june 2014
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
ncca June 2014
The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association
newslink
Features:
The Cragside Carpet
Waste Disposal Regulations
Turkoman Rugs
©Galleria by Brintons
Contents03
04
06
08
10
12
14
16
20
22
25
26
28
From the Editor
Cleaning waste disposal regulations
NCCA membership - why it’s so good
for your business
TrustMark - excellent ‘click through’
rates for members
Fibre identification
The successful drying of water
damaged carpet
A guide to customer complaints (part five)
Who is responsible?
NCCA Felbrigg Hall and National Trust
Conservation Studio tours
07
Turkoman rugs (part five)
Underfoot and overlooked, cleaning
the Cragside carpet
Carpet pre-clean checklist
Wood floor repair
Misuse of NCCA logo by non-member
companies
Published monthly by:The National Carpet Cleaners Association,62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH.Tel: 0116 271 9550E-mail: [email protected]: www.ncca.co.uk
Nicky Law
Keith Robertson
Nikki Law
Paul Pearce
Nigel Lay
Glyn Charnock
Martin Johns
Keith Robertson
Allan Simmons
Billy Russell
Denise Pitt
Editor
Editor in Chief
Design Editor
CEO/Technical Director
Vice President/Admin Director
Company Secretary/2nd Vice President/Training Director
Membership Director
Marketing Director
Corporate Director
Events Director
Co-opted Franchise 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
CCC 2014 - just under three months to go!
Nicky LawNewslink Editor
THE NEXT TWO TOKENS FOR YOUR PRIZE DRAW VOUCHER
o you fancy taking a break from your busy D schedule in September? Well… don't forget
that the Carpet Cleaners Carnival (CCC) is running
again this year, on 20th September.
Taking place at Wicksteed Park in Kettering, the
event will include an exhibition with
demonstrations of the latest industry products,
together with seminars and various activities to run
throughout the day.
We've already got some great exhibitors lined up
this year, many of whom will be offering discounts
on orders placed at the show. Signed up so far are:
Dry Fusion, Cleaners Warehouse, Columbus
Cleaning machines, Sebo, Chemspec Europe and
Dri-Eaz Products, Alltec, GetBookedUp, Woolsafe,
Prochem Europe and Chemspec Ltd, together with
Kirsty's Kids, a charity run by NCCA member John
Bryden… and that's just the start!
Unlike previous years, this year we are also
holding a number of seminars to help you in your
business. The topics arranged so far include: The
Use of Bleaches in Carpet Cleaning (including
demonstrations of oxidising and reducing bleaches),
Marketing, General Equipment Maintenance and
Carpet Repair. Further information on seminars will
be included in a future edition of Newslink, so keep
an eye out for this.
Along with the exhibition and seminars, the
Carnival will feature children's entertainment and
women's interest areas, providing attractions and
activities for everyone in attendance. Visitors will
also be able to enjoy the many features within
Wicksteed's acres of beautiful parkland.
To find out more about Wicksteed Park visit:
www.wicksteedpark.co.uk
In the March issue of Newslink we
included our first four-page pull-out-
and-keep guide to CCC 2014. On the
back page of the guide was a voucher
for collecting tokens for FREE ENTRY
TO A £100 PRIZE DRAW which will take place at the
Carnival. To get you started the first two tokens were
fixed to the voucher and, since then, a further two
tokens have appeared in Newslink each month. All
you need to do is cut out all the tokens provided
from the April issue of Newslink onward and place
them on the voucher together with the first two,
then bring your completed voucher with you on the
day.
All tokens have been clearly numbered and you
must gather all 10 to be eligible for the draw. If you
are not in possession of all your Newslinks from
March onwards, or you have all these editions but
would prefer to keep them intact, please do not
hesitate to contact me on: [email protected] and I
will email/post you the tokens you require.
Below are the NEXT two tokens to cut out and
place on your voucher. The final two tokens will
appear in a future issue of Newslink, so keep an eye
out for these.
CARNIVAL
FREE PRIZE
DRAW
WIN £100!
CARNIVAL
FREE PRIZE
DRAW
TOKEN SEVEN
WIN £100!
TOKEN EIGHT
CARNIVAL
FREE PRIZE
DRAWCARNIVAL
FREE PRIZE
DRAW
newslink page 4
e were recently contacted by NCCA
members, Annie and Steve Pitts of W All Seasons Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning Specialists in Leicestershire, who asked us
whether carpet cleaners with Truckmounts need a
waste license.
Well, to my knowledge, we have never been
asked this particular question before, although I do
know that in the past we have been asked how to
get rid of wastewater - a question that has
previously been answered by local councils and
water authorities.
In response to Annie and Steve's question, I
decided to call two local authorities in my area and
ask if there was any new legislation regarding
carpet cleaners carrying wastewater from a site
after cleaning. however, I didn't
manage to obtain a conclusive answer to this
question as the information I received from each
authority was different! On reporting this back to
Lewis, in the NCCA office, he informed me that
Annie had been back in touch and said she had
contacted the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). They had advised her that a waste carrying
license is required for carpet cleaning and that it is
FREE to obtain.
I then contacted the EPA myself to clarify a
couple of things and find out exactly how to
acquire this license. I was told to register online
and was informed that it was a very easy process.
A waste carrying license is something that ALL
carpet cleaning companies need to have; if you
don't register for a license you can be fined £5000!
Unfortunately,
All you need to do is go to:
and, once there, click on 'Business and
commercial waste', then in the next menu click on
'Business and commercial waste' AGAIN, then click
on 'Moving waste' and 'get a license to transport
your own waste'. On the next page it will have a
large green button with 'Start now' on it. Click on
this to proceed.
On the next page you will be asked what type of
business you are. You will need to choose the option
that is relevant to you and then tick 'Waste from
other businesses, organisations or households'.
Next you will be asked what kind of business you
provide (the answer is quite obvious if you are a
carpet cleaning business). You will then be asked if
you deal with waste from demolition work. The
answer would be 'No' unless you are moving rubble
etc. Then you must click on the green 'Continue'
button to 'register in the lower tier'. From here you
will need to answer your company name etc.
The whole process is extremely simple (and won’t
cost you anything). From start to finish it only took
me ten minutes, including receiving my online
certificate. I have been quite explicit in my
instructions as I wanted give you as much of a head
start as possible. Remember, if you don't register
you could be fined. So, don't waste time (pardon the
pun), get it done today.
I would like to finish off by saying 'thank-you' to
Steve and Annie for bringing this matter to our
attention and to the EPA for making this such a
simple process.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environmen
t-agency
Cleaning waste disposal regulations Paul Pearce
newslink page 6
hen I joined the NCCA Board of Directors I
was originally given the role of assistant Wto the Membership Director who,
at the time, was Glyn Charnock.
Glyn now oversees training and I
have completely taken over the
role as NCCA Membership Director.
In recent years the procedure for
application for membership has
changed. In our efforts to raise
industry standards even further,
the exam sat by prospective
members who have completed the
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
course is now harder than it was
previously. Also, following the
exam, we now assess the suitability
of everyone who then applies for
NCCA membership; the course tutor will pass on
his comments regarding each candidate and I will
then phone them to determine whether I feel their
company is suited to joining the NCCA.
