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ncca December 2014 - January 2015
The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association
newslink
Dry Soil Extraction
Good Customer Advice
Features:
Drying Times
Contents
03
04
04
06
08
12
14
16
18
19
20
21
22
26
28
From the Editor - notice of membership
renewals 2015/16
New NCCA President is elected at the
General Meeting this year
NCCA achieves ISO 9001:2008
certification
Consumer technical enquiries
Practice, practice, practice
REMEMBER... ‘Big Brother’ may be
watching!
Dry soil extraction
It’s that time of year again!
A wake-up call
The best way to build your business?
The changing face of floor care
Damage to wood floors when cleaning
soft furnishings
Drying times
Good customer advice
You can never learn too much
Published monthly by:
The National Carpet Cleaners Association,62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH.Tel: 0116 271 9550E-mail: [email protected]: www.ncca.co.uk
Nicky Law
Keith Robertson
Nikki Law
Paul Pearce
Glyn Charnock
Martin Johns
Keith Robertson
Denise Pitt
Editor
Editor in Chief
Design Editor
President/Admin Director
Technical Director
Company Secretary/1st Vice President/Training Director
Corporate Director/2nd Vice President
Membership Director
Marketing Director
Co-opted Franchise Director
Nigel Lay
Allan Simmons
www.facebook.com/NCCAFloorCarewww.twitter.com/NCCA_floorcare_
newslink page 2
Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or it’s officers or members. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the statements within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors, or omissions, or matters arising from any clerical or printing errors, and whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and photographs submitted to us, we can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage.
©Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd 1994 (Trading as the National Carpet Cleaners Association). No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd.
From the Editor - notice of membership renewals 2015/16
newslinkpage 3
embership renewal documents for M 2015/2016 will be sent on April 1st 2015
and due for payment by May 1st 2015.
As stated in The Articles of Association: “Any
Member wishing to resign from the Company shall
give 60 clear days' notice of his intended
resignation in writing to the Secretary and at the
expiry of such notice shall cease to be a member,
but in default of giving such notice, at least 60
clear days before the expiry of the current year,
such member shall be liable to pay the
subscription for the ensuing year”.
If you are experiencing difficulties or considering
not renewing your membership please contact us.
We never like to hear that a member has decided
they no longer plan to be part of the NCCA, and
we would like to work with you to do all we can to
assist.
This year we introduced a Direct Debit service
through a company called GoCardless, this has
proven to be very popular with nearly 20% of the
membership choosing this method of payment.
The advantage of using Direct Debit is that once it
has been set up, the facility will remain in place
unless it is cancelled, taking the worry out of
remembering to pay subscription fees. We will
write to you at the end of each membership year
reminding you of your renewal and that payments
will be deducted automatically via Direct Debit.
You can choose to spread the payment of your
subscription fees over a number of months (a
maximum of six) or in one single payment. If you
do not wish to renew your membership for the
coming year, notice must be put
in writing to the Company
Secretary before the 31st
January. Please note, this item is
legally enforceable.
At the General Meeting, held on
November 29th, it was agreed to
increase the membership fees to £225 + VAT, in
line with inflation. However, due to the increasing
popularity among the members to use Direct
Debit, it was proposed and agreed that a reduced
fee of £220 + VAT be offered to all members who
already use this facility or who sign up by 1st May;
it was also agreed that the 1% GoCardless fee
could be waived. For any member signing up to
Direct Debit after the 1st May, they will still benefit
from the reduced fee, but will incur the 1% fee.
Other requirements of your renewal are a
completed Health & Safety declaration form and
proof of insurance; we will again be accepting
Public Liability schedules that clearly state that
they include either Treatment Risk or Products
Liability. To aid in swift processing of your renewal,
please make sure you send all the correct required
documentation.
All members who have not yet completed a full
year of membership will still be receiving a
subscription invoice sent on April 1st. The fee will
have been reduced in respect of how long you
have been a member. Payment of this invoice will
bring your renewal in line with the rest of the
membership and your renewal year will run from
April to April from then on.
Nicky LawNewslink Editor
newslink page 4
Achieving ISO 2001:2008
certification was a condition
of the NCCA being awarded
TrustMark Scheme Operator
status (and gaining our own
'Carpet and Upholstery
Cleaners' category on the
TrustMark website) earlier
this year.
We are delighted to
announce that, following an assessment by an
independent organisation in November, the NCCA
has now been awarded this much coveted
accreditation.
ISO 9001:2008 is an internationally recognised
prestigious award for quality - a standard by
which a company's Quality Management System
can be evaluated. Gaining ISO certification is
something we are particularly proud of as it
demonstrates our commitment to quality,
traceability and continual improvement. With
only 3% of UK businesses holding this certificate,
we have been proved to be
at the forefront of quality
and care in the services we
provide to both Association
members and to the public.
Upon earning the ISO
9001:2008 certification,
NCCA President, Nigel Lay,
commented “We have
worked very hard on gaining
accreditation through ISO. We were very keen
from the outset to ensure that the ISO framework
was used to bring genuine value to the
Association, rather than focusing on the
accreditation for accreditation's sake. Providing a
quality service to our members, the public, and
the industry as a whole, is a key priority for the
Association. ISO certification is a significant
milestone in our commitment to continual
improvement and shows just how far we'll go to
ensure high standards of service. We are
extremely proud of what we have achieved.”
At the NCCA General Meeting, on Saturday 29th
November, a new NCCA President was elected.
Nigel Lay, who has spent several years on the
NCCA Board working hard as Events Director
(organising the Carpet Cleaners Carnival) as well
as working very closely with the NCCA office in an
administrative capacity, has now been awarded
the much coveted and extremely prestigious
position of NCCA President. Congratulations
Nigel!
New NCCA President is elected at the General Meeting this year
NCCA achieves ISO 9001:2008 certification
Paul Pearce awarding Nigel Lay therole of NCCA President
newslink page 6
CCA Board Directors are often required
to answer a multitude of technical
queries from both NCCA members, Nnon-members and the public.
Every enquiry gets our full attention and are a
joy to receive because they get us thinking. We
don't know all the answers but will (hopefully)
point everyone in the right direction.
Over the years I must have answered more
than a thousand technical enquiries by phone,
text or e-mail and they come in all shapes and
sizes, from shrinking carpets to animal accidents
and everything in between.
With consumer enquiries we always recommend
that they use an NCCA member company for
professional rectification of the problem and
direct them to the NCCA website for a member
in their area. However, first of all we usually offer
some advice. You may wonder why we give
advice in the first place. Well, people ask
questions, and unfortunately many really want to
try and correct the problem themselves. Most of
the time, however, having listened to their issues
and provided some advice, we insist on
professional cleaning as the only option.
Below I have included three enquiries I have
personally received (via email), together with my
replies. As you will see, some of the emails I
receive are quite hard to interpret (Question 2 is
a prime example of this). You may not agree with
my advice, but often the consumer does not
offer any further information so the detective in
me has to come into play (thank goodness for
CSI!).
“Could you tell me what would
remove a drop of silver nitrate out of a carpet
please?”
