05-11-2013, 04:10 PM
George,
Do you pre-vacuum when you HWE? Agitate with a 175?
If you do, surely that adds time to the job. I think if a HWE cleaner added those two steps - and maybe even a post bonnet dry or rake - it would take almost or just as long as VLM?
That's the great thing about HWE though. You can cut so many steps and still have the carpet looking clean.
You absolutely - imo - cannot cut corners with VLM. Pre-vac is a must, dwell is a must, etc.
For those that say customers want you in and out as soon as possible - not sure if I agree entirely with this. A lot of times customers will tell me something like, "oh the other guy was gone in an hour and I was really upset with how much I paid just to have him rush." That's not always the case of course, but I hear it regularly.
People want to know that they got their moneys worth, and time spent is one easy way to measure it.
Yes, a helper is great. Especially for two story homes. If there is one single Achilles heel that we as VLM'ers face, it's stairs. Dragging stuff up and down again - not to mention the cleaning of steps - is a time killer.
I can do 2 - 3 jobs a day with reasonable comfort. Anything above that would need to include some apartments, single story homes, etc.
Do you pre-vacuum when you HWE? Agitate with a 175?
If you do, surely that adds time to the job. I think if a HWE cleaner added those two steps - and maybe even a post bonnet dry or rake - it would take almost or just as long as VLM?
That's the great thing about HWE though. You can cut so many steps and still have the carpet looking clean.
You absolutely - imo - cannot cut corners with VLM. Pre-vac is a must, dwell is a must, etc.
For those that say customers want you in and out as soon as possible - not sure if I agree entirely with this. A lot of times customers will tell me something like, "oh the other guy was gone in an hour and I was really upset with how much I paid just to have him rush." That's not always the case of course, but I hear it regularly.
People want to know that they got their moneys worth, and time spent is one easy way to measure it.
Yes, a helper is great. Especially for two story homes. If there is one single Achilles heel that we as VLM'ers face, it's stairs. Dragging stuff up and down again - not to mention the cleaning of steps - is a time killer.
I can do 2 - 3 jobs a day with reasonable comfort. Anything above that would need to include some apartments, single story homes, etc.