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ncca
December 2016/January 2017
The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association
Features:
An update from the President Carpet Cleaners Carnival Report Just the cleaner or a cleaning business owner
Contents 03 An Update from the President
Published monthly by:
04 New Staff Member
The National Carpet Cleaners Association. 62c London Road, Oadby Leicestershire, LE2 5DH. Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
06 NCCA Honorary Member is commended on achievements 08 ‘Just the cleaner’ or a cleaning ‘business owner’? 10 A Variation on ‘Out and About’ 14 Carpet Cleaners Carnival report 18 Why is this carpet still not clean? 20 Looking in to my crystal ball 22 TrustMark’s new consumer protection payment service 24 Is now the time to start thinking about adding hard floors to your services? Cover Image: Majestic by Brintons Carpets 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.
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Editor Nicky Law Editor in Chief Keith Robertson Design Editor Nikki Law NCCA President Nigel Lay Company Secretary/ 1st Vice President Glyn Charnock 2nd Vice President Allan Simmons Directors Paul Pearce Martin Johns Keith Robertson Co-opted Directors David Weaver Tim Colenutt www.facebook.com/NCCAcarpetcleaning www.twitter.com/NCCA__
An update from NCCA President, Nigel Lay
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irstly, my I take this opportunity to apologise for the delay in this issue of Newslink being sent to you. I’m sure you will have noticed that it has been a while since the last publication. Unfortunately I must inform you that our editor and designer, Nicky Law, is undergoing an intensive course of chemotherapy and will not be with us again until at least April 2017. We send Nicky and her family our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Nicky has been the driving force behind Newslink and is an integral part of the office team. Her absence has meant a disruption to services and office functions, so I am again sorry about the delay. We know members are always pleased to receive their copy of Newslink and consider the magazine an important benefit, but I’m sure that you will understand the circumstances and also wish Nicky all the best with her treatment. Following on from this, I wish to focus on some important changes within the Association and, now that 2016 is drawing to a close and we start to think of spending the Christmas break with family and friends and making plans for the New Year, I just wanted to provide a summary of the current situation. As most of the members are aware, the board of Directors serve the Association in a voluntary position and our time is spent between running our own businesses and contributing some of our time to the NCCA. The board have had a long held
vision that we would one day be able to appoint a Chief Executive Officer to oversee the long term plans and future development of the Association. I am pleased to announce our new CEO, Dave Wheadon, who commenced his position on December 1st. Dave has many years experience in building businesses and for the last few years has been heavily involved in the carpet cleaning industry taking on important roles with Chem-Dry and Textile Cleaning Solutions. We welcome his skills and passion for our industry and look forward to the implementation of the many new ideas and plans for the future development of the NCCA. Long standing Director, Keith Robertson, has taken the decision to stand down from the Board after many years of service. I would like to thank Keith for the time, commitment, friendship and contributions that he has given us all over a great number of years dedicated to the Association and wish him and his family every success for the future. Our Office Manager, Katie Hill, also took the decision to leave us at the end of September. I’m sure most members will have had contact with Katie over her 13 years with the company. Katie has been responsible for organising and implementing a lot of systems in the office over the years which culminated last year in the award of ISO 9001 which was passed with no advisories, which is testament to the diligence Continued on next page
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that Katie and the office staff contributed to the task in hand. Katie is now looking at a change in life style and we wish her all the best for the future and I personally would like to place on record our sincere thanks for all that Katie has contributed over many years. I am pleased to announce that Lewis Scroby has been promoted to Office Manager. Lewis has built up extensive knowledge over the years and is well known to most members. The role that Lewis was in has been reviewed and changes made to reflect the skill sets needed in todays environment of technology and social media and I am pleased to announce that Lauren Willis joined us in the first week of September.
Lauren graduated from Loughborough University with a First Class Honours degree in Information Technology and Business Management and will be instrumental in modernising this important function for the benefit of all members and the consumer. Lauren introduces herself in the article below. A date all members need to add to their diary is the NCCA General Meeting, which will be held on Saturday February 11th 2017 at Leicester Racecourse. We welcome all members to attend so that we can share the future vision of the NCCA as we move forward to a new and exciting chapter in our history. I look forward to seeing you there and wish all our readers a peaceful Christmas and prosperous New Year.
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New Staff Member: Introducing Lauren Willis
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i all, my name is Lauren and I am the new social media coordinator for the NCCA. I'm a Loughborough Unviersity graduate with a degree in IT Management for Business. Over the last five years I've worked in a number of social media related roles, both voluntary and paid, so I have a broad understanding of many social media platforms, and specifically their use to small businesses. My role as social media coordinator at the NCCA is to primarily tidy up the existing social media, and help with the development of increasing brand awareness and engagement. I have only been in the role for a few weeks but you may have noticed that I have already implemented a few changes.
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The NCCA – National Carpet Cleaners Association Facebook page (@NCCAcarpetcleaning) is now the central page for consumers, as well as the industry. Please give us a like if you haven't already! The 'Nicky Law-NCCA' profile that many of you are friends with will no longer be active, so please familiarise yourselves with the NCCA Members Facebook group, which will now be the central group for all activity. Our Twitter account has also had a name change (@NCCA__) and we've started tweeting again! If you have any comments or questions regarding our social media or social media in general, please don't hesitate to contact me by email: lauren@ncca.co.uk.
Diary Dates GENERAL MEETING 2017 Saturday February 11th Leicester Racecourse
Member Referral Report Since publishing a referral statistics report in the last issue of Newslink there have been 330 recommendations for members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of referrals from the NCCA office and customers contacting members directly through the website.
NCCA COURSES 2017 Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 3rd - 4th February 24th - 25th March 12th - 13th May Advanced Spot & Stain Removal 17th February 23rd June 27th October Dates for Leather Identification & Cleaning plus Health & Safety for Carpet Cleaners to be announced. Check www.ncca.co.uk for details.
