[Paul Simpson]

Did a care home today, the carpet clean was in a particular section for the mentally ill.

Half way through cleaning a particularly large womens bedroom (bigger than me, and I'm not small) I turned to see her running down the corridor towards me screaming & crying and then start attacking my machine, 

Seems that she was trying to turn it off, because she then ran past me barging me out the way, unplugged the two power leads and threw them at me missing by inches.

Suddenly surrounded by half a dozen psychiatric nurses ushering me into an empty room down the hallway along with my equipment

After 10-15 minutes of constant screaming by the patient was told would have to cut it short as it had set off another patient and I still had the hallway to clean outside both their rooms.

Decided to invoice them for the 2 rooms cleaned and given a new seperate inflated price for the hallway. (Danger money)

Certainly added some excitement to the day.

[Jim_77]

Sounds fun!  Wear a crash helmet when you go back

Is there any way you can park your machine outside and have the hoses in through the window?  That's what I do on care home jobs.  Got myself some of those remote control gadgets for the plugs now so I don't have to keep running up and down stairs to switch on & off.

[Mike Osbourne]

I've had a few jobs recently like this and 2 days next week as well. It's a bit of a pain hauling your gear between double door etc and keeping one eye on them. Part of my arrangement is either I will be locked in the room I'm cleaning or there will be someone keeping an eye on me and my kit.

I charge more but it's for the faff factor.  

[clinton]

Good idea jim with the remote i guess

Where do you get that from

[Jim_77]

Theres quite a few around, i got these ones

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=228460

[AJB]

These are the ones i use,

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9686463&fh_view_size=10&fh_eds=%3f&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3c%7b9372189%7d&fh_search=remote+plug&fh_refview=search&ts=1251414616283&isSearch=false

They seem smaller than all the others i looked at.

[carpetworx]

Don't ya just luv nursing homes .

[Joe H]

Jim and AJB

They look a bit wide - can you get 2 next to each other in a standard double wall socket?

[Jim_77]

mine can, yes.  nothing to scale them against in the pictures i suppose

[Griffus]

Jim, thanks for reminding me about these. I've been meaning to get some for a while now.

Just bought a set.

Thanks again