Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Shaun_Ashmore on July 14, 2013, 10:23:36 pm
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With all the talk with prices (a very hot potato) I thought I would reverse the question and try and find out how long it takes to clean:-
3 x rooms with moderate soiling and moderate furniture
Imagine it as a terraced house 2 downstairs reception rooms and hall stairs and landing, time starts from pull up to pull away.
Shaun
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Shaun
3 rooms?? Or 3 bedroom house inc h,s,l 2 recepts??
Read your post and not quite sure which you want answer too.
Mark
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2 downstairs rooms and Hsl.
Shaun
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it takes me 3-4hrs, it always depends how dificult are the areas, stains etc
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Probably 1.5 hrs
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hey steve,i presume your using a tm,hose reel etc,love to get my times down to 1 1/2 hours for two rooms and hsl.Have not fitted my reels yet,slow to set up,but cant honestly say it would take me 2 1/2 hours to do,moving furniture etc
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Yeah tm & around 25 years experience .
If it took me 3-4 hours I'd be looking for another job ;D
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1.5 hours to 2 hours. That's for a dog standard terraced house with moderate soiling.
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About the same as tony give or take (depends on how chatty they are) . I'm doing a 3 for £99 offer and 2 hours is my aim for completion . I have learned quickly that you have to organise yourself with precision . Treat it like a military exercise :)
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1,5 - 2 hrs? one man, set up the gear, vacuuming, furniture moving, proper agitation, extraction, grooming, packing up, plus some conversation with the customer etc.? yeee right, I see here are some real cowboys with TMs hihi ;D
3pc suit is probably 1hr for ye? ;)
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Different people work at different speeds and efficiency than others radek please remember that.
edit..... radek what does hihi and seting mean . Me being a cowboy and all I can't quite understand oh and I'm a portable cowboy not a tm one ;)
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2 of us, 1hr & 10 mins
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1.5 hrs with a tm.
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like Mike, just over an hour.
Radek,
3 - 4 hours????
Just think how much more money you could make if you became more efficient ;)
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like Mike, just over an hour.
Radek,
3 - 4 hours????
Just think how much more money you could make if you became more efficient ;)
think how much more better your work can be if you do it correct ;D
TM or portable, no matter, 1,5-2 hrs is not possibe if not missing most of the steps.
ps. I am not slow, can not me more efficient, no way, just not possible. Working as a TM with the storm, water tanks, automatic empty, quick filling with the pump inside the water tank, hose reels, remote control etc. Set up is only a bit longer becouse two power cables (max. 2 min).
Even if the job is just "refreshing" I am still doing agitation (then with Sebo, not the TM4), and 2,5 hrs would be min for the best fastest jobs.
I am sure that all you do is spraiyng the presprays, quick agitate (if any) with the grooming brush and extraction, becouse customer will see the different anyway not looking deep into the carpet.
If one person off course.
Simon, your times are probably true, you work as a two man team at least.
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Radek,
Have a day out with a busy TM operator, it will be a real eye opener for you, that way you will be in a better position to comment.
Simon
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Very variable, but on ave, 2 of us 1 to 1.5hrs.
3pce suite - 3 str & 2 chairs, tends to be more predictable and we'd reckon 3 man hrs -ie if we can twin-tool, 1.5 hrs for 2 of us.
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I can't possibly think what you'd be doing for 4 hours, my customers wouldn't even want me there for that long !
Although quality is important, your mainly in business to make money, so speed is paramount too !
It's not worth working for yourself if your not efficient and getting as many jobs done each day as possible !
Steve
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guys, make it more precise, what you do, all your steps, from start to finish?
hmmm this is internet, every one can say whatever nobody will check
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Radek,
Perhaps this topic is highlighting the huge difference in productivity that you get with a TM. Clearly the times stated have you thinking that we can't possibly be doing it properly because you've got your head stuck in a certain way of doing things, which to you is the only way of doing it in order to do a proper job - but you're wrong.
What you need is to see a TM in action.
Simon
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this is what I thought and been told
truck mounters are missing all the steps, this means that you guys are very slow ;)
Once I did a test, moderate dirt, two rooms the same carpet and traffic. Friends house so I had a time for testing.
One room I did just with quick hoover, spraying the carpet with prespray and after 5 min extracted, water was dirty, to check the quality I did second attempt doing everything as it should be. Water was still dirty.
Second one I did as I do always, all steps. Dirty water as normal. Second attempt on this carpet gave me clean water with only a bit of fluff in the inline filter.
Job done with Storm, water heated at at least 60 degres, hose 15m only.
It shows that carpet can not be cleaned proper missing these steps, in short time.
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Radek,
That's with a portable. Now consider something up to twenty times more powerful than that.
Thoroughness in a carpet cleaner is not something to be scoffed at, so well done you for having standards. Your mistake is in believing that there is only one way of doing something and any other way of doing it has to be corner cutting, but its not, far from it.
Just out of interest how much would you charge for the job mentioned above?
Simon
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Simon, there is some explanaiton for you, as on long hose you will still have a power, but what is good in throwing so much water to get deep in carpet instead disolve the dirt and lift the dirt with the CRP or rotary? Using that much water pressure cause the overwetting the backing of the carpet, if you say no becouse the suction power is able to collect the water before its hits the backing then it means that you are not cleaning deep enough as the water is not able the disolve the dirt.
I would charge around 120E as this is what competitors in my "village" are charging, maks 150, euro not a pounds. Yes it is too cheap but culd not find more expensive competitors to match their prices.
