On the very next day after the Velvet Revolver gig I visited the Carpex and Windex show at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

It was not as big as The Cleaning Show in Birmingham last year but was more specialized. Exactly what I need!

Placed an order for 2 new carpet cleaning machines and will booked a demo for another one next week. Great job at the exhibitions!

I noticed the Alltec guys had hired that bird with the plastic tits again.  Strange choice…

Another carpet cleaning machine stopped working today.

Another expensive repair. But this is life and it is beautiful. Just look around yourselves!

I few days ago I watched a video on YouTube about a carpet cleaning scam in the States. Carpet cleaning companies were  leafletting residential  homes with  cheap offers of $9.95 a room. Well, here comes the good part of the test. NBC Action News reporters  hid cameras in a house and started calling the numbers on the leaflets inviting 4 carpet cleaners to come and quote for the cleaning of 2 rooms.

All carpet cleaning companies, apart from one (don’t forget that they all advertised their services at $9.95 per room), quoted prices much higher that $9.95 per room. Prices varied between $60.00 - $385.00!!!

When asked why they quoted more than $9.95 per room their explanation was that cheap price was for basic carpet cleaning only! However they did not explain what a basic clean was. Hmm… Strange.

Similar scams are being run in the UK. Have you seen the “half price”, “for 2 weeks only in your area” carpet cleaning leaflets (they all seem to look one and the same, don’t they) charging £9.99 per room or a whole 3 bed house fo £39.99? Same thing. When you call the “carpet cleaners” they will either quote a significantly higher price (the normal price for that job :-)) or just wet your carpets with pure water going through the whole house for under 20 minutes. When asked why the difference in the price the answer is : this is the price for a basic clean with water only or you have pets and it makes it more difficult or some other ridiculous excuse.

Be careful who let in your home to clean your valuable carpets and upholstery. I have heard stories much worse than the average overpricing. Some of those “carpet cleaners” are not carpet cleaners at all but con artists who make a living stealing, deceiving and blackmailing people.  My advice is to call a reputable carpet cleaning company member of the National Carpet Cleaners Association. If in doubt (some companies tend to use the NCCA logo without being members at all) call the NCCA or visit their website www.ncca.co.uk.

More information can be found in Anyclean’s consumer guide.

Have you ever heard guys bragging about how they have been using the same machine for the last 25 years? Just regular services and it will go on forever.

There may be a sentimental note in those words but are those guys doing themselves a favour? And isn’t that “eternal” machine running on one vacuum motor with a mere 50 - 70 psi? Most likely it is. They despise the new 2 and 3 motor machines with powerful pumps capable of 300, 500 psi.

So why do you need that power and extra cost? Those new machines are expensive, larger, heavier. I can do the job with my current 25 year old trusty.

The answer is very simple. With a more powerful machine you can leave the machine outside the house or on the ground floor without having to sacrifice pump pressure and suction. You can run longer hoses just like a truck mount but without the cost of the truck mount. You can have an in-line heater heating up water just before the wand. Most importantly you will not have to lift your machine up steep staircases (carpet cleaners‘ worst nightmare :-)) and still do an excellent job at a fraction of the cost of a truck mounted carpet cleaning system.

Time to change those trusty rusty steel buggers, guys. I still see quite a few relics on the streets though :-).

Today I managed to spill large amounts of coffee and coke on my office cream coloured carpet.

Thanks to the magic Anyclean Spot And Stain Remover all marks are gone and a quick carpet cleaning would make the carpet brand new. I managed to blot all of the coffee and coke with a terry towel making the final carpet clean a breeze. Job done. Go back to work

Carpet cleaning is good for your carpets. Carpet cleaning removes particles and substances from the carpet fibres which could have been the reason for your carpet wear. Regular vacuming does a great job in removing those haard particles which act as am abrasive when you walk on the carpet. And because all carpets act as a filter for the indoor air all the suff that settles down gets trapped between the carpet fibres.Not aways good vacuuming can remove those and then you need a professional carpet cleaner.

You can always book a carpet cleaner with Anyclean and you will not be dissappointed. All our carpet cleaning jobs are backed by full insurance and our company guarantee.

Carpet cleaning machines used professionally (every day) tend to break down. The only 2 bits of machinery you are most likely to repair/change are the vacuum motors and the pump.

If you ask me I would buy a few motors and pumps and change them myself or find someone to do it for me. If you go to a proper carpet cleaning repairs company they will charge you about £150.00+VAT for a motor change and about the same for a pump change. That is expensive and even more if you are not VAT registered like most sole trading carpet cleaners. Carpet cleaning becomes expensive business to maintain machinewise but you have no choice but live with it and look forward to the next nice paying job.

From my experience nearly 5 years now, I would say that the Alltec Advantage has been for repair the least times compared to my other machines. Most problems I have had with the Prochem Steempros. Mainly due to their breakdownability I decided to stock on pumps and motors

There are many different carpet cleaning machines on the market today. Which one is the best?

There is no such thing, I am afraid. The best carpet cleaning machine is the one that is right for you - a combination of power, capacity, weight, price etc. I personally find the Alltec Advantage a good performer, although it is a bit heavy. It has an inline heater and a good pump. Better than Prochem’s Steempro 2000 Powermax. More reliable. The Prochem on the other hand is lighter. I have also worked with Ashby’s Ninja, Solution’s Scorpion, Alltec’s Sahara, HOST’s Reliant, Solution’s Agimac (that’s dry carpet cleaning though).

Let me know what machines are you using? What chemicals? Any brand to steer away from? Let me now.