[CarPete Cleaning]

Hi,
I've got an opportunity to quote for the cleaning of 100+ holiday lodges (and some mobile homes), on a holiday park.  Any advice on how much I should quote per square metre for carpets and also per seat for upholstery? 
Some of the lodges are 'dog friendly' and rather pongey - should I charge more for these.  Also, some lodges have leather sofas, should I charge a premium for these, or should I just go for a standard rate.
All advice gratefully received, as this is the first big quote I've done.
cheers,
Pete

[clinton]

Id sit down and have a look what he needs doing to the exact item as it sounds a big job.

See how much you want for wages per day and sounds like you might have to get help

When i first got my large commercial work near me i went down that road.

[fenman]

If I were pricing this I would make it easy for your customer to understand.
All holiday parks base their rental prices on the type and size of the lodge/villa/caravan and they know exactly how many of each type they have.
I would survey each type work out how many of these I could clean in  a day ( carpet, upholstery etc ) and depending on what you want for a days work you can give them a price that makes sense to them i.e

35 1 bed lodges @ £...  = £
25 2 bed lodges @ £...  = £
35 3 bed lodges @ £.... = £
etc, etc.

It sounds like a nice chunk of work, but these jobs normally go very cheap but in these times could be good business.
David

[CarPete Cleaning]

Thanks guys for the advice - I will get working on a spreadsheet to work out the proposed charges!!

[Helen]

You won't get much per caravan that's for sure.
We have one which we rent out and the site always ask if we want the carpets cleaned at the beginning of each season.
If we did want them to do it (which of course we don't as that is the business we are in ) it would cost us £40, and I presume they make money on it after paying the carpet cleaning company. So I wouldn't be surprised if they only pay out £30 to the carpet cleaner, and it's very tight working in that enviroment.
On the other hand if you have got 10 to do all in a very close proximity to each other then it's an earner.

[Ken Wainwright]

A friend of mine has a caravan park in Cornwall. He has a TMer in each year to clean the vans, carpets and upholstery, for £40 per unit.

If you are using a porty, voltage is sometimes a little low and sometimes even ampage.  Water can be problematic with a long carry. Drying can be difficult. If you have to park on wet grass, you could even get stuck/bogged in.  If it rains, would your machine be outside? Be confident about payment arrangements. 

etc. etc. etc.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Ian Rochester]

We have a contract with a caravan park and are guaranteed 10 caravans a week, had 18 to do this week!

You really need a TM as Ken says very few sites have 13amp supplies, most are 5amp, getting a porty in and out of the caravan and filled with water is a pain as well. 

We used to do the odd caravan when I just had the porty but stopped doing them because of the hassle, however with the Prowler it's much easier and quicker, you can get the carpets and bench seating done in a caravan in no time.

We also do the full internal and external cleans on them if required.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Who are yo up against?

Itemisation can make the price more appealing, I often see car sales with 'buy this car from £5 a day' but if you itemise too well then they go shopping so son't forget to put in the benefits of your cleaning.

Shaun

[CarPete Cleaning]

Thanks guys for this further advice.  I currently use a porty and hadn't thought about the potential power supply issues.  I will add my requirements i.e. hot water and a decent power supply to my quotation.  This forum has again come up trumps for me!!
cheers,
Pete

[fenclean]

I have cleaned my caravan carpets and a few others before using an alltec advantage portable without tripping the electrics. Although if we boil a kettle and use the toaster at the same time it often trips.

Steven.

[JandS]

If they are statics you should have no problem.
I own a static and get the odd one to do now and again on the site I'm on.
Electric not a problem, they have taps so water not a problem drying times should be no different.
Wouldn't bother with a mobile one due to size.

John