What you wish you learned in carpet cleaning class

[Jim Pemberton]

Tomorrow I begin to teach the first day of a three day carpet cleaning class. I take three days instead of two to give me time to cover more of the "practical stuff" that I think cleaners need to know, but that doesn't fit well into the standard two day structure.

What sorts of technical stuff (no marketing and management, sorry) do you think deserve more attention than a two day class can cover?

What sorts of things did you learn later in your carpet cleaner's life that you wished you'd known from the beginning?

 

[Chris Muetterties]

Hands on agitation.

 

[tubguy]

How to use a wand to achieve better dry time!

 

[KevinL]

Wiping dust out of the edges with a wet rag.
Never drag antique furniture across the carpet.
Tighten table and sofa legs before moving.

I'll be back with more.

 

[XTREME1]

Quick fixes with the wand unplugging jets etc. Hands on rather than book. Things that will happen in the field such as blown hoses, clogged hydroforce, clogged jets etc etc

or how important is it to vacuum

Also point out the pie chart on CHAT and not that if you scrub with a 175 you still have dwell time where iy you RX-20 your chart is escew

 

[Doug D]

chemistry, spotting techniques or use of spotters, and when to punt!

 

[Heathrow]

Definitely wand technique(s)

 

[sweendogg]

Teach them what exactly flow is and how its referenced in regards to jet size. Tell them about jet size and how to figure their flow on the tool they are using. Show them what can happen to certain products when not cleaned correctly.

Show them this board and how to become a supporting member.

Show them how to properly use oxidizers and reducers.. how you may need to let a product like Stain Magic work over night rather than try to rush it and expect complete fixes before you leave.

 

[Mikey P]

All the various pad types that can be used with a 175, cotton OP pads, Blends, Synthetics, Fiber pads, shampoo brushes etc.

How to shop at Sally's Beauty supply and not look gay.

Search up Lisa's old post about all the spare stuff/parts that every cleaner should carry on the truck.

How to safely clean most wool rugs in the home, testing, fringe cleaning, using cheap plastic painter tarp to protect hard floors, Airpath drying, vacuuming the back etc..

 

[ronald pantelas]

As Chris said agitation would be no. 1 for me. Other important items would be drying time. what effects it, why it is a concern. What happens when you leave the job with wet carpet that might take too long to dry. Explain all methods of cleaning to each student, and let them know you can be successful using several methods. Spend time letting them know what is the best equipment wise today. So they can find out about the improvements out there. Maybe tell them about truckmount issues in the winter. What will freeze in your truck and cause damages. Tell them about anti allergy chemicals. Do not use scotchgard with a pregnant women in the house. When you have a house with bugs. Do not say you will kill them. But we have products for this. Tell them about cheerleaders. I guess I left initial training without fulling appreciating the cleaning pie. Ron

 

[packfancjh]

Hands on spotting

 

[Hoody]

Most of my thoughts were already mentioned. Blooming the tips on frieze carpet/untwisting the yarns. How to minimize wicking on berber/CGD carpet. The benefits of encapsulation cleaning agent, and when to & when not to use it. Hands on cleaning. Specialty spotting. When to use an oxidizer, when to use a reducing agent.

 

[The Great Oz]

The difference between 6 and 6.6 nylon. Why this is critical to know.

 

[John Watson]

Jim, Thanks for taking the extra time to teach the way you do...

I know it was already mentioned, but, I will say it again. Teach the different methods, the results from using multiple if needed and Hands on all if possible. Even tho I never used it in a clients home, I would take my Dry foam machine (VonSchrader) to different classes the CCINW was teaching and demenstrate it and let others who wanted play with it. Many were surprized the way it made a soiled cartpet look clean and how fast it was dry.....

Many after passing still don't understand the many differant brands and cleaning agents and their uses.

But, knowing you and your style of teaching, I know you will do a fantastic job and your students will leave knowing a broader spectrum of the cleaning industry than if they had a differnt instructor.

 

[Jay D]

How to properly clean a olEfin Berber,(rinse pass only) :|
The Nike spot shuffle, :roll:
That IF you have a 1.5" whip hose 25' is NOt OK, :shock:
Its Ok to smile once in a while, :mrgreen:
Be thankful she let you in Her home and treat it as such. Ivebeensold
Move breakables that are in harms way. !dork!
Just a few. Wish I had a third day when I started. 8)

 

[-JB-]

How to "precondition" a customer so that when the job is done, you are BOTH satisfied.

things to pre-qualify..

1) Stains or color loss/add that you are fairly certain will NOT be remedied.

2) Apparent wear, based on age, and condition. BEING REALISTIC!

3) Wrinkles and loose carpet, why they will likely appear worse until the carpet returns to it's normal dry state.

3) Pooling/watermarking, what it is, and how to prove it BEFORE you clean.
I have gotten A LOT, I MEAN A LOT, of work from other cleaners who fail to do this and, subsequently leave the customer feeling that the area in question is somehow "not clean enough"

 

[Greg Cole]

Teach the principal of wickbacks. Most newbies don't understand this and most IICRC certified guys still have problems with this.

 

[Jeremy]

Less:
Anionic/cationic BS
Fiber ID (cover it but don't harp on it...)

