[amancalledmick]

Hi all.  My wife and I have a small domestic cleaning business, we are expanding to carpet cleaning. I've been on a Cleansmart course and already have a van. What I really need help with is deciding on what equipment to purchase. I've been looking at start up packages but am I best off spending the money on the carpet cleaning machine and adding to the kit as we go along. Obviously before we start with the jobs? We would ideally prefer to concentrate on the commercial side rather than domestic.  Will £3000 get us a machine to do this? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Michael

[John Kelly]

If you are looking at doing mainly commercials then I would go down the low moisture route. You can get a rotary and pads to do this for around £800 including the vat. I imagine you already have a decent upright vacuum cleaner. Something like this would set you up and use the rest as a marketing budget.

http://www.restormate.co.uk/epages/15094.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/15094/Products/RotaryPack

[tim handley]

if i was just starting up, and knowing what i know now after about three years, id be looking at a good second hand rotary, prob a victor, with a good selection of pads, or, restormate do a nice rotary package for a new machine with on board solution tank, as well as a mix of pads and some chems to get you started. I find the on board solution tank a real good bit of kit on my commercials........
then id look on the forums for a second hand extraction machine from somebody who has looked after it well, try get a jag?storm?enforcer? type machine with high p.s.i..... also handy if you buy a package so you get wands, hoses etc etc as these all addup if bought new........   my main thing would be to try keep some dosh back for marketing................ no good having some nice kit just sat in your van or garage if you cant market it to get it out working........... i wouldnt concentrate on commercial either, i feel you will struggle to get work initially at the best of times, but to limit yourself to commercial would be silly in my opinion....
keep looking on the forums for decent second hand kit, it does come up fairly often, i wouldnt personally go down the e bay route........  anybody who is active on the forums would be dumb to sell any dodgy kit to another forum member in my opinion......
just my thoughts!!!!  oh, and good luck with it, unless you are anywhere near my patch!!!!!

[tim handley]

beat me to it JK!

[maxcampbell]

Well I'd better support the other side - i.e. hot water extraction.

You're already doing domestics, and I honestly believe (I know) that HWE is the most thorough clean you can do, and domestics is all about getting the price per job as high as possible, by putting quality (perhaps perceived quality) first.

All makes of porty are so similar it hardly makes a difference - I'd go for a good twin (or triple) vac, second hand. You want a heater, despite what everyone on clean talk says, and you want about 300 - 500 psi on the solution pump, with no water flow. By good, I mean one that looks right, from a person you like, with a good story.

You should be able to get one for £1000 to £2000 - maybe including other gear, like hand tools, snail drier, etc., then use the rest on marketing.

Low moisture is very good for a lot of commercial, and a few people persuade domestic customers to use it, but it's a hard sell.

[Tony Stewart]

I agree with Professor Campbell................Commercial can be a nightmare if all you have is a bit of a rotary and a bit of solution. I know there are people out there who bonnet and encap all the time,but if the job needs extra what have you got? Both of us have a truckmount to get us out of trouble so I think that I would look at a portable. Alltec or ask Matt at Cleansmart if a second hand one comes in. Ideally you need heat and 400psi or else you will be cleaning large areas very slowly - which is fine if you like slowly!
Domestics and low moisture would be a route that I would not go down. Just a personal decision.

[tim handley]

sorry, i thought id mentioned that he needed to get an extraction machine with high psi as well........................
did i miss that out?

[amancalledmick]

Many thanks for the advice. Many of our customers have asked us to clean their carpets and we have passed lots of work on to others we have now decided to do it ourselves. Most of our work has come through word of mouth. We haven't had to do much marketing as of yet. Any advice would be most welcome on the costs or marketing tips.

[maxcampbell]

Marketing tip - try everything you can think of that doesn't cost a lot, you'll almost always at least break even, and when you have an idea, actually implement it.

For example we always thought "Neighbour Nudgers" were a good idea - 5 or 10 leaflets to neighbours where you're working, but we tended to not bother when we were in a rush (which was most of the timer) or if it's raining, or if we're knackered.

In the end we print 5 personalised letters, that have to be delivered or go in the bin, so we actually implement it.

[Ian Harper]

well worth the time it saves at sink. most productive portable on market

http://www.amtechuk.co.uk/shop/CFR_ECO_500_Perfect_Heat_Carpet_Cleaning_Machine-pid-178.html

[amancalledmick]

I will have a look at the link, many thanks, Mick