[creweexcel]

we run a cleaning company and have just started cleaning setees and carpets , we use a vax and get v, good results , my prblem is how to charge , we currently charge by the hour.

[Daveyboy]

So do hookers

[nevil]

I Wouldn't have the nerve to charge for cleaning with a Vax.

I would get some proffessional kit, training & go from there.

[Paul Kettless]

vax and very good results in the same sentence....now thats a first

[from edge2edge]

Keep the vax as a last resort backup and buy a good secondhand hotwater extractor for say £500 then charge 30 to 40 pounds per hour.The vax wont allow you to charge good money and once you have used the hwe you will know why.Cheers Alan (swindon)

[from edge2edge]

I think i mean hot water extractor must learn to read text.

[HQCS (John Kastrian)]

Hope you don't use the same vax on your oven cleaning 
From your previous questions you can't have been cleaning for long and obviously have none or little experience of carpet and upholstery cleaning to even consider turning up at a customer's house with a vax.
You need to get yourself on some cleaning courses and also carpet/upholstery cleaning courses.-John

[markpowell]

Are you having a laugh, who is gonna pay you to clean a carpet with a vax, when you can buy one for £49.99 at asda,
are you been serious or are you trying a wind up on the forum??
Mark

[Gerry Styles]

probably get better result with a toothbrush

[Straker Cleaning]

Advice and guidance is good but extracting the urine is not needed...... bloke did a job the best he could and wants to be pointed in the right direction 

Never try charging for something the customer can do themselves ........ and lots have a vax, which is why we get called in the first place. You need to instil confidence and you need solutions, machine, tools, equipment etc , that they do not have or recognise  :

Good training will guide you to type of machine that you will want to use 

[creweexcel]

sorry thought this was a forum for help , hope you need a problem solving , and i can take the P out of you.  we do not do only carpet cleaning , it is as a sevice to be used with our house cleaning .

[nevil]

sorry thought this was a forum for help , hope you need a problem solving , and i can take the P out of you.  we do not do only carpet cleaning , it is as a sevice to be used with our house cleaning .

Don't be so sensitive.

You may be able get the job done eventually with a vax, it will take far to long, you will need to refil and empty it numerous times. the lack of water flow will make flushing the dirt out painfully slow. Similarly the lack of vac power will leave the carpets wetter than you want to. And lastly as someone has said already. Imagine what your customer will think if you turn up with a machine aimed only at the domestic market.

Read the replies again and you will find everything you need to know.

Get some training. If you had done this you would already know that a vax is not the way forward.

[Straker Cleaning]

Thought mine was helpful and in defence  :
........ but then, what do i know 

[Paul Kettless]

ok so my response could be seen as taking the p, but no more than what you are doing to your customers when offering a professional service and using a vax.

Our cleaning company also offer a wide spectrum of services, carpet cleaning being one of them.  When I decided that I was going to offer this service, I studied what was needed, training, cleaning methods, machinary, chemicals, ppe et al and then used forums like this one for guidance.  Only then did I start to clean carpets.

I soon realised that the henry george, vax, rug doctor type machines are not good enough for the job that we deliver, and are basic domestic machines. Perfect if you want to just want to freshen a small area in your home after an accidents but thats it.  Im not suggesting that you go and spend thousands on a machine that might only come out once a week, but something like the machines being advertised at the top of this thread are the ideal entry level.

Hope this is more helpfull

[markpowell]

We have had people in the past starting threads to have a laugh, and i thought that this was one of those. Sorry if i offended you but anyone can get hold of a vax for under £50 so how on earth could you turn up at ones home and try charging a reasonable amount, its common sense. I would recommend getting some training and insurance and buying a second hand machine and then taking your first steps in this direction.
Mark

[Dave_Lee]

This is a forum for alot of things, seeking help is one of them. However isnt this a forum for PROFESSIONAL carpet cleaners. Anyone using a Vax is anything but professional, so I think the responses are justified even if they are taking the P.
Dave.

[maxcarpets]

surley you must be aware that your local carpet cleaners do not use a vax? if you are aware and you are just trying your luck, it wont last. 

[mark_roberts]

How much do you charge at the minute?

Mark

[creweexcel]

i dont go into houses just to clean carpets, say i was doing a pre let clean and a stain was on the carpet , i ment using vax in that way.

[Joe H]

but you did say "just started cleaning settees and carpets"

the replys are coming back that a householder may have a vax in the house which will be good for occasional spills and regular cleaning perhaps of a main walk area.

more then this, you need something beefier.
the engineering of the parts will be different cause they are going to be used more, the power of the spray and suction will be greater.
and has already been said - the customer does not want to see something coming thro the door which is the same as they can by from Argos, Asda, Tesco etc.

If you only doing occasional cleans you can get 2nd user stuff for £500-£1000 on the likes of Ebay (buyer beware!). Typically some of this stuff is what a lot of the c.cleaners on here may have started with and even still have as a "spare" backup machine.

Brand new £600 ish will get you a Numatic (same family as the Henry) CTD572 (I think the numbers are right) which is still fairly small and low powered but does have twin vac motors and parts eassily obtained.
I have still got mine which I bought 16 years ago. Still use it very ocassionally to do spotting jobs
(but my main machine is a portable, a Scorpion, costing around £3500).

The fluids you use add to the efficiency of a clean.
A lot of c/cleaners have moved away from detergents for all but the dirtiest of carpets.
Have you used microsplitters at all. Detergent free so no sticky residue left to attract dirt quickly.
Try M-Power or Nemesis Super
If you want details where to get .... email me.