“Silver nitrate can be used in
medicines, hobbies such as photography, and
many other things. Many years ago I had my
own dark room and so know what silver nitrate
can do. The problem is that trying to remove it
from soft furnishings is not an easy task. If your
carpet is a protein fibre, such as wool or an acid
died nylon, then it will be harder to remove as it
has an affinity to these items”.
I then supplied a simple 'how to' process with
the relevant information on it. I also advised that
any solutions should be tested in an
inconspicuous area, to see the reaction, and
specified that the solution should not be over
applied because of possible de-lamination of
tufted carpets. This consumer reported back to
me with a success and a “thank you" and
followed this up by calling an NCCA member to
carry out an overall clean.
“I have purchased a Wooltec carpet
which is situated throughout each carpeted
room downstairs, up the stairs and on the
landing. I have the more superior one, which
Question 1:
Question 2:
My reply:
Paul PearceConsumer technical enquiries
Pa
Stains on carpetgot fake tan on the carpet, which is very upsetting because the carpet
ul
newslinkpage 7
was laid eighteen months ago and I was very
pleased with it to start with. Unfortunately this
carpet now has stains all over it, which seem to
just appear, and I can't get rid of them. It looks
awful! There are only two of us in the house and
we are not messy people and take pride in our
home. With our previous carpets just a quick
spot clean was all that was needed. I have tried
the fizzy water and go stargazing which takes the
stain out but it comes back again, we would
welcome your advice please.” (Yes, I was
particularly confused by that last sentence too!).
“First of all, I am struggling to
understand the use of 'fizzy water' or actually
know what 'stargazing' is in relation to carpet
spotting. Could you please explain? Quite often
there are a few reasons why a stain returns. The
first reason is because the item that caused the
stain has not been properly removed and is
therefore collecting more soil. Secondly, it could
be that the cleaning solution itself is attracting
more soil. Thirdly it could be that, if the stain/soil
hasn’t been rinsed properly, the product applied
can wick/evaporate to the surface bringing with
it residues of the staining item. You are also
probably wondering why your lifetime stain
warranty carpet keeps staining? The truth is that
all carpets will get soiled from time to time and
they will need professional cleaning to remove
embedded soils. This way the stains will be
totally removed from the carpet. I hope this
makes sense. I am going to send you a Wooltec
aftercare guide for your records. You will note
that one of the recommendations is that the
carpet is professionally cleaned every eighteen to
twenty four months”.
This consumer explained that 'stargazing' was a
My reply:
typing error and was advised by the retailer to use
'fizzy water' and thanked me for the detailed info.
“How do you get graphite/metal
shavings from a door lock that was opened for
maintenance and consequently dropped metal or
graphite filings onto the carpet which I cannot
hoover up?”
“It is difficult trying to visualise the
situation, because if it is metal shavings then a pair
of tweezers might be the best option. However if it
is a greasy type soil, and you wish to attempt
removal yourself, then I can provide you with
information on how to do this that would be close
to the process I would use myself (I then adapt the
first aid procedures from the NCCA website and
make it specific to the situation). Of course the
best advice I can give you would be to call in an
NCCA professional carpet cleaner to carry out the
work, especially if it was caused by a contractor as
it could be down to them to foot the bill. Details at
http://www.ncca.co.uk/membershipdirectory.php”
This consumer came back to me to say how
impressed he was with the Association and also the
NCCA member who visited his home to rectify the
problem.
We receive these types of questions on a regular
basis from consumers, members, non-member
carpet cleaners… even from the States! It is amazing
how the web is used for just about everything
because most people will use the internet during
their breaks at work, or even whilst working, as well
as through the night. It is just so easy to get
information. With some of the queries I receive, I
have to source care leaflets from manufacturers, or
maybe even have to source the information myself
from scratch, to actually be able to provide a reply. It
all takes time but it's worth it. We are here to help.
Question 3:
My reply:
newslink page 8
Keith RobertsonPractice, practice, practice
f you have chosen stone
polishing as one of the niches I for your business, you will
have gradually built up experience
in how different stones react and
how you deal with them.
It is also likely that when you
started out you were taught a
specific method of achieving a
high shine.
For those of you, who came into
the industry from a commercial
cleaning background, it may have
been that your initial experience
was gained from crystallising or
vitrifying or possibly from the use of diamond or
abrasive coated or impregnated cleaning pads.
Some of you, however, will have been introduced
to stone polishing by attending an industry
training course built around a specific system
which you then purchased for future use.
Over a period of time, no doubt, you will have
found there are limits to the overall success of
the systems you are introduced to. Much of the
time they give you the results you expect, but not
always.
Along the way you also come to realise that
different customers have different expectations,
and different budgets, and so have to consider
less time consuming methods which will fit these
situations.
Some of the large non-woven floor pad systems
are beneficial to contract cleaners as they can be
used daily and, over a period of days, different
grades can be introduced to gradually improve the
floors appearance. However, although practical
and cost effective where there is daily access, they
are probably not going to provide the result that
you are required to obtain if you are attempting to
achieve a finished result in one visit.
There are, of course, a number of manufacturers
and suppliers of different types of pads, so it
would be logical to experiment to find which work
more effectively and suit you. It may be that you
find the combined use of coated pads, followed by
polishing powders or crystallisation, will achieve
what is required. On the other hand you might
Italian stone polisherswith hand-wheels
newslinkpage 9
choose a combination of honing and polishing
powders on their own to remove small scratches
and polish the surface to an acceptable finish.
Each different method may work better or more
successfully on some floors than others. Some
marbles can be notoriously difficult to polish and
respond best to specialist machines using
diamond discs.
Even here there are discussions as to whether
the single disc heavy duty machines, normally
used in the UK or the US, really produce the same
quality of finish as a traditional Italian machine
equipped with a hand wheel to ensure perfect
levelling.
It is logical that there are limitations to most
treatment methods and there are both excellent
and poor quality products on the market, which is
not always reflected in the price you pay.
If you haven't yet invested in a complete range of
products and equipment it is even more
important to get to know what you can achieve on
different stones. It would be wise to take before
and after photographs and keep a notebook of
your results.
From time to time you may scratch your head
and wonder just why you can't quite obtain the
same excellent result on one floor as other
previous similar floors where you have been
satisfied. For instance, perhaps you’ve come
across Crema Marfil that, despite your best
efforts, still had a hint of haziness you had not
experienced before.
One reason could be that the stone was not the
'real deal.' Crema Marfil, marketed as a marble
but technically a limestone, is cut out of a range of
hills not far from Alicante in Spain. One I was
working on had a few tiles that I found difficult to
polish to the finish I wanted; it turned out these
had been cut in an Italian quarry,
sold as Crema Marfil but not
genuine Crema Marfil. Since then I
have encountered supposed Crema
Marfil from Spain, Turkey and China.
This can happen time after time.
Very often it doesn't matter to the
stone finisher, as the final result is
quite acceptable, but sometimes it
can prove to be quite time wasting.
Earlier this year I decided to
purchase some 300mm Carrara
Continued on next pageCrema Marfil flooring
newslink page 10
marble tiles for a shower room and, mindful of
the issues I have just mentioned, I checked a
number of wholesalers until I settled on one in
North London who had a good reputation. I
considered it worth my while to collect them
from London and take them home.
