[Paul Evans]

Hi All

I am still in the process of starting a oven cleaning business. The problem i have is i havent got a clue about how to market a oven cleaning business. I was thinking leaflets, local news paper, Yell, a website.

What are your thoughts. Any help appreciated

Best wishes Paul

[bravo20]

Hi Paul

Website is a must in my opinion, also make sure your vehicle is signwritten. Both bring in regular work for me as well as leaflets drops. Never tried local newspapers but have used local directories that are delivered by Royal Mail every month with all types of local businesses, very effective if you have something similar in your area.
By far the best though is word of mouth, make sure you let your customers know that you are just starting out and looking to grow, also make sure you convert them to regular customers, annually or 6 monthly.
Have you done any training and got equipment sorted? Let me know if you need anything, contact details on my website.

John

[Richy L]

i was looking to get into this and was quoted £2000+vat for training and £1000+Vat for exquipment. Is that expensive?

[Paul Evans]

Hi Richy

I think bravo20 of this forum does training and equipment for a fraction of that price.

Regards Paul

[Richy L]

yeah, it sounds steep!

Is there much work in this line of business?

[Pristine Clean]

Yes there is a fair amount of work. Its like anything, especially in the cleaning industry you have to expand your services as you won't turnover enough just by providing one service.

I am seeing many window cleaners adding more services than ever.

We have many services, Office Cleaning, EOT cleaning, Carpet cleaning, Window cleaning and Oven Cleaning and many more.

We are averaging about 8 ovens a day. However that's not by just one person and the catchment area is fairly wide. If they are out side of the normal catchment area we just add a time and travel expense.

The 1000 for equipment seems pretty standard in the adverts and training is about £200 per day.

We have been cleaning ovens for many years, but never spent £1000 on equipment. We also never spent £100's on training.

We use a cold dip tank, always have. Although we do own a heated dip tank and have used it. The cold dip tank is far cheaper and from experience still performs well and you have plenty of time to leave the racks, rings to soak and clean easily.

Now the next thing is you will need a good cleaner. Go green if you wish, but it will take longer and time equal money.

Invest in a few good scrapers, gloves, brushes and metal scourers and a light to see in the oven.

The next thing is to learn how to remove the oven doors, there are about 5 different hinge systems used in Europe on the ovens.

I'm not knocking anyone who has training, but come on, Its an oven.... I personally believe that charging that amount for training to clean an oven is ridiculously over priced. If you are going to pay that amount go to college and do something really worth while.

Dave



 

[Pristine Clean]

I would just like to add, check out average prices for cleaning ovens.

Then work out how long that will take to get back the £3000 spent. Average time to clean an oven is 2 hours. Can be longer. Its dirt, in fact its a filthy job. Go into it by all means, but think carefully before spending all that money of how to clean an oven.

Think how long it will take you to get back your ROI return on investment.... the only ones that will earn out of it are the ones supplying the equipment and the training... for a few years.


Also, Marketing..

Its like when estate agents sell homes, they have all the lights on, have mirrors everywhere to give the impression of brighter and bigger. - Kind of a false positive.

Same goes with peoples galleries showing ovens before and after. Look at them and see... the difference, the dirty ones don't have the oven on or the kitchen light. The clean ones have the oven on so the oven lights come on and have the kitchen lights on to make it sparkle.

This appears on many sites.

Dave


Dave

[Graham Rogers]

Hi there,

I would say that for oven cleaning marketing you need to find where all your best clients live and then market to them. So this would be where the better off people live. You know that you have the right area as there will be free glossy magazines either A5 or A4 delivered door to door. These are the magazines that you need to advertise in.

We advertise all over the place the key thing is to test your advertising to make sure that you are getting a return on it. So in effect you could try anything, it might work in your area, but make sure that you get the details of where your calls are coming from and drop your poor performing ads.

I run oven cleaning courses,

Hope this helps.

Graham

[SteveAllan]

Dave, we have always used heated tanks never considered cold. What chemical do you use in the cold tank, do you have to leave it in the tank a lot longer.

[Pristine Clean]

Dave, we have always used heated tanks never considered cold. What chemical do you use in the cold tank, do you have to leave it in the tank a lot longer.

Hi Steve,

Nothing special on the chemical side, you can either use non caustic or caustic chemical. It depends on what is being cleaned.