NCCA Member Feedback My wife and I are house sitting for family members who are on an extended stay abroad. Yesterday we had an incident where our printer discharged some black ink on the white carpet in our guest room. Despite trying some of the tips on your FAQ we were not making the stain better, in fact it looked much worse. Today we contacted your member, Mr Neal Wilson of Neal Clean, Whittlesey near Peterborough via your web site. He has just finished the work and the result is excellent, no sign of any stain ever being present. We are so grateful (and relieved) we felt compelled to give you feedback on this member. He is a very personable man who carried out a first class service and kept us informed throughout. We have his business card and have him lined up for further cleaning jobs in the future. We are glad we used a NCCA member.
All above courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless otherwise stated. Visit: www.ncca.co.uk for booking options and further details. IICRC COURSE (TUTOR: PAUL PEARCE) Held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester Tel: 0116 271 9550 Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician 7th - 8th February IICRC COURSES (TUTOR: PAUL PEARCE) Held at Alltec Network, Hertfordshire Tel: 01763 208222 Carpet Cleaning Technician 21st - 22nd February Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician 28th February - 1st March IICRC COURSES (TUTOR: ADAM JANKOWSKI) Held at Legend Brands, Buckinghamshire (Sponsored by The WoolSafe Organisation and The Restoration Academy UK) Tel: 01943 850 817 (WoolSafe) Carpet Cleaning Technician, Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician and Odour Control Technician 6th - 10th March Visit: www.iicrc.org for further details on all IICRC Training Courses.
NCCA Honorary Member, Derek Bolton, is commended on achievements
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e are very proud to Derek receives his ‘Certificate of announce that NCCA Achievement’ Honorary Member, Derek Bolton, award was nominated for the Heroes of Leicestershire Awards this year in the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ category. Unfortunately he didn't win (not this time around at least) but, nevertheless, his achievements in this area have been recognised as being outstanding. Derek, who became a member in 1978, retired from carpet different zones and deliver messages on fire in cleaning (well... almost!) in 2011, the home, personal safety, road safety, alcohol, at which point he was awarded NCCA Honorary criminal damage, playing in or near water, Membership for his services to the Association railways, building sites, electricity safety and and industry. During his time as an ordinary internet safety. Nearly every school from member he sat on the Board of Directors in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland attend the several different roles, including the much centre as a school visit. coveted position of NCCA President. Derek's interest was piqued by what he had On his retirement Derek decided that he would heard and the following Monday he made contact like to spend some of his time supporting and with Warning Zone. He was subsequently invited helping his local community. This particular point to have a look around… and the rest, as they say, in his life coincided with him coming into contact is history. with an old friend (David) at a school reunion. Derek has now been a volunteer at Warning David told Derek that he was working as a Zone since 2012 and has given at least one full volunteer guide at a charity called Warning Zone, day every single week for the last four years to a children's life skills centre. He explained that his principle role was to guide year-six primary school help to educate the children, completing two full sessions a day with them! children (aged 10-11 years) through various
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Open Day at Warning Zone
Are you using survey forms?
Photographs ©Derek Bolton
As a member of the NCCA, conducting a survey prior to commencing a job should be an automatic part of your cleaning procedure. What you find during this process should then be recorded in writing.
To compare - most volunteers complete two sessions a month on different days. Derek has now become the first volunteer at the charity to ever complete 400 guiding sessions with the children, winning him Warning Zone’s ‘Certificate of Achievement’ award. This means that he has single-handedly taught over 2,400 school children on how to keep themselves safe, make the right decisions in life, take responsibility for their own actions, keep out of trouble with the law... and much, much more! Administrator for Warning Zone, Anne Collins, says about Derek “He comes in each time to guide with such enthusiasm. He conveys the Warning Zone messages in his own unique way and has such a sense of fun that it cannot help transmit itself to the young people he is teaching. Derek is so committed to his role that he is one of the first names down whenever we ask for help. If I had to sum Derek up in a few words I would say: dedicated, professional and always goes the extra step - the true epitome of what it means to be a Volunteer”.
So, why should you do this? 1) It provides an opportunity to pick up on any previous damage or problems. 2) You can obtain vital information which will enable you to select the correct method and chemicals to do the work. 3) If you have recorded your findings in writing there is an evidence trail in the possible event of a later problem or dispute. So often, over the years, the absence of a completed written survey has resulted in the cleaning technician concerned being left with a hefty replacement bill, often when it wasn't their fault… but the fact is that they had nothing to support their claims. An important point to bear in mind is that if you have a claim under your insurance policy your insurance company will request a copy of the survey form, which they will expect you to have completed prior to the work taking place. If you cannot provide a completed survey form then this may well invalidate your insurance cover… so be warned! The NCCA provides comprehensive survey forms for members, which come in pads of 100 with a carbon-copy sheet so you can give one copy to your customer and also keep one for yourself. If you would like to purchase a survey pad, please log-in to the NCCA website members area where you can order online.
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‘Just the cleaner’ or a cleaning ‘business owner’?
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re you struggling to get higher prices for your services? Do you find that your customers have little respect for the training and knowledge you have? And they don't appreciate that you're a fully trained textile and fabric expert, in fact, they view you as 'just the cleaner'? Well, the problem may not be your customers at all. It could be how you think of, and therefore project, yourself. The problem may not so much be that the customer views you as 'just the cleaner' but that you view yourself as 'just the cleaner'. This mindset is not helped by other cleaners saying “What makes you think you can get away with charging high prices? You should be ashamed of yourself. You're not a doctor or a surgeon… its only carpet cleaning”. Yet the answer is so simple. You are NOT just a cleaner or even just a carpet cleaner. You are a serious business owner with more than one business. This is according to Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth. According to Gerber you have not one but three businesses: 1) A Marketing Business with the purpose of lining up new business. 2). A Service Delivery Business with the job of delivering first class service. 3) A Client Retention Business to keep the clients you already have.
