ncca October 2012

The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association

newslink

Features:

Carpet Cleaning Olympics

Wood Floor Sanding ©

Phot

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page 2

Contents

03

06

08

10

12

14

16

20

22

24

26

29

From the editor

From the President

Stoneman’s corner

Con artist ‘cleaner’

Life after carpet cleaning

Wood floor sanding

Clarification on TrustMark scheme

Report on Carpet Cleaners Carnival 2012

The world of high-end soft furnishings

The carpet cleaning olympics

Health and safety reforms

Providing work equipment and training

to employees

Keeping equipment clean

Dealing with spills

The advantages of green cleaning

Published monthly by:

Editor

Editor in Chief

Design Editor

President/Technical Director

Vice President/Marketing Director

Vice President/Events Director

Member Liaison Director

Franchise Liaison Director

Co-opted Directors

The National Carpet Cleaners Association

62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DHTel: 0116 271 9550E-mail: admin@ncca.co.ukWebsite: www.ncca.co.uk

Nikki Law

Keith Robertson

Nikki Law

Paul Pearce

Keith Robertson

Nigel Lay

Glyn Charnock

Denise Pitt

Rob Whitbread (Corporate Liaison)Martin JohnsChristian Ramsey (Training)

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.

©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.

Page 3

From the editor

From the President

Nicky Law

Paul Pearce

o far October has been an extremely busy month S for the NCCA staff and Directors.

Our Spot and Stain Removal course, which ran on

October 19th, was so oversubscribed that we decided

it would be a good idea to run a further course this

year.

The extra course will take place on November 22nd.

There are still a few places available, so if you want to

take advantage of this opportunity contact us

immediately to book your space.

We are also running a Roadshow next month

involving a tour of Johnsons Restoration facilities. The

Roadshow will be held on two separate dates at

different venues. The first will be run in Rugby on

Tuesday 13th November and second is to take place

the following week in Glasgow on Wednesday 21st

November.

The day’s agenda will include: Taking a look at the

synergy between the two

businesses / How we can work

together (to include affiliate

partnerships) / Recognising

curtain types / Tour of the facility

(to include suede and leather

cleaning, rugs, restoration and the

technical department) / Question

and answers and Networking. A buffet lunch is also

included. The cost for each delegate is £24 (including

VAT).

Due to the nature of the business, places are strictly

limited to thirty people for each roadshow, so book

now to avoid disappointment!

If you are interested in attending the Spot and Stain

Removal course, or a Roadshow, please contact the

NCCA office on: 0116 271 9550 or

Email: admin@ncca.co.uk to book your place.

Once again the Carnival was held at Wicksteed Park

in Kettering and we couldn't have wished for better

weather. It meant that, aside from participating in

NCCA activities, the people who came with their

families could enjoy all the facilities the venue had to

offer.

Due to popular demand, this year we also held an

evening event, which consisted of live music and an

excellent chilli con carne meal.

The exhibitors cleared their stands at the end of

the day and Wicksteed staff transformed the area

into a dining room with bar and dance floor. A local

band, the Shamlas, had been booked for the

evening. They were excellent and even managed to

entice some of the NCCA Directors to get up and

boogie.

The NCCA would like to say a huge 'Thank You' to

all the visitors and exhibitors who attended the

event. We'd love to see you there again in 2013. And

for those of you who didn't go this year, it would be

great to see you too!

Thanks must also go to all NCCA Directors,

especially Events Director Nigel Lay, and to the NCCA

staff in Leicester for all their hard work in various

aspects of the event organisation.

See centre pages for full report.

ell, another month has gone and the

Carpet Cleaners Carnival is now over. W Those of you who didn't, or couldn't,

attend this year missed an excellent day.

The Carnival was introduced last year. It'd been a

long time since we'd organised a national NCCA event,

but it was clear to us that many members had not

been enjoying an easy time in the last few years

following the economic downturn. We wanted to offer

the trade a great day out, not only to brighten-up their

mood but to encourage them that the Association,

cleaners and suppliers are all in this together and can

help each other.

An industry event is an excellent way to network

with like-minded people. A large proportion of us work

on our own and it can become isolating, but taking the

opportunity to meet up with others in the industry can

be extremely invigorating. The Carnival, which includes

an exhibition of our Corporate Members, other

manufacturers/suppliers, associated businesses and

other interests, is also a great chance to advance our

knowledge and view new products and machinery.

The event focuses on fun for all the family. Friends

and relatives are invited and for the less ‘industry-

minded’ a number of non-business-related activities

and stalls are included.

NCCA Member Benefits

+ HMCA (free legal and councelling helpline):

+ SiteWizard (website creation):

+ EMJ Management Ltd (workwear clothing and accessories):

+ Brian James (Marketing Consultant):

+ Thompson Local (Ask for Corporate Advertsing Department):

+ Yellow Pages (Ask for Corporate Advertising Department):

Adalante Merchant Services:

Payatrader:

+ Control Account PLC:

0117 934 2600

08450 608860

02392 434650

08450 608860

01252 390385

0808 100 7890

+

+

01628 820500

www.payatrader.com

01527 882901

Page 5

NCCA COURSES

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Spot & Stain Removal

IICRC COURSES (SURREY)

Water Restoration Technician

Applied Structural Drying Technician

Carpet Cleaning Technician

IICRC COURSES (NR CAMBRIDGE)

Carpet Cleaning Technician

Visit: www.iicrc.co.uk for further

details on IICRC Training Courses

23rd - 24th November 2012

25th - 26th January 2013

22nd - 23rd March 2013

24th - 25th May 2013

5th - 6th July 2013

27th - 28th September 2013

22nd -23rd November 2013

22nd November 2012

22nd February 2013

21st June 2013

25th October 2013

13th - 15th November with Adam Jankowski

4th - 7th December with Adam Jankowski

12th - 13th December with Adam Jankowski

6th - 7th November with Paul Pearce

Held at Eastby Services, Nr Cambridge.

Tel: 01763 208222

The Cleaning Show

19th - 21st March 2013 (Birmingham NEC)

NCCA courses held at NSPCC Training

Centre, Leicester unless otherwise stated.

Visit: www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms

and further details.

Diary Dates 2012/2013

FULL MEMBERS

Dynamics Dry Fusion

Carpetclean (North East)

Blitz Cleaned

Paul the Cleaner

Tweed Valley Carpet Care

East Devon Cleaning Services

Supreme Carpet Cleaning

Aquaris Carpet Solutions

REJOINED

Southern Counties Cleaning

CORPORATE

The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.

