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Prochem meets Interclean visitors

Global cleaning show Interclean Amsterdam 2018 has stalled any suggestions that the prospect of Brexit means a slow-down in the fortunes of the cleaning business.

With 33,710 professionals from 143 countries visiting, the Amsterdam event attracted visitors from more countries than ever before, with over 70% from outside the Netherlands including newcomers from Jamaica, Seychelles, Swaziland, Mongolia and Bolivia.

As ever, Prochem Europe was participating and the stand team was delighted to find a record number of visitors attending the Amsterdam show.

Says sales manager Phil Jones: “This proved a first rate opportunity to meet up with our existing UK-based customers and export clients, as well as create new interest in the Prochem brand from other countries.

“The Prochem name for speciality quality carpet and floor care products seems to have spread further afield with a great deal of visitors arranging meetings with us prior to the show, coming from the Middle East, Asia and the African sub-continent,” says Phil.

Based in the ‘high-pressure’ hall, Prochem led the field with its own-brand and Sapphire truck mounted extraction units alongside the mighty 500psi Endeavor portable and new ‘touch-free’ CR2 portable together with the company’s full range of cleaning detergents.

Phil adds: “Prochem truck mounted units were especially high on the list for Middle Eastern visitors, with enquiries from a couple of major international airlines and several cleaning contractors.”

“The show was a great success for us.”

Our Interclean Amsterdam 2018 photo gallery …. are you here? (Click any of the photos to browse the gallery)

Ian Brewer gleaming!

Ian Brewer at Clean & Gleam’s story is not so-fishy!

“I’m based in Woking, Surrey but find I am increasingly spending time on Hayling Island, which I love for the open spaces, the sea and the sheer peace.  I have a holiday bolt hole on the Fishery Creek Caravan site there, and when I went in and saw the state of the restaurant wood floor I just thought, ‘I have to clean this!’

“They say every picture tells a story so I took before, during and after shots of the work involved. The treatment is basically Method 8 from Prochem’s Hard Floor cleaning Course.

“I used Prochem’s alkaline cleaner, A250 Alkleen, in the tank and used a blue pad and picked up the slurry, then an acidic rinse, C255 Prorinse, to neutralise, before applying C503 Proshine. I only had 24 hours to get this turned around but the job was done and the results as you can see are outstanding!

“My favourite Prochem products are S709 Multi Pro, A257 Stoneclean and C503 Proshine. E848 Ink Solv is also excellent: I used that recently when a customer’s child plopped fountain pen ink stains onto a light stair carpet and she had tried to treat the stain with shaving foam. I had to ask why and she was a bit stuck for words!

“Anyway, Ink Solv does what it says on the packaging – as do many of the specialist treatments available from Prochem.

“I like the fact there’s such as wide choice of these and that the company makes solutions designed to tackle specific problems ranging from urine to tar; you don’t get the usual ‘try this out’ so much as ‘use this, now!’ when you deal with Prochem.

“I’ve only been cleaning professionally since October last year. I’d had enough of corporate life – I was in management with the Royal Mail for over 20 years – and I’ve no regrets at the change of career even if the money is less!

“I’ve cleaned a number of cafes and restaurants on the Island since the Fishery – and word, good and bad, gets around! Other leisure industry sites have come along, too: recently I had to clean 280 sq m of matting at a golf range.  Here’s a picture of that job as it got underway …

“Domestic business is going well for me, too, both on Hayling and back home in Surrey. I am a stickler for detail and I won’t quote on a job without visiting the site first to see the problem.

“And why Prochem? The reasons just given answer that pretty much but there’s more: when I first started working on mail rounds over thirty years ago, one of my customers was located at Acre Road in Kingston-upon-Thames. “Prochem Ltd as it was known, back then. I met the boss and founder Ron Tilley and liked him a lot. I delivered there for 12 years – and never forgot Prochem.

I pursued other avenues within Royal Mail and after a 31 year career I walked into Prochem’s Chessington training centre and thought: “After all these years!!!”

“I’m so glad for that initial encounter. It has come to set me up for a very happy change in my career and for that matter, in my life.”

I believe in being methodical, passionate and honest; and customer service is a must (hence the home visit quotation process), but to have such a global chemical giant behind me is perfect. My FB reviews are wonderful. But Prochem play a major role.”

www.facebook.com/Ianbrewercleanandgleam/

Thinking about becoming WoolSafe-approved? Don’t forget, you can with Prochem Europe, now.

