WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT CARPET CLEANING
Printed From: Carpet Cleaning Forum
Category: Carpet Cleaners Discussion
Forum Name: Carpet Cleaners Hangout
Forum Description: General discussion on anything related to carpet cleaning
URL: https://www.kleenkuip.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2925
Printed Date: 24/August/2025 at 2:43am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.06 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT CARPET CLEANING
Posted By: nightrider
Subject: WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT CARPET CLEANING
Date Posted: 23/September/2006 at 8:39pm
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I've read many posts where people are leaving good jobs and trying carpet cleaning as a new lifes adventure..........so far I can remember.......an Ex-FIREMAN.............TEACHER............BUSINESS GRAD STUDENT (MBa )........Ex HOCKEY PLAYER....................WELDER..............PAINTER.........CONSTRUCTION WORKER............COMPUTER TECH........... & most recently An ENGINEER. What is it about carpet cleaning that has so much pull towards society as a must have or try job
What did you do before.......or can do instead right now
Nightrider
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Replies:
Posted By: Ninja-wand
Date Posted: 23/September/2006 at 9:03pm
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I think what attacts people towards this Business is probably the freedom. The freedon from the 9-5 job, The freedom of bein your own boss for not alot of money, the freedom (for some) to be outside of a cubicle, and on and on. ------------- I'll make you TAP OUT!!! |
Posted By: HeartlandSteam
Date Posted: 23/September/2006 at 9:26pm
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Every day this country is shifting to a service-oriented society. Manufacturing jobs are contracted outside the states, the construction industry is being overtaken by illegal immigrants, and college grads - particularly ones with just BA's - are realizing now that just because they have a college degree, doesnt mean they will make a good income. In 50 years companys that provide a type of service will dominate the business world. ------------- http://www.heartlandsteamcleaning.com |
Posted By: fibro
Date Posted: 23/September/2006 at 9:27pm
| With the new salary cap and player salary reductions no wonder so many hockey players are going into carpet cleaning. |
Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 12:46am
Very observant of you Travis.......you just about condensed the next 50 years in a paragraph using less that 100 words..................
I'm not mocking you, just scared that you might be right
 Nightrider
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Posted By: HeartlandSteam
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 4:55am
i hope im not right nightrider :-/ It's really unfortunate that good middle class jobs are disappearing. What im really scared of is that the people in the service industry are just going to be the lower income class that serves the higher income class. If this does happen, hopefully this will not be the end of the middle class  Then again, this might just be my simple-minded observation  ------------- http://www.heartlandsteamcleaning.com |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 9:31am
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Everybody has something to clean in their house....rich, poor, middle class... I think the new middle class is a lot wealthier than the old middle class... now a days having assets over 1 million dollars puts you in lower middle class..lol
Home service no matter what market is the way to go...people are spending more time at home...and it gets dirty ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: clovis
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 12:02pm
| I heard George W Bush is going to write a book on spot removal. |
Posted By: HeartlandSteam
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 12:11pm
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and it would be named "The war on spots." And at the end of the book he would still not have a clear solution to remove the spot...hmmm, sounds eerily similiar to something else... ------------- http://www.heartlandsteamcleaning.com |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 12:15pm
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Now, If you could just get into these ppl's houses ..