It is also not unusual for large stone suppliers to
make up their own names for stone. Sometimes
this allows them to purchase similar stones from
different sources. This may not be noticed when
the floor is first laid but can lead to complaints
from the customer further down the line.
The more you study stone the more you will
recognise the differences, which should allow
you to explain to the customer that different
stone, finished by different producers in different
countries, may well not perform equally simply
because it has been given a uniform name.
Before you start to refinish the floor you should
make it very clear that, although you can return
the floor to a new condition, this does not mean
that it will wear equally in the future.
What are the lessons you should learn?
ŸFirst, never give up learning about stone.
ŸSecond, do not presume that what you have
been told is true.
ŸThird, do not over promise if you haven't at the
very least completed a sample.
ŸFourth, practice at home or in the workshop.
ŸAsk customers for a spare tile when carrying
out the survey.
ŸDevelop a relationship with a stone supplier
which will allow access to waste material which
you can take away to practice on.
You can never practice too much. To become a
‘specialist’ rather than a ‘general practitioner’
takes practice, practice, practice.
Continued from previous page
Member referral report
Since publishing a referral statistics report in the last issue of Newslink there have been
107 recommendations for full members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of 44 referrals from the NCCA office, 62 potential customers contacting members
direct through the website and 1 referral to a member without an email address, which has
been tracked by the office.
TrustMark StatisticsGreat news for TrustMark members! During
November the category of Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners on the TrustMark website was searched almost 8000 times. 'Click throughs' to members’ details are now averaging over 5000 per month
and, since its launch in April this year, this category has been searched (in total) over 41,000
times!
How to apply for TrustMark membershipTrustMark membership within the Carpet and
Upholstery Cleaners category is ONLY available to NCCA members (to see joining criteria go to
‘Benefits and Schemes’ in the Members’ Area of the NCCA website).
If you would like to apply to become a TrustMark member please ring the NCCA office on 0116 271 9550 or email: [email protected]
Chemspec Europe, Tong Park, Otley Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QD. Tel: 01274 597333 Fax: 01274 597444 E-mail: Website:[email protected] www.chemspec-europe.com
Going Going - Gone!Dye Gone offers a unique new package and application device to remove the severest of dye stains including: coffee, tea, wine, hair dyes, paints, candle colours etc.
*pre-test carefully and rinseout after stain is removedwith cold water.
No need to mix - just spray - wait and the stain is gone.*
BEFORE AFTER
Say
goodbye
to stains!
Wishing all NCCA Members a happy and profitable New Year!
newslink page 12
ust before you all get to thinking that I am J becoming completely delusional with the title
of my article this month, let me explain. Years
before the popular TV series ever began, a
gentleman called George Orwell wrote an
excellent novel called 1984. Big Brother was
originally a fictional character within this book -
the dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state where
the ruling party wielded total power over the
inhabitants.
In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is
under complete surveillance by the authorities,
mainly by telescreens, and the people are
constantly reminded of this by the phrase 'Big
Brother is watching you'.
The question is, do you ever feel like Big Brother
is watching you? CCTV cameras are everywhere
these days, there are 650 in the Highcross
shopping centre in Leicester alone! Then there's
the dashboard cameras becoming very popular in
cars, the cyclists head cameras and many more. I
remember Paul Pearce telling me of the time he
was working in a supermarket and the security
man telling him how cameras targeted every
cashpoint, to the extent they could listen in to the
conversations that were taking place there!
On my allotment site we occasionally suffer
vandalism both from two-legged creatures and
badgers. I am now actually thinking about
purchasing an infra-red battery operated camera
to see just who, or what, the culprits are. Looking
on various internet websites I have already
discovered a wide variety of covert cameras that
are available at very reasonable prices.
Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)
REMEMBER... ‘Big Brother’ may be watching!
Here’s howit works...
No power cordsmeans no installation
page 13 newslink
Anyway, I digress. The point I am coming to is that
Big Brother may also be watching you… while you
are at work!
It is true that a picture tells a story, just look at
the one below.
A few years ago I happened to be vacuuming a
lounge carpet, prior to cleaning, when on moving
a chair I discovered a ten pence piece beneath it.
Nothing unusual about that
you may say. I totally agree, but
then I found another under the
other chair and yet another
under the settee. This is when
the penny (or should I say ten
pennies) suddenly dropped… I
was being checked up on to see
if I moved all the items of furniture in the room
during the clean! By the end of the job I had quite
a collection which I left piled up on a coffee table;
I do have to admit to feeling a wee bit peeved at
the customers distrust in me.
I have heard of some customers who have had a
series of security cameras installed throughout
their home, so that they can see what is going on
(using their mobile phone) when they are away
from the house. Think about this…. you could be
working away on a customer's carpet or three
piece suite oblivious to the fact that they (Big
Brother) may be watching what you are up to.
It is really sad that some customers have
become so distrusting but, having said that, the
unfortunate truth is that not all workmen are
totally honest. There have been several instances,
over the years, when stories of dishonesty by
people in our profession have been passed on to
me.
Imagine my dismay when I was told a story
recently (by one of the delegates on a training
course) of an incident that occurred when the
delegate went out for the day with a local carpet
cleaner for some on-the-job experience.
Apparently he arrived early and
was waiting for his mentor to
finish getting ready for the day.
Whilst waiting he perused the
client's extensive DVD collection.
He commented on the collection
to his mentor when he arrived,
who then shockingly confessed
that he took (stole) one from every house he went
to that had a large collection of DVD's, adding the
glib comment “They won't miss just the one”.
After hearing this story you can understand why
some people would want to install cameras in
their home.
The NCCA strapline 'Service with Integrity' is as
relevant today as it was when it thought of all
those years ago back in 1968. You should bear in
mind that there could be the cameras in any of
the houses you are working in. I am not
suggesting for one minute that any of you would
even think about stealing items from a client's
home. However I have heard tales, over the years,
of cleaners who have done other things they
really shouldn't have been doing in a customer's
home. You may want to spare your blushes.
This is what I foundunderneath all the upholstery
©Derek Bolton
newslink page 14
uring the last year or so, I
have spoken to several
colleagues who have been Dhaving problems with mud-like
streaking when cleaning carpets.
One of them, not an NCCA
member, couldn't understand why
the power of his all-singing, all-
dancing, fire-breathing truckmount
couldn’t remove this mud easily.
Dry Soil Extraction, which is an
integral part of all of our carpet
cleaning systems, is much, much
more than just pre-vacuuming a
carpet. It is also more than just
'running over the carpet with a
hoover'.
First the problem. Mr or Mrs
Customer will typically vacuum the
carpets once, or maybe twice, a week. The visible
soil or litter is removed quite quickly; other
particulate soils are not visible so no attempt is
made to remove them. Whether or not the
customer uses the correct type of properly
maintained vacuum cleaner is another issue
entirely.
When the carpet cleaner arrives, he encounters a
carpet with several years' worth of deep-down,
trodden-in, non-soluble, dry particulate soils.
Is a 'quick whizz' with a Dyson enough to remove
this? Definitely not!
Our front line of attack will be a thorough process
of dry soil extraction with a commercial grade
vacuum cleaner, preferably with twin motors.