We run regular special WoolSafe Fibre Care Training Courses at our academy in Chessington. The next one is being held on Thursday 6^th September.

It’s important to note that this course is best suited to cleaners who have already reached a reasonably high level of competence and experience in cleaning carpets and rugs.

It is also intended to be an essential reference and resource for those who are concerned with maintaining residential (domestic) or commercial (contract) wool carpets and rugs, whether they become a WoolSafe-Approved Carpet Care Specialist or not.

You can book online at www.prochem.co.uk or by calling 0208 974 1515

More on training with Prochem on this page

Know about stains and suddenly you know a whole lot more about cleaning.

Prochem Europe is holding its next Regional Training Courses in Leeds this October.

On Tuesday October 2nd we are sharing the latest on carpet care with a 1 day Carpet Cleaning Course and the following day (Wednesday October 3^rd) we move onto the topic of stain removal with a 1 day Stain Removal course.

The carpet course covers all you need to know about carpet identification, cleaning techniques, chemicals and their uses, as well as knowing how to keep out of trouble while still maximising your profit margins.

The following day, we discuss stain removal and explain in detail how to deal with stains, how to qualify potential expectations, understand the chemicals needed and then allow some time for “hands-on” stain removal for the class to remove stains from carpets.

The venue for the courses is the Holiday Inn Leeds at Garforth. The hotel has offered a reduction on room bookings if booked direct.

Either course is £120 (+ VAT), and you get a discount of 15% if both courses are booked at the same time. Or use the free course voucher that you received with your new Prochem cleaning machine!

You can book online at www.prochem.co.uk or by calling 0208 974 1515

More on training with Prochem on this page

The sponge. It’s been humbly mopping up messes for hundreds of years. And entertaining kids in the form of cult cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants.

But did you know the sponge is perhaps not so humble?

For example it plays a major role in the field of preservation. Prochem Europe noticed an increase in orders for its Dry Chem Sponges from one long-standing customer.

It got us asking ourselves … “Why do they need so many of these?”

The answer did not take long coming. It transpires that the conservators were utilising the sponges for removing loose surface soil from paper collections.

Said a spokesman: “In fact these sponges are widely used in museums and records offices all over the world for the dry cleaning of historic books and paper, particularly for dust and dry mould.

“We have increased our order for them to meet the needs of a recent acquisition of historic paperwork that has required a lot of effort and cleaning to allow us to store in a short time. And they do the job very well.”

The sponges are also used for soil and dust removal from antique clothing and paintings.

Dry Chem sponges come in packs of six. Made of soft dry latex, they are primarily designed for pre-cleaning of smoke damaged surfaces, fabrics and paper. Chemical-free and reusable after soaking and rinsing, it can be cut into smaller shapes that are gentle on contact, picking up surface soil and dust readily.

If you are considering using one to restore printed paper items, remember that sponges can be washed in cold water, using a little soap, but must be thoroughly air-dried before reusing.

www.prochem-uk.com/product.php?xProd=243

A successful restructure in place and the world for Taunton-based Prochem Europe distributor Cleaning Solutions UK is becoming its oyster with sales chalked up recently as far afield as Jersey and Ireland.

The West Country is a strong sales catchment but bosses Richard Williams and Darren Pollard look for growth and have been speculating to accumulate.

Cleaning Solutions UK Ltd was established in 2012 by Richard and Darren after the two purchased the assets of Craftex Cleaning Supplies which had been trading in Taunton for over 35 years with an established local customer base.

A year later Will Pettitt joined from Craftex. Richard describes Will as the  ‘go-to person’ for all technical related issues and he acknowledges that business has continued to grow through the support Will has provided customers over the years.

Best practice is everything in professional cleaning, whether you’re selling or servicing. So, a further advantage for Cleaning Solutions UK as a vendor is the bedrock of expertise it can draw on from associate company, TWC Cleaning Contractors, run by Darren.

“Technical support sets a business apart from the everyday brass-plate re-seller,” says Will. “I’m lucky to have learned a lot already and having an affiliation with our contract cleaning side adds some real credibility to the back-up we provide our customers.”

A recent development has been the company’s move into machine sales. Prochem serves this field of business well.

