Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Clear Vision on November 18, 2006, 08:54:11 pm

Title: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 18, 2006, 08:54:11 pm: can some kind person please advise me on a few things?

If a room Is full of furniture I think you would clean the carpet In two halves???

First shift all the furniture to on half and clean away? Then I think you would put all the furniture onto the cleaned "wet" half?

Then clean the other half!

But because the carpet will be damp for a couple of hours do you need to put something under the furniture to keep It dry and to stop the "clean" carpet getting stained.

Now If you do need to put something under the furniture would you call back the next day and take away.

What do you guys do?

Sorry for the questions.

Cheers

Matthew
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 18, 2006, 09:03:38 pm: Push the furniture to the outsides of the room then prespray the middle. Whilst the pre spray is dwelling pull the furniture to the middle and clean behind which obviously wouldnt need prespraying usually. Push back and extract the middle. Furniture protectors arent usually needed unless the furniture has been re-treated. Micro splitting treatment would be slightly different for obvious reasons.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 18, 2006, 09:37:02 pm: Rich hand,

Thanks for the sound advice! I like the sound of that one.

But there Is on thing that concerns me! You are putting the furniture onto a wet carpet! Wood will draw up water! So would It not be an Idea to put down a polythene sheet In the middle? Then when you put the furniture back have little strips of polythene or foil and leave that under the furniture and the customer could remove the strips themself? Just a thought.

I think I like the sound of your idea with shifting the furniture to the middle.

I would like to hear how other people do It.

Many thanks rich hand

Matthew
Clear Vision
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: jacko on November 18, 2006, 09:40:24 pm: Matthew, you need purpose made foil pads or polystyrene blocks - i get mine from Craftex and place under wood or metal - not worth taking a chance.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: john rees on November 18, 2006, 09:53:25 pm: I place sliders under furniture first, then when I've pre sprayed the carpet it doesn't leave marks when you return furniture to it's original position,when finished I just place 2" 3" 4" protector foil, plastic or foam pads under each item of furniture.

All the best
John
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 18, 2006, 10:17:08 pm: Thanks jacko & john rees.

As Im new to carpet cleaning I'm a little worried about the whole thing. Not so much the cleaning of the carpet but the furniture side of It.

Do you move the furniture yourself or do you get the customer to shift it?

Obviously the ideal situation would be an empty room but this might not always be possible!

It would be nice to hear what you expirienced guys do.

Many thanks to all who replied to me.

Matthew
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: john rees on November 18, 2006, 10:38:10 pm: Hi mathew,
We just ask the customer to move the small easily moved items lamps, pot plants and the like, If the customer wants us to move wall units or display cabinets we move them provided they empty them first! which usually puts them off so we then have to go around them! ;D what you really need is some sliders I found these on ebay but there are loads of others on there too!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Furniture-Slider-Set-of-8-Furniture-Sliders_W0QQitemZ190047918252QQihZ009QQcategoryZ122759QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

All the best
John
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 18, 2006, 11:22:50 pm: Thanks john!

One last thing before I hit the sack, what If you leave foil or blocks under the furniture on a wet carpet? Do you go back and remove them for the customer?

If you use blocks you cant afford to leave them behind! So what do you do.

Oh and tv's!!! What about all the cables and digi boxes, vcr's ect. Do you just clean round them?

Many thanks

Matthew
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: john rees on November 18, 2006, 11:32:48 pm: we just leave the coasters and the blocks under the furniture and ask the customer to remove them the following day. some t,v.s we move but the majority are moved by the man of the house,(the big ones we don't even attempt) or we are asked to work around them! ;D
All the best
John
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Steve Weatherley on November 18, 2006, 11:37:43 pm: Hi and welcome to carpet cleaning!

The customer is always happy to remove the pads and dispose of them without the need for you to return yourself. Also when I visit to carry out the survey I always state to customer that he/she should disconnect the mains leads / arial cable before I move the TV unit (dont want to go back at the weekend to fix broken leads etc). Also if the TV unit looks very heavy or delicate I suggest to the customer that I will either need a hand moving it or I will have to pay somebody to help me on the day - of course this extra cost is passed on to the customer. My customers are always happy to either disconnect the cables themselves or they tell me to go around the TV unit!

Good luck.

Steve
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Art on November 19, 2006, 12:28:11 am: Matthew,

You really need to get yourself on some sort of carpet cleaning course, as judging by what you've posted your going to end up having problems or more importantly your going to give carpet cleners a bad name.

Arthur
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 19, 2006, 08:32:28 am: Sorry guys....I have to ask the question...why don't you advocate appling a pre-spray around the outer perimeter of the room where the furniture goes?