Steady or slow passes both forward and
backwards over the same area, executed in East-
West and North-South directions is usually
sufficient on most residential carpets. But not
always.
Parting the carpet pile, and looking down into
the foundation/backing, you can often see
accumulated soils in high traffic areas. To remove
these soils, extra steps may be required.
The easiest way to enhance the performance of
your vacuum cleaner is simply to use a pile brush.
Bear in mind that a scrubbing action is not
required or desirable on some carpets; merely
Ken WainwrightDry soil extraction
A good commercial gradevacuum cleaner is needed for
thorough dry soil extraction
Ph
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Diary Dates 2015
NCCA COURSES
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
23rd - 24th January
20th - 21st March
22nd - 23rd May
10th - 11th July
18th - 19th September
20th - 21st November
Advanced Spot & Stain Removal
20th February
26th June
9th October
Health & Safety for the Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
19th February
8th October
All above courses held at NSPCC Training Centre,
Leicester unless otherwise stated. Visit:
www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms and further
details.
IICRC COURSES (HERTFORDSHIRE)
Carpet Cleaning Technician and Upholstery &
Fabric Cleaning Technician with Paul Pearce
2015 courses to be arranged
Held at Alltec Network, Royston,
Hertfordshire. Tel: 01763 208222
IICRC COURSES (SURREY)
Carpet Cleaning Technician with Adam Jankowski
24th - 25th March
10th - 11th September
Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician with
Adam Jankowski
31st March - 1st April
25th - 26th November
Held at National Flood School,
Surrey. Tel: 01252 821185
Visit: www.iicrc.org for further details on all
IICRC Training Courses.
place the brush head on the carpet and slowly push
the brush forward. This action will open the pile and
also disturb the impacted soil, making subsequent
vacuuming more effective.
The next level up is to use a CRB (contra rotating
brush) machine. These are typically used for dry-
compound carpet cleaning.
Using a suitable stiffness of brush (I use the softest
grade for most applications) simply brush the dry
carpet East-West and North-South as and where
required. Remember that being dry, there is no
lubrication for the carpet yarn, so care must be taken
not to damage the pile.
The standard, or medium grade of brush, is what I
would use on most commercial low profile carpets
and I reserve the stiffest grade of all for use on
Flotex.
Be aware that when dry brushing a carpet,
whether by hand or with a machine, significant
amounts of dust can be created. You may need to
wear a dust mask and the dust can also settle on
other furnishings and fittings. Stock items in an
office or shop can also be spoiled.
Finally, all of the above can be superfluous if you
have a pile-lifter.
To those amongst us who treat dry soil extraction
as being a boring time waster, it is worth
remembering that not only can this process remove
more soil than the wet extraction part of the system,
it also opens and lifts the pile, making our pre-
treatments more effective. This in turn leads to less
water being used for rinsing, leading to quicker
drying carpets and less water being carried and
'dumped' from a portable extractor. Rather than
wasting it, it can actually save time!
again!It’s that time of year
Ken Wainwright
he run up to Christmas is traditionally the
busiest time of year for the majority of us T who service the residential sector of our
industry. It feels as though every home in the
country needs to be spick and span in readiness
for visitors over the festive season.
The months following the holidays can be a lot
quieter. However, there is an area of our
businesses that will remain strong, certainly
through January. I'm talking about stain removal.
With the home being so busy, and people being
in the party mood, there always seems to be a lot
more spillages through Christmas and the New
Year: red wine, white wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee
and animal stains to name but a few. Then we
have the homeowners who still insist on dressing
the bottom of the Christmas tree with brightly
coloured crepe paper which duly bleeds its dye
into the carpet!
You may be well stocked and prepared for the
pre-Christmas rush, but are you prepared for the
post-Christmas disasters? Many of our suppliers
will be closed during the holiday period, some for
up to two weeks. Do you have sufficient stock of
stain removers to see you through this period? If
you use generic products such as Hydrogen
Peroxide, is your supply fresh? This is important
as, especially after being opened a few times,
Hydrogen Peroxide reduces rapidly in its
effectiveness.
If stain removal isn't a significant part of your
business and, especially if you haven't attended a
specialist spot and stain treatment and removal
course in a while, it may be wise to brush up on
your skills before they are needed. Open a bottle
of red wine and pour some onto a preferably
wool and nylon carpet sample. Leave it for a few
days. You can repeat this exercise with as many
staining products as you choose. Any remaining
wine should be consumed at your earliest
convenience! When you've sobered up, read
through your NCCA Carpet and Upholstery
Cleaning Manual to refresh your memory of stain
removal procedures and techniques. Now
practice your skills on the samples until you have
them perfected.
You should now be well prepared and confident
in your abilities to deal with most of the disasters
that the festive season can throw at you.
Protecting your equipment in the colder weather
Now onto a slightly different subject... have you
got yourself prepared for winter this year?
Freezing nights and frosty conditions can play
havoc with our equipment and I have heard many
reports from colleagues who have been caught
out with frozen water pumps, trigger valves etc.
on their cleaning machines.
Personally, I have made a habit of draining water
pumps, hoses and tool valves at the end of the
day during winter; this will reduce the risk of
being caught out by the unexpected.
It is also wise to watch the weather forecast
EVERY day. For very cold weather, either heat
and/or insulate your van well or unload sensitive
equipment to a warmer place overnight. If you
don't work weekends, remember that Jack Frost
often does!
It also makes good sense to stock spare valves
and quick connectors for your tools. A day or two
waiting for spares to arrive through the post could
be a day or two's lost earnings.
Many of our cleaning solutions and other
chemicals are sensitive to freezing conditions too.
Expensive carpet protectors, in particular, can be
ruined by even a light frost, so check all of your
products' labels or contact your supplier for
advice.
newslink page 18
ecently, whilst cleaning carpet, I noticed a
dark shadow in the corner of my right eye. I Rwas particularly busy with a number of bookings
to go to that week so I dismissed it as something
that would probably right itself in a day or two. A
few days later I woke up and found my eyesight in
my right eye had
deteriorated noticeably. I got
myself down A&E where it
was diagnosed as a detached
retina and I was booked in
for surgery two days later to
restore the sight in my right
eye.
The reason I am writing
this article is that I believe
that moving very heavy
furniture, not to mention pulling heavy machines
up numerous flights of stairs in buildings with no
lifts, may have been a contributing factor to my
having had this problem, which has resulted in me
being unable to work whilst I wait for my vision to
improve after surgery.
Whilst recuperating I have decided to make
some long overdue changes to how I want to work
in the future. I want make my business about
cleaning and restoring carpets and upholstery, not
risking my health and energy straining to move
heavy items of furniture.
The vast majority of the many customers I have
worked for over the years have gone out of their
way to make the work easier (and safer) by
emptying those drawers and units that need to be
moved and removing heavy mattresses from beds
etc. However, there are some clients who just
don't seem to appreciate the risks to our health
and safety. I have found myself straining to move
king size beds with heavy mattress, complete with
side drawers packed with items, and even
furniture piled on top of the
bed just for good measure,
plus wardrobes and cabinets
packed with items.
