[Carpet Dawg]

Good post Ian.

I do the odd job for a housing assoction kinda place. Infact its like a home for drunks and homeless 
I do charge them less than i normaly charge. They usualy get me round once or twice a month for one or two rooms at a time. Been doing that place for 3 years now. Its worked out good tho as its lead to more lucrative work.

Tony

[stuart_clark]

It usually takes me three hours to clean an average ten cusion suite, but i use threeair movers and you can normally sit on them straight away after ive finished and i get £150 which is £30 per bum, i used to say per seat, but then you would get the jokers with the two cusion three seaters saying they were a two seater

[garyfindlay]

Spoke with the customer today, and was delighted with the clean, and has added £100 to the price of the suite. Everyones happy.

[stuart_clark]

Robert Meldrome


why is it that you critisise every reply that you dont aggree with ? do you have a chip on your shoulder or what ?

[Neil Williams]

I've read some right bollox over the years on this forum but this topic is fast de-generating into the worst of the lot.
Are we talking about doing a job properly or just achieving a quick fix?
It appears the initial comment was a requirement for a 'quick fix' and hence the 45 minutes. For flock sake I can do a 3 piece suite it in 45 minutes if the customer only wants to pay £30 just for arms on bum seats.
Anyway back in the real world I thought we liked to do jobs properly, afterall enough posters (namely newbies) get shouted at to get on a course or two when they ask for advice, but some of them will pick up on comments here about doing a suite in less than an hour and think that is the normal speed.
I did a 2 seater and 2 armchairs this morning. Just doing a deep pre vac which can remove over 60% of the visable dirt took me 50 minutes and I ain't no slow coach when it comes to working. Total time on the job 2 hours and I'm one of those that if the backs and sides ain't dirty then they just get vacuumed.
Professionals? Some on here make me wonder.

And I too have done work for charity run organisations. Although I might not charge my normal hourly rate I still do the job to the same standard as any other job.

[garyhumphreys]

Well said neil. What are people trying to be ? the fastest upholstery cleaners or the best.

[idealrob]

The faster you do them, the more you can clean, and the more money you can make. Yes its not about speed, its about doing a great job, getting repeat work, keeping customer happy, and this we have done for me personally for 30 years, with the method I beleive in and find suits me and the time I like to spend, which i like to keep about an hour, just my oponion.
Never wear myself out, but used to clean  upto 8 suites and carpets per day for months on end, alway atleast 5 suites & carpets, thats 5 suites and 5 carpets on the same day, 10 of each was a record and worked 8am till 6pm, a total of 20, and no complaints

idealrob

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Some may mock the idea, I'd like to see it in action and make my own mind up, I believe it until I see it as I'm an optimist, personally I haven't found the system or technique to do it.

Shaun

[wynne jones]

I've read some right bollox over the years on this forum but this topic is fast de-generating into the worst of the lot.

Just doing a deep pre vac which can remove over 60% of the visable dirt took me 50 minutes and I ain't no slow coach when it comes to working.

Neil, no offense but 50 mins to hoover a sofa? WTF  

The answer for newbies is to take as long as it takes in the beggining. The done in 45mins doesn't really apply. For starters all newbies should fully test which can take a good 10-15 mins at least. As you get busy and more experienced your time will improve you will learn valid 'shortcuts' from experienced cleaners and know when you can do it and when you can't.

 

[Neil Williams]

Neil, no offense but 50 mins to hoover a sofa? WTF  

It's called spending enough time to get all dried matter out, which in the past and on a few occassions has resulted in no wet cleaning required. But if I still need to wet clean  what I'm not doing is creating a sludge that then needs extraction.
Anyway whilst many might not agree with my method rather going with just start spraying and extracting, comments like this "but used to clean  upto 8 suites and carpets per day for months on end" are just plain stupid if you're going to do a proper job.

[idealrob]

Why is it stupid Neil, doing a great job with dry foam, just like LM is quick for carpets, the same for suites, you keep on doing 50 mins vac, and 2 hours clean, and we will see who is stupid, think about it

idealrob

[peter maybury]

As I said when I started out it was with a Nottingham based firm and they really were as rough as they come. They could clean a suite in about 45 minutes and thought they were superhuman. They were not,  they were a bunch of cowboys who thought they were doing a good job. A totally different standard of job to me, there was not point in telling them I just humored them.
We were using von schrader dry foam machines. Quite obviously a suite that is 5 years old requires a good brush and vacuum which realistically takes about 15 minutes or so. setting up and packing up the equipment, spotting stains etc. To do a good job on a suite it does take 2 hours minimum, anybody who thinks they can do a good job in 45 mins is just kidding. Even the machine manufacturers state these times in their manuals. You did have the occasional "clean" suite you could wizz over in an hour but this is not the normal. I have cleaned 5 suites in a day but it meant working until 10pm in a pre- christmas period. (You do need a level of fitness to bend and work for that period of time and do that day after day)

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[derek west]

who gives a f%$k how fast someone cleans suites, quick, slow, 45 mins, 3 hours, £5 a seat, £50 a seat, as long as we're all making money and sleeping at night then you go girls.

[robert meldrum]

So speaketh a businessman ............ie, someone with the ability to CLEARLY assess a potential outcome and carry out the tasks needed to achieve that outcome with the best use of his TIME, his knowledge and his equipment. Always mindfull of giving VALUE to his customers.

[garyfindlay]

Cleaned another 2 suites today. Very slow, took 2 1/2 hours total, but did have to stop to hand out business cards, and book in 2 jobs for next week. Better than cleaning 2 flights of stairs up, with no lift !!!!

[JandS]

idealrob

your having a laugh - 10 of each in 10 hours.
30 minutes each not including travel!!!!!!

John

[idealrob]

No, true, we used to advertise special offer in our 4 dry cleaning shops, and dairy was full by october for upto christmas eve, all local, and sometimes 3 or 4 on the same estate. thats why I beleive in the method, its good, quick and no complaints, only one which was as said before, justified.
Here all the rubbish about manuals saying it takes at least 2 hours minimum to clean suite. thats the rubbish, trying to say the poor & wrong method takes time, it doesnt, its the wrong system.
My father did it before me, and we are Teesside longest established carpet & upholstery cleaners, and still going strong after over 50 years. If it was the wrong method or too quick would we still be trading, and because of carpet cleaning, have a 5000sq ft factory, bought just for carpet cleaning and rugs.
Still dont beleive, thats why when i went to cleaning show this year, saw the cristal fusion dry foam machine, liked it and bought it a few months later. just like in late 70`s dad when to cleaning show in I think Frankfurt, saw the hydromist little orange HWE extraction , started hiring them out and had at least a dozen a day out at a tenner a go and 15 on a weekend, made lots, because we beleived in the system for the public. made lots in 70 and 80`s

idealrob

[idealrob]

Lord Alan Sugar has a book out at the minute, and a few chapters are being published in The Daily Express and todays hedline is  " FASTER & CHEAPER- THAT HOW I GOT RICHER"
He found a gap in the market and went for it, reduced cost and time and made money,and admited it wasnt the best product.
There is a market for everyone

idealrob

[jasonl]

Rob, in your market  ,Teeside , that is spot on , used to do 6,7,800 a day every nov and dec there , back in the 90's . It works.

[robert meldrum]

Course it works .........it's how Branson, Stelios ( easyjet ) the Dragons and many others became VERY WEALTHY. but they ran FULL TIME businesses and were not afraid of hard work.