blank chec :Pk
whats in your kit at the min ?
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Have you got a machine yet Jamie?
I think the cheapest protector is Flouroseal. Correct me if I am wrong someone.
You should be able to get most of the chems you need from your local supplier. Failing that you can get them over the internet.
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dont have any cemicals at all yet ricky but have van machine etc
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What machine did you go for in the end Jamie?
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got tht rhino one from another guy on the forum very happy with it at the mmoment but hoping o upgrade asap
trying to keep it basic tho at first i was think about diff chemicals etc but reading some post on here dont feel the need to make room for unneeded overheads.. think the key is o keep it simple... after all it is only carpet cleaning
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"only carpet cleaning"
I hope you're wearing a tin hat mate! ;D
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lol well it sometimes is over titled on this forum i think 8)
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if you see it as "only carpet cleaning" then you can only sell it as "only carpet cleaning"
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if you see it as "only carpet cleaning" then you can only sell it as "only carpet cleaning"
But perhaps it could be 'Carpet Cleaning Only' which changes the whole perspective :P
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The simplest way to build a succesful business is through satisfied customers. There are loads out there there do not know what they are doing and that will blag or flannel customers that things cannot be done.
It is all too common that people will say to me that stains cannot be removed because many peolpe have tried. It is very often simple things like paint, nail varnish, blue tack, or rust as soon as you show the customer how easy it does come off, you demonstrate what idiots the previous people were. They obviously did not impress the customer otherwise you would not be there in the first place but you can be certain that you will be called back and when anybody talks about carpet cleaning to them the story will be told.
That is the simplest way, be professional carry as many products as you can and learn as much as you can, or you can become just another carpet cleaner that invests the minimum and give the customer the minimum. They arde 10 a penny and always struggleing for work.
You need to be careful what advice you take as a lot of the advice people will give you is not worth a toss.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com (http://www.carpetcleanercardiff.com)
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Why limit your horizons? I've tried plenty of chemicals over the years some i've liked and stuck with some I haven't. I would experiment as much as you can it's the key to confidence. It also depends on your philosophy with regards to eco cleaning, or not, and the message you're selling to your customers.
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we are back to going off on tangents again... carpet cleaners have been around for 30 years plus so how come its just now that we need to buy into all these machine chemicals etc... its all about marketing not truckmounts what chemicals etc the general public want there carpet cleaned thats why we are carpet cleaners they could not care what or how we do it ;D.... simples :P
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its called perception jamie, marketting is how you get your customers perception and results is how you keep them. but if you wanna make carpet cleaning, bottom of your list of how to be a successful carpet cleaner then certainly don't listen to me.
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Jamie, I've been going for 2 and a half years and am not ashamed to say that I have 53 different cleaning solutions at my disposal. This includes carpet cleaning solutions, upholstery cleaning solutions, LTT leather cleaning solutions, stain removers and stain protectors.
I have so many because I have invested heavily in experimenting in what works best for me and this way, I know that what I have in my van works. I have chemicals that I have used once and some that I use almost every day. Since being on here regularly, I have a couple in mind that I want to try as their names come up regularly.
What I'm getting at is that you should not be affraid to experiment - as long as you can read instructions and have attended a course that at least teaches the basics, you shouldn't make too many mistakes. This way, you will know first hand what works.
I would advise you to get a measuring cylinder and funnel so that you can measure exact amounts of solution.
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Jaime, perseverance and dont give up
I started out with 2 prochem porties, a P reg escort van and some bits and bobs but I had a big data base and the biz had been going a fair few years. we have now got a bit more than that now and there are a few of us after 3 years of perseverance.
a TM is the way to go if your main arm is carpet cleaning but listen to some of the others diversity is the key.
All the very best
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we are back to going off on tangents again... carpet cleaners have been around for 30 years plus so how come its just now that we need to buy into all these machine chemicals etc... its all about marketing not truckmounts what chemicals etc the general public want there carpet cleaned thats why we are carpet cleaners they could not care what or how we do it ;D.... simples :P
I know what you are saying Jamie and you have to start off and not over extend yourself with the latest kit/gadgets etc when you start. BUT, you do need to keep reinvesting in these things as you make more money so that you progress and develop a competitive edge. You are in competition.