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David Coker
View yourself as you want others to see you
And what is so difficult about running a small business? Well, if you previously worked for an employer it looked so easy. All you had to do was the service delivery part of the business. Now you don't have one job… you in fact have THREE. As well as actually performing the job, you have to get the work in the first place and then follow up with customers so that they return and refer. Yes… you run THREE businesses. So, if you run three businesses don't you deserve more income than someone who runs only one? And it’s THIS that can be the biggest problem for you… to change your mindset and your thinking on this. You are NOT just 'the cleaner'. One of the most important ways to gain respect from customers is by how you dress. A serious business owner turns up in uniform, perhaps with a company logo on his shirt. If you turn up in jeans and trainers aren't you conveying to the
customer that you really ARE 'just the cleaner'? Some years ago I took a friend of mine to an emergency NHS dentist. You can always tell a dentist... he wears a blue or white gown and looks like a dentist. But this man had a pair of jeans on under his gown. It certainly made me think twice when I saw him. My initial thoughts were to wonder whether he really was a qualified dentist. People DO judge a book by its cover, whether you feel that's fair or not. Another way to show the customer you're serious is by charging higher prices. This may
seem counter intuitive. But it hardly helps if you're charging domestic cleaning rates. If you're working for ÂŁ15 an hour it just reinforces the fact that you are just a cleaner. No serious business remains in business charging those rates. So, if you want your customers to respect you as more than just the cleaner you have to be more than just the cleaner. View yourself as the serious business owner that you are. Look and act the part and make sure to convey your status and professionalism in every aspect of the business.
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A Variation on ‘Out and About’
Derek Bolton
With Ray and Jackie Austin
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k so what's the difference? Well to tell the truth I did not go out and about this month. Instead I had some fabric samples sent to me by members, Ray and Jackie Austin. They have taken a leaf out of my book and very kindly collected some quite interesting fabric samples from their local Laura Ashley store for me. I sincerely hope that Ray managed to talk Jackie into the obligatory coffee and sticky bun? The beauty of obtaining samples such as these is that you can play away to your hearts content without the risk. You can push the tests to the destruction point to see how they react. A great 'safe' way of learning and gaining confidence IMPORTANT REMINDER: Always test on the zip end of a cushion when dealing with a customers upholstered furniture. The first sample I looked at was Red plain weave flatweave fabric 65% Viscose, 18% Cotton, 15% Linen and 2% Silk. On testing for a sensitive dye being present I managed to obtain a positive reaction, you can clearly see the red has changed becoming Orange in the tested area. There is the obligatory 'Dry-Clean Only' label attached. After wetting part of the fabric with tap water and drying, there was very slight distortion showing from the Viscose fibres swelling but nothing I
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would be too worried about. I would still happily wet clean this fabric obviously with care ensuring that the cleaned fabric was left at a neutral pH. I have to say that out of the thirteen samples Ray and Jackie obtained for me only half a dozen showed any adverse reactions to testing. That doesn't mean to say that tests shouldn't be done on all fabrics prior to cleaning however. The next piece of fabric tested was a figured slightly longerpile fabric made up of 52% Viscose, 48% Cotton. The pile was 100% Viscose. The cleaning instructions read 'Fixed Covers -
Clean In-Situ'. That means us unless the customer decides to 'have a go' themselves of course. The sensitive dye test revealed that the fibres are susceptible and will turn a lovely shade of pink. When wet the Viscose pile absorbs the moisture with relish, I have wet part of the fabric and you can clearly see the distortion. Discussion with the client 'if' attempting to clean this fabric is essential. Maybe a dry-clean process would be appropriate or you could simply refuse to clean it. For a change I went for a striped flatweave fabric comprising of 70% Cotton, 30% Viscose once again with the 'Dry-Clean Only' label. A test for sensitive dyes proved positive across the several different weaves within the fabric. The pink hue is not as vibrant as some of the others but nevertheless it's present and unacceptable. This is another fabric that I would personally be happy to wet clean with care using the appropriate chemicals and technique. Once the fabric has been tested and the relevant information gathered you and the customer can decide whether or not to go ahead. When testing number 4 I had a bit of a surprise. A predominantly flatweave fabric with a pile stripe running through it, the fibre content is 75% Viscose Rayon and 25% Polyester. It, again, has a 'Dry-Clean Only' label attached. The fabric didn't show signs that a sensitive dye was present so I concentrated on the pile Viscose
stripe. I anticipated pile distortion and wanted to see to what extent the appearance changed. I applied cold local tap water (pH 8.4) and allowed it to dry. There was distortion present but also Cellulosic Browning. The browning would need to be considered when attempting to clean but more importantly the distortion needs to be assessed for its acceptability and discussed openly and honestly with the customer‌ it is ultimately their decision. At this point I need to remind you that this is a classic case where the Survey Form completion really comes into its own. Moving on‌ I then looked at a ribbed fabric comprising 40% Viscose Rayon, 33% Cotton and 27% Polyester. One again the 'Dry-Clean Only' wording is clearly visible on the label. Testing for the sensitive dye left a faint pink mark. I subjected part of the sample fabric to local tap water and dried off. The treated area showed that some distortion had taken place and that there was some slight Cellulosic Browning present. As with the previous sample the results in the affected test area would have to be discussed with the customer. Continued on next page
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If the customer found the tested area (minus the Cellulosic Browning) acceptable I would wet clean this fabric. NEVER discuss using the word 'damage' try 'the appearance may change'. If the pile is set correctly after cleaning the customer should have a clean piece of furniture with a bright stripe due to the increased reflection of light from the swollen fibres. Next, a flatweave fabric containing 79% Viscose, 19% Linen and 2% Cotton. All vegetable fibres. The sample had a 'Dry-Clean Only' statement on the label. The sensitive dye test showed slight discolouration, nothing to worry about now that we know it's there. In spite of the presence of vegetable fibres, on wetting with good old Leicester tap water (pH 8.4) there was no evidence of Cellulosic Browning. 7. I would be quite happy to wet-clean this fabric. Another stripe flatweave fabric this time the fibre blends are 50% Viscose, 33% Cotton, 8% Acrylic, 5% Polyester and 4% Linen. Try doing a burn test on that little lot! Once again it has 'DryClean Only' on the label.