“We’ve seen good growth levels from the Prochem brand,” says Will. “Customers rate the Steempro Powermax highly. It’s new induction pump is the best in the business. We’ve had strong sales in as a result.”

He adds: “our chemicals business with the company is also strong. B230 Fresh Breeze is a best-selling odour neutraliser and other customer favourites include A222 Smoke & Odour Neutraliser.”

Somerset County Cricket Ground

E-commerce has additionally enabled this enterprising distributor to draw a crowd from outside the south west of England.

Closer to home, Cleaning Solutions UK has a varied client base in the region that includes schools, colleges and care homes.

They’re also knocking for six on behalf of Somerset County Cricket Club!

www.cleaningsolutionsuk.net

Draught marks filter up into carpet from underneath the backing and subfloor…

Some cleaning products are just that bit more versatile than others.

One of Prochem’s favourite products is A217 Ultrapac Renovate, a concentrated multi-surface cleaner and pre-spray that you really should have to-hand in the van as it works on floors, walls, carpets, hard and porous surfaces.

Carbon is a common cause for putting this cleaning solution to work.

Contaminates from vehicles and factory chimneys can creep into the home and workplace. They manifest as dark lines in the carpet, as marks around the edges of the room and doorways, and as black trails emanating upwards from radiator and air conditioning vents.

A solvent free formulation that basically ‘pulls-out’ soils by neutralising their electrical charge (or hold) to a surface, Ultrapac Renovate technology allows for effective neutralisation of the odour, deodorising the surface as well.

A result!

When carpet cleaning, it can be used as a highly efficient prespray, especially on polypropylene (olefin) fibres. To remove carbon draught marks, a pre-treatment of the solution with a gentle brushing and 5-10 minute dwell time will help release the attachment, making the extraction machine’s job of rinsing easier.

On a hard surface cleaning task, dilute and use with a scrubber dryer or rotary machine, ensuring suitable dwell time, and then rinse.

After a fire, Ultrapac Renovate can be used as a multi-surface cleaner on walls, work surfaces, ceilings, doors etc to neutralise the carbon build up.

It will even remove scuff or tyre marks on hard surfaces.

So, how do I use it?

• First: pre-test for use on fabrics, carpets and hard surfaces, preferably on an inconspicuous area, and do not use on water sensitive fabrics, unsealed wood, aluminium or other delicate surfaces.

• Apply by sprayer, sponge or a floor cleaning machine.  Allow 2-5 minutes contact time for heavy soil, scrub if needed, then rinse the surface thoroughly with clean water. Spray directly onto the surface and wipe over with a clean terry towel to remove any residue of old nicotine stains.
• Dilute 10-20 ml per litre of warm water for normal soil.
• Dilute 50 ml per litre of warm water for heavy soil and restoration work.
• Mix 1 part with 4 parts water for pressure washing.
• Add 50 ml of Oxibrite per 5 litres of Ultrapac Renovate solution for ceiling cleaning. Always make sure that Personal Protective Equipment is used and cover all sensitive furnishings.
• Carpets and fabrics should be extraction rinsed with B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse.
• For severe odour contamination, add A222 Smoke & Odour Neutraliser to carpet, fabric and hard surface cleaning solutions or Fibre & Fabric Rinse, for complete rinsing and odour neutralising for carpets and fabrics.  A222 can also be used as a direct spray application or wiped onto surfaces, or used in a cold mist fogging unit.

So, if you’ve noticed how some solutions keep coming up on cleaner’s favourites lists, it’s not simply that they do a great job. It’s that they do great job-s!  

Ultrapac Renovate is the Star of this month’s Q’s & A’s (check out below …)

Care homes are deemed understandably to be sensitive environments.

So when it comes to cleaning them, owners look for highly effective solutions that are sophisticated in performance terms, yet manageable and simple to use.

CLH Expo ’18 in Exeter

That’s why when Exeter-based supplier CLH Healthcare sought a floor scrubber drier to show at its dedicated customer event at Exeter Chiefs Aviva Premiership Rugby Team ground, Sandy Park, it approached its chemicals supplier Prochem Europe.

The LW30 – compact, efficient…

And that’s how a Lindhaus LW30 came to be shown at the CLH Expo ’18, a highly successful two-day show that brought best practice seminars and speakers together with product and service suppliers and generated some sales leads for this multi-functional, lightweight floor scrubber drier.

