[Mike Halliday]

I was told that 50% of suites sold now are leather, so the growth in leather cleaning is going to be phenomenal.

but over the last month every house I've been in which has a leather suite I've mentioned its cleaning.

guess what most of them say?

"Its leather all it needs is wiping with a damp cloth, that why i bought leather"

I'm starting to believe that because 50% of suites now sold are leather this will mean less work for us, because most people will clean it themselves.

Mike

[Derek]

Mike

You may be right...I think that I have only cleaned about half a dozen leather suites during 2006.

[Tony_Browning]

It's simply about educating customers, leather not only needs cleaning but more importantly requires Protecting" on a regular basis to prolong the "life" of the leather.
Other avenues to consider are leather repair and recolour which can be very profitable.

There will always be folks who will just wipe them down now and then, just as there are people who run a vax over their carpets now and then.......

Merry Xmas to Everybody and all that. 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys,

I'ts O.K a customer saying all it needs is a wipe over, but most won't do it and its 3 years down the line they call us.

I prefer cleaning leather to fabric, because the customer perceived it as more difficukt I can charge more .

Cheers

Doug

[Chris R]

I have to say that my leather suite is dead easy to keep clean 

Its a brown leather from DFS. really big and comfy, nice and soft.

We have had it for 3 years now, all I do is wipe it down once every few months with the detergent cleaner that they (DFS) gave me with the suite.

A few drops in some water, wipe with damp cloth, use dry cloth to finish off.

Takes about 15 mins to do it all !

3 years of hard use, and it still looks like new !

I have a 12 year old son and 2 cats who like to lie all over it.

We also eat many meals on trays watching the telly, so you get the picture, it is WELL USED.

Chris

ps  Not sure that I am to bothered about the upholstery side of the business slowing down ? I still hate cleaning suites.

[gwrightson]

So Chris  two more years to go and your suite will collapse    dfs really I would have thought you should have known better.

dfs suites are designed to last 5 years , then of you go and buy another for 5 years  great isnt it if thats the sort of the you like .

Geoff

[Barry Livingstone]

thats just the way it is people getting fed up paying the 100.00+ it cost to get a fabric one cleaned

[Chris R]

So Chris  two more years to go and your suite will collapse    dfs really I would have thought you should have known better
Geoff

I agree that DFS suites did have a bad reputation. But things have improved a lot over the years.

i paid £2000 for the 2 x 3 seater sofas ( BIG SOFAS !) and i can honestly say that i am chuffed with them.

They really do still look like new, I expect to get a good 10 years out of them  

I have come across many " quality" suites that are really no better than mine, but cost the customer double  

Value for money is what its all about.

regards

Chris

[cleaning co]

hi,  when i first started in this game  about 12 years ago   i recon every third job was a sofa  , now its every 50th job  which is amazing i think ,leather sofas hit our trade bigtime imo , i hav two red sofas in my bar at home and they are 5 years old still look new if they were fabric it be diffrent story, the demand for cleaning leather is nowwere near what fabric was, and the comments about edu people is bull i think if it dont look dirty they aint gooner get it cleaned

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Gary,

I cleaned 5 suites last week which is quite enough, they are definitely harder work and less lucrative.

Cheers

oug

[Phil Marlor]

Its very rare to clean a Leather suite that are not beige, these are the only one's that show up the soil that get stuck in the grains.

Often when I'm quoting at the customers house I get out some microsplitter brush & cotton towel and clean a small dirty area and some are amazed what a difference can be made.
Phil

[Shaun_Ashmore]

leather cleaning can be done by the customer but why not sell conditioning and protection.

Shaun

[jacko]

Hi Phil,

Do u clean leather with M/S then?

[Phil Marlor]

Yes, but only the Land of Leather type suites, anything expensive or un-usual I would walk away as I dont have enough knowledge.

In the New year I do intend to do something about getting Leather training.

Phil

[jacko]

Thanx Phil, i clean a fair bit of leather, using stuff from either LTT, Prochem or Chemspec, apply conditioner and protector too.

Does anyone else on here clean leather with M/S ? What results do you get as opposed to propriety brands of leather cleaner...??

[spickandspan]

I am looking for three or four  other guys to do the leather cleaning course with, sometime in January or February date to be fixed as yet.  I  have been in contact with Andy from LTT and he says it's  £400 per day but split between four or five students it works out much better.
If any of you guys or ladies interested please get in touch with me.

wotnocloud@hotmail.co.uk

[Len Gribble]

Still waiting for LTT to get back to me re Free courses Quote Judy

Book me on ether one Essex or Farnham and let me know. Unquote

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=27295.0


Phil

Did you get booked into one of there venues?  Think I’ve been blown out!

Mike

Hard floor/wood/Mabel, there has to be a niche market out there! Only today went to a house very upmarket area, only one carpet in the entire home stairs and landing, did get a pw job out of them in the summer subject to site survey.

Len

[calmore]

"Its leather all it needs is wiping with a damp cloth, that why i bought leather"

Because that's what DFS and the like tell them!

[Phil Marlor]

Still waiting for LTT to get back to me re Free courses Quote Judy

Book me on ether one Essex or Farnham and let me know. Unquote

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=27295.0


Phil

Did you get booked into one of there venues?  Think I’ve been blown out!

Len

Len happy to go to the Farnham one if you go.
Can you remember what the date was?

Phil

[Len Gribble]

Phil

Of course I remember Key words, bit like elephant = mice = jump = wife (what a trainer pigging out on the roses today, yesterday and the day before)

16th Feb. Farnham bit of a trot for you! Essex would be nearer and you would save £3.80 toll charges or are you biting at the bit a month earlier.

Still feel blown out and it not Christmas day (Quote 7th Nov Have got all your bookings entered.  Will contact you all shortly.

Regards
Judy unquote)

Len