In this issue:

Missed the last issue? You can read it in full here…

Buy yourself a Christmas present! Go on, you deserve it!

Check out our promotion for the brilliant Steempro Powermax.

Combining a dual 3-stage vacuum power with a long life 150 psi induction diaphragm pump, this is the ideal high power carpet extractor for the single operator, with a large 35 litre solution tank in a compact body design for maximum efficiency and portability.

It represents the state-of-the-art in professional carpet soil extractors and all of this month it’s yours for £2,495 + VAT against the normal guide price of £2,695 + VAT.

Click here to find out more

*Offer Valid to 31^st December 2017 *Available from participating dealers

Hungry to know what 2018 is bringing the cleaning professional?

Look no further – the Prochem Europe 2018 Catalogue is just having a final brushing down at the studio before being let loose on its discerning public in January!

Look out for the big picture on cleaning innovation from Prochem in the New Year’s first e-zine!

Markedly colder weather in January and February is pretty much a staple here in the UK, so it’s time to start looking after potentially vulnerable machines and accessories.

Most equipment of this kind contains brass and plastic components making technology vulnerable to freezing temperatures. Frozen pumps and fractured brass unions are very common during the cold weather so it is always best practice to bring your equipment into a heated area, inside.

Even the smallest amount of water can expand under freezing conditions and crack vulnerable equipment when frozen and the resultant damage can necessitate expensive repairs and, more importantly, periods of down time. Just what you don’t need when the weather is throwing all manner of mayhem at your customers!

Covering your machine with a duvet or blanket will not suffice: these machines don’t have a heat source, so they will not stay warm.

You could prevent water freezing inside your machine by adding an anti-freeze solution. Just run this through the system – but don’t forget to flush it out before you clean carpet or upholstery!

Truck-mounted equipment doesn’t escape the frost either. Blown heat exchangers are to be avoided so again try adding anti-freeze to your unit or use a thermostatically-controlled heater inside the van. As with a portable, you would still need to flush the system before using the unit to clean. (Check out our guide to winter-protecting a truck-mount below).

Wands and hand tools are the most common items damaged by cold conditions. They are often left in vans and their valves and pipework have very small diameter bores, so even the smallest amount of water will cause a lot of damage. So again, don’t forget about them, take them indoors.

Just as you use antifreeze to keep your van running through the winter, you can also use it to protect truck-mounted extractors from freezing up.

To introduce the antifreeze, start up the truck-mount with the auxiliary pump turned off.

Now switch on the solution pump and then attach the open-ended hose and bleed off half of the water box volume.  Next, disconnect the open ended hose and add 2 litres of antifreeze to the water box.

Run the engine for 10 minutes to allow the antifreeze solution to circulate. Finally, switch off the solution pump and turn off the unit.

To remove anti-freeze from your truck mount, start up the machine ensuring the auxiliary pump is turned off.

Switch on the solution pump, attach the open-ended hose and bleed off the system until the water box is empty (catch the antifreeze solution for re-use).

Now, switch on the auxiliary pump and flush the system until no antifreeze is present. Finally, switch off the solution pump, remove open ended hose and turn off the unit.  Job done!

And it’s not just your machines which need looking after during the cold winter months.  Some chemical products are also sensitive to extremes of temperature.

Particular care should be taken to ensure that chemicals are not allowed to freeze in the back of your van or lock-up.

Freeze/thawing of chemical products can affect their stability and performance. At the end of the working day, store your chemicals indoors in a cool, dry location at a temperature above 5C, but below 30C.

You don’t want to find the following morning that your carpet cleaning solution is now an icy solid!

The new CR2 ‘Touch-Free’ Multi-Surface Restoration System. It’s a simple cleaning technology for professional cleaners to provide results without getting hands dirty.

‘Touch-less’ cleaning technology seems set to be the new kid on the block in innovations terms and next Spring, Prochem Europe launches one such system for restrooms and other wet areas that does away with mops and brushes, and – with the addition of a carpet wand or upholstery tool – can also be used for carpet and upholstery cleaning.

The new Prochem CR2 multi-surface machine enables the cleaning of toilets, urinals, and restroom floors without getting hands dirty. There’s no need even for chemical mixing as the solutions container fits to the machine case for automatic dosing during operation.

As well as practical, the CR2 utilises the growing demand for the increasing development of hygiene products, in particular in the healthcare, food preparation and hospitality sectors.

These user sectors are strongly driven by legislation and higher standards for cleanliness, hygiene, health & safety and with them, reductions in resource with a greater adoption of recycling.