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Like the previous fabric there was a very slight show of colour on the sensitive dye test this could be dealt with if cleaned with care. I would wet clean this fabric. Another one to watch is this little beauty, the fabric contains 55% Viscose, 44% Cotton. It has a label that reads 'Sensitive Dry-Clean Only'. There is no mention of what is meant by 'Sensitive', but I would certainly question if it is that sensitive to clean is it really suitable for use on upholstery fabrics? Let me show you the results of the tests I carried out. First I tried the sensitive dye test, a slight show of colour nothing I would concern myself with, BUT just look at the distortion! I wet part of the fabric lower down with cold tap water then dried it off. I gently brushed the area of distortion with a soft brush I am sure you will agree it's not the best result. Clean it may be, but it is clearly damaged.
I wondered what the fabric manufacturer meant by 'Sensitive Dry-Clean', so I had a go with what I perceived it to be. I applied a dry cleaning solvent onto a previously untouched section of the fabric using a natural sponge and stroked it into the fabric in the direction of the pile to provide the agitation, towelled it off and allowed to dry.
When the solvent had evaporated completely I evaluated the tested fabric again. As you can see in the picture included in this section damage has been caused by wet cleaning, the application of the solvent showed only a very slight difference in light reflection (I am being really picky here). There are issues to consider here… a) Although there is relatively little change in the appearance of the fabric using a solvent product it is unlikely to have much effect on water based stains. I think it very likely that most customers would have attempted some form of removal prior to us getting there, I would suspect some damage would be visible. b) Consider, if you will, the implications of using a dry cleaning solvent cleaner and allowing some of the product to remain within the fabric (which would be inevitable). I refer to possible toxicology issues; maybe the customer or a family member is allergic to solvents and may have a reaction when using an item of furniture cleaned in this way? CONCLUSION: There are issues with some of the fabrics given to me and a cleaning technician should obviously carry out a sensitive dye test, also a wet test using water and solvent (if a solvent is being considered) - all on the zip end of a cushion. If an item of furniture has a fully fitted fabric then the tests must be small and very discreet, somewhere it will not be seen or at least be obvious. Cleaning chemicals should be selected on their merit for the job in hand, so... the technician must fully understand how the chemicals work and react with the various fibres. This is where the playing around with samples comes in.
Make sure the pH balances are correctly worked out with all water based chemicals you intend to us. This also includes any spotting chemicals. I have some great pictures from experienced cleaners who have achieved superb results in the cleaning of fabrics, then gone on to ruin it all by using a spotter they haven't tested on the fabric prior and, more importantly, neutralised. All it takes is one unguarded moment for a good job to go bad. Don't get complacent. It is very easily done, especially when you have been in the business for a few years. Why not do a Ray and Jackie this weekend and take your partner for a retail therapy session, not admitting that you now have an ulterior motive to do so of course! Oh, and before you go into the furniture store, check out the nearest café for that coffee and sticky bun… Have fun!
New NCCA Members D A C Cleaning Solutions Bradwell, Hope Valley, Derbyshire
Opticlean - Optimum Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Cardiff, Glamorgan
Crystal Building Services Ltd Maidstone, Kent
Blackwater Cleaning Service Maldon, Essex
Freshclean UK Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
Tile Master Global Ltd (Corporate) Stockport, Cheshire
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Wicksteed Park Pavilion
The NCCA Greeting Committee
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n 10th September the sixth Carpet Cleaners Carnival took place at Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire. At 9:30am the doors were opened to cleaners from all over the UK, each eager to expand their business and technical skills. Many of them brought their friends and family too, despite the heavy rain. On the day everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and since the event we have received a huge amount of positive feedback. If you didn't attend the Carnival this year, here's what you missed… THE EXHIBITION The event included an exhibition of manufacturers, suppliers and advisors from within and outside of the Association. Here visitors were exposed to leading companies from the full spectrum of the industry, from stone floor cleaning to wool cleaning. The exhibition hall was busy throughout the day and the exhibiting companies, eager to show off
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The Carpet Cleaners Carnival new developments in chemicals and machinery, were reported to be delighted with the success of the show. Here's what they had to say… “Hi Nicky and all at the NCCA, just a 'thank you' to the team for a great show. It was fantastic to see both existing and new customers visit our stand. We had lots enquires… even more than last year! If you are in the industry it's a must go to exhibition”. Dave Wheadon (Textile Cleaning Solutions Ltd)
talk. To the people that stayed to listen, thanks for your time. See you next year!” Gary Webber (Ioniclean Solutions) **************************************** “Thanks to all the NCCA guys who worked tirelessly putting together another awesome Carnival. Despite the weather people turned out in their droves. It was non-stop from start to finish. Great seeing lots of faces, new and old. I was absolutely exhausted at the end of the day, but it was worth it!” Kerry Thomas (Alltec Network) **************************************** “I was thrilled with the amount of interest in my stand and the turnout at my seminar at the Carpet Cleaners Carnival this year. The event served as an excellent platform to meet old and new industry faces and to network with some of our sector's top end companies. Everyone I met seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the day. I will definitely go again”. Julie Roberts (Modular Training Solutions)
Report by Nicky Law
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“The weather did not dampen my spirits! I had a great weekend catching up with friends and meeting new people. Many thanks to the organisers of this event. Top work!” Russ Chadd (AutoCleanseUK) **************************************** “Thanks Nicky, Lewis, Alan, Nigel and the rest of the NCCA team who once again made the Carpet Cleaners Carnival a success. Nice to see some new faces as well as existing clients. Enjoyed giving my
Me with Shaun and Phil from Wrennalls Group
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THE SEMINAR PROGRAMME Aside from trying out the equipment and grabbing themselves a bargain at the trade exhibition, visitors also came to the Carnival to expand on, or top up, their business and technical skills. And we are pleased to say that this year's seminar programme certainly didn't disappoint!