Please don't say 'it doesn't get dirty there'
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: john rees on November 19, 2006, 08:51:59 am: I do Derek! that's why you need sliders so the furiture is kept off the damp carpet until it's final positioning on coasters or foam blocks. :)

all the best
John
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 19, 2006, 10:57:36 am: Quote from: Art on November 19, 2006, 12:28:11 am
Matthew,

You really need to get yourself on some sort of carpet cleaning course, as judging by what you've posted your going to end up having problems or more importantly your going to give carpet cleners a bad name.

Arthur

Arthur,

It's unfortunate that you have chosen to be so negative in your response!

You have been out shawn by all the other fellow members of the forum.

This Is what the forum Is for, to "HELP" each other with any problems that we may encounter as I would have only been too willing to help you If you had any problems or questions!

Matthew
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Mark Lane-Matthews on November 19, 2006, 12:44:34 pm: Hi Matthew
The way i clean is vacuum middle of room first,then move movable furniture to the middle,vacuum around outside then pre-spray agitate and H/W/E outside,move furniture back to the perimiters and place tabs where needed, then prespray agitate and H/W/E middle and again repalce furnitue with protectors if needed,hope this helps

Mark
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Clear Vision on November 19, 2006, 01:20:05 pm: Thanks for all your replys.

It's been very helpfull for me!

Cheers

Matthew
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 19, 2006, 02:58:01 pm: Many cleaners in the US won't move furniture they insist that they are NOT removal men and clean around it.

I think Ron King insisted on it also.

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: craigp on November 19, 2006, 03:14:28 pm: sounds good to me Shaun,

i used to advertise 'we move furniture at no extra cost' what a prat i was!

i thought it was a selling point,

not anymore, i do move furniture but certainly dont volunteer to do it., i say 'we dont mind helping move furniture'. were poss go round,

it gets on my nerves, and is often the main reason im knacked at the end of the day. :(
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 19, 2006, 04:16:16 pm: John

It was someone else who said that they didn't always pre-spray around the perimeter of the room......I also know of one or two others who don't either.

In spite of what they may think those areas of the carpet 'do' get dirty and require cleaning in the correct way
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: HQCS (John Kastrian) on November 19, 2006, 04:57:06 pm: You also get draught/filtration marks around the edges of carpets,including behind furniture,and this will almost certainly require a pre-spray,play it safe and pre-spray everything it makes the cleaning much easier.
Most items of furniture are easily moveable,but as said large heavy units and display cabinets containing the family heirlooms are best left alone.
Cards and foam blocks are not expensive and better to use them than risk staining the carpets.
John
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Ken Wainwright on November 19, 2006, 05:47:30 pm: I would never move furniture onto pre-sprayed carpet.

If there is. for example, loose dye as on Stag Minstrel and some Swedish furniture, it will bleed IMMEDIATELY.

I would advocate pre-vaccing and moving furniture as you go. either into the middle or into one half of the room. Clean and ideally leave as is whilst you do the same in another room and so on, then return to the first partly dried room, replace the furniture on tabs or blocks and clean the remaining carpet and so on to the end of the job.

Picking up on Derek's point about pre-spraying. Prochem Training, and probably others too, taught me to use a Traffic Lane Cleaner where required and just the appropriate detergent rinse for untrafficked areas. Many of us now use a TLC as an allover pre-spray, and with many systems this is essential as the rinse is only tap water. So, for untrafficked areas a simple detergent rinse may be all that is required. Obviously, if there is any visible soiling or staining, this should be treated as appropriate.

Safe and happy cleaning :)
Ken
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Art on November 19, 2006, 06:23:28 pm: Quote from: Clear Vision on November 19, 2006, 10:57:36 am
Quote from: Art on November 19, 2006, 12:28:11 am
Matthew,

You really need to get yourself on some sort of carpet cleaning course, as judging by what you've posted your going to end up having problems or more importantly your going to give carpet cleners a bad name.

Arthur

Arthur,

It's unfortunate that you have chossen to be so negetive In your response!

You have been out shawn by all the other fellow members of the forum.

This Is what the forum Is for, to "HELP" each other with any problems that we may encounter as I would have only been too willing to help you If you had any problems or questions!

Matthew

Matthew,

I wasn't trying to be negative.

I was giving you the same advice that was given to me when i started.
I'm sure if you ask the question should i go on a course, you'll get the same answer as i gave.

Arthur
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 19, 2006, 07:30:17 pm: In well over a thousand carpet jobs I have never found the furniture dye to transfer to the carpet. 1 occasion dye from furniture was transferable was onto my towel when I first tested it as you would for carpet dye!

Re. presrpaying under furniture, if it looks dirty prespray and if there are draft marks, prespray, otherwise dont bother. We all should have an eye for dirt by now.

