6 Common Home Maintenance Myths…that Professionally Trained Technicians can help you with

This flyer was created for distribution at the 2012 Australian Association of Professional Organiser’s (AAPO) Conference, that took place in Melbourne on the 20th & 21st July.

As a professional organiser you enter the homes and working environments of other people and help them to organise their lifestyle. Sometimes these jobs may be a matter of mindset and helping people to order their lives, and in other instances it may be a ‘messier’ job which requires a complete tidy up.

Did you know that there is a whole industry of trained professionals out there to help you with the ‘messier’ clean-up jobs?

Whether it be mould, animal stains, odour or blood, yiour clients may have some of the issues that we discuss in this flyer. We want to make sure that you get the best possible service so that your clients can live and work in a clean and healthy environment.

Read the whole article…
6 Common Home Maintenance Myths…that Professionally Trained Technicians can help you with

How can we promote industry professionalism?

Media coverage like the story featuring Charlie Lodge and Jenny Boymal about stain removal that was shown on Today Tonight this week  does a great job of promoting the professionalism of the industry, but we all need to continue to work at promoting our image, so that the consumer understands the importance of hiring professionals to do a quality job.

Advancing the professionalism of the carpet cleaning industry is an important endeavour and something that everyone needs to work towards. Below are a few easy ways to help promote the professionalism of the industry:

Join and support the industry association

The Specialised Cleaning and Restoration Industry Association (SCRIA)* represents the carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, restoration and related industries. The association is active all around the country, with local branches in each state. Each branch holds regular meetings, both in person and online, so you can discuss your issues, compare notes about jobs, or even just have a chat with like-minded professionals.

Industry associations are also a great way to have your voice heard. Not happy about a certain rule or regulation? Industry Associations have the power to lobby the government, so bring your concern to SCRIA, discuss it with other members, and organise to get something done about it!

The point of an industry association is to present a unified perspective to the rest of the world (a.k.a. the consumer) – if we have one organisation to present a unified opinion it makes the message a lot clearer. Click here to become a SCRIA member

*Formally known as NUCCRA

Educate your customers

Let’s face it, if we didn’t have customers we wouldn’t be able to work. And seeing as its the customers who pay us, what they think and what they believe is pretty important. However, many customers simply don’t understand the difference between a good carpet cleaning job and a bad one. This ultimately turns all of our customers into price-shoppers, because price is the only part of the job that they can compare.

This means that you have to educate your customers – including those you already have and those you want to have – about what makes a quality job. Write up a couple of articles about what makes a good carpet cleaning job (and why you’re the best technician to deliver a good job) and put them on your webiste. You can even contact your local newspaper and send them one of your articles and a photo of you standing in front of your van (local papers love it when people send them content like this). If you’re don’t like the idea of writing your own articles, scour the web and find some good articles that other people have written and share them with your customers on your Facebook page.

Cosy up to your competitors

No matter what industry you’re in, the thought of working with your competitors always makes people anxious. What if they undercut me? What if they steal my customers? What if they move in on my area?

As the old adage goes, two heads work better than one, and establishing a trusting professional relationship with a nearby competitor can make your life a lot more easier and more profitable. This menas you have somebody to call to give you a hand if the work gets too much. If a client from their area calls you, you can refer them onto your ‘trusted competitor’, and he can do the same for you. If you ever come across any tricky jobs that you aren’t too sure how to tackle, you’ve got someone to call to help you nut it out.

Trust us – working together often gives you better results than working against one another. John Nash (remember the genius from A Beautiful Mind?) even won a Nobel Prize after he pointed this out to the world. Click here to read more about it.

How do I get stains out of my carpet?

It is clear that anyone who owns carpet at some stage finds themselves in a position where they have a stain on their carpet.Very often, people go into an absolute panic when something drops on their carpet.

I was recently talking to a friend who dropped red wine on her carpet. By the time she called me to find out what she should do about it, she had already tried 3 different remedies:

1. salt

2. carpet power

3. bicarbonate soda

Of course, the result was not great. I asked a qualified professional carpet cleaning company who services her local area to help rectify the situation.

This is a very common situation. There are a lot of old wives tales about what can be done to get stains out of carpet. I can confidently give you this advice to ensure you do not damage your carpet by using harsh chemicals and remedies that will set the stain rather than helping to get it out of the carpet.

1. Do not put any chemicals on your carpet.

When a professional carpet cleaning company puts chemicals on your carpet, they have the ability neaturalise the chemical and also extract the residues. You are not able to do this yourself.