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how many vans have you's all got on the road ??? how many ppl on this forum are cc and how many ppl are business men/women??? not trying to fight against the whole off clean it up but....
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how many vans have you's all got on the road ??? how many ppl on this forum are cc and how many ppl are business men/women??? not trying to fight against the whole off clean it up but....
Jamie
We are all business men - carpet cleaning is just the vehicle we use to channel that.
The question you asked makes it sound like carpet cleaning is a hobby.
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Jamie, how relevant is the number of vans one runs.
You can be running multiple vans but have a lousy business making nothing (but more problems)
you only need one van to be a success - depends what you want out of life.
Some guys are working on here 6 and maybe sometimes 7 days a week, others like me may be more then happy working 4 occasionally 5. Is any one in the first group more successful then those in the second group? Difficult to measure, cause success is more then whats on the balance sheet.
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Isn't Jaimie a 22yrs old who who thinking about becoming a carpet cleaner? who has gained any knowledge he has from reading this forum and the internet?
he can be allowed to make post that are slight derogatory to how carpet cleaners run their business, after all he knows nothing really about real world carpet cleaning
(no offence to Jamie intended in my reply if I'm wrong )
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we are back to going off on tangents again... carpet cleaners have been around for 30 years plus so how come its just now that we need to buy into all these machine chemicals etc... its all about marketing not truckmounts what chemicals etc the general public want there carpet cleaned thats why we are carpet cleaners they could not care what or how we do it ;D.... simples :P
I know what you are saying Jamie and you have to start off and not over extend yourself with the latest kit/gadgets etc when you start. BUT, you do need to keep reinvesting in these things as you make more money so that you progress and develop a competitive edge. You are in competition.
probley the best advive so far above ...... its been 7 years now since i added carpet cleaning to my bussiness and am now at the stage that i have a truck mount coming next week . it takes time you will buy into all the eco/you need every spotter crap - sure the courses tell you you need it all ( helps sales )
to keep it simple - get a good twin vac with 200 ish psi pump , a heat box so at least you get some sort of tepid heat out the end !
dont bother with the inboard heater as the pumps dont like heat - better off heat box after the pump.
you wil only come across food or oil stains really - food,
then the machine should get it out - oil, paint bluetack nailvarnish etc then POG is all you need
coffee, red wine sort of stains - well its all down to carpet type - man made stuff 99% gone- wool 10-20% but dont hold your breath lol i dont care what is said in the real word of cleaning thats the best you can get .
prochem de-foamer
prochem presray
sprayer
pile brush
thats it - simple all you need , and a big smile and blue overshoes to look the part.
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TRAINING insurance approved or you wont get treatment risk insurance
spotted a rhino in prochem scotland last week so they should be able to
fix it for you if needed
for chems if you want detergents try chemspec formula 90 and power burst
for the mingers dont forget acid rince
for spotters trial and error to find out what works for you.
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thanks ryan... was talking to the guy a prochem the other day didn't thnk they fixed rhino
not trying to put any1s living down... but being self employed with 1 van is not running a business
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;D
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Ok Jamie explain what running a buisness is then
Tony
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I am not trying to make enemy's here lol... lets pretend I didn't mention it :P
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then you cannot be taken serious anymore.
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Jamie I have 3 vans, 3 headaches, 3 wages etc etc.
You have a lot to learn grass hopper!
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how many vans do enterprise have on the road ?
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1 van,no staff, owner operated = self employed tradesman
1 van or more = Small business
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very nice way of putting things sir
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Jamie
I would like to add that in having more vans does not mean you earn more money! It all sounds easy, its not. Please let me know how you done it once you have your carpet cleaning empire, after all "Its only carpet cleaning"
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how many vans do you have ?
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Jamie
I would like to add that in having more vans does not mean you earn more money! It all sounds easy, its not. Please let me know how you done it once you have your carpet cleaning empire, after all "Its only carpet cleaning"
I know this to be true , more vans just means a different kind of headache , and you not actually having your hand in the bucket. There are few home services that use direct employed labour to carry out work . WHY?
