BEWARE OF THE COWBOY’S !!!

Over the last year, we have become aware of companies offering carpet cleaning who have no training whatsoever and are using inadequate machinery. This seems to be a growing problem not just in the carpet and upholstery cleaning trade but all types of trade services. You may believe that cleaning your carpets is not “rocket science” but truth is that you would be surprised in how difficult it is with out causing any damage. In fact, all of our staff have been on an off-site training course and are then chaperoned by an experienced operator for 12 months before they are signed off to clean carpets on their own.

Problems caused by cowboys can be shrinkage, colour run or colour bleed. Other problems can be hessian backing bleed also known as browning, bleaching and many other problems like over wetting etc. How do I know when I’m dealing with a cowboy you may ask! Well, the first clue is price!

If a carpet cleaner tells you he can come and clean your lounge for £20 then do you really think he is running it as a proper business! No professional outfit could make a living off those prices. The mistake people make is trying to work out the hourly rate of a carpet cleaner and you may be shocked to know that we need to make a minimum of £35 ph as a carpet cleaner to make any sort of living.

Anyone who cleans a carpet for £20 is making lees than the minimum wage! When you take into account fuel, travelling time, van insurance, tool insurance, business insurance, part costs, chemicals, stationery, cloth branding etc and I could go on with many more cost’s but you start to understand how much we need to earn to do a decent job.

Another give away clue is the type of machinery they use. If they are using machines that you could hire or rent like a Karcher valeting machine or rug doctor machines then that should set alarm bells ringing so don’t be afraid to ask what machines they use over the phone.

I hope this information has been of help to you and if you are worried about any issues raised here then please call me for a friendly chat on 01254 370037.