ncca February 2014

The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association

newslink

Features:

Customer Complaints

Domotex 2014

Contents03

04

06

10

12

14

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18

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24

26

28

From the Editor: New direct debit payment

facility for NCCA membership fees

Domotex Carpet Fair 2014

Excellent NCCA courses - coming soon!

What is your USP?

Amazing discount on NCCA leaflets

A guide to customer complaints (part one)

NCCA tour of the National Trust Textile

Conservation Studio and Felbrigg Hall

Turkoman rugs (part one)

Men are from Earth...

08

Wood floor cleaning and maintenance

Some customers...

Expanding your business - is it the best

way to go?

Mould - what is all the fuss about?

A quick health check - are your first aid

arrangements up-to-date?

Published monthly by:The National Carpet Cleaners Association,62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH.Tel: 0116 271 9550E-mail: admin@ncca.co.ukWebsite: www.ncca.co.uk

Nicky Law

Keith Robertson

Nikki Law

Paul Pearce

Nigel Lay

Glyn Charnock

Martin Johns

Keith Robertson

Allan Simmons

Billy Russell

Denise Pitt

Editor

Editor in Chief

Design Editor

CEO/Technical Director

Vice President/Events Director

Company Secretary/2nd Vice President/Membership Director

Assistant Membership Director

Marketing Director

Corporate Director

Events/Social Media Director

Co-opted Director

www.facebook.com/NCCAFloorCarewww.twitter.com/NCCA_floorcare_

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.

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©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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New direct debit payment facility forNCCA membership fees

Nicky LawNewslink Editor

s notified in the December/January

Newslink, renewal documents will be A sent on April 1st, due for payment by

May 1st 2014.

Having held the subscription fees at the same

level for the last three years, it was agreed at the

General Meeting in November that an increase in

line with inflation will be applied this year.

Members are however being given the option of

splitting their subscription fee into six monthly

payments by using Direct Debit, something that

we have not been able to offer previously. 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 each year.

This service will be managed online using a

company called GoCardless. In order to make use

of this facility, members must have an email

address and are requested to contact the NCCA

office prior to April 1st in order to set up an

account and Direct Debit mandate with

GoCardless, using their secure online form. There

will be a small charge of 1% added to the Annual

Subscription invoice if this option is taken up.

Under section 4.7 of the Articles of Association,

members are required to give 60 days notice if

they intend to withdraw from the Association,

which should be put in writing to the Company

Secretary. All notices of

resignation received will be

acknowledged from the office. We

do not like to hear of members no

longer wishing to be part of the

Association, therefore we like to assist where we

can and ask that you contact us with any concerns

you may have.

As usual, we will need to receive confirmation of

Public Liability Insurance, which must include

treatment risk or Products Liability, along with the

Health & Safety Declaration form introduced last

year, swift return of these documents will aid

administration of the renewal process.

We would like to thank all our members for their

continued support, and wish you all a successful

2014.

on NCCA Consumer Leaflets!FANTASIC SALE!FANTASIC SALE!

See page 10 for details

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recently visited the Domotex Carpet Fair in

Hanover. This is something I have wanted to do I for many years. I have been to Harrogate Carpet

Fair a few times, Surfaces in the states probably a

dozen times and, back in the good old days, there

was even a carpet fair in London I used to go to.

However, Domotex is the biggest of them all. There

were thirteen halls crammed full of carpets, rugs,

laminates, wood floors, tools, carpet tufting

machines, cutting machines, fibre producers, even

leather and hides.

I arrived at 10am after leaving Stanstead airport at

8am. It was then an easy shuttle to the exhibition

centre and by 11am I was walking through the doors

of Hall 2 for the start of my three-day experience.

In Hall 2 there were some big bespoke rug

suppliers. You could buy everything from a tufted

rug to a unique masterpiece constructed from such

unusual fibres that it really did make you disbelieve

your own eyes! I did try to ask the people displaying

one of these rugs how you would maintain such an

item, but their eyes glazed over which made me

think they had either just been given some sad

news or perhaps had suddenly realised that English

wasn't their first language. Either way the answer

wasn't forthcoming. Of course, if you have cleaned a

rug or two in your time, you can usually work out

for yourself what needs to be done to maintain

them even if they are made from unusual fibres.

After three hours of wandering around this hall I

moved on to Hall 3 where the centrepiece was a

display of wares from Iran, demonstrating just what

they are capable off. One machine-made carpet,

which was hanging up, was over twenty feet tall and

displayed a photographic image of the remaining

columns of a ruin, which I can only assume was

situated somewhere in Iran. It was certainly

common to see rugs, both big and small, with

photographic pictures on them.

I had decided that I wasn't necessarily at the

carpet fair to purchase, but more to admire, to gain

information and to soak up the atmosphere. So I

made sure that the sales staff knew, on my initial

approach to each stand, that my interest was

mainly from the angle of a cleaning consultant

rather than as a buyer. This way they could decide if

they wanted to spend time with me or swiftly move

on to someone else who was more interested in

buying. This proved a good move; most of the sales

staff were happy to talk to me and didn't put me

under any pressure to buy anything.

Halls 4 and 5 contained most of the fair's wall-to-

wall flooring stands, together with a British stand

Domotex Carpet Fair 2014 Paul Pearce

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titled 'The Best of Wool'. A large number of the

companies with displays in these two halls were

from the UK and many were showcasing new

products. One particularly interesting product I

came across was a carpet produced by an Italian

company, Martinello Ginetto. They have created a

wool/viscose/bamboo/nylon chenille loop pile

carpet that has a rugged look, its called Heather

Tweed. Watch this space.

The first day ended for me at around 4.30pm. I

wanted to locate my hotel, which was situated in

the centre of Hanover, and Domotex was a fare way

away. The information centre at the fair was most

helpful, explaining that the Metro was the easiest

way to get there and that my entry ticket to the fair

covered the cost. I took two trains and after about

sixteen stops I was within 200 mtrs of my hotel…

simples. It was basic but central and clean and the

staff were more than helpful.

Day 2 was rug day. There were two halls, 16 and

17, that housed more rugs than you could ever

imagine. Most were hand-knotted and were all

shapes and sizes. I was in a candy shop; there were

silk (real), wool, linen, cotton and even polyester

rugs. There were Tabriz's, Heriz, Gabbeh, Qum,

Kilim's, Afghan's Nepalese, Indian, Chinese,

Moroccan, Turkish, Uzbekistan, Pakistani's and

loads more. On quite a few of the stands there

were some very interesting patchwork rugs. These

had been constructed using old pieces of rugs that

had been damaged or discarded or, in some cases,

made especially for the purpose. Some had been

purposely 'distressed' or aged and usually sewn

together in 45cm squares, then a cloth back had

been attached. I can't wait to see one that needs

cleaning.

When wandering around these halls I couldn't

help thinking about how the carpets and rugs had

been shipped there from all around the world and

how long it all must have taken. The container

companies must have been doing a roaring trade.