James Ashford drew a big crowd
With a range of business subjects covered including: Google ads/PPC and how to gain referrals for life, as well as a range of industry specific topics such as: Colloid cleaning, cleaning wool carpets and colour repair, there really was something for everyone. MONEY RAISED FOR KIRSTY'S KIDS We are pleased to report that (from the auction and other activities) a fantastic ÂŁ810.50 was raised for the charity Kirsty's Kids at the Carnival this year! Kirsty's Kids is a no overheads charity helping to improve the lives of Jan and John Bryden
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children, including those who are suffering from serious life limiting illnesses, those with special needs and their siblings. Kirsty's Kids operates on goodwill and sponsorship using all unpaid volunteers and every penny goes straight to the children it helps! NCCA members John and Jan Bryden, who run the charity in honour of their late daughter Kirsty, are extremely pleased with the money raised at the Carnival this year and would like to thank everyone who contributed. For more information on Kirsty's Kids go to: www.kirstyskids.org
Julie Roberts speaking on Colour Repair
ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT As usual, in the exhibition hall there were a number of activities to keep the kids entertained, including the hugely popular Fun Faces face painting and our crossword treasure hunt game. There were some fantastic prizes on offer for the game and we are pleased to announce that the four lucky winners were: Sharay Hunt, Jayne Coller, Mirko Hristov and Amelia Hayter. Well done on picking up on all the clues!
PRAISE FOR CCC 2016 Here are some of the comments you made about the event this year: “Great event! I learnt a lot and it was great to see familiar faces again. I would like to thank the NCCA and all involved for an excellent day”. Alan Reeves (Phoenix Restore) “Thank you to everyone who organised the event this year. It was great to catch up with people we know and we met some new folk too. There was a good variety of seminars and we definitely learnt something new”. Andrew Bines (Homecleen) “It was a 'first' for us and we were not THE £100 PRIZE DRAW This year we gave Newslink readers the chance to win £100 in our Carnival prize draw. We offered everyone the opportunity to choose a subject they would like to see covered in the 2016 seminar line-up. The names of the respondents, whether their ideas were chosen or not, were then entered into the draw which took place on the day. We are pleased to announce that the very lucky winner was NCCA member Paul Waite of Careful Clean in Bedfordshire. Congratulations Paul!
disappointed, learnt loads and made some good contacts. Hope to be there next year. Many thanks from us to the organisers”. Barbara Layton (B K Cleaning Services) “Having put on many events myself over the years I know these things don't organise themselves, so a big 'thank you' to the NCCA staff. Well done! It was a shame about the weather, but that was something out of your control. Well done everyone”. Maria Earley (Red Kite Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning) “I would like to thank everyone at the NCCA for everything they did for the CCC. I really enjoyed the day. Also the speakers. Thanks again”. Alan Willey (Nice & Bright)
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‘Why is this carpet still not clean?’
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arpet Cleaners and consumers seem to contact me a lot in regard to dark areas in the carpet which are resolutely present during, and even after, cleaning. Consumers say “I have just had my carpet cleaned and it's still dirty”. The carpet cleaner calls me to say “I have been working on this area now for thirty minutes and it's still not coming clean”. You may assume that these dark areas are due to stubborn soiling, but very often they're not. You see, when we remove the soil from the surface of a carpet we are often confronted with further issues such as distortion to the pile or fibres. This is often the case when a client is dissatisfied with a clean. They think there is remaining soil in the carpet, when the real reason it looks dark is the distorted pile. Of course it really doesn't help when the ill-informed carpet retailer or client's friend says “well, they didn't do a good job of removing the soil, it still looks dirty, especially in front of the settee”. We need to better educate our clients if we want to avoid this scenario. Explain to them that carpets can distort in some areas…. and certainly never guarantee to get a carpet 'looking like new'! Walkway areas in particular can change substantially in appearance, due to distortion, in a relatively short time and this may not be noticed by the client until after you have cleaned the carpet. It is inevitable that all 'traffic' areas will show signs of wear and tear over time, but some people think that the degraded appearance is simply down to soiling.
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Paul Pearce
This kind of distortion is progressive, and can start immediately after the carpet is laid. It can be the result of several things: Ÿ Shading - a change in light reflection as fibres are bent or reoriented over time. Ÿ Abrading - which results from the abrasive action of particle soils rubbing against the fibres, causing them to dull and reflect, deflect or absorb light differently from less trafficked areas. Ÿ Fading - gradual colour loss resulting from exposure of carpet dyes to light (especially sunlight) over time, and to a lesser extent, to acid soils or to atmospheric gases or fumes. Ÿ Wear - a loss of fibre density resulting from normal traffic, maintenance and general use. Obviously, poor pile density and minimum yarn twist also results in distortion in traffic areas. Ÿ Pile reversal - which can appear generally throughout the carpet but mainly wherever traffic is experienced, usually immediately after installation or within a few months (looks like a water stain). No one really knows what causes pile reversal or how to prevent it. It even extends across seams from one section of carpet to another; I have also seen it on carpet tiles. There are reported to be one or two people out there using a steaming method to reverse the distorted pile, but even that is only temporary. It is not a manufacturing fault, although there have been instances where a carpet has been replaced by the manufacturer. However, I suspect this was more a gesture of goodwill than ownership of the problem.
An example of shading
Because it occurs in carpet and rugs of all fibre types (wool, nylon, polyester, acrylic, coir, silk, polypropylene, etc.), all construction types (woven, tufted, fusion bonded, modular, etc.), in all methods of installation, under virtually every imaginable combination of circumstances, the conclusion that pile reversal is not related to any of these factors is well supported.
