[HOWARDJONATHAN]

Hi everyone
First posting! What are your thoughts regarding Dry carpet cleaning systems-I'm considering buying a Host system.It seems very easy to operate and learn.The wet systems do seem complicated for a non technical person like me and you can't do too much wrong if you are not experienced.
I'd value your opinions!

[Len Gribble]

Howard

Third, last one in 2004 

Len

[Adam Young]

Hi Howard,

I am not talking from huge experiance. I start officially trading as a carpet and upholstery cleaner on Sept 1st with work booked on. I am brand new too, to carpet cleaning and attended the NCCA course in June to find ou what it was all about. I came away from the course very impressed with the Host dry system which was demonstated and also having learned of Dry Fusion and other low moisture or very low moisture sytems which appear very easy to operate.

After spending much time and thought about what I was going to do and my market and start up budget. I decided I had to start with a good HWE portable. after reading many posts on this forum and talking to many different suppliers. I decided that there is a time and a place for all the different systems and each have their own advantages/applications

For me to get started on domestic and small commercial carpets with all different types of fibers and pile lengths and suites where different materials/ soiling were involved it had to be HWE.

No doubt the other systems are great for loads of meters of short pile or carpet tiles. and I am certainly not knocking them because I intend to have a DF machine sometime in my armoury of tools.

Also for me Stairs and Suites came greatly into the equation. Suites can be hand cleaned and/ or hw etracted and stairs with a decent hand tool no problem! I am now kitted out complete with a small second hand van, new vacuums, sprayers, chemicals a 135 psi twin vac Ashby's HWE (also second hand) turbo drier, rakes, brushes, spotting kit ect. all on a very reasonable budget for me

Also once you've got you're HWE machine and had a bit of a play with it and trying out the different chemicals/dilutions etc its pretty user freindly. Listen to the advise and questions from the Grown Up's  on here with regard to differt stains and chemicals and techniques and you'll pick it up. Also dont be afraid to ask them even if you think it is a daft question, somebody here will be in the know or have been there before.

Phew have'nt typed this much since I gave up my Day Job   

Hope this is of use and good luck in future,

Adam.

[HOWARDJONATHAN]

Thanks Adam
Would you say that it was the cost of the dry system and the lack of use for upholstery that swayed you or do you think that the hwe machine does a better job on carpet?

[Adam Young]

Hi,

It was the flexibility of HWE and the amount of applications it can deal with that swayed it as a starter machine for me.
I am starting my company on my own and needed the most flexible system I can use. HWE allows me to do carpets,stairs, rugs, suites, spots, stains and small floods with one machine and my own or reccomended choice of chemicals from a huge range.

This to me is absolute flexibility on a budget I can afford. I also think proper training is invaluable I did the 2 day NCCA carpet and upholstery course and to me it was £300 plus expenses well spent. I intend to do more training courses over the next year. Not just for the quality input from the instructors, but on my course there were some pretty clued up guys attending the course with years of experience under their belts. I met Bob and James Jennings there, you should speak to these guys about Dry Fusion, they clean an awful lot of carpet! or check out their website www.jenningsandson

 Host machines can be had on here and ebay but attract fairly serious bidding. Second hand Dry fusion machines are rare as rocking horse Sh*te, and a new system will cost £2600 0r 3100 inc vat depending on whether you go for the domestic or commercial package. when I've got another 3k cash in the bank I'll have a DF machine. But again as you rightly said it was limited, with suites and stairs a relative no no with a dry system. I also have an established DF guy operating in my backyard so decided to target my start up customers as mostly residential homes, so that we are not in direct competion for the same market.

Next on my hitlist in the meantime is a cheap second hand rotary. to which I'll cable tie my wife's hairdryer 

Cheers, I'm off to bed.

Adam.

[carpetclean]

hi Howard i have both systems  and use the dry system very rarely but like to have it  for certain jobs that require it. the wet extraction is not as difficult as you imagine providing you do as Adam did and get some training behind you. i dare say some people will prefer the dry system but i think the majority on these forums would advice you to opt for the wet extraction for the versatility and for the deep cleaning ability

[Ian Rochester]

Adam,

Where about in the borders are you, we often get asked to do work up there and it's often a bit too far away for us unless it's a big enough job.