2. You want to try to absorb as much of the stain as possible – use a white paper towel or cloth. If the stain is from a food which is more solid you can use a blunt knife to gently scape off as much of the stain as possible. DO NOT RUB THE STAIN. Gently blot the stain, until no more discolouration is coming off onto the cloth.

3. If there is still a bit of staining on the carpet, you can use a wet paper towel to see if you can absorb more of the stain. You will find that whe you finish the process there should not be much of a stain left on the carpet.

4. If there is still a stain on your carpet, contact a trained carpet cleaning professional.

Please feel free to visit the Jena Dyco website or email us admin@jenadyco.com.

Why should you choose a professional carpet cleaner rather than hiring your own carpet cleaning equipment?

Is there really a difference?

Is it worth paying money to a carpet cleaning business to get your carpet cleaned?

Let’s face it, your carpet is one of the most expensive assets in your house. Wouldn’t you like to look after it, to extend its life and save money?

Getting your carpet cleaned professionally does exactly that! The key here is the word ‘professionally’. Not all carpet cleaners are the same – and not all carpet cleaners will provide you with a service that will protect your carpet.

When looking for a carpet cleaner ask the following:

• Are you a member of an association? – for example NUCCRA
• Do you have recognised training? (which all association members have)
• Do you have a service guarantee?

What should a professional carpet cleaner do?

• inspect and assess your carpet
• vacuum thoroughly
• choose an appropriate cleaning method for your carpet
• take you through the property and ensure you are happy with the work

More importantly, when you hire a carpet cleaning machine, you use a one method fits all approach. You might be lucky and leave your carpets in a decent state but that is not the only purpose for carpet cleani. You want to:

• Make the carpets look clean
• Remove stains from the carpet
• Make the property hygenic to live/work in

Do you know if the chemicals you are using are suitable to your carpet type? Do you know if you are using too much water that will cause the carpet to go ‘brown’ in patches? Do you know if your vacuum is strong enough to get out most of the dry soils – if not you are simply creating mud. Without totally freaking you out, I want to make it very clear that carpet cleaning is not simply about spraying a chemicals and sucking it out.

If you would like to learn more about professional carpet cleaning visit our webiste or the NUCCRA website to choose a qualified NUCCRA member.

Tips for choosing a professional carpet cleaning business in your local area

Running Australia’s leading carpet cleaning training business we get to see hundreds of carpet cleaning businesses come through our doors each year. I get to know a lot of them quite well and get a good understanding of what sort of business they operate and the type of service they offer their customers. For a consumer who does not have a lot of information and knowledge about carpet cleaning and simply wants their carpet to look clean, it is very difficult to select a carpet cleaning business simply based on some marketing material.

Here are some tips on what you should look for and some questions to ask a carpet cleaning business before engaging them to clean your carpet.

Ask the company:

1. Do you have any qualifications? You want the company to explain that yes they get all of their staff qualified and professionally trained through IICRC or nationally recognised carpet cleaning qualifications.
2. What process will you use to clean my carpet? The most important part of the carpet cleaning process is the pre-inspection of the carpet – looking at the condition, existing stain and potential problems. The next step is to thoroughly vacuum the carpet with an upright vacuum cleaner. A large percentage of the soils in carpet are removed through the vacuuming process. Regardless of what method is being used thoroughly vacuuming all carpeted areas is a critical step. If your carpet cleaner does not vacuum then they are not thoroughly cleaning your carpet and the indoor air quality in your property is not at its best. I would seriously re-considering choosing a carpet cleaner who offers you a discount if you vacuum your carpets yourself – this is not a professional service.
   
3. If I have a problem with your service, how will you deal with this? You want to deal with carpet cleaning business who has a comprehensive complaints resolution in place. I would suggest you look for companies who do the following: (a) belong to NUCCRA – the National Upholstery, Carpet Cleaners and Restorers Association or a similar body who will follow through on complaints against their members; (b) have a satisfaction guarantee so that if you are not happy with their service they will come back and fix the job free of charge; (c) have extensive insurance so that if something does go wrong they can cover the cost of the replacement of the carpet.
4. How much does it cost? If you are judging a carpet cleaning business based on price you are always going to come out disappointed. A professional carpet cleaning business can not afford to clean 3 rooms for $50. When you get quoted prices like this over the phone these companies have none of the above mentioned qualities and are likely to change their price once in your house. When you ask the carpet cleaning company how much it will cost to get your carpets cleaned, a professional company should ask you some questions before giving you an estimated price over the phone. You want to make sure that they are tailoring their services to meet your needs rather than offering a one service fits all approach. Generally, you will get what you pay for – so if you pay very little you are likely to be disappointed with the job. Remember that you are not only cleaning for visual appearances, carpet cleaning also makes the property have a healthy indoor air quality.

