ncca December 2013/January 2014

The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association

newslink

Features:

Cleaning Viscose Carpets

Unusual Problems

Contents03

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04

08

10

12

14

16

20

22

24

26

27

28

From the Editor: Welcome back to

Newslink in print!

Membership renewals 2014/15

From the President: Report on NCCA

General Meeting 2013

Further improvements to member

referral system

Cleaning Viscose carpets

It’s all in the preparation

Unusual problems

First aid kit

Industry misconceptions

06

(B)locked out

Do you need a ‘brand strategy’?

Flood damaged upholstery

Health and Safety (safety signs and

signals) Regulations 1996

Let Controlaccounts clean up your debt

Our name and logo

Lifting the burden on back pain

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

Nikki Law

Keith Robertson

Nikki Law

Paul Pearce

Nigel Lay

Glyn Charnock

Martin Johns

Keith Robertson

Allan Simmons

Billy Russell

Denise Pitt

Editor

Editor in Chief

Design Editor

CEO/Technical Director

Vice President/Events Director

Company Secretary/2nd Vice President/Membership Director

Assistant Membership Director

Marketing Director

Director

Director

Co-opted Director

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

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or it’s officers or members. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the statements within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors, or omissions, or matters arising from any clerical or printing errors, and whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and photographs submitted to us, we can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage.

newslink page 2

©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.

newslinkpage 3

Welcome back to Newslink in print!

Membership renewals 2014/15

Since Newslink became an all-digital magazine in

July of this year many of you have told us that

you’ve missed the printed edition, stating that you

preferred to read the publication in hard-copy

format.

In respect of this, and due to popular demand, we

are pleased to announce that we have made the

decision to bring Newslink back into print! And what

better way to re-launch than with the

(December/January) Christmas edition.

We are all extremely excited about the future of

the magazine and, as always, we are striving to be

the best source of information

possible for the carpet and upholstery

cleaning industry.

We hope that you are pleased with

our decision and would like to take

this opportunity to wish all our

readers a happy Christmas and a very

prosperous New Year.

(Please Note: Newslink will still be available online

to read and download and you will continue to

receive an email notification when the magazine is

released each month).

Nicky LawNewslink Editor

Membership renewal documents for 2014/2015 will be sent on April 1st 2014 and due for payment in full by

May 1st 2014.

As stated in The Articles of Association: “Any Member wishing to resign from the Company shall give 60

clear days' notice of his intended resignation in writing to the Secretary and at the expiry of such notice shall

cease to be a member, but in default of giving such notice, at least 60 clear days before the expiry of the

current year, such member shall be liable to pay the subscription for the ensuing year”.

If you are experiencing difficulties or considering not renewing your membership please contact us. We

never like to hear that a member has decided they no longer plan to be part of the NCCA, and we would like

to work with you to do all we can to assist. We are currently exploring the use of a scheme, whereby

payments can be spread over a specified period using direct debit, more information will be published in the

New Year. If you do not wish to renew your membership for the coming year, notice must be put in writing

to the Company Secretary before the 31st January. This item is legally enforceable.

Other requirements of your renewal are a completed Health & Safety declaration form and proof of

insurance; we will again be accepting Public Liability schedules that clearly state that they include either

Treatment Risk or Products Liability. Please make sure you send all the correct required documentation

along with your payment, this will aid in the swift processing of your renewal.

All members who have not yet completed a full year of membership will still be receiving a subscription

invoice sent on April 1st. The fee will have been reduced in respect of how long you have been a member.

Payment of this invoice will bring your renewal in line with the rest of the membership and your renewal

year will run from April to April from then on.

newslink page 4

From the President - Report on NCCA GeneralMeeting 2013 Paul Pearce

he NCCA General Meeting (GM) took

place on 16th November and this year was T accompanied by a marketing seminar

presented by NCCA Board member Allan

Simmons.

The seminar, which ran prior to the GM, was titled

'Five Easy Real-World Steps to Make More Profit'

and focussed on successful marketing materials

and techniques currently used by cleaning

companies of all sizes, from owner/operators to

larger businesses with multiple vans.

Allan took us through several strategies he uses

in his own business and, following his excellent

presentation, each attendee was provided with a

CD containing the various documents discussed to

use for marketing in their own businesses.

Elections

In accordance with the Articles of Association,

Directors were re-elected by rotation. The re-

election of Paul Pearce and Keith Robertson was

proposed by Steve Bakker, seconded by Ken

Wainwright and agreed by all those who voted.

NCCA Officers were elected as follows:

CEO - Paul Pearce

Vice President - Nigel Lay

2nd Vice President - Glyn Charnock

Company Secretary - Glyn Charnock

Marketing Seminar

General Meeting

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Co-opted Directors: Billy Russell and Allan Simmons

were voted on to the Board, taken as a block vote

for both candidates, proposed by Pawlo Woloszyn,

seconded by Ken Wainwright.

Auditors (re-elected): Peter Morris of MGC Hayles

Ltd, proposed by Richard Meadows, seconded by

John Claydon.

Solicitors (re-elected): Sarah Franklin of Isis Legal,

proposed by Peter Miller, seconded by John

Claydon.

With the inclusion of postal and electronic votes all

motions were carried.

Annual subscriptions

It was agreed that annual subscriptions will

increase with the rate of inflation having remained

at the same level for the last three years

Membership Restructure

Our new membership structure has been in place

throughout this year and we now have a number

of members listed under the different categories.

Trustmark Scheme

As we reported last year we had started the

process of joining Trustmark; this was being carried

out through a third party, Diversity Ltd. Glyn

Charnock, the Director responsible for the project,

has worked tirelessly with Trustmark this year to

enable us to become scheme operators with our

own category. This is now in its final stages and we

hope it will be in place by January 2014.

newslinkpage 5

Training Programs and Exams to entry

Our two-day training courses continue to run to

capacity, as well as our Health & Safety and Spot &

Stain Removal course. In fact their popularity has

increased and this year we have had to add two

more Spot & Stain Removal courses to the

calendar. We have also reintroduced our one-day

Leather Cleaning course and are encouraging our

Corporate Members to become involved with us in

carrying out training courses for NCCA entry.