All we have ever done is place the bits and bobs in the dip tray at the start of the job, when we have finished the oven or part way through we then clean the rack and rings. Generally the soiling just wipes off, there might be the odd occasion that we might need to use a wire brush or metal scourer.
If I thought we needed a heated tank, I would purchase more of them for my staff without a thought.


As for the chemicals, there mainly all the same, there's Vanquish, Kodex Combi Oven Detergent, Bio oven cleaner from dirt busters, Selden Oven Cleaner and many more... even people selling a standard oven cleaner branded under there own brand label... Its all the same. Just marketing...hype.


regards

Dave

[Richy L]

What is the time difference for cleaning when using a hot or a cold? and how much does the equipment vary in price between the two?

[Pristine Clean]

What is the time difference for cleaning when using a hot or a cold? and how much does the equipment vary in price between the two?

Basically Richy, its aluminium either moulded or welded into the shape of a box, with a gas lamp underneath, some are electric. The range from £550 to over £2000 for the heated ones that go in your van.

A non heated one, simply a box either plastic or steel or aluminium can range from £25.00 to £150.
The rest is over hyped up marketing strategy for the companies to get rich quicker. Its not just oven cleaning equipment... its the whole industry. All far to over priced for what you actually get.

But hay they have you by the short n curlys if you don't know a cheaper option you conned into the large payout. which to get back your investment takes a fair bit of actually doing. That's the bit they fail to tell you.

All they say is £55 per oven... think how many ovens you can do in a week, the whole world has ovens...and before you know it, you see pound signs. Which then makes you forget thats its very extremely hard work and that you don't do 12 ovens a day.

 You have travel to and from the jobs, you will be lucky if you get the customers to get 3 - 4 ovens a day. After a customer base is built up over the years.

You make more money cleaning windows on a terraced house, Get 4 or 5 of those and less time than cleaning an oven and you have not worked as hard.

But for an add on service cleaning ovens is great. But it wont buy you a a beach house in florida. So think about what you need on the equipment side before parting with your hard earned dosh!

[Richy L]

It seems like a small training course would be good. And if I do get into oven cleaning it will only be add on to my others services.
Could you give me a link to anything in specific that i would need to set up. I dont want to spend ££££s on it, I was hoping to spend a few hundred. I wouldnt want to get something too cheap and then it take longer to clean the ovens.

[Pristine Clean]

Hi Richy,

look at ovenbrite, see what his prices are. Take a look on ebay as well for a heated tank. They sometimes come up.

Dirt busters, sell heated ones from £550

I hope this helps.

Dave

[james44]

It seems like a small training course would be good

Richy, i have a training video i got hold of a few years back i can put it on to disc if you want and send it to you, it came with a training manual, bought it of someone on this forum, its a good training aid.

If you want to email me your address i can post a copy to you sometime next week,

At least you will see what is involved!

[bravo20]

Hi Richy

Feel free to call me, contact details on website, to go through training and equipment on offer. Thanks dave for the referral.

John (ovenbrite)

[Richy L]

It seems like a small training course would be good

Richy, i have a training video i got hold of a few years back i can put it on to disc if you want and send it to you, it came with a training manual, bought it of someone on this forum, its a good training aid.

If you want to email me your address i can post a copy to you sometime next week,

At least you will see what is involved!

Email sent.

Thanks!

[Neil kell]

Investing 3 grand to clean ovens is as wacky as the guys who buy those gutter cleaners, You know the ones that you get from the ground the perspex funnel thing that leads into a bag or something. Absolutely hair brained! Just do them as an add on included with your aftertenants clean or whatever. Its good to know how to do them right, with regards to the elements and removing different types of doors and stuff. But its like doing a crime and trauma clean, you wouldnt want to be at it the whole time. An unger scraper - bohemian bladed one, dish brush, hot water, LIDL sponge, and a few rags just for a good once over. Someone above said something about going around the rich neighbourhoods. Sure theyre all broke now more than anyone. No middle class anymore.

Neil

[Richy L]

Oven cleaning would only be an add on. Not a completely different business.
I was thinking of doing the 600 quid course for 3 days. 2 days on the job. what do you think?
 Another thing, why is a budget system cheaper than the van mounted one? - what is the difference between the two?

[bravo20]

Richy I,ve sent you an e mail.
John