[derek west]

might do the woolsafe course and join, anyone a member and had any work passed on to them?

[Joe H]

no ones ever asked me am I a member of Woolsafe

ooopps sorry, thats the usual response to someone saying thay may join NCCA

but it is true,no one has ever asked am I a member of Woolsafe, so you going to have to promote it yourself.

[Bob Robertson]

Derek

I was going to do it when I first started up, when I looked into it you needed to be in business for 5 years before you could go on there course.

I thought it would have been better to train people when they start carpet cleaning rather than 5 years later. If I was not good enough to join them 5 years ago then I'm not good enough for them now.They can stick it up their woollies! I'm stubborn that way.

Bob

[derek west]

no ones ever asked me about woolsafe, thats not why i'm thinking of joining, and thats why i asked if anyone has had work from them.

so has anyone?

[The WoolSafe Organisation]

Hi Bob,
Anyone can do a woolsafe training course and you're right, the sooner the better but the network is different. You can do one without joining the other. When starting a carpet cleaning business it's vital you get basic carpet cleaning training from a respected association (NCCA), franchise or product manufacturer (Prochem) etc. Our courses aren't like that they're more specialised. The Carpet Cleaner Network is only for experienced professionals, this is because the carpet manufacturers and retail groups that recommend our products and services need to be confident in the abilities of our members. That's why we have the 5 year rule. I'm sure we miss out on accepting some serious pro's initially because of the rule but hope they will come back in the future. Our existing members don't wish to relax this rule as they feel it would weaken the network as a whole. 

Cheers, Steve

[Bob Robertson]

I appreciate the reply Steve.

While your on, can you explain why the woolsafe organisation endorse product like 1001 Manual Carpet Shampoo, Vanish Hand Shampoo and others like them listed on your website. I have and I'm sure many others carpet cleaners have seen damage done by some of these products to wool carpets that customers have used.

http://www.woolsafe.org/consumerproducts


 Cheers Bob

[derek west]

good shout bob

[clinton]

Do you need the woolsafe derek..

[derek west]

no clinton, i was just enquiring. if i got a couple of jobs a year it would probably pay for the fee, but looks like i can't join anyway. apparantly i'm not experienced enough. just have to stick with my membership with T.A.C.C.A.

[Kinver_Clean]

Here's sticking my neck out.

I was a member for some years and abided with their regulations as to types of cleaning solution used.

I kept coming across dark spots on lighter carpets which when rinsed produced copious amounts of foam with the majority of the spot dissapearing but leaving the original mark in the middle. Surrounding this mark was a lighter patch of colour corresponding to the area of attempted clean.

Many of the customers had used accredited products with the logo on the tin. They had ended up with a pale spot and the original in the middle. This did not happen every time but many many times over the years.

When this was reported to the people involved they said that tests had been done and that the lighter patch was where the carpet had been cleaned more efficiently by the spray than the product we were using had been able to. Tell that to the lady with a dark blue carpet and a cream patch.

There are other things that put me off continuing my membership but I cannot go into details for legal reasons.

Basically money talks as in all spheres of life.

I never had one job referral.

[clinton]

Derek

Dont think it will stop you one bit mate

Never in 20 years have i been asked if am in the above post.. :

Yep back to tacca from now me thinks, no old boys network then ...

[robert meldrum]

As it's a credible organisation I won't say anything to suggest otherwise, BUT, there are consumer products which are Woolsafe approved which can leave carpets as in Kinver's post and there are Professional products which are known to be Safe on Wool but do NOT wear the badge.

[james roffey]

1001 and vanish, woolsafe approved   so all those little white patches are a figment of our imagination

[robert meldrum]

Woolsafe is an organisation which exists to make money and to do so endorses products from companies prepared to pay them large annual fees. There will be a criteria to be met as with most organisations that claim your business will benefit by membership and displaying their logo's but as with many such organisations a highly professional organisation could find themselves in dubious company.

[james roffey]

Am i wrong to believe that these "woolsafe" products can bleach/ damage wool carpets.
I would be interested to know the criteria with which these products are tested, i have only been carpet cleaning for just over a year and i have seen many, in fact i saw one yesterday a stain with the typical lighter outline around it where it have been bleached i forget which one she said did it but it was one of the usual : suspects

Oh i know the criteria, "please make the cheque out to ........" that Mat Alright from the BBC should investigate

[Neil Williams]

While your on, can you explain why the woolsafe organisation endorse product like 1001 Manual Carpet Shampoo, Vanish Hand Shampoo and others

Did I miss the answer................umm no
And there's the answer to why you shouldn't join

[Simon@arenaclean]

It's frustrating because I show customers good stain removal technique starting with just plain water and then leave a M/S spotter for their use. Often I'm shown vanish in particular with the comment it's safe on wool I come across 1 or 2 a week and there is no question it lightens. 

[james roffey]

Does sort of affect the credibility of an orginisation called "woolsafe" who endorse a product that damages wool   would they care to explain has anyone ever asked them

[Dean Wilson]

The quicker no carpets are made of wool the better.   The constraints, issues and poor resilience to both stains and cleaning far far outweigh any perceived 'niceness' of having a wool carpet.

And as for Woolsafe, as far as I can gather there little better than a bunch of 'masons' from Yorkshire.  Totally pointless joining this organisation.

If you use Woolsafe approved methods (such as HOST, Dry Fusion, etc), you are perfectly legally entitled to say they are 'woolsafe approved methods' on your literature and website, although you can't use the Woolsafe logos as Steve searches the web for use of these by people who haven't handed over their protection money to the Yorkshire masonic lodge!

Load of tosh; no benefits and an elitist attitude to anything non-wool.

Dean

[CleanerCarpets]

Bob

I agree with you - i wouldnt join Woolsafe whilst they endorse all these products for consumer use - http://www.woolsafe.org/consumerproducts

I know they are for consumers and not endorsed for us to use but that makes no difference, they are still endorsing using products that we, as professional cleaners, tell customers on a daily basis not to use.

Why join, then promote the Woolsafe name (which you will have to do,) refer them to their website for more info or they Google it and then have the customer come back and ask why 1001 is recommended by them but not by me!!

I've asked this question over the phone to Woolsafe and didnt get an answer - you havent got an answer on here either yet.

The NCCA i think is worth it - atleast it shows you are prepared to be legislated and trained in some way, Woolsafe would be great as well, but this whole situation just makes for conflicts of interests in my opinion and a mockery of it.