[Mike Halliday]

I haven't seen a massive change in the last 20yrs ( has it changed in the last 40?) will it be the same in another 20yrs?

They said laminate floors would kill the carpet industry but they were just a fad, they said 'Eco- cleaning' would become a big thing but it's still just a niche market.

Last week we were talking about Prochems Fabric restorer being the best chemical for cleaning upholstery..... this must have been around for 30yrs old.

Any thoughts on what we should expect over the next 20yrs?

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

For a start most of us will no longer be working in this industry!

Probably because we are either retired/or dead.......

Gone bust, or found something else to do.

And on that pessimistic note may I wish everybody a happy Christmas.

Rog

PS Fads will come and go, and cleaners will jump on bandwagons, but providing you actually clean properly and provide a first-rate level of service and client care then I believe it will be much the same with much the same machinery and solutions.

[Robin Ray]

From where I'm stood at the relative beginning of my carpet cleaning career I cant see much changing. Looking back at previous posts and technology I think all the major changes have already happened.. ie the development of HWE and the advent of polymer encapsulation the decline of the yellow pages and the advent of the internet. The only change I can see is a gradual move in to electric truck mounts rather than petrol as fuel prices increase and electric motor performance improves. I also think there will be small improvements to design from now on rather than major design changes. For example wand design is changing slightly to improve with recovery and ease of use yet essentially the design is the same. Perhaps its now a case of marginal gains rather than major changes.

[Neil Jones]

The big change I think will be prices dropping in relation to wages.

They may go up but due to the cost of life going up. Basically if the cost of living didn't rise in 20 years I think carpet cleaning prices would be lower.

IMO mainly due to the ease that people can do the job and the way the country is encouraging people to start a business. I think it will be flooded with people doing it.

[Radek Jablonski]

IMO mainly due to the ease that people can do the job and the way the country is encouraging people to start a business. I think it will be flooded with people doing it.

Every eu country is a capitalist country and idea of it is to ease the procedurs and engage support to open own business to everyone, some countries does it better some worse.

[Simon Gerrard]

Of course it will change in the next twenty years.
Twenty years ago there were no sophisticated computers and electronics running truck mounts, no encap, no Microsplitters, the Rx20 had only just come out. Websites weren't what they are today.
Customers have also got a lot more savvy about carpet cleaners, good and bad and thanks to forums and other electronic learning formats, we are all a lot more educated.
Things never stand still, not even in the world of carpet cleaning.

Simon

[wayne zabel]

The big change I think will be prices dropping in relation to wages.

They may go up but due to the cost of life going up. Basically if the cost of living didn't rise in 20 years I think carpet cleaning prices would be lower.

IMO mainly due to the ease that people can do the job and the way the country is encouraging people to start a business. I think it will be flooded with people doing it.

can it get anymore flooded than it is today?

[Robin Ray]

I don't think wages will drop in the long term. It takes a certain amount of income to run a business and have a normal lifestyle. The people charging less eventually drop off leaving those who are realistic.

[Mike Halliday]

Compared to other industries There has been small changes  in the last 20yrs but no big game changers.

Look at  the printing industry within 3 years  half the small companies went under to to printcarrier  and European  compition.

Mentioning how electronics and engine designs have improved remember mobile QuickTune & prontoTune who used to vist your home and tune your car? that industry died over 5 years due to electronic fuel injection in cars being developed, there used to be at least 5 big franchises  now the full industry has gone.

What could really change our industry over the next 20 years?.....

A new fibre that is 100% dirt and soil resistant, were nothing binds to the fibre so eventually any dirt or spill dries  and it's residue is vacuumed out of the carpet.

A disease that wipes out the sheep population, no more wool carpets.

How about the goverment passing a law that stops all unsolicited advertising of any kind.

The goverment passes a law gaurenteeing a minimum wages for all workers including self employed people (but also in the spirit of fair play) creates a national table of wages, eg: doctors, teachers, airline pilots get a set amount per hour , then it works down the scale until you hit the bottom where we sit on £8.98/hr

The population becomes 90% Muslim and they only use Muslim cleaners or cleaners who are recommended by their local cleric.

Due to the population become resistant to antibiotics. small infections or  desieases  that are now easily treated become life threatening, people become more careful about who they come in contact with so won't have strangers in their home..... Or the opposite , due to bugs & infections the population become hygiene freaks and want everything cleaned monthly.

