I'll Take All The Advice I Can Get

[Curtis]

Got a call to look at a casino, went to look at it and the gentleman that was tasked with speaking with me really did not know anything about the facility, and said his boss just told him to get some estimates, and he gave me a piece of paper with this information.

Carpet Cleaning - Extraction

Casino Carpet 42,901 square feet*
*Move all tables and chairs

Steakhouse 2,656 square feet*
*Move all tables and chairs

Hotel corridors on all floors to include elevator lobbies 41,105 square feet

Hotel - 201 Total Rooms *
82 King Rooms - 82 x 300 square feet each (24,600 square feet)
100 Double Rooms - 100 x 300 square feet each (30,000 square feet)
19 Suites - 19 x 618 square feet each (11,742 square feet)
* ALL Furniture must be moved, cleaned under and relocated (Beds, Entertainment Centers, etc.)

Buffet 3,809 square feet*
*Move all tables and chairs

Total Square Footage 153,004

Must start at 5:00 am and stop at 9:00 am, Monday thru Thursday

Carpet is over 5 years old, never been cleaned by an outside contractor. There are some loose seams, wrinkles, gum and red spots, which I think are a combination of wine and acid dye spots.

When I asked what the expectations were he stated his boss wanted the carpet to look "brighter and fresher looking"

Within our discussion I informed the gentleman that I have no interest in providing a hot water extraction estimate, but he re-stated that is what is supervisor wants, but to go ahead and put in a bid. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Curtis

[encapman]

Could you provide them with a mix of HWE and Encap? Sounds like it could be a good account!



Rick Gelinas
The Encapman
1-800-330-1888

[Rob D]

Try to sell them on encap... Give them a free demo on the nastiest area.... Take some pics and post if you need advice on what to use... A lot of great support is available on this forum

[Curtis]

I did offer a 400 square foot demo to let them see how the carpet would respond. He said he would get back with me on that.

[MikeB]

I would submit the bid as you see fit. If you have to wheel in an extractor and use it in some areas along with encap - so be it. You might need it anyway in some loaded areas of the steak house or in the rooms. We all know that CGD carpets respond better to encap and less moisture with regard to wicking issues so do the type of cleaning you feel confident with and don't let someone tell you how to clean.

If anyone really presses the method issue with me these days I tell them I am my own worst critic and have used many methods and products over the years and wasn't satisfied. I now use a combination of methods and products that I feel confident will please me and my customers. And it all varies depending on the situation. (basically saying "I'm the professional and it matters to me-trust me")

[TheCleaningDude]

Where are you located? Are you in Vegas by any chance?

The square footage sounds really deep. So much so that a TM probably would not work.

This account sounds so big that it would be worth it to me to at least rent a portable, if not buy one outright (assuming you were to get the account). If you're doing a restaurant, heavily trafficked walks ways, etc. you might need it regardless.

Try to VLM it, if not mix methods. If not, HWE it with a porty.

The biggest concern might be having the labor on hand to assist you.

First things first though, submit the bid and see what they say. No point in scrambling if you aren't getting the gig.

Good luck!

[ebarnett]

153,004 sq ft will take you forever with a portable. Even if you have pump in / out capabilities, just moving that setup around sounds like a nightmare. If they must have HWE, something like the nobles strive might be your best bet, its a battery powered walk behind suck machine. I dont think they clean all that great, but then again, I dont think the portable will do that much better on commercial grade carpet IMO. If you can convince them on encap, a couple of cimex's would make such a large task digestible.

---

A side note on the Nobles strive... it does have a pretty aggressive brush on it, maybe use encap chemicals much like a crb? Of course you will also be picking up some of the chems with the inline wand. Maybe everybody gets what they want?

[David-Hebert]

our portables can run 200 feet of hose auto fill auto dump, you can chew through a lot of carpet that way.
when prospect will only accept HWE, the carpet is in great shape for encaping then we will scrub with an encap such as Hydrox or another product you can rinse then go over with a light HWE pass. Everyone is happy and the job comes out great.

[lee@deepclean.us.com]

Be careful not to invest too much time and effort when you are dealing with someone who is not the real decision maker. If you cant get to the real boss the odds of getting the account will be quite low unless you are the lowest price.

[ebarnett]

Wow David! What kind of portables do you use? If you can clean 200 ft away with one, that is pretty awesome.

[TheCleaningDude]

This is what I am saying as well.

Put in a bid based on what method, etc. they want.

If you land the account, then scramble like crazy!

Be careful not to invest too much time and effort when you are dealing with someone who is not the real decision maker. If you cant get to the real boss the odds of getting the account will be quite low unless you are the lowest price.

[Curtis]

Thanks for all the input gentlemen, I really appreciate it. I sent off the bid, and do not believe I will hear back from them. But time will tell.

Curtis

[MikeB]

Good luck. Sounds like a lucrative account !