[red]

hello

Heres my dilemma,in the early 90's i did some carpet cleaning with a prochem steameasy,i worked for a short time
in a friends business, while i was between jobs.Now at 58 ive lost my job, and the prospect of getting another is daunting,what with age discrimation and the number of people out of work.its made me ponder on carpet cleaning
if i succeed or fail is down to me! From what ive read machines have moved on a lot since steameasy, i remember them being
very solid and good at what they did, but how do they compare to newer models? what is a good
workhorse nowadays? Another dilemma is how physically demanding is the work,im naturally slowing down and my back is not what it was, am i setting myself up to fail? ive thought too of oven cleaning, it seems less physically demanding, but the grease....... any thoughts most welcome.

[JandS]

Bet they'd want a fair bit to come here for the day to clean...........why do they bother??

[stuart_clark]

Red
I am 55 mate and still going strong! Mind you ive been in the business for nearly 24 years and I dont see myself retireing anytime soon, I think I am quite fit for my age and can give some of these younger carpet cleaners a run for there money !
Machins have come on a long way since you were a carpet cleaner! I remember the days when you had a single vac motor and 50 psi , Chemicals have come along leaps and bounds also but if you have a bad back mate then maybe carpet cleaning isnt for you , saying that  I have my cooker cleaned on a yearly bassis from a guy who runs a cookaborough franchise, he gets the thing looking like brand new every time but he is on his knees nearly three hours for £60
Not my cup of tea ! Lol
Stuart

[Richard Cole]

I'm only 46   and have done oven cleaning in the past, i personally found it knackering and dirty work, also compared to carpet cleaning not as profitable but more in demand.  Whilst carpet cleaning is physical there are plenty in the industry who are older than you. Machine and chemical wise although i was not in the industry when you were last carpet cleaning i should imagine that the new machines and chemicals are miles better.  I used to suffer quite a bit from bad backs but have found that this joining the industry three years ago i hardly ever suffer any more.  As for machines and there is a fair selection out there maybe go one of the lighter ones or the other option would be to get one of the new high powered portables and have it van mounted, unless your really rich and can afford a truck mount.  Best thing you can do at the moment is get booked on a training course, NCCA if possible if not one of the manufactures courses which are usually around £85 and quite often they will refund the cost of the course if you buy a machine off them.  The other thing you could do is find someone who is outside of your catchment area and therefore not likely to be a threat to you and likewise will not see you as competition and ask if you can spend a day or so with them to see if you like it are capable of it still  Cleansmart, Ashbys, Altech, Prochem, Solutions all do training courses.

[Ian Gourlay]

Although age is a consideration.
You need to consider how much you need to live on
Can I achieve this will the government help  Tax Credits, Start up Grants etc
How much do I have for advertising  Will it find me enough customers to make a profit.

[red]

many thanks for the replies, its made things a lot clearer, i have to listen to my body
first! i will hire a cleaner and do  mine and the families carpets to see how i hold up.
 i imagine i will be busy!

thanks again

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Red

I too am 55 and working 6 days a week so keeping fairly fit.

I think the hardest thing for you will be building the business, it takes a lot of effort and drive which most of us lose as we get older, I know I wouldn't want to start now.

Good luck if you do, always a good idea to get a day out with a busy CC and see things in practice.

Cheers

Doug

[red]

doug

thats a great point, do have the drive to set a business up? age has
certainly changed my views on many things in life!

thanks

[bcc]

hi I am 61,  been at for 22years, its very hard on the back, I have instaled a ramp in the van, that helps, also long hoses for upstairs, good luck

[DB]

Age is only a number  ... Now well past my sell-by-date I still work but on a part time basis, you are a young man in comparison
Machines, chemicals have come on a long way since your last foray into carpet cleaning.... I always say that I am a lazy cleaner...that doesn't mean I don't do the job properly but I believe that if you take advantage of the equipment, chemicals and proper procedures you can make life an awful lot easier for yourself

As Richard has said....your first port of call is a training course, this will put things into true perspective.

Good luck

[Hilton]

Take the age out of the equation 58 is not old and would just be an excuse.

The question is do you have the mental fitness to take on the challenge of building a carpet cleaning business plus the working capital required to fall back on while you grow.

Its tough out there for a new start good luck with it.

[david@zap-clean]

<snip>
Its tough out there for a new start good luck with it.

Yes it is...

Breaking into a well established industry (trade) and cutting yourself a slice of the action is possible, but not easy!  Make sure you write a realistic business plan - and do your research well before committing time and money!  I suggest the days of cheap start-ups, and still making a living (from day 1), are long gone.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

If I had to do it all again I would have listened at school and then become a politician job for life!

Shaun

[Carpet Dawg]

are you physically fit? do you have the funds in place to sustain you for a year or a partner that earns a decent wage?

How you answer the above is going to determine if this is for you.

Also, whats the competition like in your area?  (this is less important to be honest)

Its a hard business to build despite what a lot of people think, and can be physically demanding.

I would not fancy setting up this business up from scratch today. There's a lot of competition, more carpet cleaners, more window cleaners and general cleaning companies are offering the service. << albeit they do a crap job 95% of the time  .

My advice would be to go out with a carpet cleaner in another area to see whats involved.

Here, take a look at pressure washing! easier/cheaper set up, more money, probably a lot less physical too. 

[Seymour Sunshine]

Dare I say this, but there are alternatives to HWE that are less physically demanding, require less capital outlay and give you advantages over the soakers and suckers.

You might consider researching those avenues as well.

Good luck.

[Brook Campbell]

Just read through the posts and am dismayed by some of the negativeaty from people!!!
If you want to do it and have determination and a good work ethic and practice you will be fine.
If we did not have new start up businesses every year in every profession we would not have any tradesmen left a few years down the line.
Also please bare in mind that some people are scared of competitors and competition, so go for it (as long as you do not live round the corner from me) 

[*Hector*]

Dare I say this, but there are alternatives to HWE that are less physically demanding, require less capital outlay and give you advantages over the soakers and suckers.

You might consider researching those avenues as well.

Good luck.

Of course you dare Seymour... 

The future is less wet..... 

LM cleaning is cheaper to set up, cheaper to run, and has a huge marketing advantage over the room flooders...

 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Low moisture cleaning also cleans better and is recommended by carpet manufacturers I'm saving up for my first scrubber.

Shaun

[*Hector*]

 

 

[Mike Halliday]

Dare I say this, but there are alternatives to HWE that are less physically demanding, require less capital outlay and give you advantages over the soakers and suckers.

You might consider researching those avenues as well.

Good luck.

Of course you dare Seymour... 

The future is less wet..... 

LM cleaning is cheaper to set up, cheaper to run, and has a huge marketing advantage over the room flooders...

 

I agree with most of it but to say its less physical demanding is I believe wrong, the hardest part of my job is lifting the rotary out of the van or getting it upstairs, they weigh a ton, and how do you get it over the door threshold?  The amount of times I've nearly cracked the upvc  door sill trying to pull the rotary over it.

With HWE the heaviest thing I lift is my wallet