Even if my detached retina
was not the result of the
many times I have strained
moving such items, I am
sure that if I continue to do
these things I am likely to
injure myself in some other
way (at some point) and could find myself unable
to continue earning a living doing the work I enjoy.
In view of this I have now amended my terms
and conditions to state that, whilst I am prepared
to move furniture where required, I will only do
this where units have been emptied, drawers
removed and heavy mattresses removed from
beds etc. I also reserve the right to refuse to move
items of furniture which are still heavy, or
unstable, if I believe there may still be a risk of
injury to myself or damage to the item if moved.
Going back to the importance of our looking
after our eyesight, I now always carry a bottle of
eye wash with me as well as making sure I wear
protective goggles when using powerful spotters
or solvent chemicals.
Anthony George (A.G Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning)A wake-up call
Continual lifting of heavy furniturecan cause long-term health problems
David CokerThe best way to build your business?
page 19 newslink
hat would you say is the best way to build
your brand, retain your clients, get repeat Wbusiness and generate referrals? Arguably it could
be said that a regular newsletter to existing clients
would be it.
Often a carpet cleaner will spend £30 - £50 or
even more to 'buy' a new
customer. How so? Well, the
cost of a new customer is the
cost of an advert or flyer, for
example, divided by the
number of jobs done. So an
advert that costs £100 and
brings in three jobs has cost
you around £33 for each new
customer.
If your newly acquired
customers are happy with the work you have
done, stopping there and not following this up
with continued contact afterwards would simply
be 'leaving money on the table'. After all, you have
invested money to acquire your new customers so
it makes sense for you to look after those
investments.
So… what is the cost of designing and sending a
regular newsletter? Well, let's suppose that you
send an A4 double-sided newsletter (that you print
yourself) to your client base every month. The cost
per issue including a current 2nd class stamp
would be around 60p per customer (or £7.20 per
year). That's considerably LESS than the cost of
acquisition. In fact, you could send a newsletter in
this way every month for about FIVE years to equal
the cost of acquiring the customer in the first
place.
What's more, if your minimum charge was a
modest £72, you could send them a newsletter for
TEN years and still break even, even if they only
used you again ONCE at the end of that ten years.
And just imagine what would
happen in the meantime...
1) Each contact in your client base
would have been reminded over
100 times about your service. No
more would customers say “I need
my carpet cleaning again but I just
can't remember the name of the
company I used”.
2) If your newsletter is interesting
and of value to your customers,
they may pass it along to friends or relatives. In
fact, just seeing your newsletter can prompt
friends to ask what it's all about, perhaps leading
to a conversation about the need for having their
carpets cleaned. And, of course, your name will be
on hand to pass on.
3) A regular newsletter has the potential to affect
how clients and prospects think about your
business (i.e. an expert). And that's very powerful!
4) Newsletters also get in 'under the radar'. They
are not perceived as a 'sales pitch' and can
therefore be used to educate and inform your
customers about other services without the usual
resistance to a ‘sales message’.
That's why I currently send a monthly newsletter
to around 750 of my clients every year. It works!
newslink page 20
The changing face of floor care Terry Guilford (The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.)
hen I started my
career in floor W care you had
two options, 1) take a punt on
some equipment, advertise
and chance your arm or, 2) buy
a franchise. If you took the first
option you would probably
have made a lot of expensive
mistakes and a few enemies; if
you took the latter you would
have made fewer mistakes and
only one enemy, your bank
manager.
Nowadays, thanks to the
huge amount of training courses out there, you
can have the best of both worlds, all the help and
advice of a franchise and all the freedom that
comes with being an independent.
So what should you do with that freedom? Well
again, in the bad old days, a carpet cleaner just
cleaned carpets, a floor sander just sanded
wooden floors... and the stone cleaning guy? Well
they were rarer than unicorn do dah anyway.
When I branched out from carpet cleaning I
honestly thought that it would be an uphill battle
to convince clients (whose carpets I had cleaned)
that I could now fit and sand their wooden floors.
What took me by complete surprise was the fact
that clients trusted ME (it is difficult to believe isn't
it?!); they bought into the fact that I was quality
focused and assumed that if I said I could do it,
then I could! Since starting our UK floor sanding
network I have spoken to many carpet cleaners
about the opportunities out there; many have
rebranded as floor care experts and are really
feeling the benefits… in other words my
experience wasn't a one off, the client buys YOU
not the machines or brand.
By carefully choosing who you do business with
you can benefit from a mass of expertise
accumulated over many years. The best suppliers
work closely with their customers, which means
it's rare your problem has never been seen by
them before. There is no longer any reason to take
a chance on your machine choice (nothing worse
than making a large capital outlay only to find
page 21 newslink
you've bought 'a lemon'). A quality supplier wants
your long term business not just a quick buck, so
it's in his interest that your business succeeds. A
good friend of mine has an expression for this
mutually beneficial relationship, he calls it
‘Progress Through Partnership’ and he has it on his
business card.
The opportunities with wood flooring are huge
and growing. Over 10,000 square metres of wood
flooring is fitted in the UK EVERY DAY! As most of
this flooring is pre-finished, the client has no
experience of floor sanding until their floor is
worn, scratched or just tired looking; so who are
they going to ask about maintaining it... the guy
who maintains all their other floor surfaces, that's
who! A very successful carpet cleaner recently told
me “I am fed up with cleaning clients' carpets and
having to say I can't do the £500 worth of floor
sanding they require when they ask me about it”.
If the thought of floor sanding scares the hell out
of you, what about learning how to maintain wood
flooring using the tools you already have? Just like
every other floor surface, wood benefits from
regular maintenance and this market is woefully
under-served.
So, whatever branch of floor care you are
currently skilled in, if you want to progress your
business there has never been a better time to
diversify. There are opportunities out there not
just in wood but also stone and vinyl. January and
February are great months to broaden your
horizons, so why not book yourself on a training
course.
Damage to wood floors when cleaning soft furnishings
Over recent years, with the addition of
wood and laminate flooring to peoples'
homes, an increasing number of claims
have arisen in the following areas:
1. Overspray damage - caused by
insufficient covering of the floor around the
item being cleaned, allowing overspray of
either water or chemicals to settle. To avoid
this, always use a protective drop sheet.
2. Container damage - damage occurring
when bottles containing chemical products,
or buckets containing products/water, have
been placed directly onto the floor and the
product has dripped down the sides of the
container. Some form of protection for
cleaning products to stand on should
always be used.
3. Scratched laminate - damage occurring
when furniture is moved to enable cleaning
to be carried out. Ensure that furniture is
moved with care, lifting instead of dragging
where possible.
4. Heat damage - wood flooring can easily
be damaged by the heat generated by
cleaning machines. On good quality floors
the heat can damage the sealant/varnish
and on cheap laminates the heat can cause
the veneer to bubble and warp. Some form
of protection for the machine to stand on
should always be used.
newslink page 22
t the NCCA General Meeting, on Saturday
29th November, I gave a presentation on A Reducing Drying Times. There was a lively
and wide ranging discussion on the subject and I
thought those members who were unable to
attend might like a summary of the presentation
and discussion.
There are many reasons why keeping drying
times to a minimum is so important:
1) CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - Clients with carpets
or upholstery that stays wet for too long won't be
happy or recommend you.