We have all heard of the carpet cleaner who
cleans carpets at £20 per room without using a
pre-spray or stain removal and, of course, never
conducts a full carpet survey. Fortunately,
however, all the membership applicants I have
spoken to since becoming Membership Director
seem to have a genuine desire to provide good
customer service as well as go that 'extra mile' to
stand out from the crowd.
Since engaging in my new role I have also spoken
to many ex-NCCA members who had previously
left the Association for various reasons (some due
to financial hardship at the time
and some who had felt their
business was long-enough
established not to need us any
more), but subsequently decided
to re-join. They all told me that
they had come to realise that
they had made a mistake in
leaving the NCCA in the first
place.
Every one of them said basically
the same things; that without
membership they generally found
it harder to market their
company, that they had
underestimated the prestige
which membership had provided for their
business in obtaining and retaining customers (in
particular potential new customers seeming less
convinced of their ability to do a good job) and
that they felt they no longer stood out from their
competitors. They also said that they had missed
the benefits they had received as members, such
as the technical helpline, the monthly magazine
and the support network.
As a carpet cleaner myself, I know from
experience that NCCA membership really has
benefited my business and, personally, I would not
like to be without it.
See you all at the carnival this year!
NCCA membership - why it’s so good for your businessMartin Johns (NCCA Membership Director)
newslinkpage 7
TrustMark - excellent ‘click through’ rates for membersGlyn Charnock
he figures from the TrustMark website
speak for themselves. In May - only our
second month with the category of Carpet Tand Upholstery Cleaners up on the website - there
were 5,123 clicks through to
members' details. Yes, that's not
a mistake… 5,123!
That's over 5,000 people that
now know the NCCA exists -
5,000 plus people who now
know the NCCA is recognised by
the government as THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
OUR INDUSTRY, and that NCCA members are
experts who can be trusted.
This is fantastic public recognition for all our
members, not just those who have joined
TrustMark. Only NCCA members can join
TrustMark, any competition has been locked out
of the Carpet & Upholstery category.
We currently have 31 TrustMark members, so on
average each member's details will have been
viewed 165 times via the TrustMark website in
May. It is difficult for us to obtain information on
how much business members have gained through
TrustMark, but I would expect that most have had
their membership fees back already.
As I said last month, TrustMark have two PR
companies promoting them to the public, and the
number of clicks through to members' details has
increased over 60% year on year. This is fantastic
for us, as the NCCA would never be able to fund
promotions of this magnitude.
Other 'trusted trader' schemes like Rated People
and Checkatrade actually DON'T provide any
protection for consumers. Any untrained,
uninsured carpet cleaner can join.
These schemes are having to spend
hundreds of thousands of pounds
on TV advertising to promote
themselves. Guess who pays for
this? Yes, the traders who join.
Membership of these schemes can
cost hundreds and hundreds of
pounds a year. TrustMark is just
£150 + VAT a year. That's just £3 a week!
Consumers consider revues and feedback to be
very important in choosing a tradesman, so
TrustMark are introducing a consumer feedback
system in September which will further promote
members.
Another advantage of achieving Scheme
Operator for the NCCA is that we are now kept
informed of changes to government policies and
legislation, first hand, from the TrustMark Board.
This may not sound very exciting, but it has already
enabled us to update the NCCA Code of Practice
with changes to the Consumer Protection
Regulations which came in to force on the 13th
June. The advice we supply to our members is
more up to date than that provided by my local
Trading Standards office!
For information on how to apply for TrustMark
membership, please contact the NCCA office.
newslink page 8
nfortunately some professional cleaners
do not take the time to go through the
various necessary tests to identify Ufabrics prior to upholstery cleaning. However, it is
hugely important to know as much as you can
about the fibre content to help you in choosing
the best techniques, chemicals and temperature
ranges to use.
Over the years, experience
will allow you to identify
many fibres and fabric
construction techniques by
sight but, be warned, even
the 'Old Hands' that have
been around forever can be
fooled.
This is the least accurate
method and the one that is
most likely to fool you. For
example, acrylic is manufactured to look like wool,
however acrylic fibres can also be manufactured in
a velour finish and so could be confused with
cotton velvet or perhaps chenille. Generally, it is
easier to visually identify a fibre after a problem
has surfaced. Then, of course, you have a rayon
velvet or velour, which crushes with use and even
worse things happen when you wet clean it. Some
fabrics are easy to identify visually once you've
had some experience. Haitian cotton, raw silk,
glazed chintz and wool are pretty easy. After that,
however, picking out fibre content by looking at it
is very difficult, in fact almost impossible to do. A
Visual Identification
cotton and rayon blend can be made to look
exactly like silk. Nylon and polypropylene are also
very difficult to distinguish in bulky weaves.
This is more accurate than visual testing, but can
still be tricky. Blended fabrics, which most fabrics
are, can present conflicting information during
testing. Although the burn
test is fairly simple, and is
the most commonly used
test for on-location cleaning,
it does rely on an individual's
sense of sight and smell
which can vary and may lead
to mistakes.
The equipment you need to
carry out a burn test includes
the following:
Small scissors - To clip a Ÿ
yarn sample from an
inconspicuous place, usually from inside the
cushion, where you should find a selvedge edge
along the zip area.
Tweezers or pliers - To hold the fibre while Ÿ
burning (the smell of burning skin can confuse
your results!).
Ashtray or comparable tool - For containing ash.Ÿ
Butane lighter - Use of this type of lighter is Ÿ
recommended as it is odourless. Matches
produce the smell of sulphur and burning paper
or wood.
Technique - Burn the yarn sample observing the
flame colour and action, smoke, action of burning
Burn Testing
Fibre identification Paul Pearce
Some fabrics, such as wool, are easy toidentify visually once you’ve had some experience
newslinkpage 9
material, odour, ash shape, colour, lustre and
consistency.
This is generally the most accurate test, but is not
often practical. The chemicals required to do this
Chemical Testing
test are sometimes hard to find and hazardous to
store and handle.
Finally, whichever tests you carry out, remember
that the actual cleaning test is still the most
important.
page 10newslink
he restoration of water damaged
carpet can often be a painstaking
process and almost impossible if Tyou are untrained in this area.
Synthetic carpets are usually easier to
restore than natural ones, however both can
fall victim to off-gassing and, if left wet for
more than a few days, can develop fungus,
mould and mildew. So, when tackling this
type of work it is important to get started as
soon as possible.
When you
arrive on site
the first task is
to assess the
situation. If the
carpet can be
saved, remove
all the
furniture and
contents from
the room,
including the
curtains. If
these are also wet then prompt action needs to be
taken. They will need to be sent straight to a dry
cleaner who, using specialist cleaning techniques,
will ensure that no water marks appear during the
drying process.
Whether the furniture and contents are being
moved to your workshop, or simply being stored in
another part of the premises, you must make sure
that the legs of the furniture
do not make contact with
the flooring. This is because
damp furniture may cause
staining. You will need to
ensure that you are in
possession of some carpet
protectors.