Carpet Cleaners Carnival (CCC)

This year we enjoyed another excellent Carpet

Cleaners Carnival at Wicksteed Park. Nigel Lay and

Alan Simmons pulled out all the stops to make this

a successful day. We had a lot of positive feedback

from our Corporate Members, as well as

attendees. We did try something different this

time around, which was to encourage the

exhibitors to carry out demonstrations wherever

possible, and this was very well received. A small

committee (Nigel Lay, Allan Simmons and Billy

Russell) have already started work on next year's

event having met recently to discuss more new

ideas, so look out for further information in the

New Year.

Finance

You will see from the financial report that the

Association has again made a small profit. Our

membership levels have stayed much the same,

even in this climate. We tightened our belts to

enable us to carry out new projects in 2013 and

we scheduled a few more training courses which

has also helped to cover this. This year we were

able to update our computers, add new CRM

(Customer Relationship Management) software

and carry out a marketing incentive, which is still

under construction.

Marketing

Last year we took a different track with regards to

marketing. First of all we set up Facebook and

Twitter accounts. I trust you have noticed the

activity, which is being carried out on FB, this

keeps Nikki quite busy as she populates our page

on a regular basis. Keith Robertson and Billy

Russell have also been involved in this project.

We agreed as a Board earlier this year to phase

out the hard copy of the Newslink; this was as a

result of discussions at the February Summit

meeting. The thoughts were to modernise the way

we distribute publications and information using

Infusionsoft (the new CRM software) and secondly

reduce the cost, which would allow us to divert

funds to other projects. When you consider the

amount of work that goes into the collation of the

magazine, the cost of printing and the increasing

price of postage, it mounts up. We have since

received a lot of feedback from the members

saying that they have missed holding and reading

the Newslink and we therefore decided to

reintroduce the hard copy. The issue of Newslink

you are currently reading is the first published

edition following our return to hard copy, though

we will still continue to distribute the

accompanying online version of Newslink every

month.

Continued on next page

newslink page 6

Members Summit

In February we carried out the second Members

Summit meeting, again inviting around twenty

past and current members to spend a day

together and brainstorm. It turned out to be

another successful event. We have seen many of

these ideas come to fruition, which is a great

achievement, and having a to-do list always gives

you something else to strive for.

NCCA Staff and Directors

This has been another year of achievements, with

the Directors and Staff of the National Carpet

Cleaners Association working very hard on your

behalf. I probably say this each year, but it's true. I

couldn't complete this report without mentioning

our office staff, Katie, Nikki and Lewis. We are

extremely lucky to have such loyal and dedicated

staff. They are always ready to offer advice, they

continue to keep things moving and make all of

the Directors look good.

I would also like to acknowledge the Board. I

have a good team of Directors around me.

Everyone gets involved in what they need to, and

everyone supports the efforts of others. So a big

thanks to them all.

Finally I would also like to take this opportunity to

thank all members for your continued support and

to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a

happy and prosperous New Year.

Continued from previous page

In 2010 we introduced an improved system for

providing members’ details to interested parties

who call the NCCA office requesting the services of

a reputable cleaner.

A major benefit of this system is that it has

provided us with the ability to inform members

when their details have been given out.

We have recently added to this procedure and are

now also requesting the name and telephone

number of each interested party who calls the

office. This information is now included in the

notification you receive from us when your details

have been provided to potential customers.

Important Notice: Further improvements to member referral system

To All Members from

The Staff And Directors

of The NCCA

or quite a while now

I have been working

on some very high Fend wall-to-wall carpets.

The interior designers that

specify them say that these

carpets retail at over £220 a

square metre. I'm sure you

can imagine that the risk

factor goes up a little when

you are working on such

expensive products. The

thing that you could be

forgiven for thinking,

however, is that because

these carpets

retail at that sort

of figure, nothing

could go wrong

and they are

ideal for the

consumer as well

as the carpet

cleaner. How wrong can you be? The main fibre

(indeed sometimes the only fibre) is Viscose. It is

known as Art Silk, Silk, Faux Silk and really

whatever the suppliers want to call it in their

attempts to get someone to part with their

money. Of course when you see this carpet in its

luxury home you can understand why people buy

it, because it really does look plush. It feels nice to

walk on, it looks silky and even, dare I say it,

luxurious.

Now what about the cleaning and maintenance

of it? Have you tried to clean it? Have you even

come across it yet? Well first of all, and thankfully,

it's not that popular (I'm sure price has a lot to do

with it). Using a standard burn test you can

identify the fibre. If you're not too sure, Viscose

burns, smells like paper and produces soft ashes at

the end. You will find that most clients will tell you

what it is anyway. The thing is, how are you going

to clean it?

All carpets are going to get dirty and will need

cleaning, most will respond to low moisture or wet

Paul PearceCleaning Viscose carpets

newslink page 8

newslinkpage 9

extraction. Viscose is different, it absorbs

moisture very quickly; it distorts, lays flat and

stains. I have seen too many that have ended up

this way, usually after they have been spot

cleaned by the hired help using proprietary

carpet spot cleaners. The problem is that the

labels on these products very rarely explain about

treating different fibres, so when a spillage occurs

the natural thing is to get the spot remover out.

No sooner is this applied than the damage is

done. These fibres discolour very easily with most

spotters, including those with oxidising agents in

them. The safest way to clean them is to use a dry

compound system, but that doesn't always get

the deep spillages out and, being so absorbent,

the whole fibre really needs wetting out to

remove the staining. What happens when you

wet it? Well it distorts like the fur of a wet dog.

Sadly, unlike a dog, you can't shake the tangles

out and brushing doesn't do a great deal either.

As a last resort I have cleaned them using wet

extraction, but only after a detailed consultation

with the client.

One of the methods I have found a good

response with is encapsulation, although you will

need to be cautious using those containing

oxidisers (they tend to cause discolouration). I

have found that a good pump-up sprayer for the

application process is best, then I use a counter-

rotating machine with soft brushes to massage in

the solution, leave to dry for half an hour and then

vacuum. The results are more than acceptable. If

you have things like red wine or coffee then only

use acetic acid or tannin spotters (no bleaches).

Yes it may distort the pile slightly, but you can

reduce this using a velvet carding brush. If

spotting, you can also use most solvents - but as

with anything Test! Test! Test!

Of course it would be great if manufacturers

stopped creating and experimenting with these so-

called luxury fibres, but oh no!

They are now developing fine

fibres from Bamboo and

Banana. I thought we had just

started to understand Sisal and

Seagrass (coincidentally now

our customers have begun to

move away from them). We

obviously need to be aware of

what our customers are buying

and be ready to assist them

with their cleaning needs. Just

be careful out there.