The visibility of shading, including pile reversal, is minimised if the carpet is: a loop pile: it occurs almost invariably in cut-pile styles, loop-pile styles are a virtual guarantee against this problem. Ÿ displaying a busy pattern: the more busily and boldly patterned a carpet is, the better it will disguise shading and pile reversal. Ÿ a pale colour: lighter carpets sometimes tend to show less contrast between darker and lighter shaded areas, whereas darker colours often tend to exaggerate these differences. Ÿ constructed of fibres with less lustre: fibres with less 'sheen' create less contrast between dark and light areas. Bear in mind that pile distortion will not be the explanation for every single dark patch of carpet. It might actually be that it does need a bit more cleaning.
FULL TIME VACANCY Experienced Carpet and Upholstery Technician required by long established company in West London Excellent conditions and earning potential for the right candidate. If you have good industry qualifications and at least 10 years' experience of top level work, why not join our team in delivering quality? You will be working with a company with a long history of excellence. ********************* If you think that you have the background and are honest and hardworking please email: graham@pilgrimpayne.co.uk
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Looking in to my crystal ball
T
he humble vacuum cleaner has seen amazing progress over the last 60 years or so. I can remember as a child being given a ride on my Mom's hoover whilst she vacced the carpet. It was an upright machine with the famous “beats as it sweeps as it cleans” action. It had one height setting so it was a case of one size fits all. The next generation had an adjustable height, manually set by a wheel or lever, to cater for different pile depths. This feature became the standard specification for most manufacturers and is still popular today. More recently, there have been machines that automatically adjust their height when moving from deep to low pile carpets and even lower for cleaning hard floors. Alongside these improvements, the pure suction vacuums have become “fully automated” as they are robots that can be left to automatically vac a carpet unattended. Looking at the timeline of these developments, I now raise the question as to the viability of robotic carpet cleaning machines. Robots are common place within industry and we now have cars, trucks and tractors being developed with this technology in mind. I seem to recall seeing large area, low moisture robotic machines being available for general floor cleaning, so the step towards a fully automated version along the lines of the popular all-in-one machines which are very popular in the rental and consumer markets may not be far away.
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Ken Wainwright So, if this technology were to become practical and viable within the consumer market, what effect could it have on our industry? It is my view that the first to suffer would be those companies who pitched themselves towards the lowcost/higher-volume sector. Those of us who have developed our businesses along the high quality but more time demanding route should typically have a customer base that demands and values the best possible clean which, certainly initially, would require a person to operate the equipment effectively. In the meantime, to weather any stormy road that may lie ahead, invest wisely for the future. Invest in training to increase your knowledge, understanding and skills. Invest in your equipment to maximise both your productivity and professional image. And finally, keep yourself informed of developments within the cleaning industry in general, both commercial and consumer marketplace. You know it makes sense to be informed and prepared.
Germs on the job It is surprising how many carpet cleaning technicians will clean a carpet that has contaminants present, and then pack away their equipment without any thought of sanitising their machines and tools. Some don't even wear the most basic of PPE such as gloves! You can limit your exposure by being vigilant with your procedures.
TrustMark’s new consumer protection payment service sees the end of rogue traders
T
his year a new consumer protection service to help homeowners and tradespeople enter into an agreed contractual arrangement when paying for home improvement, repair or maintenance work has been announced by TrustMark, the only Government-endorsed scheme for all trades in and around the home. The Escrow service is a low cost, quick and effective way of helping TrustMark-registered firms and their customers protect each other through a financial contract, with the payment for the works, being placed into an independent, secure account, which is protected by a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorised firm. Depending on the works and payment structure agreed, the service will allow the customer to pay for the work in advance or in staged payments. For tradespeople, this will provide peace of mind that they will be able to supply the materials and complete the work knowing the funds for the job are available through the Escrow account. Based upon the terms and conditions, which the two parties set and agree before the works starts, payment will be released accordingly. There is a cost of ÂŁ6 per party to set up the core Escrow service. For homeowners, this payment will guarantee satisfaction for building work, and for the firms, it will guarantee 100% full payment. Additional costs may apply if multiple stage payments are used or for very large transactions.
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Once the terms and conditions have been agreed and payment has been received, the funds for the work are placed into the secure account. This can only be accessed for payment subject to the preagreed terms and conditions and the firm has visibility of the funds but no direct access. As the works proceed, and only once the various stages are met, the customer is obligated to release the funds to the firm. TrustMark has partnered with Transpact.com, Europe's leading escrow provider, to process all the payments and deposit transactions and will provide full protection to both parties involved. Transpact.com uses the UK's Faster Payment Service (FPS) so payment is received and cleared into the firm's bank account within a few seconds or minutes of the customer completing the secure instruction process. In the event of a dispute involving the payment between the firm and customer, TrustMark will
work to mediate and resolve the issues between the two parties, and if necessary will apply final arbitration according to the pre-agreed conditions set. Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark, said: “Using TrustMark Escrow can be a great solution for many homeowners with bigger jobs, such as extensions that can take a few months to complete, as it means they won't actually pay any money direct to a tradesperson or firm until they are fully satisfied. For the tradesperson, they will know they are dealing with a genuine customer and guaranteed payment if they carry out their side of the contract. This is a positive step to eliminating those rogue traders who take large amounts of money for shoddy workmanship.” Andrew Kaye, Founder of Transpact.com, added: “TrustMark's simple new service ensures rogue traders are gone forever and replaced by fully paid tradespeople who provide a promise of quality. It makes sense for anyone doing work to their home to use an escrow account as they are guaranteed the quality work they had agreed to their pre-set specification, or their money back, and every tradesperson is guaranteed 100% payment.” To find out more information about TrustMark Escrow, visit https://trustmarkescrow.org.uk/ For members that have not yet joined TrustMark, the NCCA are scheme operators for the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry and further information can be requested from our office. Email admin@ncca.co.uk to enquire.
