[jasonl]

I never use a disclaimer , I record it on the invoice sheet and they sign that .

Never had a problem , if I did I would refer to my insurers.  The benefits of trying far outweigh the negatives of not trying.   

I believe that offering a comprehensive service is one of the keys to successin  any business, and merely offering the vanilla option of cleaning problem free carpets is not maximising possible returns.

[peter maybury]

if it is aerosol paint then the most sensible way forward would be to use a product like universal thinners that are actually designed for the job you want to do. People always go on about white spirit but it is totally useless on dried paint. It is ok to remove gloss paint from brushes and surfaces and is ok to thin liquid gloss when the paint is wet, it is useless after the paint has dried.
With universal thinners the paint will dissolove on cantact you do not have to soak the area but just lightly brush it with a small amount of thinner on it. If you have had any training you are going to know that you cannot aggressively rub the area without causing damage to the carpet. If you are using the right solvent there is no need to agitate if you just covered the area in a cloth soaked in the thinners the vapours will do the majority of the work. This would not be an uncommon job for me, I do carry pre-printed disclaimers with me and if I judged that there was any chance of any comebacks then I would get the cutomer to sign one before doing any work. Although I carry the disclaimers with me it is very rare that I use them as I am pretty much aware of what can and cannot be done. As a specialist I see this as a normal situation for somebody in my field. Paint striipr is a good product to have on the van but that is designed for gloss and varnishes, solvent are very specific in their use and you need to learn what works on what. just carrying a few different products will not cover you for all eventualities.


Peter
www.catpetcleanercardiff.com

[Simon Gerrard]

Steve,

Let us know how you go on with this. Before and after pics would be good, I'm intrigued.

Simon

[Steve Chapman]

Hi all,

Did the job yesterday and was quite happy with the results considering how bad the carpet was and the fact it had been dried for about two weeks,

The customer seemed to be happy with it and relieved that he does not have to replace the carpet,

I wouldn't say it was a miracle cure as some marks are still visible but a 100% improvement over what it was like,

My method was as follows :-

get disclaimer signed
test a discreet spot with a few solvents

white spirit had no effect
meths had no effect
paint thinners had no effect
paint stripper had no effect

amazingly prochem bazooka spray made a dramatic improvement, so thats what i went with,

sprayed a small area of about 3 ft square at a time, scrubbed with rotary and a red pad, sprayed again
extracted with plain hot water
sprayed area with powerburst and then rinsed with fibre & fabric

This seemed to deal with the larger areas of paint, i just needed to spend some time with a few of the smaller darker areas with more bazooka and rinsing.

After that, just cleaned the whole section of carpet once more, had plenty of air coming in and a was a hot sunny day which helped to dry it off quick.

3 hours work in all, charged well into a 3 figure sum


If it had been my carpet i would have been pleased with it, i have offered to go back and treat patchy areas with some hydrogen peroxide to blend it a little,

I will try and upload the photos,

Regards
steve

[Steve Chapman]

before pictures

[Steve Chapman]

after pics

[Steve Chapman]

sorry not the best pics in the world as were taken on my phone,  but at least show the difference


steve

[Helen]

Considering what was "sprayed" on the carpets by the customer and the timespan to cleaning, it looks a really good job done.

Just love the way you put

My method was as follows :-

get disclaimer signed
..........

[jasonl]

Considering what was "sprayed" on the carpets by the customer and the timespan to cleaning, it looks a really good job done.

Just love the way you put

My method was as follows :-

get disclaimer signed
..........

It is called  claims management , proving what and how you did it , is almost as important as what you do these days , also that is where the value for the customer is and the profit for us.

[Helen]

Considering what was "sprayed" on the carpets by the customer and the timespan to cleaning, it looks a really good job done.

Just love the way you put

My method was as follows :-

get disclaimer signed
..........

It is called  claims management , proving what and how you did it , is almost as important as what you do these days , also that is where the value for the customer is and the profit for us.

Yeah I Know, another tongue in cheek comment to lighten up our days

Usually on here, you get method as follows:
Pre vac
Pre spray
etc
etc

I have a strange sense of humour and just saw the funny side of something that probably wasn't funny, but that's just me. (can we have a smiley face that denotes "barking mad" please
 

[Steve Chapman]

Helen,

I know what you mean, and im normally quite flippant about such things, but there was no way i was touching that carpet without having a waiver signed,  in my mind i had it listed a the first thing on my list i needed to do, otherwise i wouldve gone in and forgotten and started cleaning  :

Regards
Steve

[John Kelly]

Well hats off, you did it. Intrigued to know what the fridge looked like.

[clinton]

Nice job done steve..

Yes like the method too mate

[Steve Chapman]

To be honest the fridge didnt look too bad after all the hassle  ( if you like black  ),

 dont think he'll be getting rid of it in a hurry 

Hope he doesnt decide to do the washing machine & dryer as well  :


Steve

[clinton]

Nice one steve.

you a copper in your previous life with all that method statement

[Steve Chapman]

 

Yeah, think i missed my vocation in  life 

Its quite addictive when you get the camera out, couldnt stop once i get started   

[derek west]

what a muppet, (not you steve) can't believe what was going through his mind while he was happily spraying away, plus the smell in the house would of been overwhelming. hey ho. world would be boring without crazy people.

anyhoo, top job steve.

[garyfindlay]

Derek, don`t knock it till you`ve tried it.

[Bryan Griffith]

I have read all the messages on here and would advise getting the client to sign a disclaimer before commencing any work. do not think that if you leave it until the carpet is cleaned it will be ok. we have all heard about Mr or Mrs nice suddenly turning nasty and wanting to claim if all does not go well.
is the carpet woven or bonded? as using strong solvents on a bonded carpet can cause the adhesive to break down and the carpet will start to shed the pile.
I agree with the comment about not doing it  because of a promise of more work.
there are times when the most professional way to deal with problem is to walk away, if you do the job and it goes well they might tell a couple of people but if it goes wrong they will tell everyone they meet and thats your reputation in tatters.