2) PROFESSIONALISM - How professional do you
appear if you leave items wet for too long?
3) PREVENTION OF BROWNING/WICKING - Leaving
cellulosic fibres over-wet can cause cellulosic
browning and stains can wick back on some
carpets.
4) HEALTH AND SAFETY - Wet carpets are a slip
hazard, especially on stairs and adjacent to hard
floors. Reducing drying times shortens the hazard
duration.
5) INDOOR AIR QUALITY - Keeping moisture levels
in clients' homes down when cleaning helps
maintain indoor air quality.
6) MOULD PREVENTION - Mould spores will
germinate in damp conditions in twelve to twenty
four hours so if drying times are greater than
twelve hours mould growth will occur.
7) DRYER IS CLEANER - Finally, is the water left in a
carpet any cleaner than that in the extraction tank
of your machine? No. The dryer you leave a
Glyn CharnockDrying times
carpet, the cleaner it will be... provided you have
rinsed it sufficiently.
So how do we achieve rapid drying times?
Drying is the process of evaporation, defined as
'The change of state of a substance from a liquid
to a gas'. Molecules of water are in constant
motion so they have kinetic energy (movement
energy). The average kinetic energy of the
molecules is the temperature of the liquid. The
faster they are moving, the hotter it is. These
molecules are constantly bumping in to each
other, exchanging energy. When a molecule gains
enough energy it will 'escape' from the surface of
the water and become a gas.
As molecules with high energy escape, the average
energy of the liquid reduces so the temperature of
the liquid falls. This is why water cools a surface as
it evaporates.
The molecules trying to escape from the water
to become a gas exert pressure against the
liquid/gas interface, known as the Vapour Pressure
(VP). The hotter the liquid, the greater the VP and
page 23 newslink
the faster the liquid will evaporate. The graph of
VP against temperature for water looks like this;
When the temperature of the water reaches
100°C, the VP is equal to air pressure, around 760
mmHg (Torr), so water becomes a gas in the body
of liquid, forming bubbles, so the water boils.
Realistically, we are only dealing with room
temperatures of 10°C (empty house no heating in
winter) to 25°C (heating wound up just for us to
clean or high summer). Within this range of
temperatures, the relationship between VP and
temperature is roughly linear - double the
temperature and you double the VP so double the
rate of evaporation. So if a carpet takes 10 hours to
dry at 10°C it will take 5 hours to dry at 20°C.
Simple really.
So all we need to do to dry carpets is heat things
up, right? Well not quite. Humidity, ventilation, air
movement, surface area and fibre type all affect
the evaporation rate and hence the drying time
just as much as the temperature.
Humidity is the amount of water present as a gas
in air. It is expressed as Relative Humidity (RH).
This is the percentage of the total amount of
water air can hold at a given temperature. If RH
reaches 100% outside, it rains. Water returns to
liquid form in the air and falls as raindrops. If RH
reaches 100% indoors, water returns to liquid
form as fast as it evaporates, so nothing will dry
and evaporation stops.
At 10°C, 1 cubic meter of air can hold 9.4 grams
(9.4 millilitres) of water (not much when you think
about it). At 20°C 1m³ of air can hold 17.3 grams of
water, almost double. So temperature and RH are
directly linked. If air contains 5 g/m³ water, at 10°C
it has a RH of about 55%. If the same air is heated
to 20°C, the RH falls to about 33%, increasing the
rate of evaporation of any liquid water in the room
by 40%, even if the water in the carpet doesn't
warm up at all. If the water increases in
temperature as well (which it will if the air in the
room is heated), this increase in water
temperature will double the VP, halving the drying
time, plus 40% for RH 40% x 50% = 20%, so actual
drying time will decrease by 50% plus 20% = 70%.
So, a carpet which would take 10 hours to dry at
10°C will take just 3 hours to dry at 20°C. We can
reduce RH using dehumidifiers to remove water
vapour from the air but this takes time so isn't the
best method of drying carpets and upholstery.
Ventilation is a balancing act between
temperature and RH. If we introduce fresh air
from outside we are likely to reduce the
temperature in the room, reducing evaporation
Continued on next page
newslink page 24
rate, but we also reduce RH, increasing
evaporation rate. So, if it is raining outside, (RH is
100%), keeping the windows shut and warming
the room will speed drying more than opening
the windows.
Air movement has a number of effects on
evaporation rate. Firstly, it reduces air pressure,
increasing evaporation rate as the air isn't
pressing on the water as hard, allowing more
water molecules to escape from the liquid
surface. It also removes the escaping water
molecules, keeping RH at the surface of the liquid
down and allowing more molecules to escape.
This is something we can do really quickly so is a
more effective means of drying carpets quickly
than dehumidifiers.
The greater the surface area of the water, the
more likely it is for molecules to escape. In a
carpet, the surface area is increased as the water
coats the fibres, but only the tips of the fibres
allow evaporation, as the RH between the fibres
reaches 100% pretty quickly. If we can disturb the
carpet fibres and release the saturated air
between the fibres, for example by brushing the
carpet, drying will speed up. Grooming doesn't
just make the carpet look better, it speeds drying.
Finally, fibre type affects drying rates. Natural
fibres absorb water into the structure of the fibre.
To get this water out, it has to travel through the
fibre to the tips to escape, so drying is slow. With
synthetic fibres the water sits on the surface of
the fibre more, so can climb to the tips of the
fibres and evaporate more readily.
At the General Meeting, we then put the theory in
to practice. We talked about how to reduce the
amount of water we put into the carpet in the first
place, including pre-spray quantities and rinse
pressures, followed by how to get it back out
again, including hose length, vacuum motor
configuration in machines, choice of wand,
wanding techniques and much more. Then we
discussed post-clean methods for speeding drying
including air movers of different types and kit like
air cushions.
We also performed a test with three wands, a
standard wand, one with glides fitted, and an
Evolution wand. Using the same technique (one
wet pass followed by two dry passes), there was a
difference in moisture content which was obvious
just by touching the carpet, but we were a little
more scientific and used a moisture meter. We
repeated the measurements after lunch and the
results were interesting, but you had to be there.
I'm not going to tell you what we found, that's
what you miss when you don't go to the NCCA
General Meeting!
Continued from previous page
Wet underlay following aparticularly poor DIY clean, exactlythe sort of thing we want to avoid!
newslink page 26
n our work as cleaners of carpets and
upholstery, and possibly office cleaning and fire Iand flood restoration, an important aspect of our
service is to provide good sound advice to our
clients.
Manufacturers of carpets and
upholstery frequently provide care
pamphlets with their products but
these may not reach the consumer
and, if they do, they will probably
be filed away and forgotten.
Our client's attention should be
drawn to the fact that keeping soil
matter outside of the home and
workplace will inevitably serve to
maintain floor coverings in a
cleaner condition and extend their
life.
Here are a few common soiling problems, and
general suggestions on how to avoid these issues,
which can be recommended to your client
(however, bear in mind that ALL installations will
require a detailed study prior to cleaning and you
may find that, in some situations, the provision of a
more specific and detailed list of recommendations
is required):
1) Soiling/dust control mats should be placed
outside and directly inside the entrance doors of
both domestic and commercial buildings to prevent
soil matter being carried into the building from
outside.
