Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Steven Butler on April 11, 2017, 10:12:29 pm
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Honestly on most jobs I'm asked
Do you know an oven cleaner?
Do you know a window cleaner?
Do you know anyone who cleans patios?
Anyone who cleans conservatories?
Etc etc etc
Carpet cleaning I love and make some real good money out of it but in reality as others have said on recent threads it's never going to make you rich! Well off possibly but not rich.
I'm wondering is it worth becoming a general cleaning company that offers all solutions to domestic cleaning???
Then again then comes the dilemma of whether to sub out or employ... if you get too busy you can't do it all yourself,,,,
I'm still new iSH in my 5th year of carpet & upholstery, just wondered if any of you longer established guys have expanded or just stook with carpets????
Interested in any opinions/advise/experiences
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I bought my business which had already been established 10 years. When I took it on the main business was carpets and upholstery. But it also offered curtain cleaning, pressure washing and dry cleaning solvent cleaning.
I found over the next 2-3 years that as I put my prices up and got more proficient at the carpets and upholstery that the other services tended to wither away. That said I didn't really have an interest in them either.
Of course as soon as I had decided in each case to stop offering these services and to divest myself of equipment was just the time that multiple enquiries would be received for these services.
I didn't regret stopping offering these services and as appropriate would discuss other options available to the client confident that they would retain me for their carpets and upholstery cleaning.
In hindsight I found that I ended up specialising in carpets and upholstery and as such was more than busy enough to be able to charge a premium for what I did clean as many clients considered me to be a specialist rather than a "jack of all trades".
Rog
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As above taken me a while to understand this but specialise and be seen as a specialist rather than jack of all trades.
Since I have done this things have looked up.
That said most general cleaning companies make more than me but then work harder longer and more unsociable hours.
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I diversified into window cleaning as well....bought a round on my doorstep and never looked back
I now find my spend on advertising for carpets is minimal to get me 3 days work a week.......the other 2 days I'm out in the fresh air doing something different.....also because window cleaning isn't scheduled as such any last minute carpet cancellations I can drop onto windows.
It's also got me into conservatory cleaning and gutter cleaning and am loving the diversity.
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If you are a 1 man band then do anything you like as long as it hits your wanted hourly rate, or if you don't have the work to fill your diary then you could do anything at a lower hourly rate but slowly as you get busier decrease lower priced work or increase the price until it equals you top earner.
Because of this strategy I have removed my truckmount out of the van and no longer offer a carpet & upholstery cleaning service it didn't hit my hourly rate, until work slows down on the pressure washing I'm just passing on all the carpet& upholstery enquiries.
I'm hoping I never clean another carpet again
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This is why I opened Valley cleaning centre, a one stop shop for all cleaning needs
valleycleaningcentre.co.uk
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Mike
Why do you not wish to clean another carpet?
Is it just the hourly rate or are you just fed up with it?
Just curious!
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Three people liked it, so I guess that's three other carpet cleaners that wish they never had to clean another carpet, which is odd. :)
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I offer
Car valeting
Carpet cleaning
Pressure washing
Window cleaning
Gutter clearance
Conservatory cleaning
The idea behind it was when starting out to offer the lot and more chance of picking up work.
The main focus now is windows anything else is faffing about.
Long term goal is to keep building the windows infinetly and employing then using the customer database to offer the extra services so the add on work will need next to no marketting.
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Mike
Why do you not wish to clean another carpet?
Is it just the hourly rate or are you just fed up with it?
Just curious!
At first it was the hourly rate not comparing to pressure washing but after a while I realised I was getting peeved off doing single rooms and dragging pipes up stairs for little bedroom jobs, my mate & I realised we would be better off turning down little jobs and spending the time putting out leaflets to gain bigger earning pressure washing work.
Plus there was a few other little things, the job satisfaction is much higher, the job values are higher. Less stress of working in people's homes.
A big thing was no more working for an hour trying to get a stain out of a carpet only to get 90% of it out and the client still not willing To pay for the time and skill used.
To be honest there was a million little things that have killed my love of carpet cleaning
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Mike
I must admit i no longer actually enjoy carpet cleaning all that much after 22 years.
The only thing that keeps me going is that i have a lot of great regular customers that i enjoy working for and the freedom the job gives me.
The actual carpet cleaning itself does very little for me now!
Andrew stone.
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Cheers for the replies all, some mixed opinions which I was hoping for.
Month on month and year on year I am earning more which to me is success BUT I'm very ambitious and with many many years ahead to work I can't help but think why limit myself to one thing.....that said I am wary of becoming a jack of all trades, however if planned right I'm sure that won't be the case.
I like money a lot......and want MORE at the end of the day that's what we all work for.
Thanks again
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Interesting to read your comments Mike, it's not just me then getting fed up with carpets, but I kind of see it as my bread and butter.
I rather work outside given the choice.
Is there much demand for conservatories?