Let’s face it – there is probably no better place to experience speciality carpets and fabrics than cruising on a multi-million pound mega yacht.

Not easily reachable by many – we can but dream!

When the housekeeping departments of their high-end clients enquired about training on how to clean and maintain the yacht interiors, Barcelona-based marine servicing and cleaning products distributor, Almar CN contacted Prochem to provide the service.

In addition to supplying high-end cleaning solutions, Almar CN is a leading manufacturer and repairer of custom textiles including covers for lifeboats and deck furniture and crew uniforms for the mega-yacht market.

Sales manager Helen Verron together with Prochem Europe sales manager Phil Jones, set to task devising three dedicated crew training sessions based around specific client needs tackling wool, silk and bamboo carpets and fabrics.

The presentations, three events over two days, were held on-board two vessels as well as ashore at Port Tarraco in Almar’s home city attended by over 50 crew members from several different vessels including the 124ft ‘Katara’ (below).

Phil and Helen provided a detailed understanding of which Prochem chemicals to choose and how they work, the benefits of the wool and silk fibres and how to care for them, and finally hands-on stain removal based around the usual suspects (coffee, red wine and curry spills) but also including the outcome of guests yet to find their sea-legs!

Top of the agenda and of most interest to the crews (and one captain who sat in), was the Prochem C802 Fiberdri® dry compound cleaning system.

The ease of use of this low-moisture cleaning maintenance system was obvious when it comes to dealing with the very delicate carpet fibres in use on board many super-yachts.

WoolSafe-approved, Fiberdri is a specially formulated, high quality dry cleaning compound and spill absorbent for carpets and rugs.

It contains biodegradable ingredients, a pleasant fragrance and is designed to absorb soil and moisture, allowing carpets to be used immediately after the cleaning procedure. That’s ideal for when you need rooms to be put back into commission quickly.

Fiberdri is applied and gently brushed into the carpet (especially on silk) fibres and allowed to absorb soils back into the compound. It is then left for between 30-40 minutes before being vacuumed away, therefore removing the soiled compound.

Two other products which raised interest at the presentations were A217 Ultrapac Renovate and E400 Red Rx.

Vessels’ fabrics and carpets suffer from carbon filtration marks (or draught marks) due to engine carbons; air moving through the vessel carries carbons that deposit on the fibres and fabric coverings of deck furniture.

When A217 Ultrapac Renovate is sprayed on, it releases the carbon contact to the fabric and can then be rinsed through with a hot water extraction machine with B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse.

Red Rx was hailed as the saviour for the housekeeping crew as it is designed to remove red food drink colourings, such as red wine, which was named as the biggest problem.

If the red wine colouring remains following treating with B144 Stain Pro, then an application of Red Rx may help to release the colour. It can be used either ‘cold’ by just applying it to the stain and rinsing out, or ‘hot’ by using the heat-transfer method (see below).

Seeing is believing: these treatments impressed the crews attending the courses – Phil and Helen were suitably congratulated!

For more details, see the stain removal section on the Prochem website – “Cleaning Technical Help Guides”.

The Wolverhampton-based business has been buying Prochem brand products for some years now.

But walk-up demand for more and more of the company’s solutions grew to the extent it was time to buy into the ‘total package’, says spokesman Adam Davies.

“Our warehouse is now packed with Prochem,” says Adam. “Our web site is also being upgraded to include added ranges, too.”

Adam likes the concept of selling the total package.

JOHN BABB, Sales Administrator

Stocking ‘the total Prochem package’

“Prochem excel at systems selling; bundling solutions and technology into one makes it a lot easier for us and customers to understand what can be achieved in cleaning terms when you are told how these complement one another,” he explains, adding that the distributor is winning a lot of repeat business for chemicals like Stain Pro, Crystal Green, Fluoroseal® CF and Steempro machines models.

Established by former contract cleaner Andy Cartwright ten years ago, the family business with a staff of 12 has a strong niche supplying chemicals and janitorial supplies in the North West of England.

The role of training in that total package approach is not lost on Cleaning Warehouse and they are avid advertisers and supporters of Prochem Europe regional training days in Birmingham and Manchester.

Growth underpins consistent need for bigger premises: the business has had to move three times in the past five years to meet added capacity requirements!

www.thecleaningwarehouse.co.uk

Our new training course dates for 2018 have just been published – if you’ve not been on one of the company’s courses, now’s the time to set matters straight!