I have seen quite a few videos on the internet of

cleaning technicians waving the spray lance over a

carpet in a very haphazard way without any

consideration whatsoever for surrounding items.

It's really just a simple matter of having a suitable

spray tip and applying the pre-clean solution in a

uniform and even pattern, surely not too much to

ask?

The spraying of pre-treatment and post-

protective treatments onto soft furnishings should

always be approached with extreme care. If I was

the customer I wouldn't be happy seeing someone

Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)It’s all in the preparation...

was pleased to

hear from an

Insurance source Ithat claims made by

carpet cleaners were at

a fairly low level during

the last year but, at the

same time, sorry to

hear that the claims

that were received were

mainly due to lack of

proper preparation.

This failure to prepare

the ground properly

had, in several

instances, led to the

damage of

surrounding

items that

were not

actually being

cleaned at the

time. For

example

carpets

damaged

whilst cleaning

furniture, due to the lack of appropriate protective

drop sheet.

Overspray was another culprit, causing damage

to items of polished or stained wooden furniture

and in some cases adjacent wood flooring.

page 10newslink

spraying chemicals about willy nilly over items that

I had paid a fair bit of money for, would you?

Damage to skirting boards and furniture from

brushes/pads on low moisture rotary

bonnet/brush systems is yet another common

reason for an insurance claim. Again, simply due

to lack of care on the part of the cleaning

technician.

Wood flooring coming into contact with

moisture is unfortunately also a far too frequent

problem. Cleaning solutions, or even just water,

may affect the appearance of the surface finish if

allowed to make contact. Some of these floors are

also liable to buckle/warp and will cost a fair bit

for the offending technician to replace or rectify.

Don't forget too that the high humidity caused

during a cleaning process where moisture is

present can also have a detrimental effect on this

type of flooring.

So, could this general lack of preparation be due

to the fact that cleaners do not leave sufficient

time to complete the jobs properly? And is this

because they are under-pricing I have to ask.

We are all likely to have a claim at some point in

our cleaning careers, it is one of the simple facts of

life. There are always going to be circumstances

beyond our control, but a lack of preparation will

certainly add to our chances of something going

wrong.

To quote the wise words of the 'Old man of

Essex' “we are not just in the cleaning business we

are in the risk business”. I agree and believe it is

part of our job to recognise the risks and take the

appropriate action to minimise them.

NCCA COURSESCarpet & Upholstery Cleaning 17th - 18th January21st - 22nd March23rd - 24th May4th - 5th July19th - 20th September21st - 22nd November

Advanced Spot & Stain Removal21st February20th June10th October

Leather Identification & Cleaning20th March18th September

NCCA courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless otherwise stated. Visit:www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms and further details.

IICRC COURSES (HERTFORDSHIRE)Carpet Cleaning Technician with Paul Pearce11th - 12th March20th - 21st May16th - 17th September25th - 26th November

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Diary Dates 2014

newslink

ver the years, every

carpet cleaner will

have encountered Oproblem situations which will

have needed some deep

thought in order to reach a

solution. In my forty five years

in the industry I experienced

many such occasions, most of

them forgotten with time but

a few of which remain clearly

in my memory.

One lasting memory is of an

enormous computer room

belonging to a major

company. We were requested

to inspect the flooring which was providing cause

for concern following the recent completion of

installations in the area.

The room contained a cavity floor and was

covered with removable wood blocks onto which

carpet tiles were stuck.

Our company was asked to determine why

individual carpet tiles, or blocks of tiles, in varying

positions on the entire floor surface, had soiled

whilst adjacent tiles were in good condition.

A sample cleaning of several soiled tiles provided

good results but the spurious nature of the soiling

was a puzzle, so I consulted the site foreman on the

immediate past history of the room.

I discovered that the entire floor had been fitted

prior to the completion of work in the area.

Subsequently, almost the entire floor area had been

lifted and the blocks stacked to enable cabling to be

installed in the floor cavity. Needless to say,

Unusual problems

page 12

Cecil Aigin (Honorary Member)

The original Thames Carpet Cleaners Ltd works (in the 1990s)

attention was not given to replacing blocks in

original positions, with the result that sections from

previously exposed areas were laid alongside

formerly uncontaminated blocks.

As you would predict, the floor covering that had

been subjected to foot traffic, had become soil

attracting and resulted in the condition described.

Many will have experienced the difficulty of

obtaining accurate information with regard to the

possible cause of stains and discolorations. There

is, occasionally, reluctance from a person, who is

responsible for maintenance, to own up to the

possibility that some procedural system had not

gone according to plan.

By chance, I met the managing director of a major

carpet manufacturer at a meeting. A short time

later he contacted me and asked if I could inspect

an area of carpet, supplied by his company, which

was installed in a major hotel.

An inspection of the carpet, which was installed in

corridors, indicated many yellowish discolorations

in the beige pile. I attempted to obtain a clue as to

the possible cause and suggested to the

maintenance manager that some hard surface

cleaning fluid,

which may have

been used in a

nearby indoor

pool, might have

accidently

dripped on to

the carpet. He

refuted any

possibility of this

having occurred.

A pH check of the stains indicated a

degree of alkalinity and treatment with

a mild acetic rinse removed the staining

and returned the carpet to a

satisfactory condition.

A few weeks later, I received a call

from the deputy manager of the hotel

who took the trouble to advise me that

staff, which were responsible for

spotting the carpet at night, had been using a hard

surface cleaner by mistake, instead of a proprietary

carpet spotter which had been obtained for the

purpose.

Possibly, the situation that I remember the most

clearly was back in 1970. I was driving home from

work at about 5pm, anxious not to be late for the

start of a World Cup match that England were

playing in that night. During the journey, there was

an enormous cloud burst just as I was passing a

large hotel where we carried out regular carpet

maintenance.

I remember thinking that I hoped they didn't

choose that night to have a flood.

But, sure enough, I arrived home and had hardly

taken my coat off when the hotel maintenance

manager was on the phone to advise me that their

entire 1000 sq mtr banqueting suite was

under water and to ask me if I would attend

as a matter of urgency.

It was a question of choosing between the

World Cup match and a very valued client.

Needless to say, I opted for the hotel and

drove back to discover that the entire floor

was in fact under water.