On removal of all furniture
and contents from the
affected area you can low-
pressure spray or fog the carpet if contaminated.
When safe to do so you can then extract the water
from the carpet; the use of a heavy roller can help
in this process. Once this is done it can be
carefully removed from the grippers. If you are
drying the carpet at the customer's premises,
remember to take the underlay out; failure to do
so will result in longer drying times.
The successful drying of water damaged carpetPeter Collins (NCCA Honorary Member)
Open windows to assistdrying where possible
page 11 newslink
The carpet can now be rolled up for removal, or
left in situ for controlled dehumidifier and air
mover drying; it very much depends on how
contaminated the carpet is. Removal is a better
option, as the underlay has to be replaced
anyway. When rolling up the carpet it is good
practice to lay a roll of polythene over the face of
the carpet, so that it is sandwiched (surface not
touching surface). However, never leave this in
place longer than is necessary. As soon as
convenient unroll the carpet and start the drying
procedure.
The sub floor and skirting boards will certainly
be affected during flooding. However, today's
equipment for drying floors and structures
performs very well and, depending upon the
amount of water present, affected areas can be
dried out in a matter of days or, as some
manufacturers claim, within twenty-four hours.
Place dehumidifiers and air movers around the
room making sure that air-flow is at a maximum.
If you are sure that the security of the building
will not be compromised, and weather conditions
permit, sometimes 'open drying' can have an
advantage. You will need to leave as many doors
and windows open as possible to create a
through-flow of fresh air. Once the area is dry it is
wise to clean and disinfect thoroughly before re-
installation of the carpet.
Remember, your work as a restoration
technician relies on detailed preparation,
procedures and continual documentation of the
work being undertaken. Failure to keep up to
date with necessary paperwork could lead to a
whole host of problems.
Very important NoticeOur bank has informed us that they
are reluctant to accept cheques that
have been made payable to: NCCA.
Please note that if you are posting a
cheque to the NCCA office, in order
for it to definitely be accepted, it
needs to be made payable to: Carpet
Cleaners Association Ltd.
... And another job well done!
Last month we published a letter we had
received praising the services of NCCA
member, Mark Blazey, of TopMark Cleaning.
Mark’s company is based in Norwich and
joined the NCCA just over one year ago.
Well... during the last month we received yet
more positive feedback from another very
satisfied customer praising Mark’s services!
The call came from a gentleman who had
spilled some Port during his afternoon tipple.
The customer told us that Mark had
successfully removed the offending stain and
that he was he was extremely impressed, not
only with the cleaning results but also with
efficiency with which his problem was
addressed.
Well done Mark!
newslink page 12
A guide to customer complaints (part five)Lewis Scroby (NCCA Standards and Fair Trading)
NCCA Standards and Fair Trading Officer, Lewis
Scroby, continues his series on dealing with
customer complaints. This month focuses on
Advertising.
embers use a wide variety of methods
to advertise their company and M services. Marketing is number one on
the priority list for many companies when starting
and developing their business and the right
strategies can be incredibly valuable, ensuring the
growth and financial security that is essential to a
successful venture. Unfortunately, the flip side is the
wrong strategies can be very damaging to reputation
and finances. Words and images need to be chosen
carefully, offers and incentives considered from all
angles and outlets researched and reviewed.
Your Association membership, used together with
confirmation of your training, should be enough to
convince a customer that you are the right
technician for the job. Though there is a limited
amount of information you can get across in an
advert and the difficulty is in articulating the right
things in the right way to interest a potential
customer and get them to consider you in the first
place.
It is generally understood that customers are rarely
fully aware of the reasons they should or should not
employ a tradesman. So, strategies are used to
entice them and get them to make first contact.
Once they have expressed their interest in your
services it is much easier to market to them, explain
all the benefits of employing you and hopefully
confirm a booking.
Members use many different methods to attract
customers. Some successful, some not and a select
few that have the potential to lead to problems. A
relatively common reason for customer complaints
does not necessarily relate to something going
wrong during or following the cleaning. From a
customer perspective it is a broken promise - an
offer, guarantee or other declaration advertised by
a company and not fulfilled or provided as stated.
If you specifically mention something in
advertising, and don't provide or abide by it, even
due to circumstances outside your control, you are
setting yourself up for complaints. Customers see a
service advertised and expect to receive it exactly
as stated. If you offer or guarantee something, you
have to honour it. If you describe your
methods/processes you have to follow them - all of
them, every time. If you promise something you are
expected to deliver it. If you don't (or can't), your
customer has reason to complain.
No situation can be completely understood and
with so many variances in the types of jobs taken
on, it is vital you don't promote things you may not
be able to provide. Best practice is not to make
specific promises or guarantees at all. Some
regularly used offers and incentives which can set
you up for problems are listed below:
Best cleaning results or it's free - Results will be Ÿ
subjective. You may clean a carpet to the best of
your ability and be delighted with the result only to
find the customer disappointed and expecting no
charge. If you work a miracle on an irreparable
carpet and your customer expected it to look like
NCCA COURSESCarpet & Upholstery Cleaning 12th - 13th September21st - 22nd November
Hard Floor Cleaning28th - 29th August
Leather Identification & Cleaning11th September
Advanced Spot & Stain Removal10th October
All above courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless otherwise stated. Visit:www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms and further details.
CARPET CLEANERS CARNIVAL20th September at Wicksteed Park,Kettering, Northamptonshire
IICRC COURSES (HERTFORDSHIRE)Carpet Cleaning Technician with Paul Pearce16th - 17th September25th - 26th November
Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician withPaul Pearce23rd - 24th September2nd - 3rd December
Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technicianwith Paul Pearce30th Sept - 1st Oct
Held at Alltec Network, Royston, Hertfordshire. Tel: 01763 208222
IICRC COURSES (SURREY)Carpet Cleaning Technician with Adam Jankowski15th - 16th October
Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician withAdam Jankowski23rd - 24th July28th -29th October
Held at National Flood School, Surrey. Tel: 01252 821185
Visit: www.iicrc.org for further details on allIICRC Training Courses.
Diary Dates 2014
new, this guarantee will be used against you.
All stains will be removed - If there are any Ÿ
members that can confidently guarantee to
completely remove any stain they may come across
regardless of the circumstances, we would be very
grateful for their secret.
Carpets will be dry in… hours - With the variances Ÿ
in fibre types, cleaning methods, indoor atmosphere
and weather, drying times can be greatly affected
and almost impossible to accurately predict.
Although it is a concern many customers have, and a
guarantee that may assist in converting enquiries, it
is recommended to provide general drying times (for
instance, 6 - 12 hours).
Carpet Protector will prevent stains - Although Ÿ
carpet protectors can be proven to prevent solutions
being absorbed by fibres, the circumstances of the
spillage are uncontrollable. Carpet protector
certainly may prevent a stain, but not if a spill is left
on the carpet for hours before being attended to.
Customers have been very easily convinced that
protector offers an impenetrable stain barrier for
their carpet, regardless of what is spilt, where and
how long it has been present. It is the responsibility
of the technician to ensure they are educated on the
limitations of protection, as well as the benefits.