(Derby, Derbyshire)

(Sedgefield, County Durham)

(Norwich, Norfolk)

(Dorchester, Dorset)

(Newstead, Scottish Borders)

(Honiton, Devon)

(London, E4)

(Birmingham, West Midlands)

(Ewell, Surrey)

(Chittering, Cambridgeshire)

NEW NCCA MEMBERS

Member referralreport

Since publishing a referral statistics report in last

month's Newslink there have been 87

recommendations for full members provided by

the NCCA. This number is made up of 49 referrals

from the NCCA office, 30 potential customers

contacting members direct through the website

and 8 referrals to members without an email

address, which we have tracked using the office

database.

Keith Robertson

Stoneman’s Corner

page 6

n the centre of the New Town in Edinburgh there

is a large square surrounded by terraced IGeorgian properties called Drummond Place.

Drummond Place was named after George

Drummond an accountant who became accountant-

general of excise and who, as Lord Provost of

Edinburgh, was the force behind the building of

Edinburgh's New Town. He was also a prominent

Freemason who at one point was Grand Master of

the Grand Lodge of Scotland. It was at this time that

proposals for the New Town were published, but it

wasn't until fifteen years later, in 1767, that architect

James Craig's proposals won a competition backed

by the town council and an Act of Parliament was

passed to extend the boundaries of the town.

The road surface around Drummond Square is

granite sets and much of the pavement around the

garden is constructed from slithers of granite and

whin. What is unusual is that the kerb, instead of

being cut granite, is constructed from long blue-

grey bricks, each stamped with the words

'TEES.SCORIA.BRICKS and PATENT'.

The bricks were manufactured in Darlington by a

company called Tees Scorriae Brick Company which

was founded by Joseph Woodward. They were used

particularly in the North of England for streets and

yards, retaining walls and break-waters and for

many of the back lanes in County Durham.

Bricks would not normally be considered suitable

for kerbs but what is particularly interesting is that

Lessons from the past

page 7

these are made from Scoria - a dark igneous rock,

and also a word used to describe cinder which can

be a natural or by-product. In this instance it is used

to describe the by-product of metal smelting in a

blast furnace. Another word for this is Slag.

In 1872, after extensive work, Woodward took out

a patent on his process of turning slag into bricks.

The undesired

impurities in the metal,

which float to the top

during the smelting

process, were skimmed

off and the hot liquid

Slag was poured into

cast iron moulds. The

bricks were taken out of

the moulds when still

very hot and

immediately put into

high temperature

annealing ovens and

allowed to cool. The

resulting brick was

extremely strong and

crushing tests have shown they could be equal to

granite.

I haven't been able so far to find out how long the

Tees Scoriae Brick Company operated or what

happened to them but I have discovered that

similar processes were used elsewhere. As far away

as the town of Butte in the northern US state of

Montana they were manufactured from the waste

of the local smelter. Their strength and weather

resistance even in harsh winter conditions gave

them a long life and some have survived in Butte

too. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, many streets are still

paved with blue cobblestone pavers or Adoquines

made from Slag which arrived as ballast (heavy

material that is used to enhance stability) on sugar-

carrying ships from Spain.

Slag has many uses which date back to at least

Roman times when, as a by-product from the iron-

making forges, it was used in road making. The

same thing happened in the UK but perhaps not

until the early 19th century. Before that, in the 16th

century, cannon balls were being cast from Slag in

Germany. In some places in the 18th century some

of the larger lumps of Slag were used in place of

stone for building.

Slag has often been viewed as a useless waste

material, but over the years many forward thinking

people have found

they can put it to good

use. In the US one of

the early uses in more

modern times was as

rail track ballast.

Uncrushed Slag is

often used as a filler, or

for embankments, and

when graded it is used

on its own or along

with other rocks as

road base. It can be

crushed and used as

aggregate in concrete

and as a cement

replacement. It is also

used as an aggregate to make asphalt slip-resistant

and sometimes as a component of phosphate

fertiliser. These are just a few of its present day

uses.

As interesting as this is, it is unlikely that you are

going to make much financially directly out of slag

unless it has been used in the concrete surfaces

that you are polishing or maintaining. Nevertheless,

in the case of Edinburgh, the Scoria Bricks were

used in the centre of an area of Georgian Houses

largely occupied by middle and high earners many

of whom are willing to spend to restore or maintain

their floor surfaces whether stone, wood, Victorian

tile, vinyl or carpet. This isn't unique to Edinburgh

but it is equally true in towns and cities throughout

the United Kingdom. Georgian and early Victorian

properties are greatly sought after and increasingly

so by younger to middle age professionals. They

should be your target market if you want to build or

maintain a successful business.

Bricks in Drummond Square

each stamped 'TEES.SCORIA.

BRICKS and PATENT'

page 8

lady called the NCCA office the other day

for some advice and the staff gave her my A telephone number. She was enquiring as to

what a professional carpet clean should entail. She

wanted to check, as she had just had her carpet

'cleaned' and was not at all happy with what the

cleaner had done. She said the cleaner wanted £40

to clean a carpet in her baby daughter's bedroom.

Having agreed to the price, he apparently proceeded

to randomly spray small amounts of liquid over the

carpet, from what she described as a Vanish type

bottle. He then waited a short while for it to dry,

vacuumed the carpet and requested payment!

The lady said she didn’t believe that this was a

professional carpet cleaning method and that she

could have done this herself. Thankfully she refused

to pay. The cleaner was apparently very insistent,

told her that 'steam cleaning' is not used anymore as

it damages carpets, that this was the latest method

of cleaning carpets and he wanted paying for what

he had done. Luckily she managed to get rid of him

without paying a penny, even though she said he

was very intimidating.

After he had left, the customer thought about

what had happened. She wanted to make sure that

she was in the right and had not treated him unfairly.

She found the NCCA through a Google search and

contacted us for advice.

I told her she should inform her local Trading

Standards office and to go back to the NCCA website

to find a local member and get them to test for

whatever was put on the carpet and hopefully rinse

it out.

A con-artist out to rip people off? Who knows

what he put in that bottle?

I am sure he wouldn't care what it was. It could

even have been something that would damage the

carpet or worse the health of her baby.

If only she had done a Google search, found us and

used an NCCA member in the first place (we can be

found on the first page of a search), then this

disaster could have been avoided.

Glyn CharnockCon-artist ‘cleaner’

page 10

Sadly, one day this must all come to an end. Some

of us will retire and hang up our wands. Others will

move on and seek new opportunities.

When this day arrives, it is natural to want to

maximise the return you have invested in our great

industry. You have knowledge, equipment,

vehicle(s), customers and goodwill, maybe premises

too. So what do you do?

The first option is to sell all your capital

equipment. Over the years, you may well have

spent tens of thousands of pounds on machinery,

accessories and vehicles. Sadly, second hand

equipment rarely commands the value you might

have imagined. As for customers and goodwill,

that's difficult to value so is often not considered as

an option.