Industry-recognised one and two-day cleaning courses are held at Prochem’s national training academy in Chessington, covering carpet, hard floor, upholstery cleaning and stain removal. Clear and practical, each course includes face-to-face instruction and step-by-step demonstrations by dedicated Prochem trainers; so you gain the knowledge and confidence to clean to the highest professional standards.

With each course, you will also receive a comprehensive reference manual to remind you how to put all that theory into practice!

Prochem have been training professional cleaners for more than 40 years, ranging from established cleaners to those looking for a new career or to start their own business.

More information here

Prochem Europe returns to the RAI Amsterdam next May to the newly named Interclean Amsterdam

Established in Amsterdam in 1967, the Interclean brand represents products and solutions that tackle a wide range of challenges within the professional cleaning industry. Interclean Amsterdam 2018 will be the world’s largest professional cleaning and hygiene event, set to feature more than 850 exhibitors and attract around 30,000 visitors from 15th -18th May 2018.

For more information: www.intercleanshow.com

Nigel in the showroom

The Summer of Love for some meant Flower People, the Kings Road and pop. For Roy Kent, it was the moment he seized to start his own business.  And 50 years on, it continues to thrive as one of Prochem Europe’s most dynamic distributors.

“Hard to believe it’s been fifty years,” reflects Roy’s son, Andy who with brother Nigel today run the Sussex-based Southern Counties Janitorial Supplies (SCJS).

Both remember the day their dad started the family business in Brighton: by 1973, Nigel was on board, with Andy joining straight from school two years later.

“I didn’t want to do anything else. Must be some kind of bug we all had, really, something in our DNA,” laughs Andy.

“Dad had been an area manager with Columbus Dixon and then with Victor so machines were in the blood.

“Logically, the business started selling and repairing cleaning technology and then expanded into chemicals, wipes and so on.”

Andy believes the big gear change for the business came with the introduction of hot water extraction in the UK cleaning market with the then-young Prochem, a prime mover in getting the technology recognised.

“We all saw the potential of these machines, buying them was a no-brainer. We bought into Prochem and never left!”

Andy and Nigel (Roy sadly having passed) regard the Prochem brand as a premier provider of machines and chemicals. “The Steemeasy 200 was fantastic, the innovation of the year when it came out” says Andy.

“Another great portable is the Steempro – an industry standard, the first choice of machine for all domestic work.  Prochem chemicals are fantastic. Extraction Plus, Double Clean, Stain Pro and Microsan® are all tremendous performers and Procaps is a fantastic maintenance product for offices with wonderful coverage.”

The Kents are fans of Prochem training, too. “I’d recommend everyone in the business goes on at least one training course. It really will bring a lot of knowledge and thereby confidence,” adds Andy.

SCJS is still very much a machines business. In addition to hot water extractors and vacuum cleaners it sells floor maintenance machines and employs its own service mechanics, requiring a good knowledge of floor care of all its employees.

And it’s still very much a family business. Mum Bette works there as does Andy’s daughter Rebecca.

Andrew, Becca, Bette and Nigel

The company today operates from depots in Brighton and Crawley and stocks over 5000 lines, including an extensive offer of Prochem carpet cleaning ranges for collection or next-day delivery.

Stocks are kept adjusted to the maximum levels with a thrice-weekly delivery to Crawley

“With a policy of one hundred per cent fulfilment of order on first drop with our deliveries, we feel that we continue to progress Roy’s original aims, striving towards customer satisfaction,” says Andy.

www.scjs.co.uk

Swansea-based Prochem Europe distributor Cotton & Sons is meeting increased trading levels and the need for added capacity with relocation to larger premises at the city’s prestigious Enterprise Park.

It’s quite an achievement given the family business is only six years old. But then, director Sean Cotton points out almost 35 years’ cleaning industry experience is being shared by its management.

“My dad had a window cleaning business and when me and my brother Dan left school we both went off to work with him and basically got the bug,” he says. “We also worked for dad’s family run janitorial business after the window business was sold.

“When dad sold up we looked at broadening our expertise by going into janitorials. There is strong demand locally but also keen competition so we recognised we had to go the extra mile and service and brand recognition were key to achieving that.”

The four (mum Helen is a director, too) started from premises further out of town. “It just took off really and we quickly recognised we would be requiring more space,” says Sean.

Swansea Enterprise Park is home to a wide range of prestigious businesses and the move benefited the Cottons immediately.

Their added visibility in town meant their neighbouring businesses were soon added to the company’s customer base, an eclectic mix ranging from banks, universities and hotels to car showrooms, stores and offices, blending commercial with public sector users such as housing associations. Leisure industry customers include the National Trust.

