Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: derek west on October 07, 2008, 07:23:30 pm
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going to do a survey tomorrow, women said theres a few spot stains and then she's got a flea problem, her workers are forever getting bitten, its a massive office, 3 floors, they work on one of the floors, i know F all about fleas other than they bite a lot, i need a crash course on where they come from, ie.. vent etc, where they like to live, what they feed on, everything possible so that when i go in there i sound as though ive got a degree in fleas,
any information welcome, including how to get rid of them, i want the cleaning contract and was gonna say that the only way to get rid is hwe every six months, but if she won't buy that then i'll need a back up plan,
help help help.
derek
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Suggest you phone John Kelly at ...........restoremate.......I've only dealt with households and it's relatively easy to get rid of fleas in small areas.
Suspect you might need ozone or big scale fogger
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hi derek are they animal fleas if so it can take a while to get rid try micro ban and some insectiside to treat but it will have to be done a couple of times every ten days or so depends on how many there is it shouldnt be to bad this time of year becouse they love the warm, also once you have killed the fleas you then have to treat the eggs, and thats why it takes two or three visits you can get all the stuff from john at restomate he is very good hope that helps
regards chris
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Hi
A good insecticide or you can go to your local pet store and get Zodiac, it's £10 a can, meant to last 12 months (used it recently).
Stapro do a good insecticide:
Insecticide
HSE No. 7347 Approved insecticide for control and removal of crawling
and flying insects.
This professional use insecticide is suitable for the treatment of
infestations in all porous and non-porous surfaces, soft furnishings,
carpets and upholstery, roof voids and food handling areas. The treatment
should not be vacuumed after application for at least 14 days to control
insects emerging from eggs. Not suitable for use on grain, or in grain
stores, or for treating clothing.
ht tp://www.bio-productions.co.uk/bio/stapro_range/stapro5.pdf
Regards
Martin 8)
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Hi Derek
Given the size of the office, it may not be fleas.
I have had instances when Customer have complained of being bitten, but no obvious signs of insect activity seen. It has turned out to be a static charge
When a person moves around in an office environment, they are usually surrounded by lots of electrical equipment. Added to this is the material of the carpeting (often synthetic) and the abundance of metal-framed desks, chairs and cabinets. In short, the individual builds up a static charge on their body through actions such as shuffling along the carpet.
They then move to a metal-framed cupboard or sit at a metal-framed desk. The result of this close contact is that a charge of static electricity arcs across from the person to the desk or vice-versa.
This 'zap' or 'belt' of static feels just like an insect bite - a characteristic 'sharp' sensation, followed by itching and discomfort. Inspection of the 'bite' will often reveal the typical signs of an insect bite - a raised redness of the skin, and even a pale white centre at the site of the bite'.
BUT, there is no puncture mark (ie: no hole where biting or piercing mouthparts have broken the skin).
There is some evidence to suggest that a second phenomenon involved with static electricity may occur. In environments such as offices, filing/record rooms and document stores, there are often an abundance of very small fibres. In situations where static electricity may build up, these fibres also become charged, and thus can become 'miniature javelins'. These can embed themselves in the skin, and whilst they are easily brushed off by the action of scratching, they also give the characteristic 'biting' sensation
If a static problem has been established, treatment is usually straightforward.
· The affected area should be treated with an anti-static solution on a regular basis.
· Equipment and fixtures should be fitted with earth straps or placed on anti-static mats.
· If possible, carpeting with natural, rather than synthetic fibres should be used.
· Dust and paper fibres etc. should be kept to a minimum.
Good luck……….
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That is a good point Karen.
Are you the game queen as well?
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Thats a bit forward isn't it :o
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;Dn presume it was KarenR from the other cleaning forum with games, she beats all of us. She is something of a legend on the Pool and holds nearly half the records on there.
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karen
what are the signs of insect activity other than bites?
oh and thanks for that, i'll pass it on to the custy so she thinks i'm dead clever, which i am of course just not when it comes to fleas
derek
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Leave one of your new leaflets in the building, that will get rid of them ;D
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Just a few random thoughts:
You can't guarantee getting rid of them. A member (or more than one) of the office staff may be bringing them in from outside/home.