Because the capital needed is huge , and the scope for messing up and wrongly carrying out work is huge , as is the management costs. Even British gas are switching to subbies, all the big bathroom and window companies have done it too.
Multi van carpet cleaning can be done (I have done it) But the extra profits are negligible.
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fair play to people who have had more than 1 van on the road and have either not made it work or couldn't be bothered with the hassle ... but how people can tell me I cant do it without them failing at it is wrong... plus people who complain about having more than 1 van need the reminding that they are not being forced to run businesses they do it because of the benefits financially.. and after all is that not why we get out our beds in the morning ?
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Not complaing, just saying its not as easy as "Its just carpet cleaning" Ok, I will say what you want to hear. Carpet cleaning is the easiest way of earning a quick buck, you can run more than one van, earn a fortune without any problems at all. It really is as simple as that. I just chose to take 22 years to get more than one van, I also choose not to sleep some nights when we have slack periods or breakdowns etc. Its really easy and great fun too! There you go............good luck.
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Creating a franchise would be the way to go if you have a well sorted system.
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I had some experience a few years ago as part of a very successful multi van operation. The guy who ran the show placed and paid for weekly adverts in at least 6 local newspapers over a an area of approx' 100 miles long by 60 miles wide.
Operators were supplied with machines and chemicals and contacted every night at around 9-30pm with an update on the following days work. Adverts included prices and were at the lower end ( not the bottom ) and operators averaged around £800 per week with only their vehicle costs to pay for.
With the organiser getting around £500 from each operator and creaming off the best jobs he was grossing around £3500 each week................this was about 15 years ago.
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As far as I'm concerned a self-employed tradesman is someone who gets up in the morning and goes to work on site and does a job of work supplied by someone else.
I run a business, with all the associated costs and hassles that go with it - marketing, networking, purchase of equipment and materials, dealing with clients and suppliers, running a sales/purchase ledger and employing an accountant/solicitor.
If that isn't running a business then I don't know what is - and some of you lot on here clearly don't know.
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Totally agree Steve. I hope you havnt miss read my post.
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Although some would say a true business makes money even if you were not actively involved in it.
Could you sell it tomorrow as a running concern without you running it?
Most carpet cleaners don't even have any tangible assets apart from their van, which is probably on tick anyway.
If you are seriously wanting to call yourself a business you are working hard to take yourself out of the frame. Most people just can't make that work, it's either too stressful, they haven't got the knowledge or they aren't that good with people.
For most of us, making a far better than average living and being our own bosses is the right choice, but it's probably not a business that has any value once you're gone.
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Have to say that I agree with those who say that a big business running several vans and with a large number of staff doesn't necessarily equate to a successful business and neither does it maximise profit.
If you are a really good businessman (or woman as I am obliged to say) you can turn a very healthy annual profit as a one man band. If anything I would say that a business making a large profit from one or two vans is comparitively more succesful.
A big business merely turns over more money and that doesn't necessarily mean it makes more profit.
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Matt I know there are for a fact a few multi van operators out there and not only are the hemorrhaging their hard earned savings they are working themselves to an early coronary.
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nice story robert thats what I like to here thats what I call business.. pulling in £3500 without even seeing a carpet ;D
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Thats what it is ,,, a story , 6 newspaper ads , cost? And those 6 ads brought in 1300 a week turnover for 7 blokes (who were all one man operators) . Yeah right .
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dont know if its true or not but that's way you should build your business so your making your hard work of building a contact base to the use to your advantage so you dont have to break your back all your day cleaning carpets
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I agree , though employing people is full of problems , sub contractors is an avenue , but then you need several in order to make a living , and providing enough work for several people costs a lot , or takes a long time . I have actually been there and done it, I bought my first Chem-Dry franchise for 5grand , sold it for 65 grand , as a 3 van operation with slick systems and a nice database. It was a lot of work to build it up and took 10 years. It is not a get rich quick scheme.
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not a bad track record
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In an ideal world, I would spend several years building up my business and then franchise it, but I certainly wouldn't want to run a business with dozens of staff and vans etc operating out of the same office.