The rugs were being turned over and over so

buyers could view them and then the pallets were

being loaded with the buyer's pickings. The forklifts

were picking them up and loading the waiting

trucks continuously.

On day three I concentrated on wandering

through the middle halls where the tools,

equipment, laminates and wood were. However,

before the end of the day I decided to take a

wander back into the rug halls to look again at the

beauty of these pieces of art. Even the odours that

some of them emitted drew me in. Some had the

rawness that you would expect from tribal

communities, others smelt as though they had

been through a washing process and were on the

Continued on next page

Iranian carpet displayingphotographic image of a ruin ©Paul Pearce

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final part of the drying cycle, then you had the ones

that had been through a complete finishing process

and just smelt new. I

finished the day

walking through 1st

Rug Avenue. This is

where designers had

created several

roomsets using

modern and old looks,

into which they had

integrated hand-

knotted rugs from

many different

countries, some of which had been placed on

the floor and others on the walls. This really

demonstrated how you could add to the

aesthetics of a room using rug art.

During the three days I met up with some

colleagues from the UK whilst wandering around,

which was a nice way to spend some time and we

chatted about what we had seen

or missed.

I finally left the fair at 4pm as it

was time to travel home. I was

laden with books, brochures and

samples and with my purchased

rugs left on a pallet hoping that

they would find their

way home.

I can't wait to go

back next year. The

dates are 17th to

20th January, put it

in your diary and

plan early, you won't

be disappointed.

arpet cleaners are facing stiff competition

when gaining work and, because of this, C many have decided to improve their existing

business and/or branch out and extend the range of

services they offer. If this is something you have

been contemplating then we would like to remind

you that the NCCA offer excellent training courses to

help you learn further skills.

One of these courses is the popular Leather

Identification & Cleaning course, which is running

again on 20th March. Leather is an extremely

complex product and cleaning it is at least as

involved as cleaning fabrics, possibly sometimes

more so. The course will teach you about the

tanning process, how to identify different types of

leather from Aniline through to Bicast and Faux

leathers, how to determine when it is cleanable (or

Continued from previous page

Excellent NCCA courses - coming soon!in need of restoring or replacing), how to identify

different finishes and how to clean leather

upholstery (with demonstrations).

We are also running our excellent Advanced Spot

& Stain Removal course again on the 21st February.

Spot and stain removal is still a genuine craft and

requires a higher degree of skill and knowledge than

almost any other process undertaken by the

professional carpet cleaner. The course will teach

you not just how to remove the soils, but also how

to do it without causing further damage to the

samples.

So if you think you’d be interested in attending one

(or even both) of these courses and improving your

skills, don’t delay, book your space now!

To book, please phone the NCCA office on: 0116

271 9550 or visit: www.ncca.co.uk/training.php

Patchwork rug

Roomset

Images:©Paul Pearce

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ne of the first things I was taught about

marketing was the importance of the USP O (Unique Selling Point). It was one of those

things that all the marketing books said you must

have, but initially I found it very difficult to come up

with a good USP for my own company. Even now I

still don't have one for all of the business names we

use.

Only recently I found out that the person who

originally thought of the idea was a marketing man

named Rosser Reeves. I say that it was his 'idea' but

what I really mean is that he was the first to

enumerate, to detail, to put it into words and to

give it a name. Possibly, from the beginning of

written advertising, copywriters will have

understood the importance of not only using strong

headlines but also of highlighting the benefits of a

specific product, but nevertheless it was Rosser

Reeves who put it into words and apparently

conjured up the title.

Although Rosser Reeves retired in the mid 1960's

one of the projects he had previously been involved

in is still remembered to this day and that is the M

& M's USP: 'melts in your mouth, not in your

hands'.

His argument was that, although all products have

a number of benefits, it is likely that one particular

benefit will be more popular than any of the others

and sometimes more popular than all the others

put together. Having found out what it is, it is then

vital to communicate that benefit to potential

purchasers so as many as possible understand that

if they make the purchase they will receive that

benefit. If it is possible, not only state the benefit

but prove it by presenting some good evidence and

the case is even stronger if it can be done in a way

that demonstrates it.

Before the internet, advertising for smaller

companies was limited to using words (descriptions

of our services or written testimonials) or 'stills'

(such us 'before' and 'after' photographs). Today, it

is easier for us to demonstrate the benefits of what

we do by using our phones to shoot video

sequences of our work in progress which we can

then load onto our websites. Simple, yet so

effective.

Often keeping it simple works best. Something I

have noticed about a significant number of TV

advertisements is that the creative teams

sometimes get so carried away with their ideas

that the resulting advert completely misses the

point. Some of them are so over the top that you

are left wondering what it is they are actually

advertising and some are so irritating that it

actually puts you off ever purchasing the

product/service being promoted.

Another of the things Rosser Reeves said was, “A

gifted product is mightier than a gifted pen.” Read

some of the copy that describes products and

services on the daily Groupon web postings. In

What is your USP? Keith Robertson

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some cases the copy is so over the top that it

certainly wouldn't encourage me to purchase. That

doesn't mean I have never purchased from

Groupon. I have, but only when it is a product or

service I have wanted. In these cases I have clicked

on to the actual company website to learn more. I

have to concede that had these companies not

used Groupon (I am only using Groupon as an

example, but there are a number of similar services

out there) I might not have learned of the offer, but

repeatedly Groupon's over the top style has put me

off making other purchases.

Emphasising the importance of the actual

product on offer Reeves said, “Let's say you have

$1,000,000 tied up in your company and suddenly

your advertising isn't working and sales are going

down. And everything depends on it. Your future

depends on it, your family's future depends on it

and even other people's families depend on it.

Now, what do you want from me? Fine writing? Or

do you want to see the sales curve stop moving

down and start moving up?”

Reeves also believed it was a waste of money to

claim uniqueness where there isn't any. It doesn't

take the purchaser long to find that out and, as

repeat business is so important to the well-being

and growth of our businesses, it is extremely

foolish to promise anything that is not possible. If

our service isn't good enough it would be better to

improve it before making over the top claims.

Much is said, and written, about the importance

of building brands and recently I have noticed a

number of television adverts where the initials of

the group owning the particular advertised product

is appearing almost as reminder that, although you

are purchasing so and so's washing powder or fish

finger, you should appreciate that it must be better

because it is part of this big international

conglomerate.

Reeves view was that a provable claim-based

strategy is more likely to be successful than the use

of brand images. His view was that a brand image

can be interpreted in different ways, some of which

might not help support the product and an image is

unable to articulate the full story.

Most of us could improve our online presence,

and our printed advertising, if we took the time to

consider what we have to offer that is relevant

from a customer's point of view. And, as important

as video and pictures are becoming, the right

choice of words (remember to keep them simple)

are still important if we are to get through to our

audience. Unfortunately much of what we write is

because it is important to us and we don't usually

put ourselves in the position of our customers and

what is important to them.