Auto-suggestion can be a factor; if one person thinks they are being bitten then others can think they are being bitten as well.
Fleas etc tend to bite women more as they (more usually) are the ones wearing skirts, and thus have bare legs or will wear trousers but have un-socked feet.
Static tends to be more of a winter problem when windows are kept shut thus drying the atmosphere (less humidity). (Karen I bow to your far greater knowledge on the subject though.)
Derek, as you say, confidence is the key, or as the cynic may say "bullpoo baffles brains"!
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fck me.
1100 sq metres
carpet tiles
going back on saturday to do the pricing. biggest room ive done so far is 100 sq metres.
really want this job but never priced anything like this, at a guess theres about 80 computers and desks in there, she wants me to work round them, lot of stains and mild traffic runs. i haven't a clue what to charge.
derek
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As a guide, it took me and a relatively untrained assistant 3 days to do a school job recently, best part of 900m², with a portable set up.
That job was re-sprayed and bonneted after extraction though, and of course with pre-vac beforehand :)
I'd price it for what you want to earn from presumably working both days of a weekend, seems as it's an office and you won't be doing daytime hours.. presuming too that you've got your mate with you.
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Sounds a good job you got there mate.
Just see how long it will take or the nearest and work it out from there.
You will be able to l m clean most of it if its not too bad mate.
Is it tea and coffee stains ???
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yeah mostly tea and coffee but they usually come out with the trucky any way, its the bitumen back that i'm concerned about, oh and that small issue of how much to charge. i haven't the foggiest how long it will take me.
the place is empty saturday afternoon and all day sunday and i dont mind working through the night so i wreckon 2 of us would do it in 24 hours solid. then sleep for 2 days afterwards. i'm thinking of £1.50 a sq metre, so £1650
derek
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Is it all on one floor derek?
Am sure you could do it with an early start in the one day :)
I do a couple of large offices regular and thankfull they like me to do it in the week day so i use my l m system and also pre vav so there us not to much disruption and noise and start at 9 and work thruogh till 5 with my lunch on the go..
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clinton
yeah its all on the one floor, all though its the 1 st floor so will have to go in through a window, not a problem as ive done a third floor flat recently with no worries, its a bugger running back and too to the van though, no lift on that job, nearly lost some weight but found a maccies on the way home and put it all back on, low moisture, is that bonnet buffing, you have to remember i'm a one trick pony at the mo.
derek
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I would use the fleas as an excuse to do it at a weekend, tell them the stuff is highly toxic so everyone will have to be out the building. You will not be able to de-flea it with people in the building anyway, so talk it up with words like deadly, highly specialised, respirators etc. The heat from your machine will kill a lot of the fleas as well.
I would use Permerithin, it is good stuff and kills everything. Spray it in the evening then go back the next day for the clean. You will need to speak to JK to find out who much flea killer you will need for that area, it is only 6 or 7 quid a sachet but I do not know how much area that covers.
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I was at John Kellys today and he has some powder that will sort the fleas out, only prob is someone may bring them back in with them after the clean :o
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fleas have various life stages, the adult flea lives around seven days the first two days are spent on the host drinking blood, after this they spend the rest of there life laying eggs, these eggs can be laid any where, and can lie dormant for up o 2 years when the climate is right they will hatch ( warm damp conditions ie when the heating comes on )
if the area is very large spraying with a pemetherin product will be a wast of time firstly it is a knock down product and only stays active a short time, a few days it ill also not kill the eggs. your best bet if you are looking to kill them is to use foggers these work in the same way as a smoke bomb ( no residue is left on any thing that can be seen ) these products are sprayed up in to the air and the chemical is moved around by air movement these products will kill the
adult flea and stop the eggs from hatching they also stay active for several months so if any eggs where lying in an area that there was no air movement when they hatch the fleas will be killed when they come in contact with the floor etc.
if you are worried about being bitten if you take garlic for a few days prior this does work honest if you do get a bite rub some vinegar on it takes the itch away straight away note that if these are fleas they will die out if there is no contact with either dogs or cats as they can not live of human blood however if you have pets at home be careful as you can carry one home on your clothing, you only need one to start the cycle as they are both male and female Malcolm Ritz cleaners Newcastle upon tyne
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hi again i have just read one of the pot about it poss being static if a flea bites it will leave a red round mark with a pin hole in the middle i also forgot to mention that if using the foggers you must have the room cleared for 30 mins
malcolm ritz cleaners
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Sounds like it will be no probs derek am sure you will get it done in one day.