I advised them to draw as much water off

as possible with a motorized wet pick-up

and then supervised

their maintenance

staff in taking up the

carpet and

separating seams

into manageable

sections. The

following morning,

with the

cooperation of

another NCCA member who had in-plant facilities,

all the carpet was removed from site. It was then

processed and returned four days later. We were

equipped with automatic carpet cleaning and

drying equipment and were well placed to handle

work of this nature, although it did mean putting

our regular work on hold for a few days.

The hotel dried out the area and was able to hold

a banquet according to schedule.

I hope that these reminiscences will provoke

memories in other members; no doubt Nicky, our

Newslink editor, will be interested to receive them.

page 13 newslink

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the

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ham

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Car

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en

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Ce

cil A

igin

o you carry a First Aid Kit in your van?

Have you ever needed to use it or do D you depend on your customer to help

out should an accident occur?

My story is comical in hindsight but, to me, it

was serious at the time.

This tale is a little complex and I'm sure that

several planets would have had to have been in

alignment, so to speak, for the incident to occur

as it did, so please bear with me and my

preliminary details.

I had been suffering with minor lower back

pain and my treatment was to apply

some Percutane, a naturally resourced

cream made from hot chillies and

manufactured in New Zealand. A

great and effective product that can

be comfortably hot on the skin,

becoming more intense when wetted.

I was working in an empty house, cleaning

carpets and upholstery at the end of a tenancy,

when the need arose to use the toilet.

Unfortunately, there was no toilet tissue in the

house. No problem me thinks, I always carry some

in the van for such emergencies. Well I thought I

did but unfortunately on this occasion I

discovered it had all gone.

Being a resourceful type, I took a clean towel

from my van so that I could have a freshwater

wash down afterwards. Then I discovered there

was no soap in the house either.

This is when my problem began. Whilst washing

myself, some water must have splashed onto my

back where the Percutane had been applied and,

over the next few minutes, a little of this water

obeyed the laws of gravity and trickled down my

bum cleavage, resting in the freshly washed

region.

ARGHHHHHHH. My bum became an inferno!

There was no soap available and another

freshwater wash didn't help at all. So, out to the

van I went to lay my hands on my trusty First Aid

Kit. Petroleum Jelly brought instant relief and life

was back to normal.

So, the moral of my story is to always make sure

you have tissue paper in the van and to always,

always carry a fully stocked first aid kit with you.

You never know when you might need it!

Ken Wainwright

newslink page 14

First aid kit

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

Going Going - Gone!Dye Gone offers a unique new package and application device to remove the severest of dye stains including: coffee, tea, wine, hair dyes, paints, candle colours etc.

*pre-test carefully and rinseout after stain is removedwith cold water.

No need to mix - just spray - wait and the stain is gone.*

Wishing all NCCA members a happyChristmas and a profitable New Year!

BEFORE AFTER

Say

goodbye

to stains!

Industry misconceptionsDerek Bolton (Honorary Member)

his month I want to reflect on some of the

misconceptions that are common within T our industry. I have decided to deal with

this in two sections (1: customer and 2: cleaner)

and some of my comments may well prove to be

controversial but “Hey Ho… in for a penny, in for a

pound”.

Common customer misconceptions:

1) Carpet and upholstery, once cleaned, will

miraculously look like new again

WRONG! Five or ten year old soft furnishings are

never going to look exactly 'like new' again even if

you've done a superb job with the cleaning.

However, as the designated cleaner, you are in an

ideal position to dispel this myth immediately

simply by discussing expected results with your

customer at the initial survey stage and, if

necessary, re-educating them.

2) Every spot and stain will disappear

We are all aware that the 'No guarantee' rule

should be applied here particularly as, at this

point, we may be unaware of all the home

remedies that have already been tried and have

subsequently failed. Again, educate your

customer on the expected results during the

initial survey stage.

Common cleaner misconceptions:

1) Customers won't pay that sort of money

I wish I had a fiver for every time I've heard that

statement, quickly followed by “there are cleaners

in my area charging £15 per room, I have to

compete with that”… No you don't!

I was talking to a cleaner recently who showed

me the worksheet his boss had given him for that

day. His first job was booked for 9am, to clean a

lounge carpet for £15! He showed me the

contents of his van, a small extraction machine

that cost (he said) around £300 plus several

gallons of cleaning chemicals each marked with a

felt tipped pen, i.e. carpet cleaner, stain remover

etc. No manufacturers' labels were in evidence, so

no dilution rates, no Health & Safety

information… SCARY! No wonder the prices his

company were charging were so cheap.

If you're doing a great job, however, why

that workmen will charge a higher rate and a 'too

low' quotation will be regarded with suspicion.

Actually, it is my personal belief that many

cleaners generally charge far too cheap a price for

their work anyway and that society has moved

into the B.O.G.O.F. (Buy One Get One Free) era to

the point where the 'bottom feeders' prevail. So,

Continued on next page

shouldn't you charge for it? I read a short article in

my daily paper recently where an experienced

carpet cleaner was denied the chance to clean

carpets in a prominent London property because,

apparently, his inexpensive rates betrayed a lack

of experience! Now, don't get me wrong, I don't

agree that cleaners in the Capital should exploit

wealthy people at all, but there are obviously

some areas in London where it is almost expected

newslink page 18

if you think you can't

charge more for your

work just think of all

those cheaper priced

cleaners fighting for

lower-end business

within your area. They're

leaving the 'cream' for all

those professionals who

excel in offering a good

service. There are higher-

end clients in every region of this country who

need their soft furnishings cleaned, not just

London. Why shouldn't it be you offering them this

service?

2) The customer is delighted with the job so it

must be clean

In all honesty I have to ask… is it really clean? Each

person's perception of 'clean' is different.

Remember the old saying, looks are only skin (or in

this case 'tuft') deep. Let me paint a picture for you

if I may. A spillage of oil on a kitchen carpet, quite a

bit of oil in fact, has been walked into the carpet for

a considerable period of time. The carpet is bonnet

cleaned and the end result looks pretty good, the

customer is delighted, BUT… is it really clean? Ask

yourself what the carpet is going to look like in

three weeks' time when all the oil that has

penetrated into the backing starts to wick back up

to the surface. Will the customer be happy then?

REMEMBER - People buy 'people'

Be Professional in everything you do. That means

looking good, that means clean, tidy and possibly

investing in a uniform, smelling good (splash on

the deodorant).