In a recent conversation with Willie Little, the

owner of the successful Cleaning Doctor franchise,

he explained to me his standpoint when putting

together copy or preparing the layout of a website.

He said he always asks himself, “What would Mary

Continued on next page

page 10newslink

be looking for? What is it that she wants?”

If it's time to review your advertising, whether

website, direct mail letters or leaflets, it would do

you no harm to do it this way. First ponder to try

and find something that you genuinely do that is

different to your competitors, something your

customers will appreciate. Then, once you've found

something, craft it into your own USP. Use this as a

New leaflet launch

We are pleased to announce the

launch of our new consumer leaflet

which is available for NCCA

members to purchase.

The leaflet is ideal for leaving with

domestic customers and presents

another opportunity for you to

promote yourself and gain new business. Wide

distribution will ensure that more people will

become aware of who we are and what you, the

member, has to offer.

Whilst this publication is designed to give each

member the full weight and authority of the

Association, it is also designed specifically to be

seen as your leaflet and your own produce with all

the prestige that goes with it.

It includes a section on how to tackle stains and

spillages, which will encourage your customer to

retain the leaflet for future reference. There is also

a space on the back where you can place your own

company details, ensuring that your customer will

have your particulars readily available should they

want their carpets and upholstery cleaned again in

the future.

Amazing 40% discount!

Our initial print-run of the new

leaflet revealed a slight misprint on

the outside back-page within the

box where you can place your own

company details.

The mistake was spotted by NCCA

member James Steer, from West

Sussex, who was the first to receive his order. So, a

huge 'thank you' to James for saving us all from our

blushes.

For those of you with your own address labels,

the misprint can be easily covered, so we are

offering these leaflets with a huge 40% discount!

Here are the prices you will be paying

You can order any amount you want but if you

were to order:

250 - you would pay £16.50Ÿ

500 - you would pay £28.50Ÿ

1000 - you would pay £57.00Ÿ

If you would like to take advantage of this fantastic

offer, please email Nicky on:

An example of the misprint can be sent to you via

post or email… you will see how easily it can be

covered!

nicky@ncca.co.uk

Amazing discount on NCCA leaflets! Buy yours now!

base to create your advertising and marketing

materials, making sure you see things from your

customers' perspective at all times. Remember, all

that interests them is WIIFM, (what's in it for me)

so let them know just what that is.

Although Reeves died in 1984 his ideas have

continued as a worthwhile legacy. If you are

interested in learning more, he wrote an excellent

book in 1961 entitled 'Reality in Advertising.'

Continued from previous page

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Over the coming months, NCCA Standards and

Fair Trading Officer, Lewis Scroby, will be

providing a series of articles on complaints. He

begins this month with an introduction, advice on

avoiding complaints and on pre-cleaning

inspections.

t is an unfortunate fact that any carpet cleaner,

at some point during their career, will have to I deal with a complaint. Whether it be a call-

back, an over-expectant customer or problem

arising down the line, that undesirable call will be

one you have to deal with.

It can be very difficult to receive, accept and

attempt to resolve a complaint. But there are

methods you can employ to make the process

much easier. We find a lot of the time that properly

dealing with a complaint can leave the customer

just as, or if not more, satisfied than if the cleaning

results had been perfect first time.

As you all know, the NCCA offer arbitration

services to assist members and customers when a

complaint arises. For many years the Association

has helped members to resolve disputes and

provided assistance and advice to manage and

settle potentially strenuous situations and

uncompromising customers. I am the current

Standards and Fair Trading Officer for the

Association and handle all complaints that are

reported to the NCCA with assistance from NCCA

CEO, Paul Pearce, and the Board of Directors.

Unfortunately it is not always possible to avoid

issues that give reason for customers to complain.

Much of the work carried out by carpet and

upholstery cleaning technicians is judged on

expectation, as much as results, and due to over-

expectant customers it may be difficult to meet

the standards anticipated. One common factor in

a lot of complaints that are reported to the

Association is that technicians do not 'qualify' with

their customers.

We believe over 75% of complaints reported to

the office could be avoided by a simple

qualification process before beginning work. The

process is very simple and should be followed

every time, regardless of the circumstances. There

are three important steps: The survey, the

conversation and the report. In simple terms, you

inspect the items to be cleaned, discuss your

inspection with the client and confirm the details

in writing. Doing these three things will leave little

doubt in regard to what you are cleaning, how it

should be cleaned and the expected results (from

your own AND the customer's perspective). By

carrying out a proper survey and qualifying your

findings with the customer both verbally and in

writing, the following reasons for complaint can,

in almost all cases, be eliminated:

Pre-existing staining/damage has 'arisen' Ÿ

following cleaning

The item doesn't look 'like new'Ÿ

The item hasn't dried quickly enoughŸ

A certain stain hasn't been removedŸ

The colour isn't the same as beforeŸ

On top of this, a thorough survey will reveal any

potential problems before they have an

opportunity to arise, allowing the technician to

A guide to customer complaints (part one)Lewis Scroby (NCCA Standards and Fair Trading)

newslinkpage 13

take measures to ensure that they don't. Common

complaints that are reported to the Association,

which a proper survey would uncover and make

avoidable, are:

ShrinkageŸ

Dye bleedingŸ

Damage arising from prior excessive wearŸ

Problems arising due to use of an incorrect Ÿ

cleaning method

It is essential that the above are identified during a

survey. These are fundamental issues that may arise

during cleaning and can be avoided. If you are

unsure you know how to recognise the potential for

any of them to become an issue, we would

recommend attending a refresher course.

Ongoing training, in general, is highly

recommended by the Association and all

professional organisations in most industries. It is

important for the success of any company to keep

up to date with the latest developments within their

chosen trade. NCCA tutors continually update their

course programmes and teaching methods to

ensure the latest methods, equipment, regulations

and other developments are covered. We believe all

members, whether they have two years or twenty

years' experience, should take advantage of this and

ensure they are versed on the very latest industry

advancements.

It is accepted that even the most experienced

cleaning technicians can forget some fundamentals

and fall in to bad habits in their process. Regular

attendance of courses can ensure that this is kept to

a minimum.

Achieving qualifications throughout your career

can also be an excellent marketing tool. Presenting

clients with evidence of your knowledge and

experience, along with the fact that you are

continually updating your education, will certainly

give you the advantage when they are considering

employing a professional cleaner.

Next month Lewis will continue the series with

guidance on implementing procedures and how to

deal with complaints.

NCCA Member Benefits

Adelante Merchant Services: 01628 820500

BeValued - Home Options (specialist claimsmanagement - insurance work): Call ShaunMulvey on 01323 418432

Control Account PLC: 01527 882901

EMJ Management Ltd (workwear clothingand accessories): 02392 434650

Hibu (previously Yell) - ask for CorporateAdvertising Department: 0808 100 7890

HMCA (free legal and counselling helpline): 0117 934 2600

HMCA (medical health cover): 01423 866985

MF Oils (fuel discounts): Call Jake on 01202339197

Payatrader: 01296 660177

SiteWizard (website creation): 08450 608860

Thompson Local - ask forCorporateAdvertsing Department: 01252 390385

TrustMark (Diversity): 0115 9673767

newslink page 14

fter a very enjoyable and informative day

out with some NCCA members and their

partners last year, I have organised a Asecond exclusive tour of the Conservation Studio on

Friday 9th May 2014.