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It would take me 1.5 - 2hrs with TM
Just did 2 large rugs in a large hotel, 150' from service area
quick vac, spray and rotary, extract, and finish with a bonnet 1.15hrs
they where 4x5 m so 40m2 total, came up perfect £150+vat.
They wont allow a porty inside, so taking a porty off van setting it up, fill etc all takes time, and will be a long way of TM power at this length.
I do lots of big house where I have to run 150'+
Had plenty porties 3 vac etc, wouldnt go back ever 8)
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Radek,
No disrespect but you clearly have a very limited understanding of carpet cleaning techniques and no understanding of truck mounts and how they compare to portable systems. You can do a great job with a portable, everyone knows that, but a TM will do it better and much more quickly, with better drying times and a greatly enhance ability to make money, which offsets the extra cost.
If it takes you 3-4 hours to do the job Shaun asked about then you're only earning £25 per hour when you should be earning £50 and more. That alone should be sufficient to have you looking very closely at what you do and how you go about doing it so that you maximise your productivity without compromising on quality. You might think that is not possible, but it is.
Simon
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Radek,
Simon`s right. You need to experience how a tm works before making comments about something your not quite sure about.
Lunch finished and back to work. Flat in a warden assisted block which I will run the pipes up into their window which is on the second floor. 150` of piping but still quicker and more thorough than my porty!
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1.5-2hrs :)
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Can I just clarify something?
Are we talking an empty property or fully furnished?
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3 x rooms with moderate soiling and moderate furniture
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1.5 hrs tops
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What may make a significant difference is the wand you use.
Shaun
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The problem is...... the only defence that a slow person has is they are not 'slow' they are 'doing the job properly' ::)roll ::)roll
Which equates to the fact that if you clean quicker than them you are not
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Sunday morning 3.5hrs took a leaf out of Ken W kitchen sink scenario and I use a karcher puzzi 100 truck mounted with auto drain and fill
Shaun
Wonder what wand you are referring too!!!! ;D ;)
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Well if you use a 6 jet wand with 03 jets then you are going to clean faster providing your pump and heater exchanger can keep up.
Shaun
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One and a half hours four if I'm staying to watch a film ;) del
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1.5 hours max, and thats with a brew and a chat.
not everyone abides by outdated vaccing rules on domestics.
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I expect I'm pretty slow and as am still quite new using basic equipment BUT I do the job properly and won't leave until I know the customer will be impressed/happy. Today done 2 double bedrooms, large living room and large stair case, took 4 hours and I charged £150, I'm happy with that but do u think its too slow??
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Steven,
By the best part of two hours, but better you take your time and get it right, speed and efficiency will come in time, when you learn to rationalise your working processes.
Simon
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That's what I think. As its early days and I'm still learning I'm happy to take longer and do it right. As you rightly say speed and efficiency will come in time.
Cheers
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we all like to be in and out in a certain time but all jobs differ I would spend a whole day if needed to earn £150 and be happy or 2 hours for £100 it's swings and roundabouts if your happy take all the time you want :)
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Simon is correct you will speed up with experience just keep at it . ;) del
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Extreme clean, del, cheers. Everybody has different requirements/needs, but the way I look at it is people are working nowadays for not much more than what I've just earned in 4 hours. :)
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Working full time I meant!
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Exactly Steve it's your job take as little or as long as you want if your happy then that's all that matters :)
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To be fair still not everyone sure what we are cleaning sure the difference in times reflect this!!
I read Shaun's post as 2 recepts and hsl.
For me tm 60-75 mins hours depending on soiling / furniture.
If some read Shaun's post as 3 bed house that would be more 2 hours with t/m. Vaccing under beds would dictate time here.
But can see how 3-4 hours for medium size porty user(loading emptying etc.)is feasible on 3 bed house. But have to say if 2 recepts plus hsl is taking 3-4 hours then this is nothing to do with correct procedures this is downright slow IMO. I'd be warning my lads to get there finger out!!!
Mark
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But you haven't made a profit of £150, look at it from a business point of view, vehicle running costs, solutions, purchase of your machinery, any advertising, insurances, replacement or breakage, accountant, national insurance etc etc
If you have a regular wage even min wage you get £200 in your pocket week in week out plus any top up benefits and holiday pay and sick pay etc its not quite the same and that's where people can go wrong.
Shaun
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Shaun is right. £150 a day for a cc is definitely not £150 a day earnings.
Here is a simple exercise, over a month period, keep a track of how many sq metres/foot you clean. Once you have this figure, then add up all your business expenses. Petrol, may need to do some calculations of certain items like insurance divided by 12, yearly chems divided by 12. Phones, basically anything you can think off. You can take a bank statement if this helps. note your cash purchases. Then once you get figure divide that by your sq mt or foot figure for month then you will no what you cost per sq mt/ft is. For some you will see a big difference in how well you are doing. Then you can work out what wage you want PCM, then divide it by sq mt ft add two figures together, add 10% for contingencies. there is what you should be charging!!! Long winded but interesting exercise!!
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And the thing most people forget is equipment and vehicle depreciation and renewal costs.
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I agree John in theory when you purchase you equipment you should be saving for your next lot.
I dont think people think that way anymore.
Shaun
It's bloody hot in this sheltered accommodation they've even got the radiators on!
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One of our customers has just come in and said the same thing. The poor old lady in the flat he was cleaning was nearly passing out with the heat. The windows only open about 3 inches as well. He had to bring his airmover in to cool her down.
Are the people that run these places thick or what.
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Ignorance is bliss if they don't complain they are fine carpets dry quick though.
Shaun