Ken Wainwright

or many of us, we are blessed with the

good fortune of having the best job in the F world. We are invited into peoples' homes

and their workplace and are asked to transform the

soiled and grey into something bright and shiny.

The praise and satisfaction we receive for

performing this act of magic is immense.

We are also fortunate to be able to meet so many

amazing people from all walks of life; the rich and

famous, celebrities, the old and frail, maybe some

folks or families who are the less fortunate in life

and those who are starting out on the 'happy ever

after' journey. They all have a tale to tell, a memory

to recall and tea to share. Yes, we get to meet some

amazing people, plus we are being paid for the

privilege!

Life after carpet cleaning

page 11

The only other viable option is to sell the business

as an entity. OK, the return will still not be great

and it may be difficult to value and sell, but without

trying you will never know. An entire business will

certainly command greater worth than a second

hand van full of well used machinery.

So what is your greatest business asset? It is, of

course, your customers. Do you know who they are

and how to contact them quickly? In an age of

Information Technology it is essential to have a

database of customers, residential and commercial.

Do you have a database? Computing at all levels

is terrifying to some of us, but it needn't be. I

bought an industry specific database software

package a few years ago and it has revolutionised

the way I do business. All of my customers are

available at the click of a mouse. Not only their

names and contact details, but room sizes and

when their carpets/upholstery were previously

cleaned, how much they have spent with me, plus

much more. At the end of the working day, it takes

me perhaps ten minutes to enter all the new

information from that day's work. This recorded

information would be extremely attractive to any

prospective buyer of my business. The sooner you

start your own, the more customers you will have

to sell-on at a later date.

Another essential is your brand. 'Joe Bloggs

Carpet Cleaning' is only of value to someone called

Joe Bloggs. So you will require a business

name/brand that can be used by anyone. But it's

not that simple. You also want it to match with

your website. You don't have a website? That

doesn't stop you having a web address, all you

need to do is register it and pay the annual fee to

retain the name and it's yours. It costs just a few

pounds a year. Simple is often the best way to go,

especially if you want people to see the web

address on your van and remember it.

You will also need to consider your telephone

number. A regular geographic landline number may

not be transferable to someone buying your

business from the other side

of your town/city/county. Call

diversion is typically a short

term arrangement, so you

may want to consider one of

the many non-geographic

specific options. It needs to be

operational well in advance of

selling the business.

The above is just a small

glimpse into what you need to

do to prepare for the day you

retire or sell-on. Do not put it

off. All the systems and

procedures you use must be

fully prepared and working

efficiently long before the day

you decide to sell.

Think of the future and start

to prepare for it. Don’t be

tempted to leave it all until

the last minute.

page 12

service, perhaps this will help you make up your

mind if it is right for your business.

So what are the reasons for NOT going into floor

sanding? Leaving aside the usual 'fear of the

unknown' let's deal with the practical difficulties,

starting with capital expenditure. There are few low

cost options in starting a professional floor sanding

operation, your competitors will generally have

reasonably decent machinery and the hire option is

(normally) limited to cheap equipment. Your local

hire shop will generally have a drum (as opposed to

belt) sander which is lowered onto the floor

manually and which pumps large amounts of dust

into every corner and orifice (yours and the

property you are working in), this is not acceptable

nowadays. Professional equipment is available for

hire in some areas but not many and in addition to

the belt sander you will need an edger, a random

Wood floor sanding - is it right for you?

Terry GuilfordThe Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.

n the current economic climate every savvy

businessman is considering how best to grow I their business and most cleaning professionals

understand the need to identify the clients who can

afford their services and maximise the return from

those clients. The concept of the 'complete floor

care company' is not a particularly new one but it is

a difficult concept for customers to understand and

it is therefore not easy to market successfully. The

advent of database marketing means, however,

that it is now more achievable. It is very easy to

introduce the idea of 'total floor care' to your

existing clients, they already trust you to maintain

their carpets and upholstery so why not vinyl, tiles,

stone or wood floors?

Many floor cleaning professionals have shied

away from wood floor sanding and with some good

reason, but if you are considering adding it as a

orbital, an extractor and a rotary machine (you may

have one already but does it have a dust extraction

port?). Expect to outlay around £7000 + vat on

machines. On top of this you will obviously need to

buy abrasives (not expensive) and decent floor

finish (which will seem very expensive compared to

carpet cleaning and hard floor chemicals). Training is

also something which is essential for anyone

wishing to start floor sanding; mistakes in this

business can be very expensive and a knowledge of

both wood and finish types is important. So in

summary a budget of around £8000 + vat is

reasonable if you want to start fully trained and

equipped with new, state of the art, machinery.

The second reason for avoiding floor sanding is

not actually anything to do with floor sanding, it's to

do with your perspective as a carpet cleaner. For

those of you whose only business has been carpet

you need to be aware that carpet cleaning is a very

high profit margin business and wood floor sanding

will not match this.

Ok, I'll give you one more reason not to do it and

then I'll start on the positives. If you are a one man

band, don't want to employ people and are doing

well with your existing setup, then don't go into this

business. It's physical (the machines are big and

heavy) and time consuming to do competently, and

it will pull you away from your more profitable

activities.

If you are still reading I guess you think there must

be something good about wood floor sanding so

what is it? Well, lets deal with the tangible benefits

first. If you want to be the first person anyone thinks

of when it comes to maintaining their floors, you

need to add this service to your list. There are a

number of NCCA members who have felt the

benefits to their business brought about by adding

wood floor sanding. Any reasonably competent

salesperson will understand that being invited to

quote on ONE floor surface restoration is an

invitation to quote on ALL floor surface restoration,

no house has JUST wood or JUST carpet or JUST

stone. Once your foot is in the door, if they trust you

it is likely they will give you all the floor surfaces.

Floor sanding may not be AS profitable as the

other floor services, but it is still profitable and the

numbers can be a lot bigger. The average spend in

our industry is regularly in the high hundreds and

very often in the thousands especially if you get

into the commercial sector.

What has been lacking in the wood floor industry

up until now is maintenance and this presents a

clear opportunity for those already in the cleaning

sector. You have sanded and finished the client's

floor and they are delighted, the next thing they

will ask you is, “how do we maintain it?” The

answer is up to you, it can be “I'll show you how

and sell you the product” or it can be “how about

one of our maintenance plans and we can quote on

the carpets, tiles and stone as well”. You won't have

competition from the other floor sanders, they're

not interested in maintenance.

So what are the non-tangible benefits? It may not

be easy to answer in words but take a look at some

of the before and after shots on our website, or

indeed any website. Quite simply the satisfaction

derived from sanding and finishing a wood floor is

immense. Your client will feel the same and you'll

have gained yourself a customer for life.