The tour will take place in the afternoon and is

scheduled to last an

hour, although last

year it was so

interesting for both

them and us that

we were there for

three hours! To

make more of a day

of it we have again organised a visit to a

National Trust House, this time Felbrigg

Hall, in the morning. This is a very

special one-off tour when the Hall will

be closed to the general public. The

Hall, normally closed on Fridays, will be

opened exclusively for NCCA members.

There is a maximum of twelve persons

per tour; the first will start at 10.00am

and the second, if required, will start at

11.00am.

On the Conservation Studio tour, the cleaning

room (not usually included on the tour) will be

accessible to NCCA members. The Studio, managed

by Ksynia Marko, is the only in-house treatment

facility for the conservation of textiles in the UK.

They take in some of the 100,000 items that belong

to the National Trust each year for conservation.

These include items such as tapestries, costumes,

state beds, carpets and many other textiles. As a

conservation studio they conserve items as they are

now, so if an item has been repaired in the past then

they consider this to be part of the history of the

item and it is left, unless the repair is causing

damage.

In February this year they will be collecting the

19th Century Templetons chenille carpet from

Cragside House in Northumberland, as featured on

TV in October on the 'Inside the National Trust'

programme. Acid dyes used in its manufacture are

now causing damage and Paul Pearce and I have

been invited to visit the studio to discuss possible

ways of cleaning it safely prior to its conservation.

This carpet will be

under conservation

when our tour takes

place, so you will

have a one-off

opportunity to see

the work being

undertaken on this

unique and historic

carpet.

The Conservation

Studio has a maximum of 25 visitors to a tour, so

early booking is advisable!

Felbrigg Hall, built in the 17th Century, has Jacobean

architecture and a Georgian interior, walled gardens

with orchards and an orangery and also houses the

National Colchicums (Crocus) Collection. The estate

covers 1,760 acres including 520 acres of Woodland.

Following our tour/s of Felbrigg we will meet for a

pub lunch and time to chat with other members,

Felbrigg Hall

NCCA tour of the National Trust Textile Conservation

Studio and Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk Glyn Charnock

Felbrigg Hall

Restoration atthe Studio

NCCA COURSESCarpet & Upholstery Cleaning 21st - 22nd March23rd - 24th May4th - 5th July12th - 13th September21st - 22nd November

Advanced Spot & Stain Removal21st February20th June10th October

Leather Identification & Cleaning20th March11th September

NCCA 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 with Paul Pearce11th - 12th March20th - 21st May16th - 17th September25th - 26th November

Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician withPaul Pearce18th - 19th March3rd - 4th June23rd - 24th September2nd - 3rd December

Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technicianwith Paul Pearce25th - 26th March30th Sept - 1st Oct

Held at Alltec Network, Royston, Hertfordshire. Tel: 01763 208222

IICRC COURSES (SURREY)Carpet Cleaning Technician with Adam Jankowski18th - 19th February3rd - 4th June

Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician withAdam Jankowski12th - 13th March23rd - 24th July

Held at National Flood School, Surrey. Tel: 01252 821185

Visit: www.iicrc.org for further details on allIICRC Training Courses.

Diary Dates 2014

before heading to the Conservation Studio at

Oulton in the afternoon.

If you fancy mixing a bit of work with pleasure,

why not do as some members did last year and

make a weekend of it? Blickling Hall, which we

toured last year, is another National Trust property

in the area and well worth a visit. Or why not take a

picnic and a walk in Sherringham Park and view the

coast from the look-out tower. For train enthusiasts

there is the North Norfolk Poppy Line, running along

the coast from Sherringham via Weybourne to Holt.

Close by is the seaside town of Wells which has a

railway to Walsingham, England's Nazareth, with

the Slipper Chapel, the Roman Catholic Shrine of

Our Lady.

Driving the coast road you can stop off at the

specially built Cley Marsh Bird Reserve for lunch,

the café/shop has lovely views over the protected

marsh. Blakeney harbour is very pretty and Bishops

Boats have trips out to see the seals at Blakeney

point.

If you like a city break, Norwich is well worth a

visit with one of the top ten UK shopping malls and

the oldest outdoor market in the country. There is

also a very fine Norman Castle and the Cathedral is

well worth a visit.

Norfolk is also well known for the Broads National

Park, so if you like sailing, shops, pubs and

restaurants all in easy walking distance, stop off in

Wroxham.

Prices for the day are yet to be confirmed as we

hope to include lunch, but have yet to finalise the

venue for this. We anticipate the total price to be

around £35 plus VAT per person, including lunch

and both tours, so if you would like to take part in a

completely unique exclusive event, reserve your

place now with the office. We look forward to

seeing you there.

Turkoman rugs (part one)Peter Collins (Honorary Member)

This article is the first in a series covering

the history, weaving techniques, design and

production of the very beautiful and much-

loved Turkoman rugs.

urkoman rugs are handmade in

Northwestern Iran, parts of Turkey, T Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan,

Syria and some areas of the former Soviet Union.

They are usually of similar appearance and very

distinguishable from Persian rugs. Typically they

will display all-over geometric patterns with the

main colour being a rich burgundy, a design

exclusive to the

Turkomans; often

prayer rugs are made

in these regions with

the same colour

scheme. These

beautiful rugs are

sometimes referred to

as Caucasian carpets

and are frequently

used to add exotic

flavour to a room.

The history of

Turkoman rugs goes

back a long way. Many

ancient regions of Iran including Ardabil,

Bakhshaish, Gharadjeh, Goravan, Heriz,

Mehriban, Sarab and Shahsavan are renowned for

rug weaving. Here, almost all men and women

have the talent and skill to weave high quality

carpets by hand, with no use of modern

technology whatsoever. In some cases, rug

weaving is a family's main source of income.

Their weaving style originates partly from the

Mongols, who invaded Iran in the 13th century and

settled in the northwest, and usually incorporates

the symmetrical Turkish double-knotting style,

which tends to be dense and tightly packed down.

However, the asymmetrical Persian knot can also

be seen in the rugs produced in cities, such as

Ardabil.

Turkoman rugs are normally coloured with natural

vegetable and root dyes and the pile is mainly

constructed of thick lustrous wool, handspun

from local sheep. Cotton is a material of choice for

the foundation because it is very strong. Goat hair

can also be seen in some Turkish tribal carpets

and in a few regions, such as Ardabil, silk is

blended in with the wool pile.

Iran, some parts of Turkey and Uzbekistan have

been very significant in the forming of the present

day carpet industry. Carpet weaving has long been

a custom of theirs and they still use the brilliant

weaving techniques that were used thousands of

years ago to produce sturdy, hardwearing and very

beautiful rugs.