Have a clean tidy van,

inside and out - make

sure your kit is clean and

tidy too

Charge a realistic price

so that you can offer a

complete service and,

dare I say, leave a 'clean'

carpet that your

customer/client is truly

happy with, now… AND in the future.

Don't be a 'bottom feeder' go to the top of the

tree. You're worth it… aren't you?

Continued from previous page

Would you like to train as a floor sanding

professional? Well... this is your chance! Simply

identify what you think caused the stain (right) on

an oak kitchen work top and, on a less serious

note, what you think it resembles, AND YOU

COULD WIN A PLACE ON OUR FLOOR SANDING

COURSE - WORTH £395 + VAT! For your chance to

win, email your answers to Terry Guilford at:

terry.guilford@ultimatefloorsanding.com

COMPETITIONCOMPETITION

HERE’S A CLUE: famine staining

STILL NO WINNER!

WIN A PLACE ON OURTRAINING COURSE!WIN A PLACE ON OURTRAINING COURSE!

newslink page 20

(B)locked out? Terry Guilford (The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.)

ne of the

things that

surprises me Oabout the wood flooring

industry is the lack of

interest in installing new

wood block flooring. We

are all used to seeing

wood block in old public

buildings (schools being

the primary example)

and any estate agent will

tell you that a property

with a beautiful floor of

this type will sell quicker

and at a higher price.

Add to this that,

technically, a wood

block floor suits modern living better than any

other type of solid wood floor, and the mystery

deepens.

Part of the attraction of a wood floor is that

people think of wood as a natural product, a living

breathing thing, and in flooring environment they

are partially correct. Of course when a tree is

felled it is no longer living but it will stay

'breathing' until the day it is totally destroyed. The

'breathing' in the case of wood consists of

absorbing moisture and therefore swelling and

losing moisture and shrinking in the process. If all

houses were fitted with climate control it would

be easy to acclimate any size wood flooring to the

house norm, install it and forget it. The reality is

that most houses don't have climate control. In

the summer we turn our heating off and the

moisture content of the air in the house increases

and peaks towards the end of summer/beginning

of autumn (the incidence of wood floor problems

increases during this period). As winter sets in we

turn our central heating on and this dries out the

air and therefore the wood in your house. In effect

our wood floors are expanding and contracting

annually and this is the reason all wood flooring

needs expansion gaps, at least around the

perimeter

So, back to my statement about wood block

floors suiting modern living. Why? If we take on

board the fact that wood expands, we have to

page 21 newslink

accept that the wider the board (expansion is

mainly through the width of the board) the more

it expands. As wood block flooring is made up of

quite narrow pieces, each block only expands a

small amount. Between this block and the next

will be a small but important gap that it, and its

neighbour, can 'move into' at times of high

humidity. In addition to this, several other factors

come into play. The first is that the most popular

patterns for this type of flooring are herringbone

and basket weave, if you look at both these

patterns you will notice that the sides of the

blocks are laid against the ends of some of their

neighbours (this helps with expansion issues due

to them mainly occurring through the width). The

second is that the modern adhesives allow the

blocks to move during expansion but will also, to

some degree, pull them back again during

contraction, unlike old fashioned bitumen or

nails. Finally the very nature of a patterned floor

made up of small blocks fools the eye and

disguises any discrepancies.

So, let's compare wood block to the latest

'designer fad' - wide plank boards. Yes, wide plank

is beautiful and when it's an engineered board it

is reasonably practical (engineered boards do not

suffer from extreme expansion or contraction),

but an engineered board is not for life like a solid

wood block floor (if it were around in Victorian

times, would it still be giving good service in

those schools? I don't think so). Those that

choose solid wide plank should be prepared to

carry an ice axe during the winter months, they'll

need it to climb back out of those gaps!

So, finally, to answer my own question “why

isn't wood block installation more common?”,

maybe it's because

we live in an 'instant'

world and wide plank

(or for that matter

any other pre-finished

wood floor) fulfils

that need at the

lowest cost. Wood

block itself isn't

expensive but it does

require a good fitter

and sanding and

finishing to a high

standard, but as my

daughters would say,

“it's just soooo worth

it!”

newslink page 22

f you were to seek advice on improving your

business, you would likely be told that you

need to 'build your brand' or create 'brand Iawareness'.

Typically this means spending money on a fancy

logo and generally telling the marketplace what a

great business you

are. If you do this,

you are following the

lead set by many,

many corporate type

companies.

But is this the best

way for you, as a

small carpet cleaner,

to get more sales?

I was intrigued recently while watching Man Utd

vs Arsenal at Old Trafford to see that a well-known

travel company have changed their logo. It was on

one of the electronic billboards.

A bit of research on the internet revealed that

the company in question has recently updated its

corporate identity, rebranding as part of a root-

and-branch overhaul by a new boss who was

recruited last year to save it from collapse. Their

old logo (first used in 1980) has been abandoned

and a new design has been created, recently

unveiled alongside a new slogan.

The company says that the new visual identity

and branding looks to reflect the 'warmth and

approachability', 'trust and personalisation' and

message of 'High Tech, High Touch' of the brand.

You'll notice that in response to near collapse,

Do you need a ‘brand strategy’? David Coker

they have decided that the answer is… a new logo!

But surely the most important question of all is,

will this lead to more SALES? Well, let's ask one of

its valued customers… ME!

I've travelled with this company twice in the last

eighteen months. What has been my experience?

On my recent trip to

Mexico the transfer took

two and a half hours

arriving at my hotel at

the equivalent of two in

the morning. The

problem? The advertised

transfer was one hour.

The previous year, with a

rival firm, it was thirty

five minutes. Apparently they had crammed in

more drop-off points before ours!

On a previous holiday to Egypt, they cancelled an

entire plane leaving passengers bound for

Manchester to travel via Gatwick - an add-on of

several hours. Incredibly they didn't let the

Manchester bound passengers know until they got

to the airport in Egypt. It also meant that although

I had pre-booked a window seat, I ended up sitting

in the centre row.

I decided there and then that I would NOT travel

with this company again unless I had very little

choice.

Would the money they spent on re-branding not

have been better spent on improving the

experience for the customer? Frankly I don't care

about their logo or their ‘trust and personalisation’

newslinkpage 23

Member referral report

Since publishing a referral statistics report

in last month's Newslink there have been

128 recommendations for full members

provided by the NCCA. This number is made

up of 80 referrals from the NCCA office, 47

potential customers contacting members

direct through the website and 1 referral to

a member without an email address, which

has been tracked by the office.