A “thank you” to Danny Campbellof CDS Cleaning Services

page 13

The NCCA office recently received a call from a

customer who wished to bring to our attention

the excellent service she received from an NCCA

member, Danny Campbell of CDS Cleaning

Services, in the prompt and successful removal

of a Lucozade stain from her carpet. The

customer had apparently tried to remove the

stain herself using washing up liquid.

Danny visited the customer’s home to tackle

the job on the same day that he was contacted

and was able to successfully remove both the

washing up liquid and the initial stain.

The customer was extremely happy with the

result and, along with thanking Danny for his

excellent work, also wanted to thank the NCCA

for recommending him.

page 14

Clarification on TrustMark scheme Glyn Charnock

ollowing the last email regarding TrustMark,

there seems to be some confusion among F members as to what TrustMark is and why

the Association has teamed up with them.

TrustMark is a consumer confidence referral

scheme for tradesmen, designed to put consumers

in touch with tradesmen of all kinds who have

signed up to a Government Endorsed set of

standards for their particular trade. The TrustMark

website currently receives over 330,000 hits per

month from consumers searching for reputable

tradesmen. We believe TrustMark will quickly

become a valuable source of enquiries for those

members who want to take part. Membership of

TrustMark is entirely voluntary and is available

exclusively (within the carpet and

upholstery cleaning industry) to

members of the NCCA.

Originally aimed at the building

trades, TrustMark are looking to

widen the number of services and

trades they cover. To this end the

NCCA approached TrustMark and

have worked with them to set the

Government Endorsed standards

required to become a TrustMark

approved trader in the category of

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners.

The criteria to be eligible for

TrustMark membership are as

follows;

! Minimum 2 days NCCA approved

training in carpet and upholstery cleaning.

! Advanced Spot and Stain Removal training.

! NCCA Membership.

! A minimum of 2 years industry experience.

! Third Party and Treatment Risk Insurance cover.

! Signing a Health and Safety Declaration.

TrustMark membership is £150 + VAT per year.

Diversity is the Scheme Operator for TrustMark and

all membership applications will be handled by

them until they have sufficient members.

Members will appear under the Handyman

category of the TrustMark website until numbers

reach the minimum level for National coverage.

Once this is achieved, the website will display

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners as a separate

category, and the NCCA will take

over as Scheme Operator.

Because of the Government

endorsement of strict standards, all

fees for both TrustMark and the

NCCA, as well as any

documentation required, must be

submitted on or before the due

dates or TrustMark membership

will be revoked. Members with a

poor payment history from the

NCCA will be required to show due

diligence by paying fees and

submitting documents on time

before they will be allowed to join

TrustMark.

Any NCCA member who has been

placed on probation for a breach of the Code of

Practice or who has had a complaint against them

upheld within the last two years will not be

allowed to join TrustMark until they have two years

membership without incident.

To apply to become a member of TrustMark,

please contact Steve Terry at Diversity

Management Services on 0115 967 3767 or email

steve@diversity-nottm.co.uk.

ast month carpet cleaners from all over the

UK took a break from their busy schedule to L attend the second ever Carpet Cleaners

Carnival (CCC) held at Wicksteed Park in

Northamptonshire.

The Carnival, which was visited by over 200

people this year, included an exhibition of major

industry manufacturers and suppliers along with

business support organisations and other relevant

bodies.

Among the exhibitors were:- Amtech UK, Eastby

Services Ltd T/A Alltec Network, Client Database

Marketing Solutions, Chemspec Limited, Woolsafe

Organisation, Chemspec Europe Ltd, Textile Cleaning

Solutions and Dry Fusion (UK) Ltd who all exhibited

last year, together with newcomers to the Carnival,

Cleansmart Ltd, Prochem Europe Ltd, Sebo UK Ltd,

Oates Laboratories Europe and Columbus Cleaning

Machines. Many were displaying new products and

machinery as well as their normal range. Their

continued support to our industry is extremely

appreciated.

This year’s Carnival also featured VanFest, in

conjunction with internet forum 'Clean It Up'

Carpet Cleaners Car

Nigel Lay (EventsDirector) andDenise Pitt

Clean It Up(organisers ofVanFest)

page 16

Continued on next page

(www.cleanitup.co.uk). VanFest is an event where

cleaners are able to showcase their vehicles, inside

and out, and enter into a competition for the best

presented van.

“The NCCA strongly believes in engaging with

cleaning professionals and keeping up with best

practices and cutting-edge ideas within the

industry” says Events Director, Nigel Lay “In today's

challenging environment, it is increasingly

important for cleaning companies to work together

to help preserve the industry's professionalism. The

CCC provides an ideal opportunity to increase

industry awareness, update technical knowledge

and network with likeminded people”.

Throughout the day visitors to the Carnival were

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page 17

nival 2012Nicky Law

Wicksteed Park - The ideal setting for a family day out

page 18

Continued from previous page

Glyn Charnockdemonstrates upholstery cleaning

Paul Pearcedemonstratesrug cleaning

Delicious Cupcakes

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able to view equipment, including new product

launches, and attend the excellent demonstrations

on rug and upholstery cleaning delivered by

seasoned professionals Paul Pearce, NCCA

President, and Glyn Charnock, NCCA Membership

Director. Additionally Honorary Member and Past

NCCA President, Derek Bolton, was present to

answer technical questions and impart his vast

personal knowledge and experience.

The main focus of the Carnival, however, was fun

for all the family. Although aimed at the carpet

cleaning industry the event was open to everyone,

along with their friends and families, and

successfully combined fun and festivities together

with business.

For the less industry-minded there were non-

trade stalls including cupcakes, holistic therapies,

jewellery and shoes, together with cake decorating

demonstrations by NCCA Director, Denise Pitt.

For the kids (and the kids at heart) there was an

opportunity to have their faces painted, a toy

hunting competition and an entertainment area

with games and activities. We also had a special

guest, Tracy Stephens, who was on-hand to sign

copies of her new book Messy Melvin and the

Marvellous Muddy Adventure.

Wicksteed Park was the ideal backdrop for the

day. One of the first Leisure Parks in the UK, it is

the ideal location for a fun family day out. Set in

acres of beautiful parkland it boasts numerous

attractions including one of the biggest and best

free playgrounds in Europe, a fairground, a

railway, racing cars and a lakeside area featuring

water chute, nautical jets and both large and small

lake boats.

During the event visitors had free access to the

park grounds, play area and lakeside and were

able to purchase specially discounted wristbands

for entry to the fair.

The Carnival was again pleased to support

Kirsty's Kids. Member John Bryden, who runs the

charity in honour of his daughter Kirsty and her

work to help sick and underprivileged children,

wrote to express his gratitude for the assistance

he received in fundraising and has already asked

for a stand at next year's event. With various

activities throughout the day, including an auction

and a raffle, he was able to raise an incredible

£2,479.44!