The new premises in Valley Way yield double the warehousing capacity of the former unit, a larger showroom with improved display areas, trade counter and a machines demonstration area. The company now sells machines and has held successful Open Days on its premises.  A fleet of three vans supports a fast order turnaround and a handy courier service is helping to service further afield and now online as well.

Sean had mentioned service and branding earlier on and they are clearly dear to the heart of the business.

“Yes, service is key to winning business in this sector otherwise you are just another box shifter,” Sean declares. “We stock recognised and established brands like Prochem because we know they are going to perform well.”

“We also like the brand’s service values as they reflect well on us by association. We’ve all been on the training courses and these do add to your knowledge and confidence when it comes to dealing with professional cleaners.”

“Prochem are very supportive of us and our efforts and we have now moved all our chemicals business to them. Machine sales are strong; in particular the Steempro Powermax continues to be our best-seller.”

Next year? “Keep hard at it” says Sean. “We shall certainly do another Open Day. And we like Prochem’s Distributor Training days very much – more of those please!”

Cotton & Sons are now located at Unit 6 Horizon Park, Valley Way, Swansea Enterprise Park, Swansea SA6 8RG.

www.cottonandsons.com

Meet the Lewis Brothers! Their start-up carpet cleaning company in South Wales has just taken delivery of two brand new Prochem Europe Steempro Powerflo extraction cleaning machines.

Says Owen (on the right here, with sibling Mark): “we’ve got one each and we’re just delighted with them!”

The duo started in business together in July 2017 but not before exhaustive research into the business and the local market.

“We did a lot of homework,” laughs Owen. “We were also lucky enough to be able to get advice from my father-in-law, Mike. He had run a carpet cleaning business which we both worked for and he was a mine of information and gave us lots of great tips.”

Like where to buy the right equipment? “Yes and that’s where Prochem came into play,” continues Owen. “Prochem Europe’s rock solid brand reputation appealed to us. Not just for the machines which we obviously love but for the chemicals.

“There’s a wide choice and basically something for every kind of eventuality. Their specialisms enable us to offer an equally wide range of solutions.”

The brothers have been working steadily in the region with a wide range of business ranging from households to end-of-tenancy cleans and a mix of commercial and leisure, including cinemas, where a fast, thorough, deep clean is needed to be effected quickly.

Business is growing principally by word of mouth but social media is clearly an evident means of prompting a sale, too. Owen and Mark shoot nifty little films of work in progress for Facebook and Twitter: Christmas should be good!

The two aim to get into more training next year. “We’ve been watching Prochem product videos and they are really useful plus there are some good tips on applications,” says Owen.

“Now, the aim in 2018 is to take up more of the company’s training courses.”

lewisbrothers.online

How To Guide – Stain Removal

Christmas and New Year parties await you, so take time out now to read the Prochem Europe 3-Step Guide to stain removal (plus some great solutions you should have ready).

Successfully removing stains from carpets depends on your ability as a cleaner to analyse the stain, identify the carpet fibre and carpet construction, choose the appropriate product and apply it correctly. Without this knowledge, stain removal will always be hit-and-miss and could cause permanent damage to the carpet fibre or set the stain.

1. So, to start, find out as much as you can about the stain.

In the best case scenario, the customer tells you what the spillage was.  However, if they weren’t there at the time of the staining or have simply forgotten – you’re on your own.

So your first step in the identification process is to decide whether the stain is permanent, as with strong dyes such as hair colourants, old urine stains, and many hardened stains from paint, varnish and adhesive spillages.

2. The nature of the carpet is also an important factor when deciding if the stain is permanent.

Pale wool fibres will take in dyes and colouring from food and drink far more easily than synthetic fibres. On the other hand, a large oily spillage on a synthetic fibre will be very difficult to remove because synthetics absorb oil more easily.

3. The next step is to ascertain whether the stain is water soluble or solvent soluble.

Solvents will not remove water-based stains such as drinks, while water-based stain removers will have little or no effect on greasy, oily stains.

To test, pass a folded pad of white tissue paper over the stain:  an oily stain will most likely leave a trace on the pad; water-based stains and dye stains will not leave any trace.

If in doubt, always try the solvent stain removal product first, rather than the water-based stain remover; once the stain is wet, solvents won’t work.

Carpet cleaners often hope that they will find one miracle product that will deal with all types of stains. Unfortunately this could never be the case.

In fact some stains, because they have left both water-soluble and oily residues and possibly even a residual dye stain, require several different stain removal products, used in the correct order.