Sometimes theres just too much text book and not enough thinking ::) ;)
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: carpetguy on November 19, 2006, 09:44:34 pm: Rich hand says , he's never experienced dye transfer, in over a thousand jobs.

Unless you are placing glides or similar under the furniture, before you start, there is no way you could avoid dye transfer, unless, of course, you are using chemicals which have eluded me for 20 years, or there's something you're not telling us.

I got dye transfer a couple of weeks ago, totally unexpected, from the "feet" of a leather suite and always expect it from any dark stained furniture.

robbie
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Kev Loomes on November 19, 2006, 10:35:41 pm: Quote from: rich hand on November 19, 2006, 07:30:17 pm
In well over a thousand carpet jobs I have never found the furniture dye to transfer to the carpet.

If this is the case then I find it astonishing! Are you sure that it hasnt happened and the customer hasnt noticed until a couple of months later when they move a piece of furniture? - and by then the customer thinks that there's no point in ringing you?

The problem being with this is repeat work - it wont be there! No disrespect but surely your taking a huge risk and should be placing tabs/blocks under ANY wooden/metal legs like most of us do. Your probably going to run out of luck eventually. We had a couple of instances a few years ago where dye had transfered from extremely light wood - which we got out after going back, so its not just dark wood :o Subsequently its been standard practice for us for years now to ALWAYS place things under.

But if its worked for you - good luck ;D
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 19, 2006, 10:44:36 pm: the good book by the NCCA and others guidlines are to save us from accidents BUT you have to remember that it is written for every eventuality.

It is also manditary to use common sense.

(unless you are not common, like me ;D)

King Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Buster Ingram on November 19, 2006, 10:59:48 pm: Its all quite simple really, all I do is use plastic sliders made from 5ltr containers under the furniture when I move it to the middle of the room, when I have pre-sprayed. Thus saving the feet marking the wet carpet.
Then when I return it to its original place I use tin foil cut accordingly to fit the feet of the furniture.

How simple is that. it ain't rocket science you know.

You all know me "Cheap as Chips"
Another tip from Blue Peter methinks
;D
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Kev Loomes on November 19, 2006, 11:06:12 pm: Shaun

I got your e mail. I could tell you but I'd have to charge yer ;D
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 19, 2006, 11:15:36 pm: Kev as we say in Sheffield, "tha no good"

Dave I got your message thankyou!!!!!!!!

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Buster Ingram on November 19, 2006, 11:20:11 pm: Forgot to say Nice web site mate, you look almost professional
like what I do ::)
If you do go for one of those sprayers Shaun Maplins have batteries on special offer at the moment that will make them run much much better!!!!
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 19, 2006, 11:21:45 pm: Do you think they'll fit one in me, the wife's glass eye is either playing up or she's wanting something ::)

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 20, 2006, 07:05:43 am: Rich Hand

Sorry to be so pedantic but I am thinking ...how much soil is airborne, whether people smoke in the premises plus a multitude of other incidents...soil not so apparent but nevertheless there!
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: craigp on November 20, 2006, 07:56:14 am: foil tabs! i just used curtomers foil, i tell them i left mine on last job, mainly cus its pain in backside carrying it. got enough crap in van.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Kev Loomes on November 20, 2006, 08:33:40 am: Ere Shaun, have you used the same template?! http://www.fresherclean.co.uk/ Its just that Ive seen them about a few times.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: ollie on November 20, 2006, 01:03:12 pm: also matthew when you replace the item of furniture on a pad or block offset it a couple of inches from its original position and tell the customer to remove the pad and put it in its correct position when the carpet is dry otherwise it may not dry under the legs etc... if the customer is elderly or disabled etc i go back the next day and do it for them
regards
ollie
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Mike Osbourne on November 20, 2006, 04:48:36 pm: I'm of the same opinion as Craig. Don't clogg the van up with chemicals. Just get custy to wack some of their fairly liquid in a bucket. ::)
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Steve Chapman on November 20, 2006, 05:31:50 pm: It might be worth seeing if they have a vax, save getting all that gear out ;)

steve
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Robert Watson on November 20, 2006, 06:46:24 pm: If they have,
you could probably talk them through it over the phone.
would save having to get out of bed.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: craigp on November 20, 2006, 07:41:49 pm: come on guys time is money!

if it don't move go round it!
[/color]
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 20, 2006, 07:49:16 pm: Kev, Mark Roberts UK did it for me I'm very happy with the design.

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 20, 2006, 08:47:33 pm: Carpetguy & Kev, i use spitfire advanced and have never witnessed dye transfer to carpet, this counts for my 1000 + jobs and 1000s of different carpets both here and in sydney, Oz. Also, I have never had a single call back.