Drop me an email if you are interested

Regards

Ian

[The Great One]

Hi

Hey Howard welcome to the Carpet Cleaning world (you too Adam).

HWE has been the main stay or cc'ing for about 30 years. you have to go with your gut, which do you prefer to work, HWE or dry?

I cannot imange dragging a steam easy pro up 6 flights of stairs (the last flight you would need a mountainering course for).

Do your research, it will be time well spent and also work to your budget.

Regards

Martin

[neil 47]

Martin

Do you think that maybe if you invested in a small portable and some training ,it would enhance your business and give you more flexibility and more business.

I am looking at  the system you use, now as I can see the advantages .

look at all the upholstery/stair etc you will be able to do.
You will be in a position to offer your customers a choice, and put your prices up, as you can market your dry clean system as a premium service .

come on Martin stop fighting it join us HWE GUYS  LOL .

we might just join you lol


Neil

[HOWARDJONATHAN]

Peter/Carpetclean
Are you saying that the hwe system cleans deeper(better) than the dry system?

[carpetclean]

you will find that most carpet cleaners will agree that yes it does

[The Great One]

Hi

I have done both my carpet & Upholstery courses with Prochem.

And right from the start I knew I wanted to go LM.

Upholstery, argh, too problematic. Been asked to do 4 in 3 years.

For me dry.

Regards

Martin

[Liahona]

Even those with half a brain cell know that the hwe sysytem is the best way to clean. Martin, if you have only come across 4 upholstery jobs in 3 years you might want to wonder why. It is a market that all cleaners should do and really are expected to do. We are a service industry and if we all used the system you used then there wouldnt be a carpet cleaning industry. It has puzzled me why you would chose a system that doesnt clean very well at best and at worst doesnt clean at all. Best, Dave. Lets have a clean off with all the systems out there and let the results show which is best. I feel as in the past the dry cleaners wont turn up.

[jasonl]

Yes , lets have a clean off, include pand l accounts, my 500 quid buffer and pads @ 70 an hour vs, tm 15k plus diesel/petrol lol.

[The Great One]

Hi

Ok, to start with I have more than half a brain cell, but thanks for your concern.

The reason I only have had 4 upholstery jobs is because I don't market the domestic sector, 98% of my jobs are for LA's so Upholstery is not required, for which I am glad. No one is expected to do anything.

Another point is, of course there would be an Industry if everyone used the same system, that point of view is blinkered and sadly pointless.

Next point is that you say it doesn't clean very well. Have you used the LM systems (all of them) if so under what conditions. Mine is under probably some of the worst conditions society has to offer and I am still in business...Hmm...

Anyway the wet/dry war rages on, as it always will. Would I personally turn up to a clean off, probably not, I don't have to prove myself to anyone other than my customers. No system (mine included) is ' Jesus in a bottle'.

As long as you are happy with your system that is all that should matter, I am with mine. This is why I do not slag off HWE, funny that quite a few HWE guys slag off dry Carpet cleaning...Hmm...

Regards

Martin

[neil 47]

Martin

I always thought that you were a open minded kind of guy .
don’t get caught up in the what’s best match .
Think about how you can make money.
you are limiting your self to one kind of cleaning .
If you look at the really successful cleaners they offer more than one kind of cleaning whether they use It often is not the question.
they are offering the customer choice .

the one thing you aren’t doing .
you are saying either take or leave it.

some cc offer dry fusion bonnet host enn cap hwe op etc .
as they say diversify or die .


Come on martin try.


Neil     

[The Great One]

Hey Neil

Hope you're well.

I am being open minded, there is room for all of us, it is my choice of system that is under attack, not the other way around.

I do diversify, I also do general cleaning and office cleaning.

There are alot of assumptions going on in this post?

Regards

Martin

[neil 47]

Martin

Chill Man.

  you have a great system .

     Neil   

[HolmansUKLTD]

i like my Dry Fusion

Nick

[Jeremy]

Can anyone explain why a few carpet manufacturers such as Shaw only recommend HWE. Is it because it is the most effective cleaning process or because of some other reason such as least disruption to the carpet pile