[steveaqua]

Hello All, I'm a window cleaner and have been for nearly two years. I have been thinking about bolting on a carpet cleaning service to my business. I used to have a small car valeting business when i purchased a prochem steem easy. i got quite good with interiors (getting rid of various stains and dirt) but had no formal training. just really wanted to know that if i went on a course is it all worth it? how much work is in the market place? is it a healthy business? does it take a long time to become established? where does most of the work come from?? word of mouth or advertising.

I did enjoy valeting cars and getting them very clean gave me satisfaction and a lot of repeat business hence why i'm thinking of carpet cleaning.

[calmore]

Worth going on a course? Yes.

What's the market like? Competetive. However, there is a lot of work out there, it's all a matter of convinvcing potential customers that they need it doing!

It'll take a couple of years I recon to get fully established to a point where you can do it full time although you should expect a few jobs within the first month or so and build progressively on that.

Word of mouth is very important but obviously your first customers will come probably through advertising.

As you already have a customer base you could start by giving each of them a leaflet detailing your carpet cleaning service and maybe post it through other doors in the same street.

[steveaqua]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking targeting all my customers i have so far but also cutting down advertising costs by advertising both services. just rally wanted to know if it is a good business, i like window cleaning cause of the repeat business every four weeks.

What would be a good setup to start with? how much to set up do you rekon?

thanks in advance peeps

[calmore]

How long is a piece of string??

In my opinion a decent secondhand portable would be fine, twin vacs, 100psi pump and heater.

[Mike Osbourne]

I have seen a number of posts where WC have realised they earn more for less fuss doing what they know about w cleaning.

You are probably looking at a min £3k investment, but the hard part, knowing how to get business may be easier for you with your experience as a wc.

If you do well, one day you may well be able to leverage enough debt to buy a truck mount. Then you really know you have arrived.  

[steveaqua]

thanks for the reply, is it the kind of business where your attached to it your self or is it easy to employ people to do some work? is there a lot of call for it in a commercial sense or is that more contract cleaning?

[Matt Lindus]

Hi Steve. Good luck with your new venture. Sometimes it is essential to diversify in order to stay productive and keep the coin rolling.
That said carpet cleaning is a seriously hard game and near impossible to establish for any new comer. Get the correct training, suitable portable machine preferably with two vac motors and a good chemical supplier.

When I say good chemical supplier, I mean companies that distribute tried and tested chemicals, prochem ect. Don't fall into the Micro Splitting fad trap and end up having a certain Cornish supplier take you down the garden path with his convincing patter and USELESS 'magic water' potions.
Think he is now peddling some salty solution named after high performance BMWs. I would of suggested he named it 2CV - Power!!

Matt

[steveaqua]

I have used the prochem chemicals before. again no real formal training but used them ok, the machine i used before was the steem easy 400 i think. whats so good about two motor machines? definatly need heater. the last machine i had didn't have one but when i ran hot water through it (from an ern) the results were far better than using cold water.

[Mike Osbourne]

I would have thought you can pick up a machine with at least 135psi and two stage vac and this is entry level nowadys imo. The more vac power means cleaner and drier carpets.

I got a refurbed Ninja but since buying it have gone elsewheer for chems and tech supp, partly distance and partly price/service levels.

[phil jones]

Steve,

Might be worth looking @ a Prochem training course. They run them in Chessington, Surrey but will be running one in Manchester in 2 weeks time.

Think about it.

[simbo]

I run a window cleaning business, i have been going 18 months now and have a good solid well priced round but as i have also done carpet cleaning since i started i now find it really hard to juggle them both and remain reliable. at times, example this last week have been trying to get on top of my window cleaning but have picked up quit a lot of cc jobs that i have booked for this week, only thing is i now have a full week cc and could not do thurs and fri window cleaning because of rain so now will be even further behind.
never mind i love doing both jobs, just makes you think
simbo