 http://rense.com/general73/400.htm - http://rense.com/general73/400.htm
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Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 2:16pm
I was about to complete my MA, but the main thing I could do with that is teach. After teaching for a couple of years, I felt like I wasn't doing much good and making very little money in the process. The cap on making money in that field was already well in view. I also worked as a loan officer for a year, which helped me see how much better it would be to determine my own income, be my own boss, etc. Between teaching, working as loan officer, and working as a carpet cleaner, I hadn't punched a clock in over ten years. I was already spoiled into expecting to do things pretty much my own way with no real supervision. It just hit me one day that the only things that really bothered me about carpet and upholstery cleaning was 1)getting up early, and 2) it's not much of a status job. I just decided that issue #1 was pretty damn minor, and #2 was minor as well if I could just get over myself. Other than that, I like being active all day, I like being my own boss, and I like having my fate in my own hands. I'm pretty good with people face to face, and I enjoy that part of it. Any monkey can do the labor, but knowing how to deal with people with finesse is an ongoing challenge, and I enjoy working at it. |
nightrider wrote:Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 2:53pm
I think Clinton already has the spot removal business covered ..........I think he had a helper too.........what was her name..........oh yeah.......Monica Lewinsky...........Talk about BLOWING   a good opportunity & losing a career
Nightrider
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Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 11:20pm
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I clean for the cash....This job has an unlimited earning potential. Where the hell could I find a job earning me 1000+ on a good day...and thats not even working too hard.
no wait....cash in hand...on to the next job... meeting interesting people...getting design tips....seeing how the rich live...
man I love this job!
some of us make more in one day the some people take home in a week....
I average $400 a day....= to the pay of a C.A. at a major firm...
who knew...soap water and a little stream could be so wonderful ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: cmaster
Date Posted: 24/September/2006 at 11:26pm
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Who knew?
It is a great business, most days
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Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 25/September/2006 at 12:27pm
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I liked it better 15 or 20 years ago. I don't think it was what it is now or what it is going to be??? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: cleanex
Date Posted: 25/September/2006 at 12:52pm
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It is too easy to get into this business, many may try it, but few will make it a career, once they find out that it is not 9 to 5 and the time it takes to establish yourself is much longer than they thought. ------------- DON ELDRED YOU CAN "STAND" ON OUR REPUTATION |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 25/September/2006 at 12:54pm
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100K A MONTH 20YRS AGO...
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Posted By: kanji
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 11:44am
What is so special?! Eveyone who ever experienced a water damage on his carpet knows the importance of carpet cleaning! If you'd like to see some professional example you can try and see for you self:
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Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 3:18pm
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I most times work from 9 to 5.... but that goes out the window from now until xmas... when I get over run I start at 8am and finish at 9pm... it was so busy last year I did Sundays....I never do Sundays but ya got to store enough nuts...slow season is just around the corner ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 3:36pm
I'd love to have that much business. Well, still haven't finished my first year, and what everyone says seems to be so: it takes longer to build than I expected. Still, I'm not going anywhere, and seeing others like you having so much business after being around for awhile makes me glad.  Hey look up there . . . a clapping emoticon that isn't sarcastic! |
Posted By: thermedix
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 3:47pm
Doug, times sure have changed, but I think for the better imo, theres a great deal more information out there now that was just never there before, this board is definately one asset that was not around 20 yrs. ago, the chems we use now are more stringently monitored for safety(our safety) the equipment seems much more reliable and cheaper to operate,
Remember when you would see a tm along side the road in the city hurling raw crap into a storm drain, I just don`t see stuff like that any more.
I think people co-operate better now, I really don`t think the industry is as cut throat as it was. It just seems as though I don`t have to try so hard to get new customers, they are more open minded. having said all that,
price is still too low.. my back still hurts, gas is still too expensive, and the wife is still bitching about the hours I keep..
Cheer up  ------------- It`s not how far you fall...it`s how high you bounce back up... |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 4:27pm
I suggest geting a revolving line of credit of at least 100,000 and use it to run your advertising through out the year....this way you can pay yourself on slow months and repay on busy months..... I think a customer list should be no smaller than 10,000 customers until then don't stop the advertising....advertise so much if you get a paper cut you bleed ink..... out of sight out of mind out of business...........
if you aint booking at least 20 calls a week ...go home you aren't really taking this business seriously ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Ninja-wand
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 7:11pm
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"if you aint booking at least 20 calls a week ...go home you aren't really taking this business seriously"- STeamer
If you have 2 trucks or more that would be fine. But for a owner/Op like me...I aint tryn to KILL MYSELF!! I try to do a Max of 3 or maybe 4 jobs a day. Im still too young and pretty!! I wanna enjoy it!!! ------------- I'll make you TAP OUT!!! |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 7:20pm
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well your close...if your doing 3 to 4 jobs a day six days a week....