You may find it helpful to test the pH of the stain with litmus paper or a pH meter. If the stain is acidic, it should be treated with an alkaline product and vice versa.

STAIN REMOVAL SOLUTIONS

1. Water-based products

STAIN PRO: this is for all protein or organic stains which include most food and drinks such as juices, sodas, fresh tea and coffee, wine, but also blood, vomit and excrement.

COFFEE STAIN REMOVER: some drink spillages may leave a residual tannin stain. Tannin is a strong dye and needs an acidic stain remover. It is found in tea, coffee, red wine, beer, cola and many fruit juices. Coffee Stain Remover can also help with watermarks and other yellow and brown discolorations.

RED Rx: this is a dye remover and it is effective on most food and drink colourings, some water-based inks and dye stains. However, it could also take the dye out of deep coloured fibres so its use is usually restricted to pale fibres.

2. Solvent-based products

SOLVALL SPOTTER: a solvent for spot cleaning oil, grease, adhesives, tar, gum, oil-based paints etc.

SOLVEX: a water-rinsable solvent for spotting gloss and emulsion paints, nail varnish, varnish and solvent soluble inks.

CITRUS GEL: this is a citrus solvent and detergent based liquid gel for all greasy, oily stains, particularly on carpets with solvent-sensitive backings such as latex and bitumen. It will also soften up hardened chewing gum.

INK SOLV:  a water-based micro-emulsion spotter for ink, marker pen, nail polish, PVA adhesive and other water and solvent soluble stains on carpets, fabrics and hard surfaces, such as leather/vinyl upholstery.

Other Prochem stain removal products and problem solvers are available for specific problems, including rust, stains on wool carpets and rugs, fire residues and soot, draught marks, jute browning, chewing gum etc.

How to apply stain removal products correctly:

• First remove any solid matter with a spatula or blunt knife.
• Pre-test a small section of the stain with the stain remover to check for any adverse reaction or colour change.
• Pre-test the stain removal product and procedure in an inconspicuous area.

• Apply water-based products by trigger sprayer, feathering out beyond the stain.

• Agitate the product gently into the fibre with a brush if the stain is deep-seated.

• Blot with a clean white towel or pads of folded tissue paper. If there is no transfer to the towel or pad then you are not using the correct product for the type of stain.

• If indicated on the product label, rinse-extract the entire area using Fibre & Fabric Rinse in the machine.

• Solvent stain removal products should be carefully applied onto the stain and blotted immediately to avoid spreading the stain.
• Some hardened stains will require a longer dwell time in order to soften the residues.

Finally…

Always follow instructions on the label carefully and follow the correct dilution rates if the product requires dilution.

Always pre-test a product in an inconspicuous place and check for dye stability, colour and texture change, or indeed any other reaction.

Need to know more? More complete stain removal tips can be found here

More still? Get onto a Prochem Training Course: www.prochem-uk.com/section.php?xSec=6

Q

I have recently cleaned a customers carpet whose child was unfortunately very unwell the day before after eating too much chocolate at a party. It was a simple beige polypropylene. The clean looked, and smelt, good as I finished but they are complaining that it still smells the following day and she wants it cleaned again

I had used Multi Pro, Double Clean and a heavy dose of Lemon Refresh. 

What have I done wrong ? 

A

The product choice was fine for a synthetic carpet. The issue, I suspect was due to the bacteria in the vomit that was only “masked” by the B117 Lemon Refresh and once it had dried, the bacteria re-created and gave the malodour. Deodorisers are really designed for masking the wet-carpet/fabric smell during the drying process. Some carpet fibres, wool for example, will give a pungent wet-dog or animal smell while drying. You would require a sanitiser.

I would suggest, when you go back, pre-treat the area with B125 Clensan® and allow 15 minutes to break down the bacteria, before re-rinsing the area out with either your S776 Double Clean or B109 Fibre & Fabric Rinse and that should help.

Q

A recent job I was called to survey, at a nursing home, involved flood restoration work resulting from an overflowing blocked drain.  Which would be the best sanitiser to use?

A

D500 Microsan® is an anti-microbial biocidal cleaner and the product for all flood work – it can be used on carpets, upholstery, floors and hard surfaces and is effective against bacteria including E-coli, MRSA and viruses including Hepatitis B and HIV (see the Safety Data Sheet on our website.)  It is approved to European Test Standard, EN1276, and should be used according to label instructions.

N.B.  It is a good practice to clean equipment regularly with D500 Microsan, due to the varied cleaning jobs carried out, to protect yourself and your staff from potential infection when coming into contact with and handling the equipment.