Maybe you want to take two days ???
Am sure with a case or two of vuking you will get the weight back on ;D
Dave
Sounds like you got your new prowler from john kelly ???
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I was at John Kellys today and he has some powder that will sort the fleas out, only prob is someone may bring them back in with them after the clean :o
Did you get your Prowler Dave? :)
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just to let you know, only one women complained about flea bits and another women when she sat near the first women, i told the boss straight, "you have a personell problem, not a flea problem, she agreed and then asked about a full clean, so i'm just quoting on the clean,
but to all those guys that posted before 12 oclock today, thanks for the flea info and a special thanks to john kelly for the info by telephone, as you can see from the thread, i now need to get the pricing right to nail this job, not easy for a novice like me.
derek
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Great place to leave some leaflets Derek, lots of potential customers in that building if you do a good job.
At this stage of the game see it as a learning curve, ask if you can put leaflets and posters up in there and do it for £900 as a favour.
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Sure did, shes sleeping in the van waiting to be woken up in the morning.. ;D
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all the workers are under 25. won't get any business from there, not even with my super girltastic cheddar cheesy pink ones.
derek
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??? You've got that wrong. Kick the misses out, put her in the van and bring the Prowler into the warm, I would :)
How come you aren't out there looking at it?
Get them young Derek and educate them ;D ( does that make me sound a peadaphile :( )
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go in at £1.00 sq/m and use L M system if you really want the job.
Mike
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Helpful post Malcolm :)
One thing that hasn't been mentioned in terms of chemicals is a growth inhibitor (Nylar is one). The carpet can be treated with this so that if any larvae hatch from the remaining eggs at a later date, they come into contact with the product and are prevented from continuing to the next stage of the life cycle, i.e. the adult, which lays the eggs and produces more fleas.
Treating the visible adults is not the solution, breaking the life cycle is the key.
Of course, that's if this is even fleas at all ::)
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How about a spray of Permerithin followed up with another a week later. That coupled with high heat should get rid of the problem, also a good vaccing, do the chairs as well. Then vacuum up all the dead flies, spiders and other creepy crawlies at the end.
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H/W/E is not ideal for carpet tiles due to the poor air flow, rotary method is quicker and eliminates the dangers of wicking, or the adhesive being disolved.
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Had this on a mailshot today
Cannon Pest Control have the top slot this issue with the October pest of the month - fungus gnats. If you've never heard of them, once you've read the details, we're sure you'll recognise the little blighters! They are blackish, brownish or yellowish in appearance and small at around 5-8mm in size. They are common in houses, buildings and gardens most of the year in the UK, so no doubt you'll have spotted one at some point. At night they are attracted to light and enter buildings through open doors and windows to get to it. They look like mosquitos but have only a short feeding tube for liquids, (not to pierce the skin) and don't bite.
Female fungus gnats lay about 150 eggs which hatch in 4-6 days. After 2 weeks, pupation occurs with adults emerging a few days later. Danger signs are large numbers of flies seen alighting on surfaces in offices and communal areas, especially close to plants. Where the problem is external, they may be found in or around air intake filters. Although harmless to people, these pests can be hazardous in food handling or sterile areas, and their presence can cause psychlogical claims of 'being bitten'. Preventative measures include good hygiene and housekeeping, not overwatering plants, and regularly turning the top 5-7mm of soil in plants.
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going back tomorrow to measure up, test 1 of the coffee stains (see how easy it comes up) and then work out a price, gulp!! to dear and i don't get the job, to cheap and they'll all want it doing for that price, acrylic on bitumen, easy to cleaen without using solvents. coffee stains galore and a shed load of comp tables to work round, john gotts said he'd borrow me an rx20 so should do it quicker, but how the hell can i judge how long thats gonna take me when i'm only used to doing living rooms. this is scary sht maaaan.
derek
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Be bold, young Jedi :)