is this your Craft? really..

[Russ T.]

I'm surprised Mike doesn't consider carpet cleaning a craft.

 

[Russ T.]

For me carpet cleaning has been an exercise in losing my tolerance. As I've gotten older and spent more time in the field, my tolerance for things that aren't quite right has gone way down. I've become very aware of things like clogged jets, a wand glide that has picked up a popcorn kernel, a chemical flow meter out of wack, a leaky hose cuff on your suction line, a worn quick connect, the list goes on...

Yes, almost anyone could probably be trained to do what we do BUT when someone gets serious about what they do for a living and begins taking it to a level above the hacks at Z Rez or SS, I would consider that person a true professional and yes, even a craftsman.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs over the term craft, don't really mean to. I just know how much I've grown in my profession since getting serious about this, quitting my full time job, and going full time with The Clean Machine.

 

[hogjowl]

I never realized I belonged on Facebook.

 

[Mikey P]

I'm surprised Mike doesn't consider carpet cleaning a craft.

When I can train a guy to out clean a 40 year vet like Marty in three weeks of hands on, it aint a craft.

 

[hogjowl]

When I can train a guy to out clean a 40 year vet like Marty in three weeks of hands on, it aint a craft.

Yeah?
Well, can you train him to out clean me and STILL have time for an afternoon nap?

 

[Mikey P]

a nap for me or the chimp?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

When I can train a guy to out clean a 40 year vet like Marty in three weeks of hands on, it aint a craft.

Without your continued attention that "craftsmanship" would seriously erode in a few months.

 

[hogjowl]

a nap for me or the chimp?

The "chimp" idiot!
Everybody knows you vegetarians need drugs to get sleepy.

 

[Mikey P]

no wonder Burders hates you.

 

[hogjowl]

no wonder Burders hates you.

LOL

 

[rick imby]

When I can train a guy to out clean a 40 year vet like Marty in three weeks of hands on, it aint a craft.

But it took you more than three weeks to learn your craft---how many years at Coit and then you bought a set the world on fire portable?

Every thing is easy when taught by a true craftsman. But the pupil has to make his own way to becoming a craftsman. How much time and money has really been spent on your carpet cleaning research since you bought that portable?

 

[Mikey P]

I think you have your facts confused Rick.

 

[Russ T.]

Mikey P.....the porty hack???

 

[Louis]

That was the mikey in that cheesy t m f video. board wars.

 

[Jim Martin]

But the industry average cleaner just slings a wand, a shitty hand tool on herculons and maybe a SX7 on ceramics.
Can't ID a rug or stone, probably thinks all Berbers are olefins and goes through 3 to 4 5 gallons stock jugs a day.


and goes to facebook to talk to his kind.

Its not about what you do...its all about the level you take it to...and just like every single industry out there you have true craft men that take pride in what they do and know how to succeed...and then you have the ones who don't...

A true craft man stays on top of what it going on branches out to different areas and try to absorb as much as possible...stays ahead of his industry so he can provide the best service possible...and thrives to be better and better everyday and never once thinks that they know it all...

If there was no craftsmanship in what we do...then we would all be hacks....

or is our industry based on...I can just hack it out better then you can.......????

 

[Donwand]

I consider carpet cleaning an art and myself as a highly trained, scientifically educated textile restoration specialist.

 

[hogjowl]

Yeah, whatever.

I think you can make any activity or vocation a craft simply by focusing on it, honing it, and approaching it with passion.

I remember viewing a 15 minute segment on TV once where they profiled a small company that still made wood pencils. That company had retained the skill set necessary to continue what many consider an old craft.

 

[rick imby]

I guess I was confused Mike. Did you work cleaning carpets for someone before going on your own?

What was the first machine you bought when you went on your own---I really don't know the answer to this one. I thought I read one time that you had bought a Recoil. I am mistaken.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Say it aint soo mikey, you were a porty hack.

No,no it cant be true

 

[dealtimeman]

I don't think it is my craft, I just have an obsession with stuff and things being clean and this way I get paid to clean stuff I believe should always be clean and stay clean.

 

[ruff]

Could yours be the craft of managing OCD?

