[padhraig scanlon]

Ok guys ive just ordered my first machine, an ashbys ninja. Now i need to order a grandi groom or grandi brush, not sure which one would be beter. Also ill need to purchase a lot of chemicals, defoamer, pre rinse , extraction rinse etc. I was wondering what in your proffessional opinions would be the best site or brand to order from?

[premier floorcare]

Have you done any training ?

[Derek Corbrick]

John Kelly at Restormate will give you all the advice and supply all the chemicals you will need.
www.restormate.co.uk

[john martin]

Ok guys ive just ordered my first machine, an ashbys ninja. Now i need to order a grandi groom or grandi brush, not sure which one would be beter. Also ill need to purchase a lot of chemicals, defoamer, pre rinse , extraction rinse etc. I was wondering what in your proffessional opinions would be the best site or brand to order from?

any particular reason u went for the ninja insted of the newer design enforcer ? 

[padhraig scanlon]

Have you done any training ?

No having done any training yet will be looking to do it in the next few months. I just cant afford to but ive been reading up a lot on here and various other forums  on carpet cleaning, and feel that i know enough to get be started as long as im cautious. what course would you reccommend, the 2 day ncca course seem popular enough

[padhraig scanlon]

Ok guys ive just ordered my first machine, an ashbys ninja. Now i need to order a grandi groom or grandi brush, not sure which one would be beter. Also ill need to purchase a lot of chemicals, defoamer, pre rinse , extraction rinse etc. I was wondering what in your proffessional opinions would be the best site or brand to order from?

any particular reason u went for the ninja insted of the newer design enforcer ?

I dont have the money to purchase an enforcer yet, the ninja i purchased is a refurb, with all new parts and spare pump

[neil 47]

padhraig

I'd recommend the solutions course in Cornwall as it's more hands on .

A lot of the other are just watching slide and answering tick boxes

[scott johns]

hi
reading cant prepare yourself for this industry , you say you cant afford courses is just like
saying you don't need to take driving lessons please don't make this mistake get yourself on
a carpet upholstery course asap it will save you money and you will be trained to understand
the different fibres alltec network in Royston give them a call you wont be disappointed.
all the best and happy cleaning

[john martin]

i see , best of luck getting started .   

I agree  , a talk with the likes of John Kelly could help steer you on the right path .
beware of certain forums which present you with bias over complicated pseudo science in order to sound knowledgable to lure newbies on to a specific sales path   

[Robin Ray]

Training.

[Jennifer w]

Hi ,

Yes solutions would be my choice as well....the Alltec and the ashbys were fairly excruciating, in terms of recommended products, and general banter.

This was 12-14 years ago, I'm sure a lots changed!!

Regards

Jen

[Marius Alexandru]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

[Robin Ray]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

"What is the worst that can happen?"

It depends entirely on how much the carpet is you are working on and on what it is made from.

Knowledge costs £100s, mistakes can cost £1000s it may never happen, but is it really worth the chance? Does it ever  hurt to be an expert in your field? Or would you rather be guessing?

99% of the time its easy its the 1% that catches you out.

[wayne zabel]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

I went on 3 courses and I learned a lot more than identifying carpet fibres and was never once told to use any specific product belonging to a particular company.
I would never have entered a clients house and attempted to clean their valuable things without having learned the basics.

[cleanability]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

Completely agree. If unsure dont do the job. 99% of jobs dont  have a problem at all even if you're an idiot lol. This website makes out we're doing brain surgery. Used the same chemical for everything for years with no problem. Only ever seen 3 or 4 suites in 20years that cant be wet cleaned. Dont clean Belgian axminsters  unless told to. Be careful.....its easy..........its not as if its a skilled job !!!!!!!!
The male cow excrement spewed out here is incredible.

[Robin Ray]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

Completely agree. If unsure dont do the job. 99% of jobs dont  have a problem at all even if you're an idiot lol. This website makes out we're doing brain surgery. Used the same chemical for everything for years with no problem. Only ever seen 3 or 4 suites in 20years that cant be wet cleaned. Dont clean Belgian axminsters  unless told to. Be careful.....its easy..........its not as if its a skilled

 job !!!!!!!!
The male cow excrement spewed out here is incredible.

What surprises me her is the amount of people who would rather blindly do a job with absolutely no knowledge of how to do it rather than spend a few hundred pounds on some training.

Its not brain surgery, but surely having knowledge cant hurt. And what is the cost of getting some knowledge? A few hundred pounds..... thats it!