Festivities continued into the night with food

and excellent live music from The Shamlas, who

performed Funk, Soul, Pop, Disco, Tamla Motown,

Rhythm and Blues, all delivered with enormous

energy and drive.

NCCA Marketing Director, Keith Robertson says

“We would like to say a huge 'Thank You' to the

visitors and their families, Corporate members

who gave up much of their weekend and also the

local businesses who joined us. Industry events

provide an excellent networking opportunity and it

was great to meet up with friends and colleagues

and see what was new in the industry.

What was slightly disappointing, however, was

that far fewer people actually came to the evening

event than had originally registered to be there. If

only you had come it would have been the advent

of the year.

We would like to give special thanks for those

who did attend the evening event, especially those

who are new to the industry, including recently

inducted member Robin Wilmot and his wife who

run Carpet Cleaning 4You in Rudgeway near Bristol

and James and Charlotte Shepherd who brought

their son and one of their management team. The

Shepherd's operate their company, Domestic Bliss,

from the village of Carmel near Llanelli in

Carmarthenshire. James is due to attend the next

NCCA Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning course.

We have already booked the venue for next

year, when we hope to expand even further on

what was on offer this year. We would love to see

you there again supporting the Association”.

The next Carnival will be held on 14th September

2013.

page 19

Eastby Services T/A Alltec Network

Amtech UK

Chemspec Europe

WrennallsGroup

Cleansmart

page 20

his article was written to provide an insight

in to top of the range of soft furnishings, be T it rugs, carpets, upholstery or curtains in all

their different styles. Although you are taught to

complete a survey and test items thoroughly before

carrying out any cleaning, you will need a very high

level of expertise to even consider taking on work

on some of these items. The soft furnishings at the

top end of the market are items that are usually

most at risk from damage, colour loss and texture

change during the cleaning process. Some interior

designers insist that the items should not be

cleaned, however we all know that at some stage

there has to be a regular maintenance plan in order

to keep these prize possessions in tip-top condition.

However, even with a regular cleaning schedule

and professional stain removal, problems can

occur.

Axminster and Wilton wool carpets can be

subject to shrinkage when wet cleaned. This is

usually due to installers not properly securing

seams, which can then separate or open during

cleaning. Seaming, in my experience, is often

carried out with heat seaming tape, which is

probably all down to the time and cost of installing

this type of carpet. The sewing of the seams will

obviously cost a little more, but come with many

extra benefits. The first reaction of a client when

they find one of their seams has 'popped' open is

to blame the carpet cleaner, although the problem

often lies with the original installation.

In the top end of the range of soft furnishings,

The world of high-end soft furnishings Peter Collins

page 21

high calibre hand knotted rugs and carpets are

made with wool, silk, rayon/art silk or a

combination of these fibres. Upholstery fabrics are

sometimes even more complex, using cotton,

linen, flax, silk and rayon. With these upholstery

fabrics there can be three, four or even five blends

of these fibres to construct the final design.

With the increased use of silk and rayon fibres,

the end products vary from being strong and

durable, to very delicate, with the latter being a

problem for both cleaning and stain removal. Extra

attention and care is needed when dealing with

these types of fibres as they can, at any stage, be

prone to dye bleed, colour change, or even

alterations in their appearance and feel. By now

you have probably realised that these types of

fabrics are not bullet proof, unlike the solution died

synthetic fibres, although even these have their

problems.

High end 'speciality' rugs and carpets are often

created without a single concern for their

maintenance. Interior designers tend to feature an

array of bright colours, ranging from purples, reds

and yellows, plus rust, however the UV rays from

sunlight can alter or fade the dyes and they can

even be affected by the different shades of lighting

found in 'designer homes'. You may also find that

they bleed when wet cleaned, as the dyes may not

have been tested for colourfastness, or have a

British Kite Mark approval (although, even this

does not always guarantee the problem won't

arise).

The construction of fabrics in the high end

upholstery market can include use of ratine (loop

faced yarns), boucle, woven crewel, ribbed pile and

patterned or crushed velvets, all of which can be

subject to shading, pile distortion and texture

change, even with the most professional cleaning

and care. These types of fabrics are often of

delicate construction. Chenille upholstery does not

fair much better either, as it is subject to excessive

shedding, loss of pile and, most alarming, pile

removal while being vacuumed (be aware, this is a

manufacturers problem).

The onward journey into the top of the range of

soft furnishings brings us to Jacquard fine woven

fabrics. These are in beautiful designs, rich in

texture and colour, ornate and elegant; but,

however impressive, they can be prone to dye

bleed, colour loss and fading, not only through

exposure to the previously stated UV light, but also

during and after the cleaning process, including the

drying period. With these fabrics it only takes one

weak dye to destroy the piece. Adding to this,

these fabrics can also be subject to misuse by your

client, their family or the household pets. When

dealing with spots and stains you will ask the

customer the usual questions… What have you

done to remedy the stain? How did you go about

it? Which products did you use? Etc. The answers

are usually something near the truth, but you are

not told everything as they have phoned you as a

last resort, after other people have already made

suggestions or tried a 'remedy', which may have

bonded the stain to the carpet permanently.

You may remember, through your training, that

on odd occasions texture change in a carpet, rug or

soft furnishing can actually look like colour change.

This is usually more apparent under certain light

levels, where even small differences can be seen in

the way of pile distortion, loss of twist, greying or

dulling. However, there can also be a real colour

loss, so be careful when carrying out your pre-

inspection. To the average person it may look like

colour loss but to the professional with the

expertise, the difference can be explained to the

client.

There are many risks to consider when cleaning

these unique, beautiful and desirable high-end of-

the-market creations, but with extensive

knowledge, training, the correct equipment and

cleaning products, the end results can be stunning.

So the choice is yours, do you enhance and move

forward your skills to the high end of the consumer

market? Or just keep cleaning the same ploughed

fields?

he British Isles have been in the grip of Olympic fever this

year and the traffic on the roads has been down to an all-T time low (Yippee) with people either visiting the various

Olympic arenas or watching the event on TV.

Team GB went for gold 'big time' and most people wallowed in

the 'feel good' factor that was generated by the event. It was very

difficult not to, even for us grumpy old 'uns.

To be a successful athlete, it goes without saying that training is

an absolute must. Even our old friend 'Eddie the Eagle' did his stint

of training and he became a legend, albeit he didn't win a medal.

However, he worked hard and gave it a try. He strived to be the

best.

To be a successful carpet/upholstery cleaner, the same

determined mindset needs to apply. Although I don't think too

many of us will reach the dizzy heights of Olympic gold, striving to

be the best has to be our goal.

Let's look at how the racing cyclists approach their task.

Everything is geared (excuse the pun) to optimum efficiency. Their

machines are hand-built to perfection, designed to be aerodynamic, light in weight but immensely

strong. The cyclists themselves keep their fitness at its peak. They look after their bodies and eat

healthily.