2) Abrasive and sticky substances from spillages
occurring inside a building can be carried by foot
traffic to other areas of flooring causing premature
wear and soiling. The strategic placement of
appropriate matting next to interior doorways will
reduce the chance of soil being tracked from one
area to another.
3) In offices a high level of staining is caused by
spillages from over-filled mugs and
cups which are carried dripping to
desks, particularly when the
member of staff stops for a chat on
the way. Recommend the use of
trays and saucers and under-filled
containers.
4) In the home, small side tables
placed near to settees and chairs
will make it unnecessary to balance
food and drink on ones knees and
should reduce the possibility of
staining. Suggest the use of half-
filled bowls for crisps and nuts.
5) Emphasise the need for the correct and
immediate procedure in dealing with spillages of
liquids and sticky foods. All too often the desire to
save the feelings of a guest, who has spilt a glass of
red wine, results in a permanent stain.
6) Animal stains should be treated as a matter of
urgency using appropriate spotting materials and
procedures.
7) Attention should also be paid to the condition of
the installation. Recommend that carpets that are
inadequately anchored be re-fitted by a
professional fitter. Similarly, carpets possessing
'fullness and rucking' should be re-stretched to
avoid the delamination of secondary backings and
premature wear.
The owner of an item of furniture or floor
covering, which retains a good condition and
Cecil Aigin (Honorary Member)Good customer advice
Matting placedinside and outsideentrance areas canhelp to control soiling
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appearance for long periods, is more likely to
spend money on its maintenance than on a carpet
that 'uglies out' soon after purchase and cleaning.
NCCA members are committed to carry out a
comprehensive and professional service. The
provision of sound advice, tactfully delivered, is a
major element of that commitment and will pay
dividends in enhancing the image of the member
and the long term relationship with a client.
newslink page 28
y wife Jackie and I recently attended
a rug cleaning course at the M premises of one of NCCA's
Corporate Member companies. I had previously
undergone training in rug cleaning some years
ago but unfortunately Jackie hadn't come with
me, which looking back I regretted. That's how I
ended up doing another similar course… because
I know from experience that when Jackie and I do
our training together we each pick up on different
ideas and information which, when combined, is
extremely beneficial to our business.
The two-day, hands-on course we attended was
instructed by Paul Pearce and covered rug
identification and cleaning as well as the different
types of problems encountered with rugs.
The day started with an introduction, including
the history of rugs, countries of origin, designs
and styles, constructions, dyeing techniques, fibre
identification (including burn and chemical tests)
and foundations and backings.
Next we moved on to pre-clean inspections,
obviously a hugely important part of any cleaning
process. Paul brought along loads of sample rugs
and we looked at identification, specific
conditions to inspect and document, how to
perform a colour-fastness test, condition reports
and how to brief your customer with what you
have found during your inspection.
We then moved onto the cleaning process.
Firstly we looked at the many challenges that rug
cleaning can present to us, such as shading,
yellowing, streaking, colour bleed/dye migration,
fungal/insect damage, browning, delamination,
water damage and mould contamination. We
then focussed on the various methods of
cleaning, including dry soil removal techniques
(beating), on-location versus in-plant procedures,
specific methods such as submersion cleaning
(portable rug washing kit), how to use spotting
treatments for stains and how to clean rug
fringes.
Lastly we covered drying methods and then
took at a look at the ‘finishing’ process, which
included grooming, protector application, final
Ray Austin (Ray and Jackie Austin)
You can never learn too much
Ph
oto
grap
hs
©Ja
ckie
Au
stin
inspection, wrapping, storage and delivery.
Some people do not give due consideration to
things like grooming, wrapping and careful
storage, preferring to rush things through at the
end of the process. However, these things are all
actually a very important part of the whole rug
cleaning operation.
I’d like to finish up by saying what an excellent
day Jackie and I had. The course provided us
with lots of valuable information and ideas and
we were well looked after. It was also great to
meet up with fellow professionals and bounce
ideas off each other… DEFINITELY
recommended.
Why not write for Newslink?
Contributions to Newslink from readers are
always welcome, as are suggestions and new
ideas.
So.... if you fancy expanding your repertoire,
why not put 'pen to paper' and add 'author of
published article' to your skillset. Don't worry
if you feel your writing skills are not up to the
job, as all articles undergo an editing process
before they are included. What we need from
you is the knowledge and stories you
undoubtedly have.
Contributions can be regular, or simply a
one-off, it's entirely up to you.
We endeavour to publish all editorial
received and all contributions will, of course,
display your name as the author.
If you feel you'd like to send something in, or
have an idea, don't be shy, just give Nicky in
the office a ring on 0116 271 9550 or email:
We look forward to hearing from you.
Email addresses
The NCCA are increasingly contacting
members via email to circulate relevant
Association information. As such, it is MORE
IMPORTANT THAN EVER that we have your
current email address logged on our database.
If you change your email address at any
point, could we ask that you please notify us
immediately so we are able to update your
details. This will ensure that you do not miss
any important information circulated by us.
To inform us of any changes, please email:
[email protected] or phone the NCCA office
on: 0116 271 9550.
page 29 newslink
Items for sale
newslink page 30
BUSINESS FOR SALESmall, long-established, reputable working carpet, upholstery and soft furnishings cleaning company.
Essex based. Owner Operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only. Mobile HWE and dry
cleaning system. Domestic and commercial clients. Genuine interested parties only please to call 07903
497298 and leave details.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEProchem 250 ft vacuum hoses for truck mount - £150.00. Chemspec hose reel for truck mount
plastic - £200. Prochem sadle tank for truckmount 227 litre/60 gallons - £250.00. Contact
[email protected] for further information or contact Andy on: 07970 544806.
BUSINESS FOR SALESmall long-established reputable NCCA registered working business, specialising carpet, upholstery and hard floor cleaning. Northumberland based
owner/operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only. Sign written 55 plate Iveco Daily van
with fitted Prochem Blazer Truck Mount. High pressure and extraction hose reels complete with
hoses, including wands, hard floor surface spinner 3 turbo dryers fans, 4 dehumidifiers, MMs Plus, Sebo
vac and duo, Rotary scrubber, plus lots of other equipment and chemicals. Plus a fully SEO website. Genuine interested parties only please. Call 01670
787185.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEAshbys Sensei Carpet cleaning machine with dry cleaning facility, comes with dry clean hose and curtain hand tool and hose bag - £800.00. Dry
fusion rotary machine with drive board - £600.00. Power flite 500psi twin vac carpet cleaning
machine, only used as back up, two years old - £1400.00. Esprit Von Schrader upholstery machine still under warranty only used 5 times - £2500.00.
Ashbys power brush - £300.00. Ashbys spotting machine with hose and hand tool - £300.00. Ashbys V2 steam attachment only used twice - £300.00. All
Items plus VAT. If interested please call Peter on 07866 905 424, or 0208 850 2085, or Email:
[email protected] collects from south east London.
