[Jamie Pearson]

Like it says. What was your previous employments and more importantly had you ever paid someone to clean your carpets?

As some will know I was born into the industry and haven't escaped. (Yet!)

This time of year often picks up for us with people looking for start up training. It's always interesting to find out what they are currently doing and their
Regions experiences of carpet cleaning either as a customer or DIY.

[AshWhite]

I was a business manager for a few different main dealerships - selling/arranging finance & insurance products, making sure we were compliant with the FSA, and selling cars when we were short. Did that for 2 years, left to be a trainee stockbroker, moved to spain, came back and went back to being a business manager for another 2 years!

[Jamie Pearson]

I was a business manager for a few different main dealerships - selling/arranging finance & insurance products, making sure we were compliant with the FSA, and selling cars when we were short. Did that for 2 years, left to be a trainee stockbroker, moved to spain, came back and went back to being a business manager for another 2 years!

Ever had your carpets cleaned?

[Nick Attwood]

I was a Chef for 14 years, 7 of them as a Head Chef. Had never paid anyone to clean my carpets and only experience was with the type of machine you hire from the supermarket or DIY store  :

[sherco]

From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..

[Carpet2Clean]

A lorry driver for 10 + years...Then mobile car valeting & now a carpet cleaner

Had carpets cleaned just a few times...More now 


Richard

[AshWhite]

No, the closest I came was a rug doctor from B&Q.

I'd never even seen a portable or truckmount in the flesh til I went to pay a deposit on one I bought off eBay!

[feldon]

Trainee accountant, owned a chain of shops for 14 years, sub-postmaster, mortgage adviser, self-employed sales man, carpet cleaner.  Yes had my carpet cleaned before I became a c.c.

[AshWhite]

From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..

 

[Richard Joyce]

I was a chef for 8 years and I used a DIY machine once that was a interesting experience the results were very basic.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..

Ho Ho!

Actually you must have been very good...

the best accountants always make the figures fit the answer the client wants to give

[kerrpmiddleton]

When I was about 18-20 yrs old ,my mum had a very expensive wool carpet ,one day when me and my dad come home their was a guy hand cleaning this carpet, ( working as a roofer  with Marley in these days , ,it took  him  two days ,?... But   it costs a fortune ,can't remember what ,
Any way in the winter you would get payed off , normal ,started window cleaning ,soon making aWeeks wages in one day window cleaning, say no more, now make weeks window cleaning , one day carpet cleaning, !,,, went to a old costumer on Monday , guy charges less for cleaning her windows no then I did 15 yrs. ago, swings in circles I suppose

[SteveAllan]

Armed forces from school, then went In print trade and hated that, trained to plaster and did that til poop hit the fan 2005. Then started oven cleaning and now cc with hard surface to follow

[Kinver_Clean]

Apprentice mechanical engineer 1959- drawing office in same co.
Plant engineer in bra factory- Remember Gossard Wonderbra??
Factory manager petticoat factory, then ditto overall factory, threw the company car keys at the boss, sold the house and anything else of value and started a residential home in 1980.  Got ripped off by a carpet cleaner bought first machine from Rod Cope. Sold the home ran a riding school for 3 years until the mid 90s recession then started carpet cleaning for money since 1993.
Now supposed to work 2-3 days a week but usually 4.
Probably finish next summer.

[Chris Straker]

Left school at 14/15 and went into plumbing .......... started carpet cleaning at 21 and now, at least the water I have to deal with is warm, cleaner and has no big lumps in it 

[andrew stone]

Midland bank- hated the job.
Commodity brokers- good job and good money until the co. went bust.
Post office- good laugh and a good bunch of people but didnt like the night work
five years working with my brother on his pig farm! - strangely enough i really enjoyed that!
carpet cleaning for seventeen years- the way my back is now i reckon i will be lucky if i can manage
another five.
so need to think about what to do from 55 to 70!

andrew

[PaulKing]

started a regular round washing cars at 13 got one of the first 10 kew jet washes as on of my regular customer who was the MD of a large tool importers and he gave me a demo model as the rep was over from Denmark, he though i'd like it, they were on tomorrows world the same week. I got loads of new customers that weekend so I bought one, I got very good terms,  I think they wree about £500 back then,  also a bit bought a numatic cdt575 at 14 and started doing interiors had a large wheeled barrow that i made in school for my woodwork course work. I walked about 5 miles a weekend and made around £60-70 at the time paper boys got £2 a week or less, so i was knacker working for anyone else, did a stint in the Royal Navy which was interesting, but theres a lot of freedom with this job which sometime i think i forget. also its like colouring-in in reverse which is always relaxing.

[Steve Gunn]

Served my time as a mechanic worked at Nissan UK before getting rsi in my shoulder had our carpets cleaned by someone called Snowclean and they were wet for days did a little research bought and Extracta Exel 12 years ago,never looked back since.At times I would love a paid job then I realise  how much freedom  this job gives me been able to see the kids school plays,sports days and assemblies etc etc

[Andrew Briscoe]

prior to carpet cleaning, I sold carpets, was a night club manager, had an auto spares business, worked on a poultry farm when I left school.
At weekend for 15 years was a member of the motorcycle madmen stunt team.

Never had carpets cleaned.

Andrew

[Neil Jones]

went to school, didn't own a carpet so couldn't have one cleaned. Did a zoology degree part time about two years ago, it provides me with the knowledge I need when I encounter wild animals when cleaning carpets.