All these qualities can be applied to carpet and upholstery cleaning to some degree. The

aerodynamics of the extraction machine isn't as important as a push bike (sorry, racing cycle) but the

machine still needs to be strong and reasonably light, after all most of us are not weight lifters,

weighty maybe, but not weight lifters…. and no, a six-pack doesn't mean half a dozen cans of larger.

As with a cyclist, a certain level of fitness (albeit a lower level) should also be maintained by the

carpet and upholstery cleaner.

For a start we should all be aiming to eat the right foods, including our five-a-day… and that doesn't

mean two Big Macs, a double portion of fries and a McFlurry!

We do have quite an energetic, physical job so it would be fair to assume that we are all getting

enough exercise. But I wonder if it is the right sort. I have had this discussion with the 'Old Man of

Essex' (yes, he's still around) on a couple of occasions. Personally I think the average carpet and

upholstery cleaner does not benefit from the right sort of exercise during the working day, however

he disagrees… but then he always does that just to wind me up.

My point is that we don't actually walk that far, OK we go from vehicle to property a few times and

then shuffle about in someone's house or office block for an hour or so waving a metal wand across a

carpet but that, in my opinion, is not 'real' exercise. It isn't like going for a two/three mile walk which

is more likely to get the old red corpuscles moving about our finely tuned bodies (you wish) is it?

For athletes the goals are always moving. World and Olympic records are set and then

beaten…. always moving onwards and upwards.

As a carpet and upholstery cleaner our goals should keep moving too. We need to keep up

with new developments in the industry, the ever-changing world of computer technology and

ultimately maintain/improve our levels of customer service. We won't win medals for our

achievements, but we will receive a cheque for our efforts and if we are really lucky we'll also

get a nice cup of tea and a sticky bun. You could say that this is the equivalent of the Olympic

'Bunch of Flowers'… personally I much prefer a sticky bun (“Mmm, me too. What were you

saying about healthy eating though?!” - The Editor).

The carpet cleaning olympics

Derek Bolton

page 24

Health and Safety reforms Phil McCabe (Forum of Private Business)

ew businesses would argue they should not

be subjected to proportionate, balanced F health and safety laws but, at present, red

tape is a major barrier to growth - and one the

Government has pledged it will remove.

According to the new Business Minister, Michael

Fallon, around 3,000 health and safety regulations

will be scrapped or overhauled and, from April

2013, hundreds of thousands of firms freed from

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspections.

The Government is also legislating to ensure that

businesses will be held liable for civil damages in

health and safety cases only if they can be shown

to have acted negligently, rather than the present

system where firms can automatically be liable for

damages even if they were not actually negligent.

These are welcome announcements, of course,

but numerous pledges have been made. In recent

years - ever since it was revealed that the former

Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, had overseen the

introduction of more bureaucracy than several of

his predecessors put together.

We have had regulatory budgets on government

departments that vanished almost as quickly as

they were set up, the promise of a 'bonfire' of

regulations following the Löfstedt Review of health

and safety and, more recently, a 'one-in, one-out'

drive which, despite some ministers championing

its success, neglects to consider that not all

regulations have an equal impact on businesses or

the fact that almost all employment law comes

from the EU and can therefore not simply be

repealed at will.

Further, in October the new 'fee for intervention'

policy came into force. Now firms found to be in

'material breach' of health and safety laws will

page 25

have to pay the full cost of inspections. The

problem is that what constitutes such a breach

has not been adequately defined and there is a

risk that individual inspectors in different parts of

the country could interpret the term wildly

differently.

The Forum is particularly concerned that the

exercise is more to do with the HSE's cost

recovery plans than ensuring effective health and

safety procedures.

Responding to a consultation into the move, the

Forum has submitted evidence showing that

business owners have serious doubts about the

proposed system of charges.

In May 2012, just 3% of the Forum's Health and

Safety Panel members argued that businesses

should pay the full cost of the Fee for Intervention

operation. A total of 62% felt that recovery costs

should be scaled according to the size of a

business and more than 90% that either the size

of the business or the seriousness of the breach

should have an impact on the level of costs.

The panel was also asked to comment on the

Government's Löfstedt review of health and

safety regulation. In all, 87% of panel members

agreed with the review's strategic aims, with the

focus on common sense and streamlining laws

particularly welcomed.

In all, 42% of businesses felt that the HSE should

be given authority over local enforcement activity

as this would potentially lead to greater

consistency, citing its expertise and existing

geographical inconsistencies in enforcement.

However, 57% of respondents disagreed and

there were real concerns that the HSE's approach

would be too heavy handed - despite recognition

of the benefits of putting in place good health and

safety procedures.

Respondents said the advantages include that it

gives the perception that the company is better

organised than its rivals, strengthens local

reputation and allows them to compete more

effectively for tenders.

Good health and safety was also seen by panelists

as useful in terms of reducing staff absences so that

work can be completed in a timely and effective

manner. Rather than yet again wielding the stick,

the Governments should be providing more

guidance and support to help firms comply.

In terms of support wanted by businesses, many

believed the HSE should issue more free advice

leaflets - 89% of members surveyed found the

Forum's Health and Safety Guide to be a useful

tool.

Contained within the Forum's practical health

and safety package, and complete with sample

health and safety policy templates, the step-by-

step guide gives business owners the peace of

mind that they are legally compliant and helps

them provide a safe working environment for their

employees and customers. For more information

visit www.fpb.org

Mind your head - providing work equipment andtraining to employees Surekha Gollapudi (Eversheds LLP)

page 26

roviding safe and suitable equipment to

employees is something every employer P has to consider, whether it is a van for

work or specialist cleaning equipment. This article

will examine the duties imposed by the Provision

and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

(PUWER).

The aim of PUWER is to ensure that everyone is

provided with safe and suitable equipment in the

workplace in order to avoid employees being

injured in the first place. PUWER also mandates

that employees should be provided with adequate

training to use the equipment and it should be

accompanied by suitable safety measures such as

warning signs and protective markings. These basic

Background

provisions may seem as though they are common

sense requirements but all too often, employers

are caught out.

PUWER applies to employers and self-employed

people who provide equipment for use at work.

In addition, where contractors or individuals

bring their own equipment, an employer may be

bound by the provision of PUWER if the employer

has control over the use of that equipment. In

most cases, this will be satisfied by normal working

operations.

The regulations apply to any work equipment, from

the obvious tools and machinery, to less obvious

items commonly used within the industry, such as

Who does PUWER apply to?

What equipment does PUWER apply to?

page 27

Continued on next page

phones and company vans. The reason for such a

broad definition is to allow PUWER to be applied to

all industries equally, regardless of what business is

carried out. Therefore, for those in the carpet

cleaning sector, PUWER will undoubtedly apply, as

it will to their clients and their contractors.