TRUCKMOUNTBanclene truckmount complete with base unit,
stainless steel 80 gallon recovery tank, 100 gallon solution tank, 150 feet of vaccuum/solution hoses, floor, stair and various upholstery hand tools, inline
heater and misc parts etc. The van has been sold separately. Selling due to retirement and will
consider the highest offer. Call Derek at Aquamaster on 01845 537640 - mobile 07976
218304 or email: [email protected]
COMMERCIAL VACUUM CLEANERSebo BS 36 Comfort commercial vacuum cleaner
for sale. Excellent condition apart from a few scratches - hardly used. Includes three
attachments: dusting brush, upholstery tool & crevice tool - hardly used. Also 9 new waste bags and instructions. Excellent buy for £175.00 ono.
Collection only. Contact Andrew on 07730 203008.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - IDEAL FOR NEW BUSINESS
Everything you need to start carpet cleaning, including: Ashbys Ninja adjustable up to 400psi with Dry Cleaning Functionality built in, 2 x25m vacuum hoses, 1 x silencer hose, 1 x wand, 1 x
upholstery tool, 1 x dry cleaning solvent tool. Sebo Duo agitator. Sebo Vacuum BS36. 1.5hp blower dryer. Truvox high speed buffer. Prochem Stain Removal kit. 2 x 6 litres pressure sprayers. 1 x 1
litre upholstery/spot sprayer. 1 x vinyl mat for Ninja and 1 terrapaulin sheet. Huge array of chemicals
including: Prochem Power Burst, Defoamer, Prochem Pre Spray Gold, Prochem Natural Carpet Cleaner, Ashby's supreme Anti Grease, Prochem Browning prescription, Prochem Fabric and Fibre Rinse, Ashby's Extra Fresh, Prochem Odour Fresh. Box of other bits including: shoe covers, brushes, polystyrene pads, measuring jugs, dry compound.
All in excellent condition. Selling as my second business is consuming all of my time. Selling for
£1950. Contact Richard on 07903 841534.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE3 Ozone plates 4'' x 6'' to fit Jetazone 600 ozone generator - £15.00 for the 3, plus £5.00 p & p. Please phone Pete Collins on 07885 804560.
Items for sale
newslinkpage 31
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEAirflex Storm 800psi, Solution hose 25ft(high
pressure), 25ft x 1.5" vacuum hose with 1.5" cuff fitted at each end, Westpak 4" stainless steel
hand/detailer tool with splash guard, 6" stair tool, Upholstery Pro Sapphire Hand Tool, HOST Reliant
agitator, Sebo BS36 upright vacuum cleaner, Dri-Eaz Air Mover Sahara E 3 speed, Magma heater 1313, Assorted horse hair brushes, Furniture Foam Snap Blocks x 360, Orion 6L Sprayer with nozzle set, 10 Litre Bucket x 2, Carpet Sliders x 8, pH Test Paper, Corner guard, Hose hook, Pumptec Powersprayer
BOM, Mesh hose bag. Assorted cleaning chemicals - some opened. Bereavement forces sale. Cost:
£4500 ONO (Bought as new in 2013 for £7500). All items used a maximum of 5 times so in 'as new'
condition. Please contact Jamie Edmonds at: [email protected]. Tel: 07795 546037.
Items located in North Cornwall.
VAN & TRUCK MOUNT + EQUIPMENTVAN: Fiat Ducato 35 Multijet LWB / Only 3,200 Miles
/ Taxed April 2015 / Ply Lined / Linex Coated / Shelving. TRUCK MOUNT: Phoenix 570i / Only 91 Hours / LPG Gas Conversion / All Tanks Hoses &
Reels / Water Softener/Filter. EQUIPMENT: Evolution Wand / Pre Sprayer / Carpet Rack / Stair
Tool / Upholstery Tool / Ramp / Von Schrader Esprit Dry Cleaner. Genuine enquiries only please. Mobile:
07775 507227. Email: [email protected]
VACANCY & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITYExperienced full time Carpet and Floor Care
Technician required. Own van and equipment an advantage but not essential. Good business
incentive package (profit share or buy in). Area coverage M4 corridor from Bristol to London. Apply by email to [email protected]
(with full CV, etc.) or telephone: 01672 871882 or mobile: 07831 172743.
MACHINERY FOR SALE CFR Paramount 1000 PSI machine - delivering 1000
pressure per square inch. 95 litre recycling tank, great for commercial and domestic work £600.00
o.n.o. Contact [email protected] for further information or phone David on 07768 667824 or
01277 824546.
TOOL AND CHEMICALS FOR SALEOne 5.4kg tub of host powder (unopened). Retails at
around £29 - only £12. Also Kleenrite curtain cleaning tool - £25.00. Contact Lester Gale
(oxfordshire) 07949 207777.
FREE CLEANFAX MAGAZINESAndrew Hoyland, of carpet cleaning company
Freshclean in Cheshire, is offering 75 FREE Cleanfax magazines (ranging from 1998 up to 2005) to
anyone who can come and pick them up. They are a few years old but still full of very useful information
for carpet cleaners. He lives in Lowton near Warrington. If interested please call Andrew on:
07973 399903 or email: [email protected]
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEVictor Sprite 12" Rotory Machine. Used once. Was
£855 - Accept £450. Collect from Coventry. Tel 02476 620444.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEHOST freestyle (dry carpet cleaning system) VGC -
£1800... NO OFFERS. ASHBY'S NINJA 2X3 VAC 130psi (water heater needs fixing). Also included: 2 jet
wands, separate v2 steam kit, 2x hoses, 2x bags, 2x carpet rakes, Kleenrite upholstery tool, Prochem
power brush, 2x stair tools, 1x curtain tool. Excellent back-up machine, all can be used again after
servicing - £950 o.n.o. TURBO air mover Sahara Pro - £85 o.n.o. Dowding & Plummer contrator400
carpet/floor scrubber/polisher (slow speed - 105 rpm approx.) including buckets with stand and mops
and pads (also including a wet/dry vac). All can be used again after servicing - £450. Call Jon on 07736
512527 up to 8pm. Based in West Midlands.
The Association advises that all goods are checked to be in a satisfactory condition, and comply to electrical
and health and safety standards, etc.
It is recommended that equipment serial numbers should be checked to ensure the seller is the legitimate
owner.
The Association accepts no responsibility or liability arising from any transaction or dispute between the
buyer and seller.
Christmas Word search
49 Christmas related words have all been hidden in the grid below. You can find the words by looking
diagonally, forward, backward, up, and down.
See if you can find them.
Find these words
just
for fun!
BLITZER GOLD SACREDCANDLES GOODWILL SALESCARDS HOLY SLEDCEDAR ICICLES SLEIGHCELEBRATE LIGHTS SNOWBALLSCHRISTMAS TREE MERRY SPIRITCROWDS MIRACLE ST NICKDECORATIONS NOEL STARDONKEY NORTH POLE STICKERSELVES PARADES STOCKING STUFFERSEXCITED PINE STOCKINGSFAMILY REUNION POINSETTIA TOYSFESTIVAL PRESENTS TRAFFICFROSTY RED GREEN WASSAILINGGIFT BOXES REINDEER WRAPPING PAPERGIFTS RIBBON GINGERBREADMAN RUDOLPH