NCCA Member Benefits Adelante Merchant Services 01628 820500 BeValued - Home Options (specialist claims management - insurance work) Call Shaun Mulvey on 01323 418432 Control Account PLC 01527 882901 Yell Advertising Ask for Corporate Advertising Department 0808 100 7890 HMCA (free legal and tax advice) 0330 303 1860 HMCA (free counselling helpline) 0333 000 2082 HMCA (medical health cover) 01423 866985 Payatrader 01296 660177 SiteWizard (website creation) 08450 608860 Thompson Local Call 03330 145 045, or email info@thomsonlocal.com quoting “Scheme 1” in the subject line TrustMark (Email NCCA Office) admin@ncca.co.uk
Corporate Member Benefits 20% off RESEARCH and CITRUS products for all NCCA members at Cleaners Warehouse! Go to www.cleanerswarehouse.co.uk (A registration page has been set up on the site for NCCA members)
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Is now the time to start thinking about adding hard floors to your list of services? Martin Castellani-Shelley, Tile Master Global
G
rowing trends in the hard floor industry are making it a very easy add to your current cleaning business, and now everything is in your favour. Gone are the days of hard floors being scary or worrying about stepping into the unknown. Due to a recent shift in the flooring industry and manufacturing processes, end users are finding it harder to maintain their floors to a high standard. As a result, there is now a greater requirement for specialist deep cleans to bring floors back to their best. Porcelain on the up! Over the last few years there has been a big shift in tile shops starting to stock more porcelain and ceramic over natural stone. The same shift has been present in new shopping centres, hotels and leisure areas where anti-slip tiles have been specified by designers and architects. The tiles have slip ratings known as “R�, anti-slip tiles tend to sit around R11 - R13 which means they have a deeper structure and feel like sandpaper in texture. This is perfect for commercial areas, as the tiles can prevent slipping and potential claims. Seize the opportunity This is great news for us, as floor cleaning specialists. The tile structure has lots of pits and grooves that look like the French Alps under a microscope. The pits are what give the anti-slip feature to the tile, but unfortunately get filled with dirt very quickly. As a result, the daily in
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house cleaning teams in these commercial premises resort to making stronger dilutions of the cleaning products or moving to high alkaline cleaners and sometimes with only a mop and bucket as their 'equipment'. The problem with this is residue being left on the surface, which attracts more soil and the floors start to degrade very quickly. The next step is to bring out the scrubber dryer. These machines are brilliant on most floors but, due to the nature and texture of new anti-slip tiles, the machine tends to float over the surface and not reach between pits and grooves where the dirt is lodged and embedded with dried cleaning solution. Another issue with scrubber dryers is the 'couple of steps' or 'couple of seconds' rule. This is when the solution dispenses out at the front and then within less than a couple of steps or seconds it's been extracted with only a little agitation from a pad or brush and pretty much no dwell time. As a result, the tiles are not cleaned correctly and many facilities management companies are now bringing in
external floor cleaning specialists to deep clean these tiles on a regular basis. A risk-free, easy clean for you Porcelain tiles are very easy to clean and one of the most risk free surfaces to work on. The tiles are fired at very high heat with high pressure to make them very tough and durable in either a commercial, domestic, internal or external environment. They offer very good resistance to chemicals, stains and scratches and do not shrink if you over wet them. Due to all these benefits and different design patterns, porcelain tiles are becoming a most popular tile in the flooring world.
What processes are recommended? Cleaning porcelain tiles generally comes in two waves, the first being an after installation clean for the work to be signed off and the second being a general deep clean when foot traffic, spills and cleaning products build up and can't be removed by the end user.
Builders cleans often require an acid wash, this is to remove soils like grout haze, plaster dust and general build up. General deep cleans often require an alkaline product. High alkaline cleaning products are perfect for deep cleaning soils like greasy food, drinks spills and general traffic dirt. They also remove the cleaning residue and polymers that have built up from wash and shine products used daily to mop the floor on a daily basis. On the market are many different brands of powerful neutral floor cleaners so, if ever in doubt of the material or tile, a pH7 neutral cleaner can help to clean and remove a good level of dirt and improve the appearance to a high standard. They clean just like carpet - but easier Cleaning a porcelain tiled floor is a very similar process to working on a carpet. See a straightforward step by step guide below. Ÿ Remove dry soil using a brush or vacuum Ÿ Apply cleaning solution to an area of 2sqft Ÿ Allow product to dwell for a few minutes keeping wet if required with more product Ÿ Agitate well using a brush or floor machine Ÿ Extract, wet-vac or mop Ÿ Rinse well using fresh water Ÿ Vac and extract to leave dry Ÿ Check results, repeat if required Ÿ Move to next section It is always recommend to carry out a small test to identify the surface you are working on and a test patch to determine the correct product and to show the client the results you can achieve.
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CLASSIFIEDS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Due to retirement the following items for sale; 2 black fans; Ashbys Power Brush (hardly used/as new condition); carpet dryer with stand; one and a half inch vacuum hose; 64 feet 1 inch hose (all hoses unused/new and good quality); 1 new hose bag; range of unopened chemicals. Contact Philip on 01865 882345 (Oxford) or Email: philip8823@gmail.com EQUIPMENT FOR SALE s/hand Extracta Scrubba Deluxe. Heavy duty motor. Height and handle adjustment. 13" cleaning width, twin brushes (requires Extracta cleaning machine to couple to, or can also be connected to TruckMount). Ideal for contract work/large areas. Surplus to requirements. £375. Buyer collects or we could meet. Call Tim Stockdale on 01904 413612. PROCHEM LEGEND SE (Petrol) TRUCK MOUNT CARPET CLEANING MACHINE FOR SALE Recently new front face panels. Runs and performs well. Well serviced. Comes with wand, solution hoses and vacuum hoses, and ready to work. Also a demand pump if you are running a tank - £3995.00 + VAT (ONO). Please contact XTRACLEAN on: 01760 337762 or email: sales@xtraclean.uk.com BUSINESS FOR SALE Established London based hotel and commercial carpet, upholstery and curtain cleaning business for sale. Impressive list of long established clients together with highly skilled long serving operators and an extensive range of equipment. Year ending October 2015 200k plus turnover with excellent profits. Sale due to retirement. For further information call Mark on 07825 661980 or email: markpetchy@btinternet.com. EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Chemspec hose reel for truck mount (plastic) £200. Contact aquadriinfo@btconnect.com for further information or contact Andy on: 07970 544806.
