[Mike Halliday]

It looks like we  Need to talk about it, I think it’s going to get difficult for us for a while.

Personally I can’t wait to catch it and recover, then I can tell all these people self isolating that they might as well let Me clean their carpets, they’re sat in the house doing nothing, might as well get the carpets cleaned.

A lot of my customers are old and in the danger  group,

[TonyBrowning]

Please don't label me as a negative, pessimistic person......but I am a realist.
I think this is just the tip of the iceberg Mike, the biggest concern is the great possibility
of an impending global financial crash...bigger than we've seen ever....interest rates being
cut, and more money being invented from no where is never a great sign....
On the bright side......we are all in the same boat, and we can't do anything personally to change the situation.
so  "Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over."

[mjm]

This virus is terrible people in london on the streets going to work with surgical masks on face
Last week my customer cancelled  due to son being at home because he working in central london in an office  and 1 person got the virus so there offices  are shut down still  now even more customers are  saying working from  home now until this  ends   spoke to many window cleaners in my area   fronts only until further notice not allowed through house bit weird really I think you have to touch physically to catch it  basic hygiene washing hands shower every day
 

[TonyBrowning]

Just keeping it light....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aox7CeOdmOY

[premier floorcare]

Dont think the evidence is there that once you have caught it and recovered that you cant catch it again Mike 🤧

[RPCCS]

Once you have had it you don’t get it again.

[premier floorcare]

Wheres the evidence for that ??

[neil 47]

The figures dot look that massive when you consider populations  , I think there is massive media hype .

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[Mike Halliday]

I had £10k earmarked for a new pressure washer which now I won’t Be  buying, I’ll keep the money in the bank and keep using my existing machine. Once the initial shock of this virus has mellowed down and I can judge how people will go about their lives ( carry on as normal, limit non essential contact etc..etc) I can make a decision.
 

[mjm]

Spain is in lockdown France is on it's way too  I wear black surgical gloves all day I keep them on the dashboard put them on soon as I start the van on the morning take them off when finished  I stopped shaking hands a long time ago with customers when I shook someone's hand about a year ago   this guy smiled and said ive got the flue mate  and I got it for 2 weeks 
I've found a friendly chat gets work  not a hand shake or people breathing all over  I just show them that iam wearing gloves and and start talking
If they put there hand out to shake fine I will shake

[Kev Martin]

I had £10k earmarked for a new pressure washer which now I won’t Be  buying, I’ll keep the money in the bank and keep using my existing machine. Once the initial shock of this virus has mellowed down and I can judge how people will go about their lives ( carry on as normal, limit non essential contact etc..etc) I can make a decision.

I didn’t think you were the type of guy that spends that sort of money?  You always come across as doing everything as cheaply as possible.  What sort of pressure washer is that for £10K.?  I can get a decent Falch for that sort of money

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I know this is changing the thread but what machine are you planning to get?

Perhaps someone can tell me what’s so special about a £10k machine?

What’s a DOFF machine?

Hoping that you don’t get Corona because there’s a % that you may die from it.

[Mike Halliday]

I’m looking at one of these

http://www.jetterconversions.com/JETTERCONVERSIONS.COM/4012.html

Not a new one but with 75hrs on the clock

My big jetter blew the engine so over  the last month I’ve been using the standard machine use by most pressure washer companies who do the work I do (mainly domestic) I had one in the shed for an emergency....... they are like using a toy,  the set up is an nightmare and so slow it’s really takes the joy out of the work.

A big engine and pump with powered hose reels makes the job so much quicker.

Kev I looked at the Falch, they cost slightly out of my budget

[Mike Halliday]

Doffs are a high heat, low pressure machine for doing specialist cleaning ( think national trust properties and nelsons column )

[RPCCS]

Wheres the evidence for that ??

I read it online somewhere but I can’t remember where, some health or government  page.

[homenclean]

It seems all the products such as micro san are in short supply .

Where do you think we will fit into the chain and do you think it could go it her way for us really quite or stacked out as people’s obsession with cleaning kicks in.

Uncertainty is the worst thing and I think our strongest déterrant is been an island which should make it easier to contain with rigorous checks on people coming in.

If I said I wasn’t concerned I’d be lying.

John

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Mike you’ll have to tell me when/if you get that big machine I’d love to come over and have a look.

