[Paul Phillips]

All,

Before you all start shouting, I know!
I am a fairly new starter, not too many jobs as yet, so need to grab what I can. Done a Carpet course and booked to do the Upholstery course 11th May down at Prochem.

Now the advice side. I have been asked to do a quote for a 3 piece suite.
Not having - as yet - done the course, can you give me advice on fibre recognition, what to do, what not to do etc etc etc.

I would have thought the basic dye bleed tests and burn tests are still relevant, also the clean will be much the same - with the hand tool rather than wand obviously.

I know there are some real experts out there, so how about some help to a fellow Cleaner trying to get a foot hold.
Based in Gloucestershire. Out to do the quote tomorrow night.
Price guides would be helpful as well, but going to base it on £20 per seat on the 3 seater and £25 each for the armchairs.

Thanks in advance guys.

Paul
P.S. Will be using one-step MS for this job - Anyone see any problems?

[malc]

hi paul i would mix up some solution that you are going to clean the suite with if you are going to use the solution warm mix it warm at the correct dilution rates i would normally take 2 bottles to a audit (pre-spray & what i put in my machine) i`ve found this to be the best way to test for colour run and you might want to buy some plastic clamps and spray solution on fabric and clamp white towel on the fabric and leave as long as possible & the other test i do to see if theres any change in the fabric construction if tested area looks as it should without creating any damage to fabric it should be ok to wet clean sorry i forgot to mention if theres more than one colour you need to test ALL different colours
to be sure,this is the method i use and have`nt had any problems  with regards price i would price chairs up at £30.00 each chair and sofas £20.00 per seating unit so for a 10 cusion it would be £120.00 for clean only.
hope this helps.
malc
p.s with regards to one step not used much but i don`t see any problems but remember ALWAYS TEST before any cleanin..

[Gavin Reardon]

Hi Paul

I know you don't what to hear this but wait antil you are trained.

So you are going to charge £125.00 to do the clean not really knowing what you are doing! 

mmm is it worth the risk for such a small amount of money?

I know you want to grab what you can, but do you won't to own another three piece    and may be give you self a bad name before you even start??

Regards Gavin

[Paul Phillips]

Malc,

Thanks for yours words of wisdom, much appreciated.

Gavin,

If at all possible I will 'suggest' to the customer that she would be better off waiting until after the 11th May as I will be going on a 'new' course (it is for me!) where I will be taught 'new' techniques' and use 'newly' developed treatments - Microsplitters. Hopefully this will sell it to her and make her 'want' to wait........

Paul

[ian richards]

Paul

You could probably get away with that. Try sounding enthusiastic and excited about this new product, and sell her the benifits of ms, and with a bit of luck you may clinch it

Good luck


Ian

[Gavin Reardon]

Hi Paul

Thats a good idea mate 

Regards Gavin

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

prochem won't teach you anything about microsplitters. they seem to have something major against them!

[ian richards]

The thing is that prochem, although there training courses are really good, they only promote there own products!!

And they havent really got on the ms bandwagon as yet, but don't worry they soon will be

Ian

[Lee_Pettengell]

Ian do you know something I don't. I think if you attend Chemspec, One Step, Solutions, Ashbys etc they will only promote there own products.


Goron

     How's Sarah?

Regarding the initial question, find out exactly what you are dealing with before you clean and what price you will charge!

[Lee_Pettengell]

Do you attend Judo lessons to learn Karate!

[Len Gribble]

Paul

As with all training courses, their products will come up, even if done by an independent they have there preference on agents, so this not be a stumbling block you are there to learn methods/technique, then you make your own decision on what you use!

Hope you get RT as the instructor that not meant to demise the other instructors.

Lee

You spoilt my reply by changing you post

Going M/S? Or is that when you emigrate.

Done it the other way round never believed in giving the opposition the opportunity to get up

Len

[ian richards]

Lee

Sorry mate, i didnt meen to offend you.