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SUCCESSFUL CLEANING BUSINESS FOR SALE Well-established and very successful business in Birstall, Leicestershire, is now being sold. Local repeat client base of over 2000 mostly domestic (and some commercial) clients and excellent yearly turnover. Fantastic opportunity for local person(s) who would like to be their own boss and not be dependent on others for their income. Full training in all aspects of cleaning and restoration and a proven marketing package can be included in the sale. Some I.T. skills would be an advantage, but all other areas can be taught. Telephone Gary on: 07745 592132 for further details. EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Texatherm system with HT030S digital tank, and 50 pads, plus minitex & 7 minitex pads, plus 4 x 5ltrs of new solutions. Tank is like new. The TC170 machine is in excellent condition with a brand new power cord, just looks battered a bit! Airflex Mini hot water extraction machine in excellent condition, good quality wand and hand tool. Sebo BS36 vacuum cleaner. Sebo agitator (virtually new), and air dryer, red and white buckets, plus lots of solutions etc. Victor Lynx 20" buffer in excellent condition (without the vacuum). Numatic twin speed rotary - as new, only used once (such a waste!). Old Victor 400 rpm rotary with solution tank - quite old and battered. Lots of brand new floor pads still in boxes (various sizes and colours). Lots of unopened floor strippers and floor cleaners (a variety of makes). Possibly a B & G cold fogging machine (also like new). Sale due to retirement. Tel: Jacqueline Cobban on: 07563 672882. WANTED - SHADOWING OPPORTUNITY Manchester based technician looking for opportunity to shadow another carpet technician. Already familiar with all cleaning aspects and done over 30 jobs in past year. Just looking to gain more confidence in the process. Compensation for your time will be provided. Contact Kamila Logozny on 0161 4084457.
CLASSIFIEDS FULL TIME VACANCY - CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY CLEANING TECHNICIAN Experienced Carpet and Upholstery Technician required by long established company in West London. Excellent conditions and earning potential for the right candidate. If you have good industry qualifications and at least 10 years' experience of top level work, why not join our team in delivering quality? You will be working with a company with a long history of excellence. If you think that you have the background and are honest and hardworking please email: graham@pilgrimpayne.co.uk
Advertise with us! You can advertise FREE OF CHARGE within the classifieds section of Newslink. For further information call Nicky Law on: 0116 271 9550.
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.
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NCCA Corporate Members +
Allied Insurance Services Ltd: 0844 8156211 (I)
+
Alltec Network Ltd: 01763 208222 (C/M/F/T)
+
Amtech UK: 01444 232211 (C/M)
+
Ashby's Cleaning Equipment: 01795 436999 (C/M/E)
+
Bio Productions Ltd (inc. Stapro): 01444 244000 (C)
+
Camberford Law: 0208 315 5000 (I)
+
Chemdry Franchising Ltd: 01482 872770 (C/M/Fr)
+
Cleanerswarehouse Ltd: 01772 434333 (T/C/R/M)
+
Cleaning Systems UK: 01334 656787 (C/M/T/F)
+
Cleansmart Ltd: 0115 8240034 (T/C/R/M/K)
+
Crisp & Brite: 01509 881137 (C/M)
+
Dry Fusion UK Ltd: 01772 433711 (C/M/T/W/Fr)
+
Furniture Clinic Ltd: 01207 279964 (C/Tr)
+
Get Booked Up Software: 01405 813665
+
Gleaming Insurance: 0845 4740068 (I)
+
Hi-Tec Cleaning Group: 02866 341416 (C/E/F/M/T)
+
Host Von Schrader Ltd: 01244 289256 (M/C)
+
Legend Brands Europe Ltd: 01908 611211 (C/M/T/F)
+
LTT Leathercare: 01423 881027 (T/Tr)
+
McGregor Lloyd: 0121 706 0616 (I)
+
NSL Restormate: 01670 590099: (M/C/Tr)
+
Nu Life Stone Care Ltd: 0161 480 7284 (M/C)
+
Print & Deliver Ltd: 01628 633336
+
Prochem Europe Ltd: 0208 974 1515 (C/F/M/T)
+
Rainbow International: 01623 422488 (M/C/Fr)
+
The Restoration Academy UK: 01494 434772 (T/Tr)
+
Restoration Express: 01252 726106 (M/C/T/A)
+
Safeclean: 01235 444700 (Tr)
+
Sebo UK Ltd: 01494 465533 (M)
+
ServiceMaster Ltd: 0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr)
+
Stainshield Ltd: 01372 841467 (C)
+
Textile Cleaning Solutions: 01934 521155 (M/C)
+
Tile Master Global: 0161 376412 (M/C/A/Tr)
+
The WoolSafe Organisation: 01943 850817
+
Vaclensa: 0161 728 1800 (M)
+
Worldwide Cleaning Support: 01279 422220 (C/M)
C - Chemicals / M - Machinery / W - Wholesalers / Fr Franchises / I - Insurance / K - Marketing / T - Technical Services / F - Fire Retardents / A - Auxiliary Services (Restoration Cleaners) / E - Supply/Repair of Curtains and Blinds / Fi - Finance / Tr - Training.