By way of some useful guidance on what is

classed as work equipment, the Court has held that

PUWER is concerned with the tools of the trade

provided by an employer to an employee to enable

that employee to do his work. It therefore applies

to items used by employees in their work, not

objects which employees work on. The most basic

example being that carpet cleaning equipment is

covered by PUWER; however, the carpet being

cleaned is not covered.

PUWER applies in a wide range of situations

relevant to work equipment including starting or

stopping the equipment, repairing, modifying,

maintaining, servicing, cleaning and transporting

equipment. It is therefore important to understand

your obligations in respect of maintaining

equipment and providing training to employees.

Within the depths of the regulations, are the

following key duties:

Make sure equipment is suitable for purpose

(Regulation 4) - As well as being suitable for the

work it is provided for, employers must ensure

that work equipment is ONLY used for the

purpose provided for;

Maintain equipment in good working order and

repair (Regulation 5) - Where there is a

maintenance log, it must be kept up to date;

Provide adequate health and safety information

Key provisions in PUWER

!

!

!

page 28

Continued from previous page

to those using the equipment (Regulation 8) - If

instructions are available for the equipment, these

must also be provided. Supervisors should also

have the same level of information available to

them to ensure that those being supervised are

working safely; and

Ensure those using equipment have received

adequate training (Regulation 9) - This will also

include training for supervisors. Training will

include instruction on the proper working

methods, any risks associated with the equipment

and precautions to be taken when using it.

Whilst many of the requirements under PUWER are

already well known and acted upon by diligent

employers, many cases still come to Court when

employers get it wrong. In order to comply with

PUWER, your organisation should take care to

perform adequate risk assessments on using

equipment, carry out regular maintenance and

inspections and also provide sufficient training to

employees to enable them to use any work

equipment safely.

Risk assessments - Employers will only be able to

understand the risks of a piece of equipment if

they properly assess it first. Do not rely on generic

assessments for similar pieces of equipment or

pro forma assessments provided by third parties

such as the manufacturer. Equipment can be used

differently by different business and may be used,

for example, in different environments. Small

changes in the way equipment is used may

significantly change the relevant risks. It is

therefore important that a well thought-out

assessment is conducted and reviewed if matters

change or there is reason to suspect the

assessment is not accurate;

Maintenance - Where relevant, appoint properly

qualified bodies to perform maintenance,

particularly when dealing with chemicals or

electrical safety. Record routine maintenance so

!

!

!

What can you do to ensure compliance?

Taking those points further:

that there is evidence it has taken place and act

upon any reports of deterioration or problems

with equipment; do not attempt to 'bodge' fixes.

Training - Individuals should be properly trained

not only in how to use the equipment, but also

the risks it poses, the reasons for control

measures (such as relevant PPE) and what to do

in the event they feel that working with the

equipment would be unsafe. Many employers

focus solely on a 'how to' approach to training, to

their detriment. Many organisations also falter

when they place too much reliance on the

equipment manufacturer. There are a number of

legal regimes requiring manufacturers to ensure

that their products are safe. However, in the

event an employee is injured by work equipment,

the employer will not simply be able to point the

blame towards the equipment manufacturer. If

there is something inherently wrong in the design

of the equipment then some blame may be

apportioned, however, in most cases it is the way

that the equipment is used or maintained that

causes the issue and that will typically be the

responsibility of the employer.

One final point to add, focussing at the very

beginning of the provision of equipment process, is

to make sure that the equipment selected is

appropriate for the job being performed. A good

example is the use of ladders; when scaffold would

be more appropriate. Procurement of the right

equipment is the foundation to everything that

follows in terms of safely using that equipment.

Many businesses fall foul of the PUWER

regulations when they cut corners whether in

maintenance or training, with the unintended

result of employee injuries, investigation and

prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive and

the potential for fines as a result. In reality, all

businesses should be able to avoid these

consequences by applying common sense and good

health and safety practice at the outset.

Surekha Gollapudi is an Associate in the Health

and Safety team at Eversheds LLP.

!

Dealing with spills

The advantages of green cleaning

Keeping equipment clean

Believe it or not, much of our carpet and upholstery cleaning can be

completed using solutions manufactured from renewable resources.

Although microsplitting formulae are sodium phosphate based and,

as such, not strictly fully biodegradable (they require treatment at

sewage plants), there are many eco-friendly products available to the

carpet and upholstery cleaner which are 100% biodegradable.

Many of these are approved for use on both natural and synthetic fibres, carpets and

upholstery and with both low-moisture and rinse/extraction cleaning systems (many

traditional detergent-based cleaning solutions are formulated to work only within one of

these groups).

When using a rinse/extraction system, many green products are suitable for freshwater

rinsing, and frequently at low temperatures too.

By offering your customers an eco-clean as a normal premium-quality, no-extra-cost service

they will have yet another reason to employ you rather than someone else and even more

reason to remain loyal to you.

Note: When using eco-friendly products, waste water should still be disposed of in a main

sewer. This is because some of the soils removed when cleaning soft furnishings could, by

themselves, be harmful to the environment.

As professional cleaners we use specialty

cleaning and stain removal treatments to

improve the appearance of forgotten drink spills

- cola, coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, soda and

others. Even with the best treatments some

coloured residue or caramelized sugar stain,

resulting from the prior spillage, may remain.

To lessen the possibility of stain damage,

immediate action should be taken by the client

when a spillage occurs.

It is important to inform your regular and

prospective clients of how to immediately deal

with any spillages as they

occur. It will make your

job so much easier

and guarantee a

more successful

result.

As a cleaner, well maintained equipment is

essential. If your equipment is dirty the

prospect's confidence in you and your

company will definitely take a nosedive. The

worst enemy of any machine or equipment

is the operator, the next is soiling. Any

carpet/upholstery cleaning machine,

regardless of manufacturer or type, works

on the same principle of picking up,

transporting and temporarily storing soil

and small foreign objects, so it is imperative

that you regularly clean the machine to

avoid dirt and germ transfer from one client

to the next. Looking after your machinery

both inside and out will also ensure that it

lasts longer.

Items for saleBUSINESS FOR SALE

Small, 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 EQUIPMENT AND VAN2 Dryfusion carpet cleaning machines, 2 Drizair 110

dehumidifiers, 2 turbo dryers, 1 Dri-eaz fogging machine, 2 Dryfusion stair tools with pads, 1 Advance Dryfoam rotary upholstery cleaner, plus 1 large sign-written white Fiat Ducato Turbo Diesel van (less than 5 years old - mileage 41,000). Must be bought as one

lot - will not be sold as individual items. Total cost: £10,000. Phone Mike on: 01443 492455 or mob:

07881 807436.