Don't over-sell yourself, if anything you should
'under-promise and over-deliver'. This is a quote I
have heard many times, particularly from past and
present members of the NCCA Board. It is guidance
that should be followed and something that would
have helped avoid several complaints we have
received during my time here.
The series continues next month with more on
advertising, along with company policies and
presentation.
newslink page 14
Who is responsible? Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)
problem
that seems
to emerge Aon a regular basis is
that of dye transfer
onto carpets or soft
furnishings from
clothing, other
fabrics, and even
wooden furniture.
How many of you
have come across
this? Dye transfer
from wooden
furniture, in
particular, is a far
from uncommon
problem and often
occurs because a
customer has spilled
something onto the
carpet, wiped it up
and then promptly
put the offending
item of furniture back
into place.
I have always taken
the view (rightly or
wrongly) that dyes on all purchased items should
be dye-fast - therefore any transfer is the fault of
the manufacturer - and that any item which causes
this problem is obviously not 'not fit for purpose'.
Regardless, however, of whether you agree that
this is a manufacturing fault (and
should therefore be the
manufacturer's responsibility)
you need to be aware that dye
transfer from furniture is a
potential problem when cleaning
and that, if it does occur, you will
almost certainly be held
responsible.
Dye transfer from furniture is
often instantaneous and can be removed if
immediate and appropriate action is taken, but if
you fail to notice what has happened straight away
the staining can become much harder to remove.
You can, however, avoid this problem altogether by
This pr
oduc
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igh st
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colo
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an u
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etail
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Dye transfer is unfortunately an all too common problem
Manufacturers’ labels can sometimes be misleading
newslinkpage 15
the careful placement of protectors/fibre blocks
beneath furniture; the use of sliders can also
prove very useful.
There is also another potential problem for the
carpet and upholstery cleaner which, again, is
linked to manufacturing. And that is the issue of
often misleading cleaning instructions placed on
upholstery by manufacturers. As mentioned in one
of my previous articles, some of these labels
should be taken with a large spoonful (not just a
pinch) of salt. Do not be tempted to follow, to the
letter, these instructions. This has been known to
have disastrous results.
Remember it is up to you, as the cleaning
technician, to determine the appropriate cleaning
method that will produce a safe and effective
result. It is no use blaming bad/misleading
labelling when it all goes ‘pair-shaped’. Trading
Standards made it perfectly clear to me some
years ago that as 'professionals' it is up to us
recognise any potential problems, irrespective of
labels, and deal with them accordingly.
If you don't feel it is possible to clean an item
without causing damage, then walk away (we are
talking 'the last person to touch it' syndrome
here!). In these situations I have always referred
my customer back to the retailer. The retailer has
then either replaced the offending item or paid for
any remedial treatment. Allow the retailer to take
responsibility; do not try to be 'the hero' and
attempt to clean the item anyway. If your
attempts fail it will be your customer who picks up
the bill for replacement… or even you!
Remember, you must assess every situation on
its own merits and deal with it appropriately. It is
no use blaming a problem on a manufacturing
fault or misleading label. As the 'last person to
touch the item' you may find that the finger of
blame is pointed entirely at you if something goes
wrong.
I recently had cause to telephone a couple of NCCA
members, initially with a query that I believe may
well have ended up being quite a lucrative job for
one of them. In both instances I left answerphone
messages. I subsequently had a call back from one
of these companies, but the person I wanted to
speak to was out so I was put on to someone else.
I explained the situation and was asked if I had a
photograph to illustrate the problem associated
with it. I said that I was able to obtain one that
evening and asked if a message could be passed to
the gentleman (who I had originally phoned to
speak to) requesting that he send me an email so I
could reply and forward the photograph to him.
Would you believe it, I didn't receive anything… no
email! I called the company again and spoke to a
receptionist who said she would pass on a
message. I am still waiting! The second message,
which I left with another company, went
completely unanswered.
I gave up in the end and found someone else… an
EX NCCA member! This was very disappointing. I
was convinced that there was a lucrative job at the
end of this for somebody, and ideally I wanted it to
go a current NCCA member of course. It did make
me wonder how many other jobs are lost because
calls are not returned and enquiries are not
followed up.
And on a different note entirely…
Glyn Charnock
NCCA FelbriggHall and National Trust Conservation Studio tours
n Friday the 9th May twenty two NCCA
members met in Norfolk for a tour of OFelbrigg Hall and the National Trust Textile
Conservation Studio.
Normally closed to the general public on Fridays,
the volunteers at Felbrigg Hall opened up the
house and provided us with an exclusive tour.
Divided into two
groups we were
given a potted
history of the house
lasting almost an
hour and a half.
Although some parts
of the tour were
fascinating, like the
Savonnerie carpets,
the 19th century
linoleum in one of
the bathrooms and
the ornate
plasterwork (which
is too delicate to be
cleaned), the house
isn't as spectacular as Blickling Hall which we
visited last year.
We had arranged a fish and chip lunch at the
Aylsham Lodge Hotel, as last year it was a shame
that everyone went their separate ways for lunch
and missed out on some interesting discussions.
We also invited Ksynia Marko, Senior Conservator
for the National Trust and manager of the Textile
Conservation Studio, to join us.
My wife Maureen discovered a 1960's film called
from 'Glasgow Green to Bendigo', a short film
about the Templeton's carpet factory in Glasgow.
We kept this as a surprise and showed it after the
meal, with several people remarking on how
interesting and enjoyable it was. The National
Trust Textile Conservation Studio has what is
thought to be a one hundred and forty year old
Templeton's carpet from Cragside House in
Northumberland, currently undergoing
conservation. Apparently there is some doubt as
to the carpets origins; according to Kysinia, a
representative from Templetons went to look at
the carpet in the sixties and he discounted it as
having been made at Templetons as it was not one
of their pattern designs. But, as she says, he was a
salesman so nobody is sure whether he was telling
the truth or if he was just out to sell a new carpet.
They are researching other possibilities.
Even if the carpet doesn't turn out to be from
Templetons, the video gave us an insight into how
this Chenille carpet was constructed. I was
extremely honoured to be invited to help them
find a safe way to clean this fragile 9mtr x 6mtr
carpet in March of this year and delighted when
they asked me to help them to actually clean it.
The entrance to the Textile Studio has a small
library of conservation, chemistry and other books
that were eagerly perused by enthusiasts, like
Paul, Pawlo and Agnes (from WoolSafe), whilst we
waited a few minutes for the conservators to
prepare for our tour.
The Studio tour began in their specially designed
wash room where Senior Conservator Rosamund Continued on next page
newslink page 18
was in the middle of doing numerous dye bleed
tests and cleaning tests on some embroidered
dining chair seat covers. At least one of the dyes
was proving to be a little unstable. She had three
of them laid out on the table, one upside-down to
show the embroidery backing. One of the covers
had been cleaned elsewhere already, with very
little improvement.
There was also a satin curtain lining laid out
(from the Spangled bed at Knole in Kent), which
had already been cleaned. The curtain itself was
being worked on by Claire was in the main room.