Derek, customers go on appearance as I do and I charge accordingly ie. I dont charge for prespraying under furniture when it wont be appreciated and therefore isnt necessary. Its the customers choice.

In time its easy to get lost in your own world, keep an eye on whats happening around you ;)
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Buster Ingram on November 20, 2006, 10:38:19 pm: (In time its easy to get lost in your own world, keep an eye on whats happening around you )

Nicely put Rich ;D
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 20, 2006, 10:42:27 pm: Quote from: Shaun_Ashmore on November 19, 2006, 10:44:36 pm
the good book by the NCCA and others guidlines are to save us from accidents BUT you have to remember that it is written for every eventuality.

It is also manditary to use common sense.

(unless you are not common, like me ;D)

King Shaun

I might keep this post and keep quoting it from time to time.

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Buster Ingram on November 20, 2006, 10:46:33 pm: Shaun,
Not only has your mind gone it seems your memory has gone with it too!! ;D
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 20, 2006, 10:59:50 pm: Memory went when I went to clean the Alzhiemers Society carpets!

But I can't rmember when or where i put it.

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 21, 2006, 06:13:38 am: Rich Hand

I clean carpets...that's what I am paid for.

I have said before, cleaners cater for their own customers requirements, there are those customers who want to pay £10 a room....there is a cleaner who will clean for that figure...there are customers who may accept non furniture removal and there are cleaners who cater for that as well....that's good for business all round...you could say a win,win situation

I personally sell on the fact that I clean 'all the carpet/upholstery' in fact offer a good service....I make no apologies for that.

This is why I don't have to spend extortionate amounts on advertising and distributing thousands of leaflets every month.

You made an amusing reference to my 'own little world' ...well, I am perfectly happy within it

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this particular issue

Have a nice day
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: carpetguy on November 21, 2006, 08:52:55 am: Rich hand

I've never heard of Spitfire advanced, but I've only been around for 62 years and only trialled products from the UK and USA.

Maybe you've been lucky, or maybe you're colour blind, but, unless you just started last week, or keep well away from furniture, when both, prespraying / cleaning, or don't move furniture, or maybe even lift the carpets, take them away and bring them back, dry.

It is totally impossible to avoid dye transferring from some dark stained wood to carpets
....even the slightest intrusion by chemical free water will cause some dyes to run.

Unless, of course, they have glides , or similar, placed underneath, before starting, but that is not what you're suggesting.

Not sure about your ambiguous remark, being ambiguous

robbie
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 21, 2006, 07:50:54 pm: Derek all I disagree on is that I am sure you are providing a service part of which your customers know nothing about.

Carpetguy, if I am am colour blind so are my customers. Spitfire advanced is definately one of the best detergents for safe carpet cleaning and is woolsafe. It comes from Oz and is sold by dry fusion over there and over here, heard of them!? You may have been in the business for '62 years' but you cant close your eyes now!
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: craigp on November 21, 2006, 08:16:47 pm: it is quite possible that oz being a more mordern place that these furniture are alot more rare, i mean its often antiques that do this, and seeing as there rare here, if they are even more rare there its quite possible that you could go many years without ever seeing furniture that bleeds.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: calmore on November 21, 2006, 08:18:42 pm: Freezer bags from the supermarket are good for placing under furniture legs. Cheap and effective.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 22, 2006, 07:09:31 am: Many Supermarket bags have printing on them which will and often does transfer onto a damp carpet.

Chemspec sell plastic squares in a pad that can be kept in a top pocket of your shirt... cheap, simple and more professional
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: carpetguy on November 22, 2006, 09:13:23 am: Rich'

If it's a DF product I can now see where you're coming from, but why the avasive behaviour.........all you had to say, was, I use Dry Fusion, so I avoid this problem and you would have several DF users agreeing.

I don't particularly like DF or Tex'm, but acknowledge their use in commercial, low f=profile carpets.

Being a bit more upfront, would have avoided confusion.

Incidentally if you think an acceptance of DF makes your eyes and presumably your mind more open, your sadly mistaken
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 22, 2006, 05:51:06 pm: carpetguy, I just dont like the text book, and of course an acceptance for DF alone certainly doesnt qualify for an open mind.
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Derek on November 22, 2006, 07:33:50 pm: But text books are the fount of knowledge...you really shouldn't discount them
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 22, 2006, 08:02:57 pm: My text books always used to say - SEE ME, in big thick red marker pen !

Shaun
Title: Re: Furniture In rooms!!
Post by: rich hand on November 23, 2006, 08:54:23 pm: By stating 'not liking text books' I am meaning once we have built a general foundation of knowledge we should branch out and not be held rigid by text books.

Having had a fairly extensive academic background I know that after a certain amount of time the text book has to put down so that we can advance our learning. Whether its through industry/journal papers or exerience and trial and error.

???