[mlscontractcleaner]

Had a strange job to do on Thursday afternoon. I was asked to price up a small job, 2 hours worth of carpets that I was told was" pretty well minging and in need of a damm good clean".

Well, when I get there I'm greeted with carpets that you could eat your tea off. It turns out that the washing machine leaked and some water came from the kitchen into the lounge; though I couldn't see a flippin thing. As a result the guy wanted the whole lounge done, a small bedroom and the stairs and passage. It was silly really as I was thinking "Dirt? Where?" and he was going on about the dirt, the damp smell and asking if I'd be able to get rid of them.

Obviously I said "Yes, no problem"

So I went on Thursday to clean his "filthy, disgusting" carpets. After a couple of hours of going through the motions and emptying out water that looked as clean as the water that went in the flat was smelling nice and fresh and he paid me

Good I wish all jobs were like that

[Joe H]

Insurance job do you think?

[Phild]

It's human psychology isn't it? We need to spend more time looking at the "problem" through our customers eyes so we see what they perceive, then give them the answers that they want. If we do that they are happy to pay whatever amount to get back to their comfort zone.

I would far rather have to deal with people like this who actually have the spondulicks to get their problem sorted than people who are just after a cheap job.

[Ken Wainwright]

The customer may have more cause than is first apparent to have the carpet cleaned.

As the contaminant was from a washing machine, there could have been detergent residues which if anyone in the house was sensitive, could have created problems. Bleaches may already have caused colour damage. Then there's the (not visible) soil from the laundry or possibly fabric conditioner which is a (typically) cationic residual detergent that can promote resoiling. Then there's the obvious risks from any contamination by any type of floodwater. Perhaps the carpet should have been lifted and dried and treated underneath, maybe replacing underlay?

SAFE and happy cleaning
The Ken