This is over four hundred years old and made of
silk with inlays of sparkles. Several old repair
patches were being removed rather gingerly and
an old protective mesh, which Ksynia said was too
tight, was also being removed. The mesh turned
out to be the only thing keeping it together on its
hangings. Ksynia told us how the bed at Knole
appeared to be very close to the bowing ceiling.
She said they could only get a credit card between
the top of the bed frame and the ceiling in places
and, once the curtains were removed, they could
see the bed legs were bowed and they realised
the ceiling was being supported by the bed. They
have asked for a scaffold to be put in place to
support the ceiling before they do any more work
on it, just in case!
Another conservator we met on the last tour has
almost finished a tapestry that we saw last year; it
now just has a frame to be sewn in place, which
had already been made in advance. Two other
conservators were working on a Norfolk tapestry
that depicts a map. Normally they don't reweave
missing areas of tapestries, but they were making
an exception in this case as they had been
requested to re-embroider some of the missing
place names. They have an expert on maps who
comes in every now and again and checks the
names are correct.
During the tour the conservators also kindly
unwrapped the piece of the carpet (mentioned
earlier) which I had helped to clean under their
supervision. Everyone could then see how
beautiful it was. Ksynia explained how she and
Aimee had taken a week to prepare it for removal
from Cragside. She then asked me to explain how
we did the tests before the carpet arrived and
how it was subsequently cleaned. I won't go into
details here, as I have already written a series of
articles especially for Newslink recording the
process from start to finish. (This series starts in
this issue with my search for inspiration on how to
tackle the work to be done - see page 22).
Later in the tour, there was some discussion
between Aimee, Paul Pearce and Paul Bakker on
how best to remove what was thought to be a
latex glue from jute. Aimee had already tried all of
the various ideas suggested except one, so she is
going to see if it works.
At the end of the day, we were offered a very
welcome cup of tea, before saying our goodbyes
and going our separate ways.
Maureen and I would like to say thanks to
everyone who came along for supporting our
event. We thoroughly enjoyed your company and
an even bigger 'thank you' to the Studio staff for
allowing us to see some of their fascinating
work.
Continued from previous page
newslink page 20
lesser known Turkoman rug is the
Beluchistan (or the Baluch or Baluchi) A rug. These rugs are hand-woven by the
groups of nomadic Baluchi tribes who inhabit the
border regions of north-eastern Iran and western
Afghanistan. They are generally of excellent
quality and are extremely hard wearing.
Baluch rugs are usually small (no more than
eight feet), reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the
weavers, with larger carpets being quite rare. They
are typically heavy in tone displaying dark reds,
blues, purples and browns as their dominant
colour, with splashes of lighter colours, such as
yellow, orange, camel, beige and occasionally
ivory. Dark colours (such as very dark brown) are
used to outline the various patterns within these
rugs and, because of this, the dominant colours
which create the main body of the rug can appear
even darker than they actually are. These carpets
therefore possess a sombre charm that appeals to
many connoisseurs and collectors.
Because of the prevalence of ornaments (such as
rectangles, hexagons and octagons in rows) Baluch
rugs are described as being geometric in pattern.
Repeated or alternating lozenges and medallions,
in regular or offset rows, play an extremely
important role in the design of these carpets.
Frequently the rows create a honeycomb pattern,
so that the ground colour of the field is no longer
as distinguishable. Indeed, this feature is
characteristic of Baluch carpets. Plant and animal
life motifs also occur in the Baluch repertoire, but
they have been rendered angular and geometric.
Baluch rugs are all knotted with the asymmetrical
knot (the so-called 'Persian' or 'Senna’ knot) and
are usually made predominantly from wool, but
may include goat and camel hair and, in some
instances, a few knots of silk. Newer carpets may
have a warp made of cotton.
The finest Baluchi weavings are known for their
use of superior quality wool; this wool is taken
from lambs, generally from the throat and belly,
and is extremely soft and silky. It is often
unwashed, so it retains all its natural oils.
One of the most notable characteristics of
Baluch carpets is the way in which their selvedges
are handled. These can be up to 2cm wide; the
material is dark brown or black goat hair. In rare
instances the selvedges may be worked in a form
of braiding with supplementary wefts. Usually,
however, they are produced by passing the
supplementary wefts over and under groups of
four or more warps two, three, or four times, thus
creating respectively double, triple, or quadruple-
corded selvedges.
More next month on Turkoman rugs
Turkoman rugs (part five) Peter Collins (Honorary Member)
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The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate past successes and formulate future goals within a high end business.
Experience of curtain cleaning, carpet and upholstery cleaning are vital to this role.
Ability to motivate and manage staff to fulfil targets is essential.
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Please apply, including C.V. to: G.W.D. Selection,15 Bonser Road, Twickenham, TW1 4RQ.
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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
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
Payatrader: 01296 660177
SiteWizard (website creation): 08450 608860
Thompson Local - ask forCorporateAdvertsing Department: 01252 390385
Member referral reportSince publishing a referral statistics report in
last month's Newslink there have been 59
recommendations for full members provided
by the NCCA. This number is made up of 23
referrals from the NCCA office, 35 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
Fibre Clean LtdTenterden, Kent
Carpet Pride UKMilton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
PrynncleanSt Austell, Cornwall
newslink page 22
‘Underfoot and overlooked'. This is how one
conservator referred to the 18th and 19th Century
carpets in British historic houses, as they pretty
much are guaranteed to have never been cleaned
and rarely repaired. These days there are textile
conservators both here, and abroad, who
understand the importance of these carpets and
are looking at ways to treat them with the care and
attention they deserve for future preservation.
The National Trust almost undoubtedly has more
carpets under its wing than any other organisation
or individual in the UK. Among them are several
carpets which are believed to have been made by
James Templeton & Co.
James Templeton (1802-1883) established James
Templeton & Co in 1839. At its peak, Templeton's
Bridgeton factory (in Glasgow) employed 3000
people and the company grew to become one of
the leading carpet manufacturers in Britain during
the 19th and 20th centuries. James Templeton had
patented a chenille Axminster process by which he
could manufacture more densely patterned and
richly coloured carpets. They also produced Wilton
and Brussels carpets, making carpets for state
occasions, great houses and luxury liners (including
The Titanic), as well as for domestic use. The
factory didn't finally close until 1979.
In 1870 Lord and Lady Armstrong, the owners of
Cragside House in Northumberland, commissioned
a pair of bespoke carpets, one for their dining
room and the second, much larger carpet, for their
sitting room. It is believed these were made by
Templeton's, but no one can currently be
absolutely sure.
These carpets, now probably over one hundred
and forty years old have, to anyone's knowledge,
only ever been vacuum cleaned. Now desperately
in need of conservation, Ksynia Marko, Senior
Textile Conservator for the National Trust, was
asked to inspect both of these carpets with the
view to cleaning and conservation. The dining
room carpet, the smaller of the two
(approximately 6m x 9m in size) was most in need
of restoration and 'small' enough to be uplifted
and taken to the Textile Conservation Studio in
Norfolk. The damage included pile loss due to both
general wear and 'inherent vice' (degradation of
the wool face fibres caused by the iron mordant
In February this year, the National Trust Textile
Conservation Studio in Norfolk collected a 19th
Century Templetons chenille dining room carpet
(from Cragside House in Northumberland) for
conservation.
