Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: kevinc on December 03, 2011, 06:17:12 pm
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;D hi i am going to start a carpet cleaning buisisness to run along side window cleaning how do i go about it and what machine is best to get its going to be a girli thing run by my wife based w yorks do you think it would work ?
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Book yourself on a training first mate, then do some market research to make sure there is a market.
Simon
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Not to sound sexist, but its a surprisingly physical job. I know my Mrs wouldn't be able to lug a portable machine up a flight of stairs that's for sure.
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Go and look at a sabrina maxi from craftex when your wife has had some training and practice with it at home etc...............Alan(swindon)
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hope you have your hard hat on Ash! ;D
i ted to agree tho.
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Agree with Ash,I consider myself to be reasonably fit,but after doing 3 or 4 jobs in a day,Im totally knackered by the time I get home.Machine in and out if the van,is heavy work.Not saying that some women cant do it,but I know for a fact my miss
us would not be able to hack it
Chris
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hi simon thanks for the reply how do i get on traing course? our window cleaning customer base is 350+ so we could have a market there is it worth while doing it hi i am amanda kevins better half i am used to kicking kevins arse and luging heavy stuff about thanks :) will go for traing course where abouts witch is better training course?
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That's a good point. This is very hard work, even for a man, so woman may find it hard going, no disrespect intended.
Plus, there is a lot more to it than just buying a machine.
Simon
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Kevin / Amanda,
You can't go wrong with a Prochem training course. 350 window cleaning customers won't turn into 350 carpet cleaning customers, you should be aware of that, so if you want to build it up you will need to think about and budget for further advertising.
Simon
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Your quite close to Restormate and they also do training courses run by Derek Bolton! Cant go wrong there.
Seriously tho, good luck! Its very hard going building the business up and doing the actual work!
A modern day extraction machine will weigh around 45kg without water in it! And there's alot more to it than just a carpet cleaning machine.
Tony
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We do have quite a few female customers. They seem to cope ok.
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get a truckmount for her, my wife can clean a full house without breaking sweat and she's 8 stone soaking wet. ask john gotts at hydramaster about a pink one, great marketting for ya.
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John,
You can't say that about Billy!
;P
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John,
You can't say that about Billy!
;P
Calm down mighty mouse!!!!! Just cause you need a set of steps to reach the controls on your machine!!!!!
hahahahaha ;D ;D ;D
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Haha don't start that, I don't want to be known as the short arse of the forum! :)
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Not to sound sexist, but its a surprisingly physical job. I know my Mrs wouldn't be able to lug a portable machine up a flight of stairs that's for sure.
:o ::) ...... too late , you just did.
Trena... female .... trained and qualified in all that marc does :D
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Trena, I apologise if that comment caused offence, it wasn't my intention - but I'm sure that you're in a position to tell Amanda that the job can be hard graft. Or maybe I'm wrong and you don't find it that difficult?
But as I said, I can't think of many women I know who could carry a portie up and down a flight of stairs 3 times a day on their own.
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Trena, I apologise if that comment caused offence, it wasn't my intention - but I'm sure that you're in a position to tell Amanda that the job can be hard graft. Or maybe I'm wrong and you don't find it that difficult?
But as I said, I can't think of many women I know who could carry a portie up and down a flight of stairs 3 times a day on their own.
You've obviously never met some of the bruisers up my way!!!!!!!! hahaha ;D ;D ;D
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Listen, dont bother, just get up Wigan way and do a groupon for £9 a room and then Gerrard will be out of business. :D :D :D :D
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Listen, dont bother, just get up Wigan way and do a groupon for £9 a room and then Gerrard will be out of business. :D :D :D :D
;D ;D ;D
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Not to sound sexist, but its a surprisingly physical job. I know my Mrs wouldn't be able to lug a portable machine up a flight of stairs that's for sure.