More next month on Turkoman rugs.

newslink page 18

Men are from Earth... Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)

omen are from a

different planet

somewhere in Wthe Galaxy! That statement is

going to get me into real

trouble… let me explain my

reasoning.

It all started with a Christmas

shopping expedition, not a

man's favourite pastime at the

best of times, but something

that the female of the species

seem to crave and revel in. Say

no more!

The cunning plan I have

adopted is to quietly disappear

and visit some establishment

far more interesting than

clothes shops, such as a nice

quiet coffee shop or maybe a soft furnishings

outlet. So, just before Christmas this is exactly

what transpired and I found myself in the local

John Lewis store, specifically the soft furnishings

section, which just happened to be right next to

their coffee shop… BLISS.

During the next hour or so I meandered around

looking at carpets, rugs and soft furnishing fabrics

not, I hasten to add, with any thoughts of buying

her ladyship a rug for Christmas. Perish the

thought I should actually 'choose' something

myself without the due prolonged consultation

process…. ring any bells fellas?

I do thoroughly recommend that all carpet

cleaners browse the retail outlets from time to

time; it is amazing what you can find of interest.

Looking around John Lewis's extensive selection of

carpeting, Oriental and Oriental-style rugs I found

some really exciting cleaning challenges for us to

make ourselves aware of, a few of which I will

share with you here.

Firstly, I was surprised at many of the cleaning

instructions on the informative labels attached to

rugs; many of their wool-rich rugs recommended

‘dry clean only’… there was a 100% Acrylic pile rug

with the same instruction. This is a very clear

indication that we must ALWAYS test and NOT

simply rely on labelling. There were also many rugs

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newslinkpage 19

that, on the face of it, looked to be wet-cleanable

but on checking the label I was surprised at the

fibre content.

Remember, the manufacturers are very good at

providing just what the consumer wants in terms

of design, texture and price; they have to in an

effort to survive in today's very competitive market

place. As Paul Pearce mentioned in his recent

article, it is important to watch out for Viscose face

fibres in rugs and carpets. It is becoming

increasingly common and dare I say 'popular',

although obviously not with the professional

carpet cleaner. Reviews on such rugs read very

well with customers delighting in their rich colours

and soft feel. What I haven’t seen yet, however, is

any comments on what happens when someone

has a spillage on one of these carpets/rugs or

attempts a D.I.Y clean or gets in an unsuspecting

professional.

Don't forget that with Viscose you may well be

dealing with fibres that have been dyed using the

pH sensitive Direct dye. One of the samples I

acquired certainly has, and it costs the princely

sum of £450 per square metre! Not something you

want to ruin

when

attempting a

clean, so don't

forget to test.

I personally love

all these

changes as it

provides

additional

interest for the

professional cleaning technician. It can get quite

boring just cleaning the same old Polypropylene or

80% Wool/20% Nylon pile carpets day in and day

out. We need something to keep the old grey

matter functioning, plus it's always a good excuse

to get out of shopping with 'The Governor'. It's a

'win win' situation, providing of

course you retain possession of the

credit card!

(Note from the Editor - I prefer our

planet, the toilet seats are always

down and there are more shoe

shops). (Note from Paul P - What

about handbags?)

100% Acrylic - ‘Dry Clean Only’

Viscose

Jute and Polyester(unusual combo)

newslink page 20

Wood floor cleaning and maintenanceTerry Guilford (The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.)

lot of the articles I

have written so far

have concentrated on Awood floor sanding and

finishing which is not

something all of you may be

interested in getting involved

in. However, there is a way that

you can all make money from

wooden floors without the

expense of floor sanding

equipment and training and

that is in its cleaning and

maintenance.

So, at this point, you may be

thinking “don't a lot of

people just mop the

floors themselves?”

Well the answer is yes,

but then they can also

mop tiles and vinyl

themselves. However,

luckily for us, some

people do prefer to have their hard floors cleaned

professionally.

So, what do you need to do before embarking on

any kind of maintenance on a wooden floor? Well,

the first thing to do is decide what type of finish

the wood is treated with, is it a penetrating finish

like oil hard wax oil or is a surface type finish (a

lacquer or varnish)? Most people know how to spot

the latter as the product 'sits' on top of the wood

and has a certain depth and sheen to it,

but they are less sure about the oiled or

hard wax oiled floors. Well, to identify

these, first ask the client. Because oiling

floors is relatively specialist the clients will often

know that this is what they have. Secondly, look to

see if there is surface build or if it appears that

there is nothing on the surface. Thirdly, floors that

have an oil finish will sometimes have a more worn

appearance and evidence of penetration by water

or other spills. Hard waxes are the most difficult to

spot to the untrained eye as they may well have

some surface build and are chemically very

newslinkpage 21

resistant. However, for these reasons it is not so

bad if you do get it wrong (whilst it wouldn't be

technically correct to clean these floors like a

lacquered one and then coat with an emulsion, it

would be unlikely to damage them).

The next step is to assess the level of damage

done to the floor. An oiled floor (or any of the

derivatives) can be cleaned providing there is some

oil left on the floor and while this can be done with

a neutral pH cleaner and a mop, it doesn't really

impress the client. Much better is to use a

refresher product designed for this type of finish

which will both clean the floor and top up the oil in

one go. If the oil is quite worn and you are feeling

adventurous, it is well within the capabilities of all

of you to 'top up' the existing oil by cleaning the old

finish and applying fresh oil using a rotary machine

and a proprietary pad. Even better, why not offer

the client one of the new (much tougher) catalysed

oils. The latter two options would need some

training, especially in the case of hard wax oils, but

they are very 'do-able' and profitable.

With a lacquered floor it is possible to clean the

floor with a rotary machine and a red pad by

spraying a ready-mixed solution on to a small area

of floor at a time and using the pad as both the

cleaning and soil extraction tool. Very dirty floors

such as ballrooms, bars etc. are better cleaned

using the red pad just as a way to break down the

soil and then a wet vacuum to remove it. With this

method you will still use a neutral cleaner but this

time it is better to put it in the tank of your rotary

and apply it over an area of no more than 10 -15

square metres, then scrub the area and extract

quickly. Remember, water is the enemy of wooden

flooring. Clean a small area and extract as quickly

as possible.

So, what if your lacquered wooden floor looks

dull and lifeless after cleaning? What about using a

professional emulsion just like you would on some

other surfaces?

Wood floor emulsions come in basic form and

also in a non-slip variety and are applied pretty

much in the same way as for any other surface,

thinly with each coat applied at 90 degrees to its

predecessor and avoiding too much build up at the

edges.

It is estimated that there are ten thousand

square metres of wood flooring fitted in the UK

every week, do you really want to miss out on the

opportunity of maintaining it?