The carpet first needed to be cleaned in order to
avoid additional damage and, following our
successful tour of the Conservation Studio last
year, NCCA Director Glyn Charnock was
personally asked if he could undertake the
cleaning work to be done.
Over the coming months, Glyn will be providing
a series of articles on his time spent cleaning this
historic carpet. He begins this month with an
introduction and his search for inspiration on
how to tackle what was obviously going to be a
very challenging job.
Underfoot and overlooked, cleaning the Cragside carpetPart one - Searching for inspiration Glyn Charnock
page 23 newslink
used to fix dyes when the carpet was made). In
worn areas there were broken cotton catcher
warps significantly weakening some areas of the
carpet, wool warp and weft damage and, most
worryingly from a cleaning perspective, exposed
areas of fragile jute stuffer yarns which could
potentially swell or even crumble and disintegrate
when wet, causing extensive further damage.
Ksynia runs The National Trust Textile
Conservation Studio which is a purpose built
facility for textile conservation. Based in Norfolk, it
has a wash pit, humidity and temperature control,
underfloor heating, its own laboratory for the
preparation of dyes and other chemicals,
extraction systems to make the use of solvents
safe, a fume cupboard and secure waste collection
system for used chemicals.
I organised a tour of the Conservation Studio last
year after my wife saw an article in our local
newspaper. Combined with a tour of Blickling Hall,
it was a great day out and the tour of the Studio,
which was supposed to last an hour, finally ended
as the staff left and turned the lights out! The
studio staff were as interested in what we do as we
were in their work.
Having researched several possible options for
cleaning the Cragside dining room carpet both in
the UK and abroad, none of which were suitable,
Ksynia contacted me about our cleaning methods
and whether they could be adapted to clean this
one hundred and forty year old carpet.
The challenge was to get the carpet in to a clean
enough state for the soiling not to be causing
additional damage and enable it to undergo
conservation. Looking for inspiration on possible
options, I decided to read up on the documented
clean of the famous Ardabil Carpet (see photos
overleaf), which is now displayed on the floor
(previously hung) in the Victoria & Albert museum.
This carpet, one of a pair, is 16th Century Persian
(1546), has a wool pile, silk warp and weft, with
between 297 and 324 knots per sq. inch and its
dimensions are 5.3m x 10.5m.
The clean of the Ardabil carpet was overseen by
Sheila Landi, the then Chief Conservation Officer
for textiles at the V & A museum, and Ksynia has
since told me that she was one of the interns who
helped to clean it.
Cleaning the Ardabil carpet required a water
supply of suitable quality without the need of a
de-ionising plant and it was thought the tap water
in the Midlands, which is soft water taken from the
Welsh mountains, would be suitable. The carpet
was transported from the Victoria and Albert
Museum to a property administered by the
Museum of Fine Art in Birmingham for cleaning, as
they had the use of a secure courtyard large
enough to house a purpose built platform on
which to wash the carpet.
The plan was that on the first day the back of the
carpet would be cleaned, leaving it to dry
overnight, and then the front would be washed
the next day, leaving it another night to drain on a
drying platform to finish the drying process.
A sloping platform was made for the clean, but
they discovered (too late for it to be corrected)
that the slope they had asked for was running
through the length instead of width of the carpet.
Continued on next page
newslink page 24
A roof was added consisting of polythene sheeting
draped over scaffold poles and wooden slats.
Once the carpet arrived, a polythene sheet was
laid onto he sloping
platform, the carpet
was rolled out face
down on top of it and
approximately one
fifth of it was soaked
with water using a
hose pipe. The
surface was covered
with netting, the
detergent was added
and worked in using
paint rollers with long
handles. The cleaner's
wore wellington boots
with sponges stuck to
the bottom (to
minimize damage
from foot traffic).
Starting at the highest
point of the platform
each time, the back of
the carpet was
washed three times.
Overnight the carpet was guarded by a warder
from the museum in case of vandals. He luckily
ended up preventing it from being blown away
during a storm that night.
The following day they were surprised to find
that the carpet was still soaking wet, but they
eventually managed to roll it between two sheets
of polythene, turn it over and clean the face using
the same process again.
They actually had no idea how long the drying
would take and the carpet ended up being rolled
in polythene and
transported back to
London dripping wet.
Apparently, water was
running out of the
back of the lorry as it
was driven down the
motorway!
Once back at Osterly
House, it was then
placed on the purpose
built rack to dry over
the weekend, with the
polythene sheet
suspended above it.
Can you imagine their
terror, as some of the
worst storms of that
year left Sheila Landi
and her husband
baling out water
which, as she put it,
“dangerously
accumulated in great
pools in the insufficiently supported polythene
sheet”?
The carpet was finally taken indoors, into a large
shed, where it eventually dried out.
Needless to say, this gave me little inspiration for
cleaning the Cragside carpet!
Next month: The pre-clean testing begins
Continued from previous page
The famous Ardabil carpet
page 25 newslink
Win a place on a training course!Carpet pre-clean checklist
Win a FREE place on a floor sanding training
course at The Ultimate Floor Sanding Company.
Just log on to their website and sign up for their
monthly newsletter. To be sure they know who
you are please put NCCA after your name.
Log on to: www.ultimate-floorcare.com
The winner of their last
competition was Steve
Wilkins from Ideal
Upholstery Cleaning in
Cheshire. Our congratulations to Steve; Terry at
The Ultimate Floor Sanding Company is looking
forward to seeing you on his course soon.
Many complaints of poor workmanship result
from insufficient attention on the pre-clean
survey.
Below are the things that you should always test
for before carrying out the cleaning of carpets:
Type of carpet: velvet, twist, cut/loop, etc.Ÿ
Construction: woven, tufted, bonded or needle-Ÿ
punch.
Fibre content: wool, nylon, polypropylene, Ÿ
polyester, blends, etc.
Type of soiling: light, medium or heavy.Ÿ
Stains: coffee, tea, fruit juice, wine, etc. Ÿ
Seams: secure, weak, split.Ÿ
Fitting: gripper, glued, loose, secure.Ÿ
Buckling: check cause, wear and tear, etc.Ÿ
Sub-floor: wood, concrete, asphalt, etc.Ÿ
Filtration marks: edge of room, kicker marks, Ÿ
others.
Dye stability: dye test especially on rugs.Ÿ
Insect damage: moth, carpet beetle.Ÿ
Fading: sunlight, fume fading, tuft loss.Ÿ
Delamination: see buckling. Ÿ
Browning: previous cleaner, home stain Ÿ
treatment, water-leak.
Pile wear: main traffic and use areas.Ÿ
Pile distortion/reversal: natural phenomenon or Ÿ
distortion through use.
Dimensional change: shrinkage (water leak, Ÿ
previous clean).
Odour sources: pet accidents, food spills, body Ÿ
fluids.
Fringe integrity (rugs): incorrect vacuum use, Ÿ
pets, etc.
The NCCA are increasingly contacting
members via email to circulate relevant
Association information. As such, it is
more important than ever that we have
your current email address logged on
our database.
