[Gwil]

Hi all,

I'm new on here so I wanted to say hi and seek some advice.

I am about 3 clicks away from buying a host freestyle carpet cleaning machine and wanted to know what you guys thought of them. Are they any good? Do they deliver a top quality finish etc.?

I'm looking to start out in my area and wanted some thoughts on a good product and like the idea of a dryish clean. Also how many 3 bed houses would a 13kg tub host sponge container last?

Any info would be greatly appreciated

Cheers
Glen

[from edge2edge]

Hi Glen If you intent going DRY then you need to look very seriously at the way of getting work on an ongoing basis.Most peoples priority when wanting their carpets cleaned is simply price(especially rentals) and the cost of the sponges puts the cost of cleans to you up very considerably which most people wont want to pay.I have the website DRYCLEANCARPETS which i must admit i dont push much as i now have a truckmount and thermadry(dry in 30 mins) sysytem which gets me enough work and seems to suit my clients.In short why not HWE.Regards Alan Turner(swindon)

[Joe H]

I agree with what Alan has just said.

Dry as in Host or Envirodri and others is a specialised field. Not easy to clean very dirty carpets, but there is a market out there - yo just got to hone your marketing.

The sponges work out expensive, so that narrows the market down somewhat.

As Alan says, why not go hot water extraction? A good 2nd hand machine can be had for £1 - £1.5k, you still need a budget for advertising but your target field is a lot wider - more hits.

[des]

There,s one on ebay

[Gwil]

Thanks edge, Joe and des.

That's precisely the sort of answers I was looking for.

The reason for avoiding the hwe method is because of the protencial for damage, shrinkage dying etc. Although I have considered this method. I believe that many people within my area of approx 200,000 population are looking for an alternative to the wet method. One person told my partner that she'd never allow wet cleaning on her carpet again, according to her the carpet on the stairs shrunk leaving a gap of half an inch either side of the carpet and skirting board.

My plan is the marketing pro's for the dry cleaning approach. Advertising to the max the convenience of the dry clean method, decreased allergen levels and the green accreditation. There is only one other company I can see here selling the same service.

My plan is simple, get the word out there with leaflets and door knocking and sell the benefits F2F. I will then offer the service at a discounted rate. I doubt I'll make a profit for the first 6months but should at least break-even. I will then gradually increase the price.

I want to supply a quality service, and want to get the best start at it. Your advice and guidance will prove invaluable.

Thanks again guys

[Joe H]

On the vast majority of carpets the only reason why it would shrink is through poor operator.
More then likely the lady you mention has had a poor operator and all get tarred with the same brush.
Get the right training, the right kit, and do it right then there should be no problem.

Sponges is very low moisture cleaning, but have you not thought of low moisture cleaning ie with a rotary - take a look at the video that is popular at the moment by JasonL.

[from edge2edge]

Glen when you say the people in your area are looking for an alternative to the wet method those same people change their minds very quickly when told how the thermadry(other methods are available)dries in 30 mins and the price difference as very few people actually require DRY instantly they just dont want a wet carpet days later(2-4 hrs is quite acceptable by many people at the right price).Regards Alan

[creighton foyle]

i have a host and whilst its great for agitation the sponges i find are crap on anything other than lightly soiled carpets. if you want dry maybe you should look at thermadry or dry fusion, im sure the more experienced on here will point you in the right direction.
one other thing, most on here will be of the same opinion hwe is probably the most efective method of cleaning carpets.

[james roffey]

I have been in your exact same " mindset" forgive me if i am am wrong but i was aprehensive too after hearing all the "horror stories" about shrinking carpets and i too looked into the Host system i purchased a Host machine off Joe at a good price used it a couple of times then sold it i also have the Envirodri system my first ever carpet cleaning job was encapsulation cleaning using that system, i know some guys only use this but i believe theres a good reason that the huge majority of carpet cleaners use HWE and it is what i found, ITS BETTER.
The only time i use any other sytem is when i have to i did a shrinker recently with the envirodri, but most of the time i only use the envirodri machine to agitate my presprays like most guys on here.
Once you have had some training and gained a little experience you will feel more confident i am still unsure at times so i post on here and ask, i think a little common sense goes a long way, it may sound a bit negative but i still look at every job and think " what can go wrong " i dont think it a bad thing though.
Us new guys are so lucky to have the forums when  we come across something a bit different  the answer is at you fingertips, get your self on a course with the NCCA or one of the big manufacturers find a guy "not too near" to you ask if you can spend a day or two and you will feel a lot more confident.

[Mike Halliday]

if there was a market for dry carpet cleaning then it would already be filled by a carpet cleaner, most carpet cleaners are quite intelligent and will adapt to fit any market, we all know about dry cleaning and the advantages it has...... we are also very experienced at marketing.

if there was an opportunity to be exploited we would be in like a shot. there is a reason 98% of carpet cleaners (including every NCCA & IICRC trainer I've ever met)use HWE at their main cleaning method ITS THE BEST METHOD THERE IS  of course the other methods have their place but the majority of carpets clean best with HWE.

if dry was better more people would use it, we are not restricted to what method we use so why do we use HWE?

[james roffey]

PS

One thing i should have added, that carpet that i cleaned using the sponges, it was a
poly prop with a Wilton pattern, in the traffic lane after i cleaned it still looked dirty i got a cloth put a little solvent on it to see if any dirt came off, i was shocked it was dark brown
 i got my rotary out sprayed some microsplitter and re did it.

[Simon Gerrard]

If I were you, I'd sit down and have a really good think about this. You seem to be minded to take the easy option, only it isn't the easy option. Yes, people don't want their carpets shrunk etc etc, but they do want them to be clean and Host Dry carpet cleaning does not clean dirty carpets and the vast majority of carpets professional carpet cleaners come across are dirty and people want them cleaned. So if you forsake CLEAN in favour of SAFETY (never shrinking a carpet) then you will never build a loyal clietntele, because you'll rarely have given a customer what they are looking for and will therefore not be in this industry for very long. Carpet cleaning is about putting smiles on people's faces   
Simon

[Gwil]

Good lord!

You guys have definately made me sit up and listen, about my thought process. You are 100% right, I have based everything on the less risky option, which you all seem to agree isn't the right direction.

I'm going to book a course, I've been looking the prochem course and after reading your replies think I'll book in a day or two and wake up!!!!!!

You all have been really helpful and thanks for putting me right and saving me a good few thousand.

Thanks again

Glen

[ryan mca]

I have a flexi5 and have used it with sponges a few times I would recommend having
a crb machine to anyone great bit of kit combined with a hwe and a buffer you have
good options at hand as the guys have said got a hwe machine and training first
then you can add as you grow.

ps. travelled 15 miles only to discover I had forgot extra hoses to reach the job
sponges saved a 30 mile round trip and for 2 bedroom carpets ok result

Ryan