New NCCA Members

FAB Carpet Cleaning

Exeter, Devon

Prestige Carpets & Cleaning

St Albans, Hertfordshire

UK Carpet Care Ltd

Ipswich, Suffolk

Evan Smith Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Chelmsford, Essex

Smart Services Inc

Hereford, Herefordshire

newslink page 22

Ken WainwrightSome customers...ometimes customers can be so stubborn

that it's hard to understand their logic. I had

an ongoing saga, beginning last October S(over now… I hope), which made me want to laugh.

Or perhaps cry?

The original call from my

customer was about some

staining on her room-sized

rug. Her story was that her

cleaner had spilt some

beeswax polish that had left

some yellow stains on the

rug. All DIY attempts at

removal had failed and had

also created some new pile

and colour damage. My

customer was absolutely

convinced it was all the

fault of the cleaner as “she'd spilt the wax”. The

cleaner denied having caused the stain.

Looking at the rug, I suspected a different source

for the stain. I tested the aerosol beeswax formula

and it produced a clear patch on the test-towel, not

yellow. I then test treated part of the stain with a

tea and coffee stain removing product… with a

positive result! Not perfect, as the stain had been

abused by DIY treatments, which I suspect included

the bleaching type product I saw in the cleaning

cupboard, and I was reluctant to use a professional

bleaching product as the whiter colours on the type

of rug she had can be easily damaged. I was, and

still am, convinced that this was a beverage stain,

especially as it was at the side of a coffee table.

Now the good bit. My customer told me that her

cleaner didn't drink tea. Or coffee. Or hot

chocolate! In fact she said that her cleaner ONLY

drank cold water. But she did, at this point at least,

agree with me that the spillage did look more like

tea or coffee than anything else.

I began to think that the customer, or one of her

many visitors, had caused the original stain, but

unfortunately she remained

convinced that the cleaner

had done it and wanted her

to pay for a new rug!

Having cleaned the rug, and

achieved the safest result

possible, I thought that was

the end of it all. Then I

received a phone call in

November asking me what

else the cleaner could have

done to cause this damage.

Then again on Christmas Eve!

All the evidence presented to

me suggested that the cleaner was not responsible

and that it was my customer, or a visitor, who was

at fault.

It's not in my nature to point the big lottery finger

at a customer and say “It could be you” but on this

occasion I came close, very close to doing this. But

happily I didn't, especially as I was recommended

by a retired director from a major carpet mill in

Kidderminster.

I haven't heard anything further since the phone

call I received on Christmas

Eve, so I am hoping the

saga is all over now.

However, I am wondering if

the cleaner is still being

blamed for the stain and if

she's caved under the

pressure and agreed to pay

for a new rug.

competition

For your chance to win a FREE place on our floor sanding training course just log on to our website and sign up for our monthly newsletter. To be sure we know who you are

please put NCCA after your name.

The winner of our last competition was Steve Wilkins from Ideal Upholstery Cleaning in Cheshire. “Congratulations Steve we look forward

to seeing you on our course soon!”

win a place onour training course!

win a place onour training course!

WINNER!

www.ultimate-floorcare.com

newslink page 24

ver the past twenty nine years of

running a carpet cleaning business, I've

had a one, two and a three truck Ooperation. I've had a workshop with an office and

I've also had just a home office. I also ventured

into fire and flood restoration for a number of

years as well as concentrating solely on cleaning

carpets and upholstery.

It seems to me that success is often measured by

how many trucks you have. Or

how large the business is.

Now that I'm once again an

owner/operator working from a

home office, I've come to

realize that residential carpet

cleaning is a great opportunity

for a good lifestyle. There are

so many benefits in this

industry to remaining small. In no particular order,

here they are:

Ask any business owner their number one

headache and it will usually involve employees

that need 'parenting'. That seems to be

particularly the case with carpet and upholstery

cleaning. Good employees are hard to find and it's

very hard to find employees who know how to

deal with people and can present themselves to

high-end homeowners. After all, we work in

peoples' bedrooms! Customers have to feel very

comfortable with whoever is going to do that and

really need to trust them.

No employees equals less stress

Each job is unique. There are probably dozens of

different decisions to be made on each job.

Employees don't care as much as you do. My last

employee moved a table with a very expensive

Tiffany lamp balancing on one end…and it fell off.

The employee thinks about your cost of

replacement - you think about what the customer

will tell others about you!

I've just booked in an old customer who hasn't

used us for a number of years.

He responded because I sent

him an irresistible offer. He

finally told me that he kept

hesitating to use us again

because the last time the

carpets were cleaned the

skirting boards had been

damaged with the wand. Yet,

he'd never mentioned it on the Report Card.

People don't like to complain…they'll just go

somewhere else!

No employees also means that you don't have to

worry about terminating employment and being

taken to an industrial tribunal. I've had staff try to

take me to a tribunal (fortunately I took advantage

of the NCCA free legal helpline) and I've known a

colleague who sacked an employee for theft only

to have to pay compensation for 'not following

correct procedure'.

Who would you prefer to perform a service in your

home? The owner, or one of his employees?

No employees equals loyal, happier customers

David CokerExpanding your business - is it the best way to go?

page 25 newslink

Customers prefer to have YOU, and quality minded

consumers will pay a premium to have the owner.

And, unlike a large firm, they know who will turn

up to do the work.

As I write this, I've just had a new driveway on

the front of my house. The owner of the business

brought a new member of staff to do some of the

'grunt' work of cutting the bricks for the edging

while he presumably managed another job. He's

now been back twice to replace many of the bricks

that the employee fitted. Am I happy? Yes. Would I

use him again? Not unless he's doing the work

himself.

No employees means no office required, no

Employee Liability Insurance, no Employers

National Insurance Contributions (currently

13.8%!), no sick pay, no holiday pay, no P60's to

prepare at year-end and no extra equipment

required.

There's also considerable savings on training staff

perhaps to have them leave after a month with no

explanation , or to have

them leave to start their own cleaning business (as

I have also unfortunately experienced).

And here's one of the myths of owning a larger

business, 'if there's sufficient Gross, there must be

significant Net in there somewhere'. This is not

necessarily true. Big numbers do not always result

in more take-home pay for the owner. In fact, in

my experience, the opposite is true, in that the

lower investment costs and lower overheads of

being an owner/operator translates into a much

higher profit margin!

No employees equals lower expenses

(as I have experienced)

Member referral reportSince publishing a referral statistics

report in last month's Newslink there have been 96 recommendations for full members provided by the NCCA. This

number is made up of 47 referrals from the NCCA office and 49 potential

customers contacting members directly through the website.

newslink page 26

ould can potentially grow in any

building, whether occupied or M unoccupied. It cannot normally be

seen with the human eye, but it can be seen when

it grows into large colonies.

The spores are all around us, but normally they

are not present in high numbers and therefore

should not affect us.

Many people have not been aware of the health

effects of mould exposure, but this is now

changing.

Mould growth in a building is not good for human

health and the Healthy Homes Safety Rating

Systems (HHSRS), the Environmental Regulations

for rented properties, consider that mould in a

building is a Class One health hazard similar to

exposure to asbestos.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also

considers it a human health hazard.