New NCCA Members

Revive Carpet Cleaning

Bolton, Lancashire

CCS Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Aldershot, Hampshire

Contract Cleaners Ltd

Dartmouth, Devon

Cleaning Doctor Norwich

Wymondham, Norfolk

Black & White Cleaning Co.

Barking, Essex

Master Floor Care Ltd

Northampton, Northamptonshire

or their ‘warmth and approachability.’ But I do

care about getting what I've paid for. A re-brand

(new pretty logo) does not fool me!

So what brand strategy should you follow?

1) Forget 'brand awareness'. You don't know

whether it's successful or not as it can't be

measured.

2) Forget advertising just to remind people of

your existence. Killer advertising is simply

'salesmanship multiplied' according to

copywriter Gary Halbert.

3) A good advert will work the first time. People

don't need to see it seven, fifteen or twenty

times.

4) Don't be fooled that a brand is the most

important thing. The people who give you

money are!

5) Forget 'clever' type advertising with just your

'image' displayed. If you acted strange or did a

silly dance and then mentioned the name of your

company at the end of it, you wouldn't expect a

potential customer to request your services

based on this performance would you? As a

small business, the best course of action is to

focus on personal salesmanship. Talk to your

customer, find out what they really want, present

your service as the best solution to their

problems and then ensure your service lives up

to your claims.

I'll give the last word to Claude Hopkins who

wrote about silly logos and image type

advertising this way: “Instead of sales, they seek

applause”.

I say… Let them have the applause - my bank

doesn't accept it!

newslink page 24

s with all soft

furnishing

cleaning, in the Acase of flood damaged

upholstery a pre-inspection

survey should be carried out

to determine the extent of

any pre-existing damage

such as: - rips, tears, splits or

loose seams, frayed piping,

colour loss, shrinkage of

fabric in all areas,

deterioration of cushions or

foam, rusty or missing

buttons, shredded or loose

tufts, structural damage,

scratches or nicks in wood,

residues from previous cleaning, hair oil or

perspiration stains, colour bleed from pens,

markers and lipstick.

Always carry out a pre-test for possible colour

bleed, possible shrinkage, possible loss of handle

or texture if cleaning a chintz fabric, indelible

stains that might not be removed, a crock test,

burns test and if dealing with velvet a test for

possible crush removal.

In addition to these measures check fabric and

wood for moisture adsorption (swelling). This will

determine if the upholstery item(s) has already

incurred non-restorable water damage and

requires replacement. Also note the type of water

damage, which has occurred, ie whether it is

Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)Flood damaged upholstery

clean, grey or black water. This will determine if

the upholstery can be cleaned and restored

successfully.

All this information must be in writing and your

client must fully understand what has been

written in your pre-inspection survey, so that if any

problems arise you have written proof to which

you can refer (survey forms are available to NCCA

members from the office). Photographs are a good

backup plan as well as the inspection survey,

which must be thorough. Examine every part of

the upholstery, even the underneath, inside, metal

springs and also unzip every cushion/seating unit

for close inspection.

The type of fabric the piece of upholstery is

newslinkpage 25

covered in will determine how you can clean

watermarks from it. If it is a fabric that should not

be wet cleaned, inform your client that although

wet cleaning would remove the watermarks

successfully, unfortunately some fabrics can be

damaged by this method. A cold/hot solvent clean

or foam might be the safer option.

The most effective method of watermark

removal on upholstery is hot water extraction

(HWE). However, it is important to minimise fabric

solution wetness on certain delicate/sensitive

fabrics as this can cause greater problems

(shrinkage, splitting, colour run/loss) than the

watermarks. Watermarks usually occur after a

flood, or perhaps when liquids have been spilt on

fabric, which causes any soil to spread. When the

fabric dries the soil remains at the outer edge of

the spill, which can also cause browning.

The removal of watermarks on upholstery will

usually cause very few problems. Clean with an

alkaline detergent and rinse thoroughly with an

acid based rinsing agent, making sure you dry as

quickly as you can. Make sure that you leave the

cleaned fabric in a neutral (pH 7) condition in the

event that pH sensitive dyes have been used

during the manufacturing process.

A note of caution, never remove cushion/seat

covers for separate washing as this may cause

shrinkage or colour loss, and never tumble dry

them as this can result in shrinkage and destroy

the backing or damage the fabric.

Please remember the end product of any

restoration service is to make sure that the pre-

loss condition is met, nothing less will do.

The final obstacles to having our own

category with TrustMark have been

resolved.

We are formally submitting an application to

become Scheme Operator for our own

Carpet Cleaning category and, all being well,

this should be up and running by 1st

January.

TrustMark Update

Steve Scotter

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

offence and, although your insurance covers you for

negligence, it may not cover you if you are found to

be working illegally.

It may seem like a lot of work to comply with

Health and Safety law but bear in mind that

money and time spent on H&S will improve

your work efficiency, help you to avoid

accidents and costly mistakes, improve your

company reputation and ultimately lead to

increased work or job size.

Sometimes customers have unrealistic

expectations of what you can do in a

set time, do not let these people

make you work unsafely. On

occasion, a client's desires

have conflicted with my ability to comply with

Health & Safety law and I have had to point out why

I am not willing to carry out my work in the way

they have suggested. Also if there are children

running around the house as you are trying to work

you need to take control of the situation and stop

this. Personally I would rather walk away from a job

than expose myself to a claim or prosecution.

Remember, it is the law that you work safely at all

times.

newslink

Health and Safety (safety signs and signals)Regulations 1996

ou have a duty of care in your work to

ensure that your actions or omissions do

not result in injury, illness or financial loss Yto others.

If you employ technicians there is a legal

requirement to display safety signs whilst

working but, even if you are a sole trader,

you must use these signs to protect

others.

When you enter any building to carry

out work it becomes a workplace and

therefore Health and Safety laws apply.

Cleaning carpets and hard floors can

result in damp surfaces, which can

easily become a slip hazard, so slippery

surface warning signs are required. These warning

signs need to be left in place until the area is dry.

When extraction cleaning is taking place there are

pump and vacuum hoses running from the cleaning

area to the extraction machine; these are trip

hazards so, again, a warning sign is required.

Safety signs can also be used as barriers to section

off an area where your equipment has been placed.

It is also a good idea to place signs on the side of

your machinery or, if using a truckmount, on the

side of your van. An additional benefit in doing this

is that I have actually known of carpet cleaners

who, when they've included their contact details on

these signs, have obtained further work as a result.

