[Ant C]

Hi.

I'm looking for a training course for carpet & upholstery cleaning.

I'm considering taking Ashbys 1 day course, mainly because it seems to be the next available course.

Has anyone taken it? Is it any good or are they just demonstrating their equipment for a charge.

[Robin Ray]

Hi,

I have taken the course, it gives a good rounded veiw of fabric types and chems and methods to use in different situations. They do seem to push their products but all companys will do this. Derick Ashby is a knowledgable chap and his experience of actual carpet cleaning came through. I am definatly not avocating Ashbys over any other company and would recomend attending loads of different courses from different suppliers. The Ashbys course is a good start though.

Rob

[Jim_77]

mainly because it seems to be the next available course

Probably the worst reason ever to choose a course!

To be honest, a lot of the "courses" offered by suppliers and manufacturers are going to consist of two things.

1) how to set up the kit and switch it on and off

2) Very basic things like recognising what carpet/fabric you're cleaning and some very fundamental do's & don'ts

See these courses for what they are - a sales pitch to get you to buy their machinery & products.  Don't get me wrong, most of the major suppliers supply perfectly good equipment etc but remember the purpose of the course - it's to get you tied in to that particular supplier.  The by-product of the exercise is that you pick up some very basic knowledge.

You'll learn much more, and a lot more quickly, by "shadowing" one or two established, competent professionals who might be willing to let you come out with them for a day.  Ask, there's quite a few guys on here who will do so.

The NCCA are probably best as your first port of call. http://www.ncca.co.uk/

[Ian Gourlay]

I did not answer as it is many years ago I last attended Ashbys Training

Also on The Course was a new starter who had attended THe NCCA two day course.

He said it would have been better to attend a Course from Ashbys first and then attend NCCa

I do not know what it is like now but would like to see more practical on all courses of this type.

The spot a Stain Section emphasis was on using Ashbys No1 Ashbys number 2 or Number 3

Although the differences were explained so you could work out other brands with similar stain removal properties.

Curtain Cleaning was how to use Solvent addition to their machine to clean curtains
I cannot recall any training to identify curtains that could be cleaned using HWE or testing for Shrinkage or steam cleaning methods

But things may have moved on