If you change your email address at
any point could we ask that you please
notify us immediately so we are able to
update your details. This will ensure that
you do not miss any important
information circulated by us.
To inform us of any changes, please
email Nicky on: [email protected] or
phone the NCCA office on: 0116 271
9550.
Important Notice
newslink page 26
Wood floor repair Terry Guilford (The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.)
subject that I am
getting asked about
on an increasingly Aregular basis is that of wood
floor repair. Like most things
concerned with all flooring
disciplines, an article can
largely only tell you what is
possible rather than how it is
possible due to the very
nature of what is trying to be
achieved. So let's start by
defining the scope of the
article.
First off I am mainly concerned about damage
that either requires the removal or repair of an
individual or group of boards, panels or staves due
to damage that cannot be repaired or disguised
using any other method. To begin with, two things
need to be assessed. Firstly the type of floor we
are dealing with, is it on battens or joists? Is it an
engineered or solid wood? Is it a floating floor? Is
it a bonded down floor? Is it made up of individual
staves unconnected to its 'neighbours' or is it
staves glued together to form panels (like a
Junckers floor)? Some of these types of floors are
obvious and others less so, suffice it to say that
again it is outside the scope of this article to cover
how you go about determining the nature of the
less obvious ones…. but that's what phones are
for!
The second thing that needs to be assessed is
the extent and nature of the damage to the wood.
As with all repair work, the less destructive you
can make the repair work, the less there is to go
wrong and the higher the likelihood of a
successful outcome. However, wooden floor
repair, by the nature of interlocking structure of
the construction, has a habit of growing!
Let's start with your basic Victorian pine floor;
the main problems encountered here are damage
to boards caused by other tradesmen and gaps
between boards caused by shrinkage. In the case
of the former it is normally very rough saw cuts
across the boards to create small access points for
plumbers and electricians. In truth, the best form
of repair here is removal of the full length of
board (not just the little panel) and replacement
with another old board of a similar nature from
either a salvage yard or maybe another room that
has carpet. Gap filling in these floors should be
carried out using pine strips cut from reclaimed
page 27 newslink
boards that are glued and hammered into the
gaps and trimmed off once the glue is set. Small
repairs to the sides of boards are best made
using wooden plugs cut and shaped to fit the
missing area (which itself may need cleaning and
shaping) and these are best fixed in place using
industrial hot melt glue guns which give strong,
coloured and instantaneous fixture.
Moving on, let's talk about engineered floors.
These are normally of the 'floating' variety,
meaning they just sit on top of the subfloor. The
individual panels on these CAN be removed and
replaced but you need three things, one an
EXACT match panel, two a decent tool kit (a Fein
type saw is essential) and three, balls… and I
don't mean the games type. The key to this type
of repair is clean removal of the old panel which
is harder than it sounds, because once you have
the old panel out you have to clean off the
remaining glue from the boards around it in
order to get the new panel in and this is tricky.
The new panels will need the bottoms of the
grooves removed before dropping in and the
whole thing will need weighting down until the
adhesive is set.
The bonded down engineered floor requires an
even bigger set of 'sphericals' because getting the
panel out is even more difficult, as is the clean-up
before the new one goes in. Both of these types
of repairs are really tricky and have to be
weighed against the value of the floor, which is
often quite low. Clients should also be advised
that an unused panel is not going to sit at exactly
the same height or look exactly the same as the
floor around it.
A lot of repair work can be gained from sports halls,
school halls, community halls, hotel ballrooms etc.
These floors are often hardwoods laid on battens
and the problems usually involve broken individual
staves or broken or loose battens. We have done
many repairs of this type and these jobs can really
GROW especially in the case of batten repair or
replacement. Whilst I don't like talking about
pricing (in particular day rates), I would advise that
this is a subject that should be approached with
caution in these instances as you cannot evaluate
the extent of the repair until the floor is opened.
However, once the subfloor repairs are done and
the floor re-laid the results should be excellent and
clients will be happy.
So finally, let's mention Junckers. The traditional
two strip Junckers has the appearance of individual
staves but is actually made up of panels that are
two-staves wide and of various lengths. These
floors may be clipped together floating, nailed
down or bonded down and of course this needs to
be determined first. If a stave is badly damaged on
a Junckers floor you need to replace the whole
panel, the method for doing this will depend on the
nature of the fixing as above. However Junckers do
have 'veneers' that can be used to cover
superficially damaged staves with only the use of a
router and some glue which is a lot less hassle than
panel replacement.
Wood floor repair isn't going to be for everyone, it
does require woodworking knowledge and a decent
tool kit. However, there is a demand for tradesmen
with these skills… so, with the right training, it
could be an excellent addition to your existing
business. It's definitely food for thought.
newslink page 28
he NCCA Logo and our name 'The
National Carpet Cleaners Association' are
both 'Registered TTrade Marks' under the
'Trade Marks Act 1994 of
Great Britain and
Northern Ireland'.
Unfortunately both our
name and logo are
sometimes used by non-
member companies in
directory adverts, local
magazines and publications, on websites and in
one case our name was even quoted in a
telephone announcement for a company's
advertising campaign!
Where the offending adverts have appeared in
print, the editors of the journals or suppliers of
the directories have been informed that their
advertiser's were not members of the National
Carpet Cleaners Association and were therefore
illegally displaying our name or logo. All of the
infringements have been reported to the Trading
Standards Offices in the areas in which the
offences occurred.
In several cases, both traders and companies
have been summoned to attend their local
Trading Standards Office and accept a 'formal
caution'. This constitutes an admission of guilt.
Should the trader or company continue to offend,
or re-offend, then prosecution would almost
certainly follow.
One trader has already been successfully
prosecuted for making a false statement, by
means of a leaflet bearing the NCCA logo. His
County Council Trading Standards brought the
prosecution and the company was fined and
ordered to pay costs towards the prosecution. The
company was further ordered to pay
compensation to an aggrieved customer.
Misuse of NCCA logo by non-member companies
Writing for Newslink
Newslink is the official journal of the NCCA and
the only publication in the UK solely dedicated to
the cleaning, care and restoration of soft
furnishings and hard flooring.
Contributions from Members are always
welcome, as are suggestions and new ideas.
So.... if you fancy expanding your repertoire,
why not put 'pen to paper' and add 'author of
published article' to your skillset. Don't worry if
you feel your writing skills are not up to the job,
as all articles undergo an editing process before
they are included. What we need from YOU is the
knowledge and stories you undoubtedly have.
Contributions can be regular, or simply a one-
off, it's entirely up to you.
We endeavour to publish all editorial received
and all contributions will, of course, display your
name as the author.
If you feel you'd like to send something in, or
have an idea, don't be shy, just give Nikki in the
office a ring on 0116 271 9550 or email:
We look forward to hearing from you.
Items for sale
newslink page 30
BUSINESS FOR SALESmall, long-established, reputable working carpet,
upholstery and soft furnishings cleaning company. Essex based. Owner Operator retiring. To be sold as a complete
package only. Mobile HWE and dry cleaning system. Domestic and commercial clients. Genuine interested
parties only please to call 07903 497298 and leave details.