Would a hose pipe brush do instead of pure water fed pole?
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To be honest I should keep quite about it but there is a massive demand :) every time I clean one I stand on the tower and look across the neighbours gardens I can see 5 more that need cleaning. My new leaflet has a full side about conservatory roof cleaning.
We use a waterfed pole connected to the hosepipe not pure water to rinse and extending car wash brushes to scrub before rinsing
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If I was you I would We take on most things it helps fill in gaps been doing 7 days a week I enjoy a change as well stops me getting board :-)
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Not to mention of course the carpet cleaning market has become crowed out, all climbing over each other to offer the most desperate cheapest price. I do PW'ing driveways and patios, and hard floor and I really love the change.
I think after 14 years of carpets you do get a bit fed up with them, and the calls drive you nuts, it's all price shoppers and awkward jobs you don't want, thankfully I have a steady stream of repeats so I can be quite blase with the new enquires.
There's this guy in the states, New York, I met through Google plus and he does carpets, but also windows, building exteriors pressure washing, wood, decking, the lot, and it looks so much more enjoyable work. Have a look through some of his work, it's all shared public https://www.facebook.com/jay.pooler.73?lst=100001680666519%3A100007163943975%3A1492419344
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I agree and have been saying it for a while now. Its getting over crowed, a lot of new starts popping up and staying around unlike earlier days where it was harder to get the work. Now they can get the high powered machinery very easily from ebay, train themselves via facebook group, forums and youtube videos and then get work from facebook for free, advertising cheap pricing and building their whole business via facebook crap, driving the prices down for everyone.
I find it harder the last couple of years to get a good price, I mean I still do but I do get more price resistance and I can only point blame to the cheap cleaners. Just today I booked in a £170 suite clean, the wife didn't even bat an eye lid. She calls me back after an hour to tell me that her husband has found someone that can do it for £60!! And according to her he's going to do a very thorough job, is fully insured etc etc. So that twit who doesn't value his time or himself has made me look like I am heavily over charging.
Mike and Craig, can you guys not look for PW work all year round? maybe commercial work? There is a company called blast away based in Manchester (I think), and the guy used to post a lot on here on the general cleaning section. Seems to do very well and looks like a piece of p to do with very little that can go wrong.
https://www.facebook.com/BlastAwayCleaning/
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The fact that you tried to charge £170 for a suite clean says it all....not just cheap prices killing this game.
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You are heavily overcharging.
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You are heavily overcharging.
Its actually less than 5% of the value of the suite. So an absolute bargain.
Out of interest,
A) who do you think is going to be the most thorough job, take their time, do the job properly, which will spend time putting down lots of dust sheets, groom the pile, set up air movers, towel all the wet clean sections/cushions, use the best and correct products for the fabric and soil type? vac all the crap on the base and in all the nooks and grannies.
B) And who will be splashing and dashing to get out there as quick as possible? and leaving lovely triangles all over the fabric?
The £60 cleaner could be doing A's level of clean and service and if he is, then he's an even a bigger fool than I gave him credit for.
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60 quid guy probably gers in done in an hour or so.
Bit of detergent in the tank, once over and leaves it wet and goes. Would be lucky if he hoovers never mind the rest.
Problem is and I go by my local area, 170 for a suite would see me bankrupt very fast as no one would pay it.
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£170 to clean a suite is not expensive, i charge £175 for a standard suite,that on average takes about 2 1/2 hours, I can actually earn more carpet cleaning, so not expensive.
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It's always going to be easier as a sole trader to specialise in one area, it's a lot of faff and hard work to try to juggle a lot of services and all the time spend messing eat into your profits.
Imagine you do a car valet monday morning then in the afternoon you do a one room carpet half an hour away for 40 quid then dash back across time to do a gutter clear for 40 quid. All the pratting about with all the gear on the van, carpet gear gets blathered from gutter clearing an cleaning cars. One day humping this in and out, an appointment ay 10 o'clock then one at 12 that you are late for. There's all the gear to buy all the gear to maintain, all the advertising and marketting to do for each service.
It could work in a big company where maybe you have seperate divisions etc but as a one man band total farce.
Pick One or two things and concentrate on those.
For me having tried a lot of stuff I prefer window cleaning. The profits are not as good as some of the other stuff but the lifestyle makes up for it. Once you have enough work you know where you are every week, you know whats coming in. when your done for the week your done. If you want a day off you take one. Theres little advertising when full and growth if you want it is easily achieved by simply knocking on doors and more doors. Maybe get a gutter vac and offer that and conny cleaning to existing clients, do a few a month if you want a bit extra or don't do any if you dont.
Find the business and services which work for you both on a personal level as far as enjoyment is concerned, on a financial level and on a day to day running the business level it all adds up to create the level of satisfaction you get from your job.
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£170 to clean a suite is not expensive, i charge £175 for a standard suite,that on average takes about 2 1/2 hours, I can actually earn more carpet cleaning, so not expensive.