If you do not display warning signs and someone

should trip or slip it could be very difficult to defend

a compensation claim against you. Remember, non-

compliance with Health and Safety law is a criminal

page 26

newslinkpage 27

Let Controlaccount Plc clean upyour debts

Our name and logo

e are pleased to inform you that the

NCCA is working in partnership with W Controlaccount Plc to help our

members in dealing with slow paying customers.

Controlaccount aim to collect your outstanding

accounts within a fourteen-day cycle to help

prevent further action by litigation, which is a

service they also provide should all else fail.

The NCCA have negotiated a preferential rate on a

no-recovery no-fee arrangement and so

Controlaccount are able to recover your

outstanding commercial accounts for 7.5% of

whatever balance is collected. In addition, if they

can add LPA interest and compensation (late

payment act) to cover part of recovery costs these

fees will reduce to just 5% commission charged on

monies collected.

Their service includes:

A dedicated team of collectors with an expert Ÿ

knowledge of commercial and consumer debt,

enabling them to collect your accounts with

minimum disruption to you or your business.

Fully automated systems to deal with all queries Ÿ

you may have.

Online referral system for ease of notifying them Ÿ

of any accounts you wish them to chase.

Online notification systems keeping you fully Ÿ

informed of conversations they have had with

your customers.

Online reporting providing up-to-the-minute Ÿ

information on all accounts placed with them for

collection.

In house legal system, should it be necessary for Ÿ

legal proceedings to be issued, with the same up-

to-the-minute reporting facility allowing you, as

the client, so see exactly what point all

proceedings have reached.

For additional information please Contact Chris Lisle

on 0777 8776580

Company website:

clisle@controlaccount.com

www.controlaccount.com

We need your help to ensure that only bone fide

members of the NCCA use the coveted name and

logo and to safeguard our good name from use by

unscrupulous individuals or companies.

If you become aware of an individual or company

using our name and/or logo, and you have reason to

believe that they are not members of the NCCA,

please send us any evidence you can, together with

any other information that might help us when we

take a particular case to Trading Standards.

We accept as evidence the appearance of our name

or logo on websites or any printed

material. In the case of official

publications we would need to know

the date and name of the

journal/directory in which misuse

occurred.

It is in everyone's interest to help us stamp out the

illegal use of our name and logo, so please be

vigilant.

newslink

he Health and

Safety Executive

have recently Tpublished their Annual

Statistics report for

2012/2013, with some

illuminating results. Over

2011 and 2012, 27 million

working days were lost due

to health and safety

incidents, and over

2012/2013 employers

reported 80,000 injuries to

workers. Clearly the risks of

getting health and safety at

work wrong are significant,

but whilst managing the

risks can be viewed as a burdensome and costly

task (particularly for smaller businesses with fewer

resources to devote to the issue) this isn't

necessarily the case - often problems can be

avoided simply through vigilance and the taking of

small, simple steps.

Back pain is a common problem amongst all age

groups and industries, but musculoskeletal

disorders ('MSDs') are particularly prevalent in

manual and skilled occupations such as the

cleaning industry. A total of 7.5 million working

days have been lost due to MSDs and last year

there were 141,000 new cases. This article looks at

the disorders, why the cleaning industry in

Lifting the burden on back pain

page 28

particular needs to be aware of the problems and

how they can be recognised and managed.

MSDs are conditions that affect the nerves,

tendons, muscles and supporting structures (for

example the discs in your back). Whilst commonly

associated with back pain, MSDs can also be

developed in the neck, shoulders, elbows, hands

and lower limbs. The risk of suffering from MSDs

increases with age, with the highest rates for

workers aged over 45. Approximately 40% of

disorders affect the back, and 40% affect the upper

limbs.

Most MSDs will develop gradually over time, and

What are musculoskeletal disorders?

Sophie Tompkins (Eversheds LLP)

newslinkpage 29

can be caused by postural strain and repetitive

movements. The main risk factors include manual

handling, awkward postures, work organisation

and hand/arm vibration. Many of these will be

faced on a daily basis by those in the cleaning

industry, so it is important to be aware of the risks

and how to handle them.

As with all health and safety risks, employers have

a legal duty to manage their employees' exposure

to MSDs. The risks must be known in order to be

managed and prevented, and those exposed to the

risks must be ascertained. Once this information

has been established, both employer and

employee will be better placed to take care of their

safety and wellbeing.

An assessment of the risk of musculoskeletal

problems in cleaners should take account of the

tasks being undertaken, the individual involved and

the working environment that they are in. Where

the task involves manual handling, the loads

involved should be considered along with any

hand/arm vibration and awkward postures.

Employers should be alert to any reports of pain

and discomfort and employees choosing to wear

splints, bandages or back supports.

Training staff in proper lifting techniques, use of

handling aids and raising awareness of the risk will

reduce the likelihood of injuries. It is important for

employers to talk to those at risk and involve

employees in considering solutions. The situation

should be continually monitored.

These simple and cost effective steps will help to

Preventing MSDs

keep in check the risks of these problematic

disorders and getting such preventative steps right

not only avoids injury, but also increases

productivity by avoiding unnecessary days off

work.

NCCA Member Benefits

Adelante Merchant Services: 01628 820500

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

Control Account PLC: 01527 882901

EMJ Management Ltd (workwear clothingand accessories): 02392 434650

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

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

HMCA (medical health cover): 01423 866985

MF Oils (fuel discounts): Call Jake on 01202339197

Payatrader: 01296 660177

SiteWizard (website creation): 08450 608860

Thompson Local - ask forCorporateAdvertsing Department: 01252 390385

TrustMark (Diversity): 0115 9673767

Items for sale

newslink page 30

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

working carpet, upholstery and soft furnishings cleaning company. Essex based. Owner Operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only.

Mobile HWE and dry cleaning system. Domestic and commercial clients. Genuine interested parties only

please to call 07903 497298 and leave details.