[*Hector*]

Mike you’ll have to tell me when/if you get that big machine I’d love to come over and have a look.

please tell me that wasn't a euphamism 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I couldn’t possibly say

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Mike there’s a Falch Hot Pressure washer on Facebook market place £3200

[Mike Halliday]

I saw it but I don’t need a hot system, but if I did I have the worlds best Diesel burner sat in my utility room ( my wife hates me, I told her it had to stay inside to protect it from the frost) I bought it 3 months ago with the intention of building a new machine.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Cue the old boiler jokes 

[Mike Halliday]

Still going out doing quotes, did 3 today plus 2 jobs .

These were old people who should be self isolating,

I’m starting to see a bit of the old British bulldog spirit  ......."we will never surrender!!" ........"No deadly virus is stopping me getting clean carpets"😊😊 (or clean patio in my case today)

[Lewis Newby]

I think what's more worrying is if they do self isolate and you were last person there and they got sick- are you then to blame? Is it the equivalent of getting food posioning from a restaurant? Surely nobody is gonna try and sue for catching an airborne virus ,but in this day and age....

[Mike Halliday]

I had tomorrows customer ring up an hour ago asking who to make the cheque out to, her and her 90yr old mum are self isolating so will leave the cheque on the doorstep when she sees me pull into the drive, she was very apologetic that should would not be able to make me a cuppa

[Chris R]

What changes are you all making?
I'm taking my own mug on Jobs now.
Carrying a mask in the van. If custy is looking a bit ropey I'll wear it. If customer wants me to wear it I will.
Taking micro fibre cloths soaked in dettol or TCP in a food bag. Wiping steering wheel down and cleaning hands at appropriate times.

[Mike Halliday]

I have a bottle of foam hand wash in the van door I get a squirt of that as I leave and get in the van, I read the instructions and it’s says it gives 8hrs protection so maybe I don’t need to use it as much.

I’m drinking my Costa coffee without the lid on the Cup, (they rub their hands all over the lid as they put it on)

I’ve stopped french kissing all my customers who are Aged over 75, (apart from the really fit ones)

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Male and Female?

[Pete Blackburn 123]

Hi, not been on here for years!
Once again protection for employed but bugger all for the self employed. Granted, we are now entitled to a similar sick pay in line with employed if we are sick, but we wont be getting  the guaranteed 80% of pay that employed people get if they are shelved by their employers if work drys up.
It's so f***ing unfair - we pay into the system, council tax, income tax etc, yet self employed are not exempt from paying back all this immense mountain of debt that was handed out to everyone but us. Its just a massive injustice to us self employed tax payer.
Pete

[alan lewis]

Absolutely right Pete, i see a possible court challenge coming  here, as you say we pay our taxes and NI just like the employed so why not the same treatment ? if they know what 80% of an employees salary is via the PAYE system then surely they know what 80% of mine is via my tax returns ? so why are we treated differently ? Do they really want to take the risk that up to 5 million self employed people could go bust ? i mean what use is £95 pw in sick pay yes you can defer your mortgage for 3 months, your tax bill in July even, but the key word here is deferred not cancelled ! and when this thing has eventually done its worst, is carpet and associated cleaning services etc  really going to be at the top of anyone's priority list ?  i hope so !

[Mike Halliday]

It’s hard to be positive about this situation,  no one is wanting to let strangers in the house to clean carpets or upholstery.

The best we can hope for is to catch the virus, recover then be immune. once we can no longer catch it or pass it on then we can start getting out there to work.

I see some people offering fogging etc but I don’t believe this will make any difference, I heard the expert on tv say it lives on people not objects.

It’s not going to get better for a while 

[Robin Ray]

Mikes right, the only way to get through is to be positive and adapt.
People survived two world wars and the Spanish flu and the great depression and all that happened within a 30 year period. This may be very very serious but its early days. Lets keep positive and when we find ways of adapting help each other out.
I personally am starting to diversify my services again. Trying to think about what will be possible, what will be in demand and then filling that gap. Trying to block out whats not possible and what we cant do. It is a pain as we had big plans for the short term, but the long term goal is to keep going with whatever it takes to get through.

[*Hector*]

Stick some Jeyes fluid in the pre spray and tell the custards it is anti-bacterial carpet cleaning, and that they can tell by the smell,



rake it in. 

[scrubydub]

Business is really down for us especially rug cleaning or any rug and carpet are not essential. We added on our site https://www.cyrusrugs.com/ that our customers can schedule a private viewing if they want to.