Horses for courses, what's expensive to some is cheap to another.
Round my way £10 for window cleaning is getting expensive, in London it's ridiculously cheap.
Guys round here doing carpets for 15 quid a go. I get told I'm too expensive all the time every week.. and I'm talking quoting 30 quid a room or 40 quid to clean a conny roof.
If the area you live won't have it then it won't have it. There's always the exception to the rule but to have a thriving business you need more than the odd exception.
I would have a thriving business at 15 quid a room, very little business at 40 quid a room so the answer probably lies somewhere in between for my area.
But I don't bother with carpets much now as almost everyone wants just one room or a sofa doing and for 40-60 quid it's not worth the hassle.
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Adam....just like the window cleaning section there is some price bullpoopers......he says the price is 5per cent of the value of the suite.....did they actually tell him the exact price of the suite....did he ask how much it cost.....read into it what you will.
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Adam....just like the window cleaning section there is some price bullpoopers......he says the price is 5per cent of the value of the suite.....did they actually tell him the exact price of the suite....did he ask how much it cost.....read into it what you will.
Yes, "HE" did ask the value of the suite! ;D Its one of many questions I ask to determine the cost of the clean. Its simple really, ask lots of questions, its one of the many things that separates me from the professional but "affordable" cleaners like John.
John, just because you can't get a good price it doesn't mean no one else does.
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But you didn't get it..........
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Adam....just like the window cleaning section there is some price bullpoopers......he says the price is 5per cent of the value of the suite.....did they actually tell him the exact price of the suite....did he ask how much it cost.....read into it what you will.
Yes, "HE" did ask the value of the suite! ;D Its one of many questions I ask to determine the cost of the clean. Its simple really, ask lots of questions, its one of the many things that separates me from the professional but "affordable" cleaners like John.
John, just because you can't get a good price it doesn't mean no one else does.
You in my opinion have it absolutely bang on! It is the same in all trades not just CC'ing. Anybody can be a busy fool chasing their own tail up their own ar$e. However, if you set your own stall out how you want it and moreover, you are happy with your pricing you will always have work. Everyday I see Hard Floor Cleaners working for virtually peanuts but if they are happy let them get on with it and it seems to be the same whatever walk of life or career you are in. The successful business do a very good job for a fair price. Successful businesses take into account holidays, sickness, van running costs and purchase, insurances etc etc. Businesses that do things for peanuts cannot be taking this into account regardless of how busy they are now it is a short sighted view.
The one thing however, I totally disagree with you on is your statement that PW'ing is easy because it's not.
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But you didn't get it..........
No he didn't but he's better off without it!
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The problem with pricing is it's much easier to consider someone to expensive & 'over charging' than to Admit you might be too cheap.
Also people use price to judge skill Level or professionalism, if I charge £200 to clean a suite it does not mean I'm twice as professional as someone who charges £100.
I read once about how attitudes in the USA differ from the UK, if a Rolls Royce was left on a street In the States people would admire it , in the UK they would scratch it, and this attitude crosses over into pricing. people would take the easy option, attacking a high price rather that see it as something to aspire too.
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The problem with pricing is it's much easier to consider someone to expensive & 'over charging' than to Admit you might be too cheap.
Also people use price to judge skill Level or professionalism, if I charge £200 to clean a suite it does not mean I'm twice as professional as someone who charges £100.
I read once about how attitudes in the USA differ from the UK, if a Rolls Royce was left on a street In the States people would admire it , in the UK they would scratch it, and this attitude crosses over into pricing. people would take the easy option, attacking a high price rather that see it as something to aspire too.
Bang on
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We have just had an enquiry for a patio. They paid in excess of £3500 to buy it, have the old one dug out, have it levelled and relaid. Then when they were then quoted 4 months later nearly a £1K to clean it and seal it. They said it was too expensive so the owners decided on cleaning and sealing it themselves. They hired a rotary and a wet vac and they told me they spent a total of nearly £300 on hire and products. They then added that they also spent 4 HARD days doing it (65M2).
Now it has bloomed, they have efflorescence and it is a mess. So now they have asked me to strip, re clean and seal it. I will let you lot guess what I have quoted but they have agreed regardless. Their final words, not mine, were " We just wish we had got it done professionally in the first place" Says it all really doesn't it?
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But you didn't get it..........
No I didn't but that's fine. I have no desire to clean for everyone that calls me. I would rather the client be completely happy with the price. I wouldn't want them to resent me or the price. That's why I don't like selling. I ask what their reasons are for having it cleaned, I tell them what I can do for them etc. Then give them the price. If they want to think about it, that's fine they know where to find me.
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£170 to clean a suite professionally is actually quite inexpensive.
As regards offering other services, its the same customer base so why not. Some of my most succesfull customers do a multitude of cleaning tasks. I know the argument for being a specialist but why not be a specialist in multi tasks.