CLEANING AND RESTORATION MACHINERY - EQUIPMENT - ACCESSORIES
Dri-Eaz Dehumidifier 1200 - as new (boxed) £450.00. Dri-Eaz Sahara Pro TurboDryer - new (boxed) £150.00. Dri-Eaz
Dri X Airchanger Dehumidifier - new (boxed). Normal Price £1900.00. Our Price £500.00. Plus much more. For
a complete list please telephone: 07580 182 325 or email: [email protected]
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
[email protected] (with full CV, etc.) or telephone: 01672 871882 or mobile: 07831
172743.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALEMobile container/bin (red) - comes with lid. Heavy duty
container on wheels. L55” x W32” x H31”, ideal hose and other carpet clng equipment storage. List price: £199 - selling for £75. Whole room drier/air mover. List price: £534 - selling for £99 (no VAT). Contact Chris on: 02380
898 212 or 07970 040729 or email:[email protected]
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.
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] for further information or contact Andy on: 07970
544806.
TRUCKMOUNTBanclene truckmount 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 separately. Selling due to retirement and will consider the highest offer. Call
Derek at Aquamaster on 01845 537640 - mobile 07976 218304 or email: [email protected]
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 SALEAirflex Storm 800psi, Solution hose 25ft(high pressure),
25ft x 1.5" vacuum hose with 1.5" cuff fitted at each end, Westpak 4" stainless steel hand/detailer tool with
splash guard, 6" stair tool, Upholstery Pro Sapphire Hand Tool, HOST Reliant agitator, Sebo BS36 upright vacuum cleaner, Dri-Eaz Air Mover Sahara E 3 speed,
Magma heater 1313, Assorted horse hair brushes, Furniture Foam Snap Blocks x 360, Orion 6L Sprayer
with nozzle set, 10 Litre Bucket x 2, Carpet Sliders x 8, pH Test Paper, Corner guard, Hose hook, Pumptec
Powersprayer BOM, Mesh hose bag. Assorted cleaning chemicals - some opened. Bereavement forces sale.
Cost: £4500 ONO (Bought as new in 2013 for £7500). All items used a maximum of 5 times so in 'as new'
condition. Please contact Jamie Edmonds at: [email protected]. Tel: 07795546037. Items
located in North Cornwall.
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:
+ Cleansmart Ltd:
+ Cleantec Innovation Ltd:
+ Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd:
+ Dri-Eaz Products Ltd:
+ Dry Fusion UK Ltd:
+ Get Booked Up Software:
+ Gleaming Insurance (insurance brokers):
+ Hi-Tec Cleaning Group:
+ Host Von Schrader Ltd:
+ Hydro Dynamix:
+ Mailboxes Etc:
+ McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers):
+ NSL Restormate: 01670 590099:
+ Nu Life Stone Care Ltd:
+ Oates Laboratories (Europe):
+ Prochem Europe Ltd:
+ Rainbow International:
+ Restoration Express:
+ Robert Saunders Marketing Mentor:
+ Sebo UK Ltd:
+ ServiceMaster Ltd:
+ Stainshield Ltd:
+ Textile Cleaning Solutions:
+ The Big Clean:
+ The Ultimate Floor Sanding Co.:
+ The WoolSafe Organisation:
+ Truvox International Ltd:
+ Worldwide Cleaning Support:
0844 8156211 (I)
01763 208222 (C/M/F/T)
01444 232211 (C/M)
01795 436999 (C/M/E)
01254 584404 (FI)
01444 244000 (C)
0208 315 5000 (I)
01482 872770 (C/M/Fr)
01274 597333 (C/M/T/D/F)
01772 434333 (T/C/R/M)
01334 656787 (C/M/T/F)
0115 8240034 (T/C/R/M/K)
0870 733 7733 (T/C/W/M)
01772 426527 (M)
01908 611211 (C/M/T)
01772 433711 (C/M/T/W/Fr)
01405 813665
0845 4740068 (I)
02866 341416 (C/E/F/M/T)
0151 347 1900 (M/C)
01622 664993 (Fr)T)
01628 633336
0121 706 0616 (I)
(M/C/Tr)
0161 480 7284 (M/C)
01772 433711 (C)
0208 974 1515 (C/F/M/T)
01623 422488 (M/C/Fr)
01252 726106 (M/C/T/A)
08450 537129 (K)
01494 465533 (M)
0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr)
01372 841467 ©
01934 521155 (M/C)
0208 3934778 (M,C,W,K)
00353 91846488 (M/C/Fr)
01943 850817
02380 702200 (M)
01279 422220 (C/M)
C - Chemicals / M - Machinery / W - Wholesalers / Fr - Franchises / I - Insurance / K - Marketing / T - Technical Services / F - Fire Retardents / A - Auxiliary Services (Restoration Cleaners) / E - Supply/Repair of Curtains and Blinds / Fi - Finance / Tr - Training.newslink page 31
WHOLE ROOM DRYER360 degrees air mover, ex company stock used for 18 months only (Truvox) - Cost new: £500. Selling cost:
£150. Contact: 02380 898212.
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. Please phone Pete Collins on 07885 804560.
MACHINERY FOR SALE CFR Paramount 1000 PSI machine - delivering 1000
pressure per square inch. 95 litre recycling tank, great for commercial and domestic work £600.00 o.n.o.
Contact [email protected] for further information or phone David on 07768 667824 or
01277 824546.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - IDEAL FOR NEW BUSINESSEverything you need to start carpet cleaning,
including: Ashbys Ninja adjustable up to 400psi with Dry Cleaning Functionality built in, 2 x25m vacuum
hoses, 1 x silencer hose, 1 x wand, 1 x upholstery tool, 1 x dry cleaning solvent tool. Sebo Duo agitator. Sebo Vacuum BS36. 1.5hp blower dryer. Truvox high speed
buffer. Prochem Stain Removal kit. 2 x 6 litres pressure sprayers. 1 x 1 litre upholstery/spot sprayer. 1 x vinyl mat for Ninja and 1 terrapaulin sheet. Huge array of
chemicals including: Prochem Power Burst, Defoamer, Prochem Pre Spray Gold, Prochem Natural Carpet Cleaner, Ashby's supreme Anti Grease, Prochem Browning prescription, Prochem Fabric and Fibre
Rinse, Ashby's Extra Fresh, Prochem Odour Fresh. Box of other bits including: shoe covers, brushes,
polystyrene pads, measuring jugs, dry compound. All in excellent condition. Selling as my second business is
consuming all of my time. Selling for £1950. Contact Richard on 07903 841534.
The Association advises that all goods are
checked to be in a satisfactory condition,
and comply to electrical and health and
safety standards, etc. It is recommended
that equipment serial numbers should be
checked to ensure the seller is the
legitimate owner. The Association accepts
no responsibility or liability arising from
any transaction or dispute between the
buyer and seller.
Chemspec Europe, Tong Park, Otley Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QD. Tel: 01274 597333 Fax: 01274 597444 E-mail: Website:[email protected] 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.*
BEFORE AFTER
Say
goodbye
to stains!
Carpet
cleaners
carnival
2014Call in for a coffee with us at the Carpet Cleaners Carnivalin September. We’ll be on stand number four. See you there!