[derek west]

going to do a survey tomorrow, women said theres a few spot stains and then she's got a flea problem, her workers are forever getting bitten, its a massive office, 3 floors, they work on one of the floors, i know F all about fleas other than they bite a lot, i need a crash course on where they come from, ie.. vent etc, where they like to live, what they feed on, everything possible so that when i go in there i sound as though ive got a degree in fleas,

any information welcome, including how to get rid of them, i want the cleaning contract and was gonna say that the only way to get rid is hwe every six months, but if she won't buy that then i'll need a back up plan,

help help help.
derek

[carlton care]

Suggest you phone John Kelly at ...........restoremate.......I've only dealt with households and it's relatively easy to get rid of fleas in small areas.

Suspect you might need ozone or big scale fogger

[fresherhomes]

hi derek are they animal fleas if so it can take a while to get rid try micro ban and some insectiside to treat but it will have to be done a couple of times every ten days or so  depends on how many there is it shouldnt be to bad this time of year becouse they love the warm, also once you have killed the fleas you then have to treat the eggs, and thats why it takes two or three visits you can get all the stuff from john at restomate he is very good hope that helps
           regards chris

[The Great One]

Hi

A good insecticide or you can go to your local pet store and get Zodiac, it's £10 a can, meant to last 12 months (used it recently).

Stapro do a good insecticide:

Insecticide
HSE No. 7347 Approved insecticide for control and removal of crawling
and flying insects.
This professional use insecticide is suitable for the treatment of
infestations in all porous and non-porous surfaces, soft furnishings,
carpets and upholstery, roof voids and food handling areas. The treatment
should not be vacuumed after application for at least 14 days to control
insects emerging from eggs. Not suitable for use on grain, or in grain
stores, or for treating clothing.

ht tp://www.bio-productions.co.uk/bio/stapro_range/stapro5.pdf

Regards

Martin

[KarenR]

Hi Derek
Given the size of the office, it may not be fleas.
I have had instances when Customer have complained of being bitten, but no obvious signs of insect activity seen. It has turned out to be a static charge
When a person moves  around in an office environment, they are usually surrounded by lots of electrical equipment. Added to this is the material of the carpeting (often synthetic) and the abundance of metal-framed desks, chairs and cabinets. In short, the individual builds up a static charge on their body through actions such as shuffling along the carpet.
They then move to a metal-framed cupboard or sit at a metal-framed desk. The result of this close contact is that a charge of static electricity arcs across from the person to the desk or vice-versa.
This 'zap' or 'belt' of static feels just like an insect bite - a characteristic 'sharp' sensation, followed by itching and discomfort. Inspection of the 'bite' will often reveal the typical signs of an insect bite - a raised redness of the skin, and even a pale white centre at the site of the bite'.
BUT, there is no puncture mark (ie: no hole where biting or piercing mouthparts have broken the skin).
There is some evidence to suggest that a second phenomenon involved with static electricity may occur. In environments such as offices, filing/record rooms and document stores, there are often an abundance of very small fibres. In situations where static electricity may build up, these fibres also become charged, and thus can become 'miniature javelins'. These can embed themselves in the skin, and whilst they are easily brushed off by the action of scratching, they also give the characteristic 'biting' sensation
If a static problem has been established, treatment is usually straightforward.
·   The affected area should be treated with an anti-static solution on a regular basis.
·   Equipment and fixtures should be fitted with earth straps or placed on anti-static mats.
·   If possible, carpeting with natural, rather than synthetic fibres should be used.
·   Dust and paper fibres etc. should be kept to a minimum.
Good luck……….

[garyj]

That is a good point Karen.

Are you the game queen as well?

[Jim_77]

Thats a bit forward isn't it

[garyj]

 ;Dn presume it was KarenR from the other cleaning forum with games, she beats all of us. She is something of a legend on the Pool and holds nearly half the records on there.

[derek west]

karen
what are the signs of insect activity other than bites?
oh and thanks for that, i'll pass it on to the custy so she thinks i'm dead clever, which i am of course just not when it comes to fleas
derek

[garyj]

Leave one of your new leaflets in the building, that will get rid of them 

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Just a few random thoughts:

You can't guarantee getting rid of them. A member (or more than one) of the office staff may be bringing them in from outside/home.