BUSINESS FOR SALESmall, well established carpet, hard floor and

upholstery cleaning business (London and Kent borders). Package includes: 57 plate Vauxhall Vivaro

LWB Van with 53k miles on the clock, Prochem Blazer GT Truck Mount machine with only 270hrs on

the clock, established interactive website (which had SEO programme last year), chemicals, turbo

drier, 250 feet of solution and suction hose and van mounted hose reels, together with a property

maintenance company name, website and promotional materials. Contact telephone number

020 8309 6517. Sale price: £18,000 O.N.O.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - £2950Top of the range Ashbys Ninja adjustable up to

400psi with inbuilt heater and Hot Solvent Functionality. 2 x25m vacuum hoses, 1 x silencer

hose, 1 x wand, 1 x upholstery tool, 1 x dry cleaning solvent tool. Sebo Duo agitator, Sebo Vacuum BS36,

1.5hp blower dryer, Truvox high speed buffer, Prochem Stain Removal kit, 2 x 6 litres pressure

sprayers, 1 x 1 litre upholstery / spot sprayer, vinyl mat for Ninja, and 1 terrapaulin sheet, Huge array

of chemicals including: Prochem Power Burst, Defoamer, Prochem Pre Spray Gold, Prochem Natural Carpet Cleaner, Ashby's supreme Anti

Grease, Prochem Browning prescription, Prochem Fabric and Fibre Rinse, Ashby's Extra Fresh,

Prochem Odour Fresh. Box of other bits including shoe covers; brushes, polystyrene pads, measuring

jugs, dry compound.All in excellent condition. Selling as my second business is consuming all of my time. Contact

Richard 07903 841534.

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

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

applicable. Please phone Pete Collins on 07885 804560.

VACANCY & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITYExperienced full time Carpet and Floor Care

Technician required. Own van and equipment an advantage but not essential. Good business

incentive package (profit share or buy in). Area coverage M4 corridor from Bristol to London.

Apply by email to glynn.norcutt@gnccontractservices.com with full CV, etc.) or telephone: 01672 871882 or mobile:

07831 172743.

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

duty container on wheels. L55” x W32” x H31”, ideal hose and other carpet clng equipment

storage. List price: £199 - selling for £75. Whole room drier/air mover. List price: £534 - selling for

£175 (no VAT). Contact: Chis on: 02380 898 212 or email:mncrostance@googlemail.com

or phone Chris on: 07970 040729.

BUSINESS FOR SALESmall long-established reputable NCCA registered working business, specialising carpet, upholstery and hard floor cleaning. Northumberland based

owner/operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only. Sign written 55 plate Iveco Daily van

with fitted Prochem Blazer Truck Mount High pressure and extraction hose reels complete with hoses, including wands, hard floor surface spinner

3 turbo dryers fans, 4 dehumidifiers, MMs Plus, Sebo vac and duo, Rotary scrubber, plus lots of

other equipment and chemicals. Plus a fully SEO website. Genuine interested parties only please.

Call 01670 787185.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEWhole room downdraft dryer from Power Flite. Versatile air mover - multiple positions. Hardly

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

CLEANING AND RESTORATION MACHINERY - EQUIPMENT - ACCESSORIES

Dri-Eaz Dehumidifier 1200 as New Boxed £450.00. Dri-Eaz Sahara Pro TurboDryer - New Boxed

£150.00. Dri-Eaz Dri X Airchanger Dehumidifier New Boxed. Normal Price £1900.00. Our Price £500.00. Plus much more. For a complete list please telephone: 07580 182 325 or E-mail:

info@restoration-direct.co.uk

NCCA Corporate Members

+ Allied Insurance Services Ltd:

+ Alltec Network:

+ Amtech UK:

+ Ashby's Cleaning Equipment:

+ Asset Finance Solutions UK Ltd:

+ Bio Productions Ltd (inc. Stapro):

+ Camberford Law (insurance brokers):

+ Chemdry Franchising Ltd:

+ Chemspec Europe Ltd:

+ Cleanerswarehouse Ltd:

+ Cleaning Systems UK:

+ Cleanpro Software Solutions Ltd:

+ Cleansmart Ltd:

+ Cleantec Innovation Ltd:

+ Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd:

+ Dri-Eaz Products Ltd:

+ Dry Fusion UK Ltd:

+ Forum of Private Business:

+ Get Booked Up Software:

+ Gleaming Insurance (insurance brokers):

+ Hi-Tec Cleaning Group:

+ Host Von Schrader Ltd:

+ Hydro Dynamix:

+ Mailboxes Etc:

+ McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers):

+ NSL Restormate: 01670 590099:

+ Nu Life Stone Care Ltd:

+ Oates Laboratories (Europe):

+ Prochem Europe Ltd:

+ Rainbow International:

+ Restoration Express:

+ Robert Saunders Marketing Mentor:

+ Sebo UK Ltd:

+ ServiceMaster Ltd:

+ Stainshield Ltd:

+ Textile Cleaning Solutions:

+ The Big Clean:

+ The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.:

+ The WoolSafe Organisation:

+ Truvox International Ltd:

+ Worldwide Cleaning Support:

0844 8156211 (I)

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C - Chemicals / M - Machinery / W - Wholesalers / Fr - Franchises / I - Insurance / K - Marketing / T - Technical Services / F - Fire Retardents / A - Auxiliary Services (Restoration Cleaners) / E - Supply/Repair of Curtains and Blinds / Fi - Finance / Tr - Training.newslink page 31

OFFICE PRINTER/COPIERDuplo DP-2211 Single colour A3 or A4

duplicator. Full working order, any fair trial. Ideal for low cost Flyers. Some consumables. PC Interface, prints direct from P.C. or printed copy

- £250.00 o.n.o. For further Information Contact gary@amazingcleaning.co.uk or call

0116 2672720. Based in Leicester

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEProchem 250 ft vacuum hoses for truck mount - £150.00. Chemspec hose reel for truck mount

plastic - £200. Prochem sadle tank for truckmount 227 litre/60 gallons - £250.00.Contact aquadriinfo@btconnect.com for

further information or contact Andy on: 07970 544806.

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

Selling cost: £150. Contact: 02380 898212.

TRUCKMOUNTBanclene truck mount complete with base unit,

stainless steel 80 gallon recovery tank, 100 gallon solution tank, 150 feet of

Vaccuum/solution hoses, floor, stair and various upholstery hand tools, inline heater and misc parts etc..The van has been sold seperately.

Selling due to retirement and will consider the highest offer. Call Derek at Aquamaster on

01845 537640 - mobile 07976 218304 or email derek @aquamaster-yorkshire.co.uk

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.

Christmas Word search

31 Christmas related words have all been hidden in the grid below. You can find the words by looking

diagonally, forward, backward, up, and down.

See if you can find them.

Find these words

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