You are probably right, but as i have never been on their courses i wouldnt know!! I was just stating a point. If you went to an Altec course, you wouldnt see Paul Pearce promoting Altec products!! An Acid rince is an Acid rince, the same is to be said for alkaline's.

If i spoke to Nick at Solution for advice, he would tell me of what product to use to solve the problem with no agenda, but i am also aware that if he had a product that could be used to solve that problem then of course he is going to promote it.

CARPET KNIGHTS stated that he thought that prochem had a problem with with ms, and all i meant was, that if they sold them they would be promoting them!!!

Ian

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

she's getting better.

the vomiting has nearly stopped now!

[cheryl new]

Paul, a couple of things they may not teach you on the course but that you should note :

Take a couple of old sheets to place over tv's, cabinets and floor space whilst you prespray the ms.

During one of the courses I attended I was told to spray from the upholstery wand directly into the upholstery, however tested this on my own sofa and found that this often leaves lines and you are sucking up dirt from the padding for ever and a day.  I have the upholstery tool a couple of cm's above the fabric, mist, then immediately extract.  I find this works much better, but each to their own.

Always prevac, this gives you the opportunity to notice any frayed areas or tears which you may not have noticed during the survey.

I charge x per seated area then a further £5 for the reverse side of the cushions.  The clients usually want both sides.  I avoid cleaning the frame unless specifically asked to and rather treat scuffs and spots on the frame with a microfibre cloth.

If you do go ahead with the clean prior to your training, try to identify the fabric - look for manufacturers labels, take a small snip of fabric from the inside of a cushion cover near the zip where there will be extra fabric.  You'll be able to take this away with you rather than nervously wet/burn/bleed testing infront of the client.

If the course you go on doesn't provide you with swatches of material and details of the cleaning process or you're unsure of the fabric, visit a local upholsterer.

Good luck.

Cheryl

[Lee_Pettengell]

Ian

         Carpet Knights or Goron has been on a training course and knows exactly that all terms are non product specific, I disagree with this but I'm not RT.

Len

           As discussed on Cleantalk, yes I plan to emigrate, and I still do not know if M/S are allowed in NZ, it is always good to know your competition! Good points and Bad!!!!!

[ABLECLEAN]

Paul I know that you a raring to go but if I was your customer and you told me you were going on a course to train then I would be very wary about using you. (no disrespect meant) I sell on pure professionalism and sometimes BS. You must instill confidence in your customer or you will lose a lot of work at the survey stage. If you do not book a job on the day of the survey you are not likely to get it.

[Amberleyandmick]

following on from the preveous post (about customer confidence) why not just book the job in for  a date after you have done coarse? tell customer that you are very busy but sell the job by telling her it will be worth the wait as you are very good  and that is why you are very busy- when i get a phone call i never say i can come the next day-(unless it is an emergency, then i say i will see if i can rearange work to help out) i always try and book in for following week..  we did prochem coarses- very well run.. mick

[eco freindly. peoples champion ron .sherlock]

i would check the competition . and then beat the price, forget about quoting and going to see it. by the time you have done that the competition has already got the job. i would ofthe prospect wants it done today not im sorry im full till the 2 of never. be brutal. those that take chances are the winners/

[Big_Fish]

I would say that all the experience that you can get early on doing proper surveys is priceless. Experience comes from training, hands on cleaning and going into customers homes. Antone can quote over the 'phone but to get good prices you must go to do a survey & quotation.

With regards the time between survey & service, simply tell them that you are fully booked until xyz.
If I had a professional survey done for anything and was told it could be done next day, it would ring alarm bells.
To tell someone that you are booked up for 2/4/6 weeks in advance is a professional & successful business.

I would go along with nearly everyone on here and say wait until after you have done the course, until after you have cleaned your own/ your aunties or one that you found on a skip. The first one didn't really ought to be in a customers home.

Nicky