With high speed brush action and forward and reverse cleaning in confined areas, the Lindhaus is suitable for ceramic tile, vinyl, linoleum and all washable hard and smooth flooring as well as low profile entrance mat and carpet. In short, it’s just the thing for treating a diversity of areas within an environment where cleaning is to be kept unobtrusive, fast and effective.

With a new and larger warehouse opened late last year, CLH is on the move to become the south west’s one stop shop for all healthcare business and patient needs.

Established in 1975 by the Leary family, the Prochem Europe distributor has expanded organically and via acquisitions into one of the leading healthcare suppliers in the region, providing a full range of care supplies, from gloves and mobility equipment, to moving and handling equipment.

It came into being when local leisure industry linen supplier Commercial Linen Supplies moved into the nursing home market and started picking up a customer base spanning day care centres and private hospitals to supported- and assisted-living groups.

The business expanded further both organically and via the acquisition of competing businesses in 2010 and 2014.

Most recently, CLH opened a new purpose-built 5,000 square foot warehouse providing them with an additional 270 pallet spaces. A new Bendi forklift was also acquired to ensure stock movement to the company’s dedicated transport fleet is managed on time.

The CLH team at CLH Expo ‘18

The ethos at CLH is very much one of amassing and sharing knowledge and expertise. That ethos is perceptible at events like the #CLHExpo2018, a platform for awareness raising with talks on infection control, wound dressing, pressure care and related health topics making this less of a sales pitch and more of an education for local healthcare professionals.

Similarly, CLH scales out as much healthcare-related news, views and tips as it can via its content-rich web site blog and using social media (CLH is active on pretty much all key platforms).

Procurement and IT manager, Jason Whitbourn is also responsible for online marketing. “Digital marketing plays a valuable and growing role in getting our messages across to our customers and of course our suppliers,” he says.

“This year’s Expo was very well-received. The purpose of the event was to promote awareness and education of the products that are available from CLH to help care organisations meet their daily challenges and we hope to repeat the format and outcomes again in the near future.”

The message at CLH is clear: sharing is as important as caring.

More on CLH Expo ’18 at www.clhgroup.co.uk/clhexpo2018

www.clhgroup.co.uk

Q

How can I remove photocopier toner from a new carpet?  When they moved the copy machine into our new office, they tracked toner all over the carpet.  I have tried normal methods several times with hot water extraction and still can’t get the toner out.

A

A great question!  I can answer this by telling you about one of my favourite products.

A217 Ultrapac Renovate can be used to remove toner because it has a special formulation which deals with the electrical charge than holds carbon toner and filtration soils (draught marks) onto the carpet fibres. Use a solution of 50ml of this to 1 litre of water (1:20), spray onto the toner spots and allow two to five minutes dwell time. Agitate gently with a soft brush and extract with a solution of B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse.  That’s all it takes and it does work.

Q 

A bird came down a customer’s chimney and he now has soot marks on his beige wool carpet.  We vacuumed away as much soot as possible, but the marks still remain.  Have you anything we can use?

A

Fortunately, from your explanation of events, this took place recently, so the chances of removing the soot stains are good.  Again, this is one Ultrapac Renovate as a pre-spray.  Leave it to dwell for two to five minutes and then rinse extract out with B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse.

Q

How do I get scuff marks from shoes off a vinyl floor?

A

Sometimes scuff marks will just rub off quite easily but otherwise use A217 Ultrapac Renovate as sometimes you will find that the rubber (or rather the plasticizers in it) has been absorbed into the pores of the floor covering.  Always test scuff marks at the survey stage before guaranteeing removal.  Dilute A217 Ultrapac Renovate at 1:20 in a trigger bottle and spray onto scuff marks.  Ideally, use the centre of a coloured floor pad and gently agitate the mark, then wipe away with a towel or cloth dampened with B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse.  For larger areas, use a scrubber drier.

Q

How best to clean very dirty vertical blinds in a former smoking room?

A

Vacuum first then – again – use Ultrapac Renovate at 1 to10 by spray, brush or towel.  To lighten white or cream shades add B151 Oxibrite to the solution, as for Ceiling Cleaning.  Always pre-test (allow test piece to dry fully before proceeding) and observe all safety precautions.

Remember, details for the use of all Prochem products are available on the Product Specification Sheet, a PDF of which is available to download below each product on the Prochem website.