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 - £300.00. Chemspec pile lifter hoover - £800.00. contact aquadriinfo@btconnect.com for

further information or contact andy on: 07970 544806.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO START CLEANINGCARPETS, UPHOLSTERY AND CURTAINS.

Top of the range Ashbys Ninja 400psi portable hot water extraction machine with built in hot solvent

system. Full sleeved high pressure V2 hose sets, twin wand, Kleenrite upholstery tool- Viton stem, stair and

crevice tools. Sebo vacuum BS36, Sebo duo pre-treatment agitator, Hurricane pro air mover and chemicals, plus many more items. Also a Citroen

Dispatch LWB 2007 in excellent condition. Equipment - £2750, van - £4000, together - £6250 (no vat).

Contact: seanhanly1@hotmail.co.uk Telephone: 07411 769559.

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 - £300.00 plus delivery charge if applicable.

Please phone Pete Collins on 07885804560.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEProchem Bravo (complete) portable carpet spot cleaning machine (hardly used). Prochem Galaxy

compact carpet and upholstery cleaner, good condition with hose and wand. 3 speed air mover

(nearly new). Prochem dry carpet system (never used) complete with 3 different sets of new brushes and

renovation kit. Genuine reason for sale. All items are in very good working order. £2300 or very near offer.

Call Keith on 07734 144409 (Kent).

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE1 kirby g4 vac c/w full set of tools unused since recent

service £100 ono. 1 nuva electric protector spray trolley c/w lance and hand gun + coily hoses offers

over £75. 1 3" CFR hand tool+1 extra 3" nozzle needs repair £50 ono. 1 twin jet s/steel wand needs brazing

on jet mounts c/w teflon guide £40 ono. Buyer collects or arranges carriage on items. Contact

Stephen on 07766 327327 (Essex area).

VACANCY & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITYExperienced full time Carpet and Floor Care

Technician required. Own van and equipment would be 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.)

BUSINESS FOR SALESmall, well established carpet, hard floor and

upholstery cleaning business based on the London and Kent borders. The package includes a 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.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEAshby's Ninja extraction machine 135 psi, 2 hoses, 2 carpet cands, upholstery tool, 1.5 hp Hurricane Pro

Air Mover. Victor 400 floor buffer. Plus a selection of carpet and upholstery cleaning equipment, including a Prochem spotter kit, tarpaulins, grooming brushes

etc. Ideal as a 'starter' kit. All items in excellent condition, for full list please see our website,

http://www.regiscleaning.com/ Please call Regis Cleaning, on 0208 677 8031 or email:info@regiscleaning.com

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT - ACCESSORIESDri-Eaz Dehumidifiers, Turbo Dryers, Instruments and Accessories. Host 'Dry Extraction Cleaning System' - Machine and Accessories. For a complete list Please

contact Jason on: 07580 182 325 or email: info@restoration-direct.co.uk

TRUCKMOUNT AND VANHydramaster Boxer 421 Truckmount fitted in a Ford Transit van model 115 T350. Both in good condition. Taxed November 2012. MOT July 2013. Price includes all hoses, wands, shelving, Inline filter, safety ramp & other items - £10,500 or nearest offer. Photographs available. Sale due to retirement. Email: office@sm-

banbury.com Mobile 07917834836.

page 31

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 UK:

+ Chemspec Europe Ltd:

+ Cleanerswarehouse Ltd:

+ Cleaning Support Ltd:

+ Cleaning Systems UK:

+ Cleansmart Ltd:

+ Cleantec Innovation Ltd:

+ Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd:

+ Dri-Eaz:

+ Dry Fusion UK Ltd:

+ Forum of Private Business:

+ Gleaming Insurance (insurance brokers):

+ Hi-Tec Cleaning Group:

+ Host Von Schrader Ltd:

+ Hydro Dynamix:

+ Mailboxes Etc:

+ McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers):

+ Nu Life Stone Care Ltd:

+ Oates Laboratories (Europe):

+ Prochem Europe Ltd:

+ Rainbow International:

+ Restoration Express:

+ ServiceMaster Ltd:

+ Sebo UK Ltd:

+ Stainshield Ltd:

+ Textile Cleaning Solutions:

+ The Big Clean:

+ The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.

+ Truvox International Ltd:

+ Woodbridge Comercial Ltd:

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)

0844 8482371 (C/M/W)

01334 656787 (C/M/T/F)

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

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)

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)

0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr)

01494 465533 (M)

01372 841467 (C)

01934 521155 (M/C)

0208 3934778 (M,C,W,K)

- 00353 91846488 (M/C/Fr)

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

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.

CITROEN RELAY HDi LWB HR + TRUCK MOUNTED CARPET CLEANING MACHINE

VAN: Year-56plate. Miles-38453. TAX-End March 2013. MOT Due-August 2013. Serviced March 2012.TRUCK MOUNT: Chemspec 860 High Heat. Hours-2537.5hrs. This was Chemspec's largest and most

powerful petrol truck mount. The same was used as their demonstrator mounted on a trailer. It is

designed as a dual wand system so a 2man team can work continuously at impressive distances if required, but equally can be run as a simple wand system. The machine is mounted on the vehicle complete with: large waste tank, large capacity clean water tank,

retractable hose reel for easy filling, fuel tank, chemical shelf, 5 x 50' extraction hoses on van

mounted reel for easy set up, 5 x 50' solution hoses on van mounted reel for easy set up, 3 x large carpet

wands, 1 x Hand Tool, 2 x yellow/black hose pavement ramps, chemical tanks. We have it set up so you can have up to 4 different chemicals ready to go and can simply be switched from one to the other

without moving/switching tanks. We have also invested and have installed an Eberspacher cab

heater (http://www.eberspacher.com/products/air-heating/) which allows the back of the vehicle to be

kept warm overnight during the winter months if the vehicle can't be garaged. This runs independently

from the engine. Cost: £10,750+VAT. Contact Peter Booth on: 01553 762762.

TRUCK MOUNTBanclene truck mount complete with base unit,

stainless steel 80 gallon recovery tank, 100 gallon solution tank, 150 feat 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

VAN AND TRUCKM0UNT FOR SALE - £5000.IVECO van, 2001, very good condition, 2800 cc engine

size, 124,000 miles, fitted with shelving, all the necessary hoses, 2 wands go with it + Steam Way

Sidekick 6100 truckmount, very good condition with 2165 hours on the clock. As an extra goodwill gesture we will include a rotary jet extractor R X 20, which is worth more than £2000 to buy brand new! Selling price is NON NOGOTIABLE because this very good

price for someone maybe looking at starting up in the industry. Interested buyers are more than welcome to

come to Market Harborough and test drive the van and truckmount. MOT until end of March 2013 and

Tax until end of Feb 2013. Call Angelo on 07949214588.

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

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