There are many health and safety laws stating

that hazardous biological substances must be

contained and controlled. These laws must be

complied with; this is an: absolute statutory

requirement.

When a mould spore settles and becomes damp

these spores can germinate. This germination will

often lead to the growth of a fruiting body and on

the fruiting body more mould spores will grow.

Each fruiting body can release thousands of

invisible spores into the air. Therefore mould

spore replication can be rapid in the right

Guidance

Mould growth

conditions and this will accelerate with time.

Mould digests the surface it settles on and can

feed on many substances. It often prefers dark

places for growth and does not like rapid air

movement.

Many of us have good immune system resistance to

mould spore exposure but some people do not and

they can easily be affected.

Human exposure, the facts:

The more exposure a person receives to mould Ÿ

growth the more likely it is that it will affect their

health. So it is very important that mould growth

must be controlled in buildings.

Mould exposure can cause our immune systems Ÿ

to become suppressed and this can lead to other

illnesses.

Mould exposure can be pathogenic, toxigenic and Ÿ

carcinogenic, but all mould exposure can be

allergenic.

Some mould can grow in human lung tissue. There Ÿ

are also some moulds that can pierce human skin.

People can be affected by the chemical Ÿ

substances from mould exposure, leading to

chemical sensitivity.

Mould growth in a building can give off Microbial

Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOC's); sometimes

you may be able to smell these MVOC's when

Controlling mould growth

We cannot control normal amounts of mould

spores entering buildings. However, we can prevent

the growth of mould by the control of moisture (on

which it feeds).

Human health effects of mould exposure

Ÿ

Steve ScotterMould - what is all the fuss about?

newslinkpage 27

entering a building. Exposure to MVOC's can

change a person's DNA and this can cause many

health problems.

Some moulds will release toxins (Mycotoxins)

when under threat from other moulds or when

treated with chemicals; these toxins have been

used in chemical warfare.

Many dust mites require mould to be present for

their replication and feeding processes.

Common health problems caused by mould

exposure

There are many common complaints caused by

mould exposure. These include: depression, eye

irritation, lethargy, fatigue, wheezing, brain fog,

dizziness, runny nose, anxiety, skin irritation, lack of

concentration and allergic reactions.

More serious health problems caused by mould

exposure

Sometimes mould exposure can cause more serious

health complaints. Some of these are listed below:

Asthma attacks - mild to life threatening.

Chest infections - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease (COPD) patients are particularly

susceptible.

Cancer.

Mould growing in, or on, human tissue -

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

particularly in the lungs, requiring long term

medication.

Only fully (up-to-date) trained, competent

technicians should undertake this work. On

completion of this work, clearance tests for mould

are required and these should be carried out by an

independent specialist.

Drying works should start in a flood damaged

building within hours. A building that has been

flood damaged for three days or more is in a

biologically unacceptable condition for human

occupation. Extensive strip out will be required for

the decontamination process to be successful; this

will result in much higher costs for building repair.

To simply wipe down mould would result in the

release into the air of many thousands of mould

spores which could result in further contaminating

the building.

Mould removal must only be carried out by

trained competent technicians, and on completion

of this work the decontamination needs to be

clearance tested by an independent company to

prove the work has been carried out correctly.

All technicians must wear appropriate PPE when

undertaking flood restoration and mould

remediation.

Flood damage restoration

Removal of mould

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Steve Scotter was a carpet cleaner and a member of the National Carpet Cleaners Association for many years. He now works for NCCA Corporate Member, Hydro-Dynamix Ltd, as a NEBOSH qualified Health and Safety Manager.

newslink page 28

he provision of first aid to employees is a

basic obligation enshrined within the

Health and Safety (First TAid) Regulations 1981. HSE

guidance on this duty reminds

us that “An employer should

make an assessment of first-aid

needs appropriate to the

circumstances (hazards and

risks) of each workplace.” ¹

Employers, particularly in the

cleaning industry where there

are often lone workers and

employees on third party

premises, should assess what

first-aid provision is adequate.

The fact that many employees

are likely to be using chemicals

and machinery makes such

provision even more important.

The HSE guidance provides a

checklist for employers and

deals specifically with a number of common

industry issues:

where employees travel a lot, work remotely or Ÿ

work alone - the guidance advises employers to

consider issuing personal first-aid kits and mobile

phones (to summon assistance); and

where employees work at a site occupied by Ÿ

other employers - the guidance suggests that an

Sophie Tompkins (Eversheds LLP)

A quick health check - are yourfirst-aid arrangements up-to-date

employer should make arrangements with other

site occupiers to ensure the adequate provision of

first-aid. A written agreement

between employers is

strongly recommended.

Employers do not need

formal health and safety

policies covering the issue of

first-aid provision, but there

does need to be some

thought given to the issue. As

a minimum, the HSE advise

the following:

a suitably stocked first-aid Ÿ

kit;

an appointed person to take Ÿ

charge of first-aid

arrangements; and

information for all Ÿ

employees giving details of

first-aid arrangements.²

Where there are a number of

individuals working within one location, there

should at least be one person appointed to co-

ordinate a response (such as calling the

emergency services) in the event that first-aid

needs to be administered. Thought should be

given to whether that individual is always available

during working hours and who will fill that role in

their absence. Where there are commonly

newslinkpage 29

changes in the workforce, employers need to

review the position on a regular basis.

Where arrangements have been established,

employers should make sure that employees are

aware of them. In the event of an incident where

first-aid is administered, you should ensure that

those arrangements worked as expected. Serious

cases of injury in the workplace are often

aggravated by poor first-aid and emergency

response.

In the event first-aid kits are provided, they

should be regularly checked and, if necessary,

refreshed just as would happen with other PPE

and work equipment.

Where employees are given first-aid training,

employers should take note that training

requirements have recently changed. Until

October 2013, any health and safety training

qualification had to be approved by the HSE. As

from 1 October 2013, such approval became no

longer necessary and employers now have the

freedom to select appropriate training providers.

The HSE has also provided guidance on how to

select a suitable provider and this can be found at:

*

The changes to training requirements allow

businesses a greater degree of flexibility and

independence and an enhanced ability to tailor

courses to the specific needs and demands within

their particular workforce. The HSE will only

become involved in cases where there is a

significant risk, a disregard for established

standards or persistent poor compliance with the

law.

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis3.pdf

When an incident has been dealt with and first-aid

administered, thought should then be given to

completing the relevant accident book and, for

more serious incidents, whether a report to the

HSE is necessary under the provisions of the

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous

Occurrences Regulations 2013 (“RIDDOR”). Failure

to report an injury as required could lead to

prosecution and the issuing of a fine; one which

may be substantial and damaging for a small

company. By way of example, a company has been

fined £3,500 for not reporting the injuries

sustained by two employees whilst using

machinery and a heat-sealing mechanism.

As well as the changes to first-aid training, there

have also been changes to the RIDDOR provisions.