 

[Willy P]

I can install, clean, repair, spot dye, restore, handle odour issues, and so on. Yes, it's a craft that even after 30 plus years, I'm still learning.

 

[JS41035]

For me carpet cleaning has been an exercise in losing my tolerance. As I've gotten older and spent more time in the field, my tolerance for things that aren't quite right has gone way down. I've become very aware of things like clogged jets, a wand glide that has picked up a popcorn kernel, a chemical flow meter out of wack, a leaky hose cuff on your suction line, a worn quick connect, the list goes on...

Yes, almost anyone could probably be trained to do what we do BUT when someone gets serious about what they do for a living and begins taking it to a level above the hacks at Z Rez or SS, I would consider that person a true professional and yes, even a craftsman.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs over the term craft, don't really mean to. I just know how much I've grown in my profession since getting serious about this, quitting my full time job, and going full time with The Clean Machine.

I like this post. It's so frustrating what an employee will miss. A clogged jet , a plugged up bac line. Almost no heat.
They know better. But keep cleaning.
I was about to head to San Antonio last week and I stopped by a job as my guy was wrapping up at 12 am. Looked awful. Told him to pull out the hoses because we're redoing the entire thing. Probably could have fixed the bad spots but I wanted to prove a point.

 

[dealtimeman]

Good corrective measure, I always tell the guys to clean like Orlando, Greg or I will be stopping by to check on every job. It is a shame that with most guys this is necessary but it is a fact of having employees. More often than not I or one of the supervisors will stop by and check/critique the job as most guys don't have the attention to detail at the same level as my own.

I have a couple of buildings that just know when I have been in the building, because of the little extras that I see and correct that they have grown to notice as before I had serviced the account many years back. I have had the same crew in that building almost 4 years and don't know if it is the monotonous nature of the work but they require "retraining" every 9 months or so just to get back into the level that I want to provide to the customers. Worse of all this crew is our highest paid/earning crew we have, so money or compensation has nothing to do with it.

Just a fact of life with the people that work with and for you.

 

[dealtimeman]

Small rant, I feel better!

 

[jcooper]

It's so frustrating what an employee will miss. A clogged jet , a plugged up bac line. Almost no heat.
They know better. But keep cleaning.

they require "retraining" every 9 months or so just to get back into the level that I want to provide to the customers. Worse of all this crew is our highest paid/earning crew we have, so money or compensation has nothing to do with it.
Just a fact of life with the people that work with and for you.

Jeez... This is depressing! So you guys are basically telling me, when I do get lucky enough to finally get off the truck...... I'm still screwed! You REALLY have to go to their jobs and check the work?

 

[dealtimeman]

No if you have to go to every job then you don't have the right guys. Just have to instill the fact that you or another souperviser could stop and "audit" any and all jobs if attention is requested or required.

Anyone would be foolish to believe that any biz could just run on autopilot without some form of management overseeing all aspects of operations.

Remember you are not just checking final product but the whole process to ensure customer satisfaction through the whole process.

Some companies send out little post cards for the customer to grade them, some companies do follow up calls to check on overall satisfaction and most will stop in on techs periodically to make sure all protocols are being followed as close as possible to ensure things like effeciency,productivity and safety among other things.

 

[JS41035]

I don't believe in coincidence when it comes to employees. If I catch them doing bad work once , it isn't the first time. The same applies for being late, dressing sloppy, etc. I'm not saying you fire a guy for missing a spot. But you can't be naive enough to think you found the only spot he's ever missed.
So really his mistakes are my mistakes. That same guy walked down 3 flights of stairs to grab a bar of fels, for a faint soil filtration line going into a utility closet. In August at the tail end of a brutal 12 hour day. They can make you very proud.
Just gotta stay on your toes.
As I type this I'm laying in bed waiting on an MRI. I'm completely relying on employee help this week. It's worth the effort.

 

[dealtimeman]

Hope your alright there guy!!!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Jeez... This is depressing! So you guys are basically telling me, when I do get lucky enough to finally get off the truck...... I'm still screwed! You REALLY have to go to their jobs and check the work?

Somebody does.
Your truck may have cruise control, but someone still has to have a hand on the steering wheel.