What is more astounding is the amount of people who come on here asking basic questions which are covered on the most basic courses. These are people who have been cleaning carpets and upholstery for years and still don't know!!

So what does basic training really give you?

1 A method of how to approach a job and successfully complete it.
2 A way to survey a job so a price and timescale can be set.
3 Knowledge of potential problem fabrics, eg viscose. Indicator dyes, cleaning choir & seagrass.
4 Basic knowledge of chemistry so you know what is in the products you use and why they work the way they do. So you can prevent problems like browning, color bleed etc.
5 Basic marketing ideas to get your business up and running.
6 An introduction in to a network of real carpet cleaners with real experience.
7 You get to use real equipment so you understand why certain specifications of equipment are necessary for certain tasks.

Im sure that some people were born with all this knowledge but most aren't.

[sean oregan]

It's ok to start Carpet Cleaning without a course, let's be honest, what's the worst that can happen ? When I started out everyone was telling me the same, get yourself booked on a course, went on 2 courses and all I learnt was to identify carpets and then they would tell you to use x, y, z product (promoting their own brand). In reality you will only be cleaning Cheap poly and wool carpet, as long as you have a good agitation tool ( sebo duo , ideally a crb ) you will do just fine. When you get a bit more money get yourself booked on a course.

I know a cc who has been going for 15 years, works 10 month a year, drives a 16 plate cash paid van, lives in a nice house and can't even identify 3 fabrics.

Completely agree. If unsure dont do the job. 99% of jobs dont  have a problem at all even if you're an idiot lol. This website makes out we're doing brain surgery. Used the same chemical for everything for years with no problem. Only ever seen 3 or 4 suites in 20years that cant be wet cleaned. Dont clean Belgian axminsters  unless told to. Be careful.....its easy..........its not as if its a skilled

 job !!!!!!!!
The male cow excrement spewed out here is incredible.

What surprises me her is the amount of people who would rather blindly do a job with absolutely no knowledge of how to do it rather than spend a few hundred pounds on some training.

Its not brain surgery, but surely having knowledge cant hurt. And what is the cost of getting some knowledge? A few hundred pounds..... thats it!

What is more astounding is the amount of people who come on here asking basic questions which are covered on the most basic courses. These are people who have been cleaning carpets and upholstery for years and still don't know!!

So what does basic training really give you?

1 A method of how to approach a job and successfully complete it.
2 A way to survey a job so a price and timescale can be set.
3 Knowledge of potential problem fabrics, eg viscose. Indicator dyes, cleaning choir & seagrass.
4 Basic knowledge of chemistry so you know what is in the products you use and why they work the way they do. So you can prevent problems like browning, color bleed etc.
5 Basic marketing ideas to get your business up and running.
6 An introduction in to a network of real carpet cleaners with real experience.
7 You get to use real equipment so you understand why certain specifications of equipment are necessary for certain tasks.

Im sure that some people were born with all this knowledge but most aren't.

Unfortunately some see cc as a way to make a quick £
Without any respect for the industry or the people they take money off.
This then goes onto fuelling the doubts customers have with the industry as a whole.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Let's turn it round somewhat. The cc who wants say a plumbing job done.

Who does he choose? The qualified and time served plumber or the guy who was made redundant but had  changed a washer on a tap/ plumbed  in an outside tap at home and now considers a new career advertised as "reputable and reliable plumber for all your plumbing needs".

Well the cc will obviously go for the latter because he's 50% cheaper. I think not.

Obviously if you're choosing a plumber you'll want to know what experience he's had, has he undertaken the type of jobs you need doing, is he insured if it goes wrong, can he explain the theory of what and why he does on the job.

Obviously I am exaggerating somewhat but I'm sure you get the drift.

If nothing else, doing training courses  should will ensure you can charge a higher price for your skill/work.

And that surely is the ultimate aim of being in business.

Rog

[Marius Alexandru]

Training is a MUST! However I see many posts about people spending money on something and then not having any money left for training.  If you don't have any money for training do your own home, rug, do friends homes...

I wish people did like me or the others out there, do a basic training course to see if you like cc-ing, you may turn up on the first job and hate it.

[tim handley]

Id say you cannot afford NOT  to go on training courses prior to starting work in peoples homes.
Why risk it?  You will be working on some expensive carpets and need to have an idea of what you are doing.
Good courses i have been on include Cleansmart in Nottingham, Cleanspec in Cumbria, and Restormate in Northumberland.
My personal rule is do three courses a year, ongoing.......