The main changes relate to the classification of

those injuries considered 'major injuries'; the list of

'major injuries' has been replaced with a list of

'non-fatal injuries to workers'. In addition, there

has been a reduction in the types of 'dangerous

occurrences' that need to be reported. Whilst

employers will still need to investigate non-

reportable accidents and make any changes

needed to prevent a recurrence, an awareness of

these recent changes will assist those tasked with

completing RIDDOR reports should the time come.

* The NCCA has devised an excellent health and

safety training course which is aimed specifically

at the carpet and upholstery cleaner. For more

information phone the NCCA office on 0116 271

9550).

¹ L74 3rd Edition:

² www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l74.pdf

www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/what-employers-need-to-do.htm

Items for sale

newslink page 30

BUSINESS FOR SALESmall, long-established, reputable NCCA Registered,

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.

CLEANING AND RESTORATION MACHINERY - EQUIPMENT - ACCESSORIES

Dri-Eaz Dehumidifier 1200 as New Boxed £450.00. Dri-Eaz Sahara Pro TurboDryer - New Boxed £150.00. Dri-Eaz Dri X Airchanger Dehumidifier New Boxed. Normal

Price £1900.00. Our Price £500.00. Plus much more. For a complete list please telephone: 07580 182 325 or

E-mail: restorationdirect@btinternet.com

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

glynn.norcutt@gnccontractservices.com (with full CV, etc.) or telephone: 01672 871882 or mobile: 07831

172743.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEMobile container/bin (red) - comes with lid. Heavy duty

container on wheels. L55” x W32” x H31”, ideal hose and other carpet clng equipment storage. List price:

£199 - selling for £75. Whole room drier/air mover. List price: £534 - selling for £99 (no VAT). Contact: Chis on:

02380 898 212 or email:mncrostance@googlemail.comor phone Chris on: 07970 040729.

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.

WHOLE ROOM DRYER360 degrees air mover, ex company stock used for 18 months only (Truvox) - Cost new: £500. Selling cost:

£150. Contact: 02380 898212.

OFFICE PRINTER/COPIERDuplo DP-2211 Single colour A3 or A4 duplicator. Full working order, any fair trial. Ideal for low cost Flyers. Some consumables. PC Interface, prints direct from

P.C. or printed copy - £250.00 o.n.o. For further Information Contact gary@amazingcleaning.co.uk or

call 0116 2672720. Based in Leicester

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - IDEAL FOR NEW BUSINESSEverything 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 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 aquadriinfo@btconnect.com for further information or contact Andy on: 07970 544806.

TRUCKMOUNTBanclene truck mount 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 seperately. Selling due to retirement and will consider the highest offer. Call Derek at Aquamaster on 01845

537640 - mobile 07976 218304 or email derek @aquamaster-yorkshire.co.uk

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 davidkendall40@aol.com for further information or phone David on 07768 667824 or

01277 824546.

NCCA Corporate Members

+ Allied Insurance Services Ltd:

+ Alltec Network:

+ Amtech UK:

+ Ashby's Cleaning Equipment:

+ Asset Finance Solutions UK Ltd:

+ Bio Productions Ltd (inc. Stapro):

+ Camberford Law (insurance brokers):

+ Chemdry Franchising Ltd:

+ Chemspec Europe Ltd:

+ Cleanerswarehouse Ltd:

+ Cleaning Systems UK:

+ Cleanpro Software Solutions Ltd:

+ Cleansmart Ltd:

+ Cleantec Innovation Ltd:

+ Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd:

+ Dri-Eaz Products Ltd:

+ Dry Fusion UK Ltd:

+ Forum of Private Business:

+ Get Booked Up Software:

+ Gleaming Insurance (insurance brokers):

+ Hi-Tec Cleaning Group:

+ Host Von Schrader Ltd:

+ Hydro Dynamix:

+ Mailboxes Etc:

+ McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers):

+ NSL Restormate: 01670 590099:

+ Nu Life Stone Care Ltd:

+ Oates Laboratories (Europe):

+ Prochem Europe Ltd:

+ Rainbow International:

+ Restoration Express:

+ Robert Saunders Marketing Mentor:

+ Sebo UK Ltd:

+ ServiceMaster Ltd:

+ Stainshield Ltd:

+ Textile Cleaning Solutions:

+ The Big Clean:

+ The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.:

+ The WoolSafe Organisation:

+ Truvox International Ltd:

+ Worldwide Cleaning Support:

0844 8156211 (I)

01763 208222 (C/M/F/T)

01444 232211 (C/M)

01322 227806 (C/M/E)

01254 584404 (FI)

01444 244000 (C)

0208 315 5000 (I)

01482 872770 (C/M/Fr)

01274 597333 (C/M/T/D/F)

01772 434333 (T/C/R/M)

01334 656787 (C/M/T/F)

01582 518467

0115 8240034 (T/C/R/M/K)

0870 733 7733 (T/C/W/M)

01772 426527 (M)

01908 611211 (C/M/T)

01772 433711 (C/M/T/W/Fr)

01565 634467

01405 813665

0845 4740068 (I)

02866 341416 (C/E/F/M/T)

0151 347 1900 (M/C)

01622 664993 (Fr)T)

01628 633336

0121 706 0616 (I)

(M/C/Tr)

0161 480 7284 (M/C)

01772 433711 (C)

0208 974 1515 (C/F/M/T)

01623 422488 (M/C/Fr)

01252 726106 (M/C/T/A)

08450 537129 (K)

01494 465533 (M)

0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr)

01372 841467 (C)

01934 521155 (M/C)

0208 3934778 (M,C,W,K)

00353 91846488 (M/C/Fr)

01943 850817

02380 702200 (M)

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.newslink page 31

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Whole room downdraft dryer from Power Flite. Versatile air mover - multiple positions. Hardly

used. Was: £325. Accept: £150. Victor Sprite 12" Rotory Machine. Used once. Was £855 - Accept £450. Collect from Coventry. Tel 02476 620444.

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

3 Ozone plates 4'' x 6'' to fit Jetazone 600 ozone generator - £15.00 for the 3, plus £5.00 p & p.

Chemspec stainless steel 4 jet floor wand in good condition - £100.00 plus delivery charge if

applicable. Please phone Pete Collins on 07885 804560.

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Small, well established carpet, hard floor and upholstery cleaning business (London and Kent borders). Package includes: 57 plate Vauxhall Vivaro LWB Van with 53k miles on the clock,

Prochem Blazer GT Truck Mount machine with only 270hrs on the clock, established interactive

website (which had SEO programme last year), chemicals, turbo drier, 250 feet of solution and

suction hose and van mounted hose reels, together with a property maintenance company

name, website and promotional materials. Contact telephone number 020 8309 6517. Sale price:

£18,000 O.N.O.

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.

Chemspec Europe, Tong Park, Otley Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QD. Tel: 01274 597333 Fax: 01274 597444 E-mail: Website:info@chemspec-europe.com 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.*

Ask Chemspec about their newwinter/spring training programme for 2014

BEFORE AFTER

Say

goodbye

to stains!