Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Simon Gerrard on September 14, 2009, 10:09:40 pm
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1j44EkiMo4&feature=related
Wow!
I love my job....big time.
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how much a sq meter do you get for that sought of work simon?
derek
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Derek,
Enough!
Simon
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I was aboard the QM2 on a cruise last year and the cleaning stewards were aqll using Powermax's. I spoke to the stewards who were doing the carpet cleaning and they told me they were all trained. I saw Prochem chemicals and witnessed the stewards cleaning (prespray - agitate and rinse). I was told that there were lot's of machines on board and saw some myself on other decks.
What and how were you cleaning - and why would they need you ???
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simon
ive seen the pictures of you cleaning them big boats and i don't envy you one bit. 800 ft of pipe down them tunnels, i struggled running 250 up a road ;D
but iwouldn't say no to the badge. ;)
derek
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carpetcleaning4u
There are two completely separate cleaning operations going on. The crew do most of the cabins, we do the rest and all of the major public rooms. The crew use portables, we use a triple capable high performance Truck Mount that can clean 1600 square yards (lower level of the Britannia restaurant) in four hours. Believe me, with a ship that has 280,000 sqm of carpet on it, and thousands of chairs to be kept clean, they need us.
Derek,
The 800 feet on hoses and the tunnels was only on the QM2 refit in Hamburg last year. Usually the lines are far shorter than that and a good deal less hassle to manage.
What badge?
Simon
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I remember seeing pictures in a magazine of little suzuki vans with mounted machines actually inside the ship parked on the carpet ;D Anyone else remember this? Could of been an ad or supplier just can not recall.
Simon
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to be able to say you've cleaned it. that badge.
its one away from cleaning the beckhams ;D now that would be a badge.
or buck palace, her madge badge.
derek
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Derek
Simon's been featured on the Prochem literature over several years for this work.
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and you got to remember simon has the machine to do the work.
Simon.
never noticed you on here before, how life in north norfolk
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I've had the great honour of cleaning some of the most fabulous ocean liners in the world for eighteen years now, Queen Mary 2 being the grandest of them all, but the other seven aren't bad either. I still have to pinch myself and go 'Wow' every time I pull up at the side of one them. 'They trust me to look after that? Wow!!!!' (fools ;D)
Simon
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1j44EkiMo4&feature=related
Wow!
I love my job....big time.
Cleaning a carpet on this is no different to cleaning a carpet elsewhere!!
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Cleaning a carpet on this is no different to cleaning a carpet elsewhere!!
Apart from the logistics involved
Steve
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Skywalker,
The main difference from an operational point of view is time. No matter how big the carpet, and most rooms are over 1,000 sq yds, some as big as 1,600, you only have 3.5 hours to get it clean and get out of there, and of course the carpet has to be dry. This is where speed and high quality, the chalk and cheese of carpet cleaning meet each other head on and with the right technology, the best chemicals and a great team, quality always wins. And you can't go to the client and say, 'oh, my machine broke, can I come back tomorrow.' so every piece of your equipment has to be the very best money can buy, because in that 3.5 hour window everything has to work or we're in trouble.
It's only carpet cleaning, but in a completely different world.
Simon
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That must've been hard cleaning going along at that speed, i'm impressed ;)
steve
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Steve,
Up to three RX20's do the work and the TM is tweeked up to the max to get every ounce of performance from it.
Simon
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Fantastic work I still prefer my thru lounge hsl with a cuppa handed to me and payment at the end of the job and home in time for tea, but that's me and everyone is different.
Shaun
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Very impressive Simon, do you have them on contract or do you hound them to death when you feel they haven’t used you for a while?
You will find that contracts are made and agreed with general cleaning but commercial clients do not see the need for contracts on carpet maintenance. It’s a case of when and if.
It always confuses me why windows are on contracts but carpets are not, weird.
Matt
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Simon.
never noticed you on here before, how life in north norfolk
Oh I've been about, and it's bloody windy! ;D
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Yes but my point was a carpet is a carpet. You can clean a carpet on one of Jupiter's moons...Europa for instance and it will be the same as cleaning a carpet on a cruise liner (apart from the gravitational problems ofcourse)!!
Looks a good money spinner though! Not sure Id like the pressure of having to do it in a certain time. I like to go at my own pace. Rushing is not what I got in to this business for. It is hard enough work without having time limitations.
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Matt,
We're always there. The cleaning schedules work throughout the year on each ship.
You can't stop cleaning things that big, so it's all done on a annual plan worked out in advance.
Simon
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Its been a while since I worked with Simon a good 3 years ago back in the Arcadia days and then it was a night mare. So to clean ships the size of the QE 2 must be double trouble.