We would love to hear from you if you have found this article useful.

To find a carpet cleaner who is a NUCCRA member of an IICRC certified firm please click on the apppropriate link. If you want any further information please contact Jena Dyco.

Cleaning and Restoration Tips for Flood Victims

It is likely that you will be getting phone calls from concerned home owners looking for some tips. NUCCRA has put together a few tips that you can provide over the phone to help people out.

Cleaning and Restoration Tips for Flood Victims

• The water that is floating both in your house and outside is not sanitary. Water of this nature can easily spread diseases and infections. If walking through the water protect yourself – cover your body with a full body tyvek suit. If you have any exposed cuts, make sure they are covered. If you are heavily involved in the recovery process you may want to consider checking the status of your immunisations – see your Doctor.
• Not all houses will be able to be restored. At this stage it is difficult to make assessments of that nature. Try to get as much of the water out of your house as possible. The faster the cleaning and drying process can begin, the more chance there is of restoration.
• Hire a restorer who has been trained in specialised water damage restoration. Not all companies who will be offering restoration services will have the appropriate skills to carry out the work. The drying process is the most important part of the restoration process and if it is not carried out professionally there are many risks that can occur. Choose a NUCCRA Member who specialises in Restoration. These companies have the training and experience to carry out the work. If your insurance company sends you a restorer ask if they have a IICRC qualification and ask to see their IICRC card. You do not want to put yourself or your family at risk by having the job done by someone untrained.

Go to these sites to find a qualified contractor

www.nuccra.asn.au

www.iicrc.org.au

Your house is flooded – is it really necessary to get the damage fixed?

With flooding in many area of the east coast of Australia there are many residential and commercial properties that have been effected by flood. Is it really necessary to fix the flood damage in your property? Who is the best person for the job?
As a consumer it is difficult to know who to call when you have water leaking in your property. Who is it that deals with this? Plumbers? Builders? I have heard of consumers calling their painter to look at the water bubbles accumulated in the wall paint.
Ultimately there are a few things you need to do.
ACT fast – the faster you act the more chance their is that your property will be restored with minimal damage.
Contact your insurance company – all insurance companies have a list of prefered suppliers that they use to assist in restoring your property. If the insurance company puts in a company to deal with your flood they are ultimtaely responsible to ensure that your property is professionally restored. Some things to think about are asking the following:
- Do you have an IICRC Water Damage Certification?
- Will you be monitoring my job?
If you are unsure or want some advise please contact NUCCRA – the industry assocation for carpet cleaning and restoration. They will be able to guide you in the right direction.

If equipment is placed in your property do not turn it off – for your property to dry it is usually necessary to place drying equipment in your property. The faster the drying process takes the less risk there is of complication. Once equipment is placed in your property do your best to let it run. Turning it off will prolong the drying process and potentially cause complication.
The main thing is not to panic and get a professional restoration company into your property ASAP.
Is it necessary to get a small water damage fixed? YES. Water damage to your property can potentially cause mould growth. Once mould is growing (which is not always visable to the naked eye) you have a much larger issue on your hands.

How do you spot a meth lab

Meth labs can turn up in any area or type of property, regardless of the type of community surrounding it. Meth labs are just as often found in wealthy areas as they are in poorer areas, and can be found in houses, apartments, motel and hotel rooms and caravans. But with so much secrecy surrounding a meth lab, how are you supposed to spot one?

Clandestine labs will often show physical signs of disarray or lack of care, such as unkempt lawns and outdoor areas, burnt grass and soil, empty packaging strewn around the property and windows always covered with curtains or blinds.  Despite this, clandestine labs will often have hyperactive security measures, such as surveillance systems and lookouts keeping watch. Add these signs to regular visitors streaming through the house, both day and night, but only stay for short periods of time and it makes for a pretty suspicious atmosphere.

If you get a chance to enter the house (which is very unlikely indeed) you may see methamphetamine residues in the form of yellow staining on the walls, floors and ceilings. In addition to staining, there will be very strong odours both inside and outside the house. The smells produced when manufacturing methamphetamine are not easily masked, and strong odours such as solvents, ammonia or other chemicals will be present at and around houses that are being used as clandestine labs. This may also be something to remember when shopping around for a house to purchase or rent – if the property you are walking through smells like solvents or yellow stains on the wall, get out!

Not all meth labs display these signs, but they’re something to take note of nonetheless. Labs can be set up in any neighbourhood, regardless of the socioeconomic standing of the community – it never hurts to be aware of the signs.