Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Aquakleen Restoration Services on January 27, 2009, 10:00:18 am

Title: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Aquakleen Restoration Services on January 27, 2009, 10:00:18 am
Hi guys

I went to quote on a biggish job yesterday. Ive posted some pics below so you can see what I have to deal with. I will need to clean

7 x 3 seater sofas

110 chairs

550 square foot of carpet

10 pairs of curtains + Fire retardant treatment

How much do you think guys?

Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: daysdeepclean on January 27, 2009, 10:07:38 am
£1200 to £1500  ??? ??? ???
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Aquakleen Restoration Services on January 27, 2009, 10:10:34 am
Yeah I was thinking around about the same colin
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: AJB on January 27, 2009, 03:02:28 pm
£1500 is about right, Try quoting £1750, with discount
because of the size of the job, always helps.
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: murky on January 27, 2009, 05:25:58 pm
When you apply the FR treatment make sure you apply it exactly as the amounts on the container specify.

You will be suprised how much you have to spray on, you will probably think its not right but make sure you do it correctly.

Also you can ring your local Fire service and they will come out and test them for you, I did a village halls curtains a few years ago and was advised to get them tested.

All they do is come out and do a sample test in various areas, they hold a match against them and if they dont go up they are OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Murky
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: clinton on January 27, 2009, 05:57:15 pm
John

I would too go with the high price that was quoted in the above post and maybe discount it ???

Dont forget there might be some areas of the carpet that will take you longer as with the upholstery.

You could always get a local guy near you to sort the curtains out ???
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Jim_77 on January 27, 2009, 06:22:58 pm
Is this a hotel or something similar?  You'd probably have to consider HOW you're going to do the job first, before you work out how much.

> Can they afford much down-time?  If not, extraction is out - dry or LM cleaning are going to be your choices, which can limit the results.

> Are the cushions fixed on the sofas or removable?

> Is it going to have to be done overnight?  Do you want to work at the same rate for night shift as your daytime rates?

> Are you planning to do this on your own?  Surely there's a good few days' solo work there, they might not want the job to drag out that long so you may need a helper or two.  That means they'll want paying!

> They're very high curtains.  Possibly too high for even a step ladder, but it's difficult to tell from the photos (shut the curtains to take a photo next time!!).  You'd probably be on the wrong side of H&S laws unless you got a tower scaffold in to do them.  That costs you money and takes up more time.

There's probably loads more stuff to consider, but these are the first things that pop into my head.
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Ian Rochester on January 27, 2009, 09:43:43 pm
Is your fire retardant treatment guaranteed and are you issueing them with a certificate, if it's the Extracta product then read their small print!
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Jim_77 on January 27, 2009, 09:48:36 pm
Ah yeas that's what I was going to say :)

I use the Stapro products.  They can't offer any guarantee or warranty, because as good as their products are, if you apply it wrongly it is useless!  What I do is to provide customers with a copy of Stapro's operator's manual for the product, accompanied by a signed letter stating that the product has been applied in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Also, I don't know if others are the same but Stapro have two flame retardants - one for natural fibres and one for synthetics, so you need to know what you're treating and buy the correct product!
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Mike Halliday on January 27, 2009, 09:57:13 pm
I'd take the curtains to the dry cleaners.
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on January 27, 2009, 09:59:56 pm
You'll be surprised at some dry cleaners as they don't want to apply the flame retardancy as it knacker the dry cleaning machine and takes most of the day to clean it out.

Shaun
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Mike Halliday on January 27, 2009, 10:02:54 pm
I was thinking just for the cleaning, be honest how good can you clean curtains in-situ :-\

plus these curtain are ideal for just talking down, no fancy pelmet and a basic curtain rail
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: clinton on January 27, 2009, 10:47:39 pm
Its gettin them back up that will be harder ???
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on January 27, 2009, 10:52:52 pm
www.thestainbusters.co.uk/curtain_cleaning.cfm

do you know how to check if they are flame retarded already? the clue is in the question!!

Shaun

PS I'll tell you a story about flame retardant later.
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: robert meldrum on January 27, 2009, 10:54:40 pm
Are those the chairs....................they appear to be moulded plastic ?
Title: Re: Help with pricing a job
Post by: murky on January 29, 2009, 02:06:18 pm
Yes Shaun,

All the fireman/woman does is put a match to the curtain in  a few places and hopefully it doesnt go up. And as you said the Dry Cleaners hate doing it as it clogs the machine up

He might be able to sub it out to a company that specialises in theatre curtains, they are around.

All he can do as Jim said is do a letter saying you have applied the product as described.

Murky

Murky