What a lot of you guy's have to get your heads around is the kit you have to have just in case like 3 RX20's at close on 3 grand a piece not to mention the miles of vac and solution line needed to stretch the distances needed on the ships today. And if that's not enough you have to try and board these boats with said equipment when 3,000 passengers are trying to get off with hand luggage.
Oh yes I remember it well, in fact I still wake in the night with cold sweats thinking I'll be out to sea before this room is finished.
Then the wife calms me down saying don't be silly we live in the south now you old softy.
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love that photo, it sums it all up. How many of us could handle the pressure of a job like that, compare to doing a nice lounge/quick chat/cuppa tea type job? I know what I perfer, 8)
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like i said,just the badge and the money please. ;D
derek
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Karl your too right mate, give me the 15 x 12 lounge and a cuppa any day
Derek I'll dig out an odd badge and send it on ;)
These picture were taken in the days before cool cuffs Frigin nightmare :o
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Dave,
I remember those days well. That was lines to deck 14 on Oceana, this one is even higher. Twin lines going to deck 18 on P&O Ventura. Because we are at the aft end of the ship there is an awful lot of windage which puts about 25 feet of drift into the lines, some of it is taken up by the suction that tightens the lines when you start cleaning, but still a bit scary.
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Looking down. This ship is 115,000 tons, over a 1,000 feet long and 18 decks high. Although she's only two thirds the size of Queen Mary 2 (155,00 tons), somehow she looks bigger, probably because she's slimmer and taller than QM2.
QM2's the girl though, she's the real deal. Big and beautiful.
Simon
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Derek,
It's not about badges, or money. Yes, I get to wear the badge as you call it and I wear it with a great deal of pride, but it reminds me that it's not something you get to keep for nothing, it's something you keep through hard work and the endless pursuit of excellence.
And the money, I can't say I'm motivated by money, not really.
Simon
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Must be a 100ft just vertically.
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course its the badge or you wouldn't be putting it on here, if i was cleaning the thing, i'd make sure everyone knew, "the badge" so to speak, is not a put down simon, its an honour that i'm sure everyone on here would love. guess your just reading my posts wrong again, or maybe not.
derek
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Derek,
And the money, I can't say I'm motivated by money, not really.
Simon
What a load of tosh Simon, its all for the money. If I was told to clean that just for the pride of doing it I would tell them dock it sideways up Mr P&Os arse.
Matt
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;D
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Fantastic work I still prefer my thru lounge hsl with a cuppa handed to me and payment at the end of the job and home in time for tea, but that's me and everyone is different.
Amen to that !!
Alan
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Some really good photo's there, if you ever after a labourer I'd be up for it, just for the experience... Do you ever do anything down Falmouth Docks?
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Iv'e been on a few ship jobs with Simon, it's hard work.
I much prefer the local work myself and being home at a reasonable time, some people like these jobs and being away a lot but it's not everyone's taste. Although we carry out some very large jobs I still don't like being away all the time.
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Me too, had enough of that in the Army. The only time Im away from home now is when spent doing the things I enjoy. Dont get me wrong I am happy in the business that I am in, but theres definately time for better things.
Dave.
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Derek,
I have a very unique job in carpet cleaning and yes, I get to say what I do, a badge of honour as you call it, but I share what I do with others because I know other people find it interesting and that is why I put it on the boards and why shouldn't I? But it's not done merely to brag about what I do, although many may take that view, but I assure you it is not done for that reason.
Matt,
I am not motivated by money. It's not what gets me out of bed in a morning. Do I get well paid for what I do? You bet you're life I do. Am I proud of what I do? You bet you're life I am. You can't do a job like mine simply for the money, you have to want to be there doing what you do best, because if you don't this job will find you out, real quick.
Jobs like mine find people like me, who don't mind being away from home. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I'll bet a fair few of you stay at homers would jump at the chance of it.
Simon
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I like that saying Simon, 'jobs like this find people like me' I find that's true when we talk about pricing, Phil Mitchell get's some really good prices as does Coiln Bright and Dave Lihona, you tend to attract the customers you want.
Shaun
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Fantastic work I still prefer my thru lounge hsl with a cuppa handed to me and payment at the end of the job and home in time for tea, but that's me and everyone is different.
Shaun
totally agree. I'd rather be the chicken picking up the scraps as there always scraps.
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Yes but my point was a carpet is a carpet. You can clean a carpet on one of Jupiter's moons...Europa for instance and it will be the same as cleaning a carpet on a cruise liner (apart from the gravitational problems ofcourse)!!
Looks a good money spinner though! Not sure Id like the pressure of having to do it in a certain time. I like to go at my own pace. Rushing is not what I got in to this business for. It is hard enough work without having time limitations.
what about a plug and tap might be hard to find as well on Europa, or are you going to take a europa- ean travel plug ?
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simon
awesome pictures
rich