There's a very successful and popular women's carpet cleaning service down here called "Cleanher Carpets" They run a Truck Mount Machine and everything. I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear from you should you have any questions.... :)
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Colin, are you sure its a carpet cleaning service, not something more sordid??
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Not to sound sexist, but its a surprisingly physical job. I know my Mrs wouldn't be able to lug a portable machine up a flight of stairs that's for sure.
There's a very successful and popular women's carpet cleaning service down here called "Cleanher Carpets" They run a Truck Mount Machine and everything. I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear from you should you have any questions.... :)
I do believe thats John Gotts wife and sister in law!!!!
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Colin, are you sure its a carpet cleaning service, not something more sordid??
Have you met John Gotts....? You wouldn't have said that if you had...... ;D
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Haha no I haven't! Anyway, why am I getting it in the neck, at least 3 people agreed with me and I was only saying! ;P
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Haha no I haven't! Anyway, why am I getting it in the neck, at least 3 people agreed with me and I was only saying! ;P
If I hadn't have met John Gotts, I'd probably have agreed with you too ;D
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Its not John you have to worry about.
His sister in law Julie can hold her own I tell ya!! :o
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Trena, I apologise if that comment caused offence, it wasn't my intention - but I'm sure that you're in a position to tell Amanda that the job can be hard graft. Or maybe I'm wrong and you don't find it that difficult?
But as I said, I can't think of many women I know who could carry a portie up and down a flight of stairs 3 times a day on their own.
I'll let you off Ash ;D..... sad to say yes you are right, it is bloody hard work and while yes years ago i did lug machines up and down stairs and carry out the same activities as Marc does now, due to health probs, i prob couldnt get the machine out of the van these days never mind anything else lol.
Apart from anything else.... its so not ladylike dripping with sweat from every orifice like you big strapping blokes do.
My biggest hate of carpet cleaning was going into a clients house looking well groomed and presentable and by the time the job was finished looking like id just run a marathon, mascara running down face... so not pretty !!!
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Yeah, I have the same problem - bloody guyliner! ;P
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i keep telling marc he really should buy the waterproof one but he wont listen ::)
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Not to sound sexist, but its a surprisingly physical job. I know my Mrs wouldn't be able to lug a portable machine up a flight of stairs that's for sure.
I sure wouldn't WANT to, let alone be able to do so!
We work as a team most days so all fetching and carrying is shared, very rarely we have to demount the machine anyway.
There is nothing "sexist" about carpet cleaning as in most industries, unless of course the female in question makes it so ;)
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hi simon thanks for the reply how do i get on traing course? our window cleaning customer base is 350+ so we could have a market there is it worth while doing it hi i am amanda kevins better half i am used to kicking kevins arse and luging heavy stuff about thanks :) will go for traing course where abouts witch is better training course?
Amanda
Not to say that your experiences would be the same as ours, but we started in Carpet Cleaning and built a window cleaning business after that, we had 700 plus domestic window cleaning custies at one point ( we staffed the window cleaning) Even though these 700 were constantly marketed to each month(payment slips, newsletters, talking to etc etc) we probably converted less than 20% to get them to have their carpets cleaned.) Although clearly sign written on van and website being primarily carpet cleaning, after years some would still say"I didn't know you did that, we have just used someone else......."
You will still have to have a budget for advertising carpet cleaning, outside of your window cleaning business. As for fitting work in, you should be ok, if you don't increase your 350 window custies too much.
At this stage of "thinking" personally I would ask all your window cleaning custies if they would be interested in using your Carpet Cleaning services that are available in the New Year. If you get a great response, find a local CC'er who you can do a deal with and work with on those jobs. You'll then see if it really is for you.......there's no skirting around it, it is alot harder than window cleaning, :)
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I wouldn't rely on your window cleaning clients becoming carpet cleaning clients.
They will still see you as the 'window cleaner'.
Colin Bright had a succesful and not cheap window cleaning business before he started up carpet cleaning and thought the same.
Ask him, it didn't happen.
Dave.