Auto-suggestion can be a factor; if one person thinks they are being bitten then others can think they are being bitten as well.

Fleas etc tend to bite women more as they (more usually) are the ones wearing skirts, and thus have bare legs or will wear trousers but have un-socked feet.

Static tends to be more of a winter problem when windows are kept shut thus drying the atmosphere (less humidity). (Karen I bow to your far greater knowledge on the subject though.)

Derek, as you say, confidence is the key, or as the cynic may say "bullpoo baffles brains"!

[derek west]

fck me.
1100 sq metres
carpet tiles
going back on saturday to do the pricing. biggest room ive done so far is 100 sq metres.
really want this job but never priced anything like this, at a guess theres about 80 computers and desks in there, she wants me to work round them, lot of stains and mild traffic runs. i haven't a clue what to charge.
derek

[Jim_77]

As a guide, it took me and a relatively untrained assistant 3 days to do a school job recently, best part of 900m², with a portable set up.

That job was re-sprayed and bonneted after extraction though, and of course with pre-vac beforehand

I'd price it for what you want to earn from presumably working both days of a weekend, seems as it's an office and you won't be doing daytime hours.. presuming too that you've got your mate with you.

[clinton]

Sounds a good job you got there mate.

Just see how long it will take or the nearest and work it out from there.

You will be able to l m clean most of it if its not too bad mate.

Is it tea and coffee stains

[derek west]

yeah mostly tea and coffee but they usually come out with the trucky any way, its the bitumen back that i'm concerned about, oh and that small issue of how much to charge. i haven't the foggiest how long it will take me.
the place is empty saturday afternoon and all day sunday and i dont mind working through the night so i wreckon 2 of us would do it in 24 hours solid. then sleep for 2 days afterwards. i'm thinking of £1.50 a sq metre, so £1650
derek

[clinton]

Is it all on one floor derek?

Am sure you could do it with an early start in the one day

I do a couple of large offices regular and thankfull they like me to do it in the week day so i use my l m system and also pre vav so there us not to much disruption and noise and start at 9 and work thruogh till 5 with my lunch on the go..

[derek west]

clinton
yeah its all on the one floor, all though its the 1 st floor so will have to go in through a window, not a problem as ive done a third floor flat recently with no worries, its a bugger running back and too to the van though, no lift on that job, nearly lost some weight but found a maccies on the way home and put it all back on, low moisture, is that bonnet buffing, you have to remember i'm a one trick pony at the mo.
derek

[garyj]

I would use the fleas as an excuse to do it at a weekend, tell them the stuff is highly toxic so everyone will have to be out the building. You will not be able to de-flea it with people in the building anyway, so talk it up with words like deadly, highly specialised, respirators etc. The heat from your machine will kill a lot of the fleas as well.
I would use Permerithin, it is good stuff and kills everything. Spray it in the evening then go back the next day for the clean. You will need to speak to JK to find out who much flea killer you will need for that area, it is only 6 or 7 quid a sachet but I do not know how much area that covers.

[davep]

I was at John Kellys today and he has some powder that will sort the fleas out, only prob is someone may bring them back in with them after the clean   

[malcom1961]

fleas have various life stages, the adult flea lives around seven days the first two days are spent on the host drinking blood, after this they spend the rest of there life laying eggs, these eggs can be laid any where, and can lie dormant for up o 2 years when the climate is right they will hatch ( warm damp conditions ie when the heating comes on )
if the area is very large spraying with a pemetherin product will be a wast of time firstly it is a knock down product and only stays active a short time, a few days it ill also not kill the eggs. your best bet if you are looking to kill them is to use foggers these work in the same way as a smoke bomb ( no residue is left on any thing that can be seen ) these products are sprayed up in to the air and the chemical is moved around by air movement these products   will kill the
adult flea and stop the eggs from hatching they also stay active for several  months so if any eggs where lying in an area that there was no air movement when they hatch the fleas  will  be killed when they come in contact with the floor etc.
if you are worried about being bitten if you take garlic for a few days prior this does work honest if you do get a bite rub some vinegar on it takes the itch away straight away  note that if these are fleas they will die out if there is no contact with either dogs or cats as they can not live of human blood however if you have pets at home be careful as you can carry one home on your clothing, you only need one to start the cycle as they are both male and female       Malcolm Ritz cleaners   Newcastle upon tyne