Maybe you want something different....I want something I can really grow...I don't want to be in the truck forever...
just getting by doesn't cut it....this is my way of making money
10 to 15 grand a month is what a outfit with 2 trucks should be making...
average call of $150.00
Kill yourself while your young....who wants to push a wand at 65??
------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 7:22pm
Word. It's a question of how much you invest and how much you get back. Ninja-wand, can you explain your sig? |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 27/September/2006 at 7:31pm
how many jobs do y'all wanna do a week??
5 to 10???
do you have other jobs?? ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 2:53am
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It varies. My business is less than a year old. Last month I grossed a little over six grand. Not yet where I want to be by a long shot, but I can build from that. It's a good thing we have a guy like you to tell us what we are what we aren't.  |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 7:30am
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Well it sounds like a mixed message to me... some people are charging $45 for set of steps
some people are getting $120 dor 2 rooms
some people are doing 3 to 4 jobs a day with a porty but not willing to kill themselves
some people get all their 3 to 4 jobs from little to no advertising
some people are making just a little oversix grand...which to me isn't bad.
sometimes it's just hard to read through the bull  ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 9:50am
| It was a good month compared to what I've been doing, but still not as busy as I wanted, and still nowhere near 20 jobs a week. Does that help? |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 3:44pm
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I hate to sound negative...but I am....
it's the weekend warriors that give all carpet cleaners a bad name..
They don't clean enough carpet to even know how to clean carpet.
They over charge for poor results ..
They under charge for poor results
They run little word ads in the classifieds
Then they come here to learn how to..............
and bragg about how much they charge.
while holding down their real 9 to 5
or collecting welfare..
cause if you aint doing at least 10 jobs a week...how do you eat???? how do you pay rent or mortage?
at a call average of $150 you would of had to clean at least 40 calls to make 6000
and to have a call average of $150 you would need someone that know how to book them properly..
so much bull my screen stinks
 ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 4:32pm
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I'm not a weekend warrior. I started doing this in 1996. My business is new, but I've been doing this for awhile. My customers are extremely satisfied with my work. I don't brag about how much I charge, I don't run crummy ads. I do tile and grout as well, which is a lot more than 150.00 average. I also do the Bridgepoint System for light restoration of wood floors, which goes for about 3.00 per square foot. You don't know enough about my operation to even have an opinion, but your head's too far up your ass to realize you're way ahead of yourself. It's charitable of me to even bother pointing this out to you. I'm sure most people just shrug, nod, and walk away whenever you open your mouth. I think I'll be one of those people now. Suck it. |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 5:11pm
rant on brother!!!
you should post about what you know....like Mcdonalds
your the dude behind the counter....
here let me make you feel at home
whats the line...
'CAN I TAKE YOUR ORDER PLEASE?"
maybe you got fired???
what no welfare cheque???
don't worry the cheque is in the mail portable boy! ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 5:22pm
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2 all beef patties ...special sauce lettice cheese pickles onions on a seasme seed bun 2 all beef patties ...special sauce lettice cheese pickles onions are a second to none
no more Mcdonalds for me the burgers Michael makes are load with bull ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: Ninja-wand
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 5:34pm
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Cmon guys, W're all here to help and learn from each other. Not fight!! Give each other a hug and a kiss and make up.
Steamer, Its not about the Volume of work that counts..Its about how much you make off one job. My min. is $125 to go out. That would probably be for a 1 (or maybe 2 if small)bdrm,Lvrm,hall small aparment. If all I have is small gigs like that on the schedule for the day then I can do maybe 5-6 jobs. But, most of the time I do Whole houses and usually it average anywhere around $250-350 (without scotch guard). Thats why I usually only do 2-3 houses a day. Its not because Im a "weekend warrior". Most of my client base is from referral (I dont really do much advertising anymore, except for one ad)..So, I know I do a good job.