MORE:
Emphasis on vacuuming
Products by name & manufacturer that are safe to use & actually work
Hands on spotting
Sub-surface extraction: when, why & how
Hose management
How to maximise efficiency on the job
VLM and it's proper usage
Customer Relations: Including why you should clean up your appearance, not use profanity, etc. in Mrs Piffs home/office... It's a class for techs & owner ops & it just can't hurt.
Value from the IICRC in general: Including tech support after the class

 

[Don M]

Like JB said customer communication.What to expect. How to underpromise and over deliver.

 

[-JB-]

How to underpromise and over deliver.

AND HOW TO LIVE BY THAT!!!!!!

 

[harryhides]

Lots of good suggestions above.

Based on my own years of managing Techs, new and old, I'd have to say -

How to conduct a thorough pre-inspection - most costly mistakes could have been prevented this way -
Distinguishing the difference between real ( removable soil ) and "apparent" soil ( non removable ) wear, crushing, fuzzing/matting, ripples, bad seams, pile reversal, fading etc.

When to walk - dangers to avoid,
Filtration soiling, difference between spot and stain removal.
Hands-on stain removal.
Personal do's and don'ts in a customer's home - manners and respect, attention to detail.
Time savers, productive cleaning vs inefficient use of time.
How to choose the right tools for each job.
Some quick on-site repairs of tools and warning signs of imminent failure.
How to use a measuring cup and a drop cloth.

There is not enough time to cover it all so I'd focus primarily on prevention.

 

[captaincarpet]

The various types of pre sprays and boosters and their proper usage, sliders and lift buddy and their usage, methodology of cleaning for both 1 and 2 man crews, hose management, safety on the work site, how to break down the really large jobs down in to manageable sections to avoid overwhelming the tech. And of course everything else mentioned in the previous posts.

 

[ACE]

The difference between 6 and 6.6 nylon. Why this is critical to know.

?Please explain, I don’t know the deference.

 

[Mikey P]

Teach the principal of wickbacks. Most newbies don't understand this and most IICRC certified guys still have problems with this.

lol, Porty hacks, please sit up front for this part of class.

 

[Willy P]

Teach the principal of wickbacks. Most newbies don't understand this and most IICRC certified guys still have problems with this.

lol, Porty hacks, please sit up front for this part of class.

Teach people that a machine to clean at best a half inch of fiber doesn't require a 90,000 dollar investment...... :roll:

 

[captaincarpet]

No Willy it doesn't take a 90,000 dollar machine... but my 70,000 machine will double the production of a 50,000 dollar Butler hands down, and probably quadruple the production of your portable per hour...and this machine in addition to my cimex can flat out clean some square footage. I don't know about you, but I make a living cleaning carpet and its all about the bottom line... Production/profit... net profit at years end. I'd gladly make a 1500 dollar payment per month to produce 5,000 or more per month than is even possible with ANY portable, would you? Not to mention the stigmata associated with pulling something that looks like a rental from the grocery store in my customers home, or the long drying times, or the myriad of negatives associated with a portable...
I'm not saying my business model is the only or correct one, or that a TM, or a big TM is for everyone, but when you start throwing stones..know your target.

 

[BRSUMMERVILLE]

The importants of following the steps in carpet cleaning. Not skipping a step. Taking the time to do each step correctly. Skipping a procedure and rushing it can create problems.

Bob Rock

 

[Lora Olson]

We have Barry Costa here twice a year for WRT. Something that I have noticed is that throughout the days, just as a side note, or in passing, he refers to the "restoration" industry as "my industry". And then he'll say something in reference to doing a poor job in someone's home and say "don't bring down my industry".

Basically, he is making it very personal that we're all in this "industry" together, and a technician/owner going out and doing a poor job reflects poorly on EVERYONE in the industry. I'm having a hard time putting across what I'm trying to say, but basically, try putting a personal note on your belonging in this industry. Encourage these new guys not to be hacks, "bait-n-switch", dishonest. It brings down the whole industry.

I think this can be done much as Barry does, as something that he works into his class very subtly but effectively.

Hope that made sense??!!!

 

[RIP IT]

Put your family and life ahead of your work.
Don't treat people like customers, treat them like friends.
Invest in proper training.
Network with others in your profession.
Realise that you dont have to do every job that comes your way.
Smile every day that you wake up on the right side of the grass.
Put a glide on your wand.
Wear sunscreen.

 

[TimP]

The CCT class I took covered most of the technical stuff like pooling water mark and all that. Even spot cleaning was taught.

The most important thing I'd want in the class that I didn't get was enough hands on setting up, tear down, prepping the floor. Propper scrubbing techniques with mechanical floor machines so that damage doesn't occur. How to buy a good truckmount or portable would be nice but I know it most likely won't be allowed. All students should be required to remove red stains urine stains etc. Reducers and oxidizers were taught but it took some time to grasp it for me since I didn't have any experirnce at all.

Glides should be demonstrated and explained how to properly use them. Theories of high flow angled jets and larger hoses for long hose runs. A greenhorn or TI wand should be on hand and compared side by side to traditional 1.5 2 jet wands.

In other words they should be up to date when they leave the class. So they can decide how they want to proceed in their business. I think clients expect a quality cleaner to be up to date. And face it the IICRC isn't going to do it.