Or the worst !!! The population realises Simon is the only carpet cleaner who knows what he is doing,  we all go bust while he has a 15yr waiting list

[Radek Jablonski]

Mike, soon you will have no choice as just join muslims, so you will have a job.

[jasonl]

Slip on shoes , a must for Muslim households . 

[tim handley]

itll go the same way as my old business, hand car wash/valeting,      flooded with people from all over europe driving the price down......................

[Radek Jablonski]

itll go the same way as my old business, hand car wash/valeting,      flooded with people from all over europe driving the price down......................

do you think that people from all over eu have funds to open proper business with proper equipment to be danger for your business?
If the guy without fluent english is taking your job then there is something wrong with you. (nothing personal). And if the guy charge lower prices then more likely he does worse service. If you bother about him then you must be in the same league.

[garyhumphreys]

Good reply.
I do love the positive mental attitude on this forum sometimes.

[Mike Roper]

Over the last 20 yrs we have seen a lot of changes from single vacs 50 psi pumps, Joe Polish marketing type people, franchises, micro splitting ? , eco products, more competition from maybe EU countries.
All these things change ,they are variables but the constant basic principles are what matters . These are honesty , personality, hard work ethic , realising nothing comes overnight , there are no get rich quick schemes , every good job you do will lead to others but it takes time.Don't spend what you dont have , don't buy flash things when you have had a good spell, slack times could come along. Don't loose the things that really matter trying to achieve things that you think are important but when you achieve them you realise they aren't.
Things will change over the next 20 yrs sure enough in the cleaning industry but let's face it can you see the world we live in changing for the better in that time. JW.ORG.
Mike

[Jamie Pearson]

We have more polyprop than ever before and nylon is pretty much gone unless its an 80:20

[Dave_Lee]

I think there will be the usual cycle with regards to cleaning systems. Those us us in this business for some considerable time will remember the days of Shampooing carpet, followed and overtaken by HWE, then along came the Host system, which didn't last long, dying a death with the going bust of the guy who tried his best to convince us all it the best thing since sliced bread - trouble was, we knew it wasn't.
Then the rotary method came along into the domestic market in the form of Chem Dry with franchises taken up by guys who who were knew into carpet cleaning, when this was exhausted they changed to HWE with their version of the RX20. Then a few years ago the Host came round again in the form of certain franchises, who also Encap in the domestic market.
Many different systems doing the rounds, disappearing then coming around again in the guise of another name, sometimes with a slight modification, but basically the same.
They come and go whereas HWE has been there since the demise of shampooing, and nothing since has come close and I can't see that changing in the next 20 years.

[Buckland]

I think Happy Halliday has hit it on the head with his comment:

"A new fibre that is 100% dirt and soil resistant, were nothing binds to the fibre so eventually any dirt or spill dries  and it's residue is vacuumed out of the carpet."

That seems likely and probably already been done in terms of research and development - the key would be cost of production and its feel or 'hand' if they can make it soft enough then it would have lots of uses in clothing as well as carpet and furnishing fabrics - lets face it the idea of post clean topical stain proofer like scotchgard is a pretty inefficient way to protect carpets/uph - so in 20 years all new carpet is probably going to have inbuilt stain resistance - mind you the so-called bleachable carpets which are sold as stain proof and yet still need cleaning (and clean very well) - thats going to be a diminishing market.

My personal belief is that in addition to this then steam vacuums will also become a big DIY growth market where you can use steam as a natural cleanser and vacuum out any moisture - no doubt there will be additives to give it a nice smell post clean - I am sure dyson cannot have missed this massive market for a decent steam/vacuum cleaner - his vacuums can already be used to recover water apparently without any significant damage to the motor (dont advise it but apparently they dont instantly short-out like an ordinary vacuum).

[Simon Gerrard]

"A new fibre that is 100% dirt and soil resistant, were nothing binds to the fibre so eventually any dirt or spill dries  and it's residue is vacuumed out of the carpet."
I think that is pretty unlikely because the carpet manufacturers know that if they developed such a product they would be shooting themselves in the foot, sales wise, as their sales are partly down to carpets wearing, getting too dirty to clean, or stained beyond redemption.

Simon

[*Hector*]

But how can carpets get into that state?

I mean ...... All it takes is a visit from Simon and his huge hose, and all carpets look like new again...