 Think I should change my Nick on here (Ninja-Wand). People keep asking me for Portable advice lol ...I DONT HAVE A PORTABLE DAMMIT!! ------------- I'll make you TAP OUT!!! |
Posted By: HeartlandSteam
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 6:48pm
$125 minimum? I wish i could afford to do that 
------------- http://www.heartlandsteamcleaning.com |
Posted By: Ninja-wand
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 7:32pm
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You Can Travis!!
Whats your Min.?? ------------- I'll make you TAP OUT!!! |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 7:35pm
This is one on the best BB's around (Bull Board)....
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Posted By: Hammy
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 7:40pm
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Heartland: Let me guess your minimum is $250 just to show up. By the way I checked out your web site, you like to emphasize about your iicrc certs, however when I checked you out your name is not registered with them, please explain. Also whats this about being franchised in water damage restoration? ------------- Could somebody just clean my carpets! |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 7:45pm
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Yesterday i booked 2 jobs at the same time for today.... dah!!! Total of both cleans is $550.00 And thats NO BULL!! Mr.Steamer..
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Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 8:48pm
but there are days that you book 2 jobs and the total for both cleans is 120 plus tax... ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 9:09pm
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call average of $150 is pretty damn good...thats excellent in my books...some of the biggest carpet cleaners in north america would die for a $150 job average..
sorry Michael I guess I hit a nerve...I can see right through your BULL SHZAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
head to the red board....where guys who don't do much advertising...use a portable....where one is a jack of all hard floor cleaning but a master of none....
Like you said Michael... I don't know enough about you and your business but from the glimmer you've posted here...something stinks to high heaven...maybe it's just your breath
off to the red board you red board flunky...where the bull shizat touches the sky ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 9:47pm
| Yea 150av is good... |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 9:54pm
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That's may average day?? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: Hammy
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 10:01pm
Doug: you should start charging for pre spray, that will bring the average up. ------------- Could somebody just clean my carpets! |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 28/September/2006 at 10:22pm
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doug is posting reverse Bull sh*t...lol ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 29/September/2006 at 6:10am
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Thats a good one? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 29/September/2006 at 10:52pm
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you got 2 nice new trucks... with 2 nice new units....can you say"SHOW ME THE MONEY"....lol ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: cmaster
Date Posted: 29/September/2006 at 11:36pm
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That's cause they're Prochem's. If they were Cleanco's, he'd have 3 and be broke like me
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Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 30/September/2006 at 8:49am
Is there money involved with all this?? I am non profit?? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: cmaster
Date Posted: 30/September/2006 at 11:32am
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Did you apply for that status?
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Posted By: thermedix
Date Posted: 01/October/2006 at 6:48pm
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Oh Brother Doug, teach us your ways.....Church of CC in GODrich Great tax breaks I will bet...------------- It`s not how far you fall...it`s how high you bounce back up... |
Posted By: Superglide Ken
Date Posted: 27/November/2006 at 8:00pm
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Doug gets to write the Bush off as a tax deduction? ------------- Inventor of the Teflon Wand Glide and the Turboteck Rotary Air Duct Cleaners for TMs. |
Posted By: cmaster
Date Posted: 27/November/2006 at 8:29pm
Watering all that greenery costs big $ 
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Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 27/November/2006 at 10:39pm
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When I start making enough money to have to pay taxes I will let you know? I am not as well off as you city cleaners? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: cmaster
Date Posted: 27/November/2006 at 11:52pm
Non profit status is best 
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Posted By: Superglide Ken
Date Posted: 28/November/2006 at 12:01am
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Im becoming a monk so I can claim perpetual poverty? ------------- Inventor of the Teflon Wand Glide and the Turboteck Rotary Air Duct Cleaners for TMs. |