Redefining Exclusive Carpet Cleaning

If you work in a customer-oriented service industry in central London, sooner or later, you will end up working for an exclusive client. It might be the CEO of a quickly rising tech company, a hedge fund shark, a Saudi royalty, or a Chinese multi-millionaire visiting the city on business. But nothing beats the story I am about to tell you. For obvious reasons, I will change the names of all participants, and I will keep the concrete details about the location private. 

I was having an uneventful Tuesday morning, catching up on some office work, when my phone started buzzing. “I can definitely stretch my legs”, I thought to myself, hoping this would be a carpet cleaning quote allowing me to run away from filling Excel spreadsheets. The voice on the other side of the line was calm and suave, with an almost velvety tone – the sophisticated yet official tone of a professional. 

“I am looking for Mr. Chris Standall.”

“It’s Mr. Standall speaking”, I responded, my interest quickly picking up.

The man on the phone presented himself and mentioned the source of positive feedback that made him contact me – a regular high-end customer. “The establishment I represent is looking for a high-quality one-off carpet cleaning service. While I am confident you sustain the highest performance standards, the job also requires a certain level of discreetness.”

“I will be more than willing to sign a confidentiality agreement if that will work for you”, I responded immediately, having more than enough experience in this regard. My quick retort impressed the man, and he went on to give me more details about the job.

If I was mildly amused and interested at the very start of the conversation, my excitement grew with every passing sentence. The man I was talking to was the chief maintenance manager of a high-end private members club located in the heart of London, not a quarter of a mile away from Victoria Station. He wanted to book a deep-cleaning procedure for the carpets in the club’s library – a spacious salon, forty by twenty feet, flanked by heavy wooden shelves of books with plush, Victorian-style armchairs and a few tables. There were two extra large, natural-fibre carpets parallel to each other, looking in pretty good condition, if I could judge from the pictures the manager sent me.

“We have the last Sunday of each month assigned to maintenance and cleaning services. The club will be empty, and you will have all the time in the world to finish the necessary procedures. Does this work for you?”

A quick glance at the calendar and my working schedule confirmed I had no other bookings for Sunday (the phone conversation happened during the last week of the respective month – hardly a coincidence, I thought.) But even if I had bookings, I would have rescheduled them – the opportunity was too good to miss. 

The next few days were mundane. The confidentiality agreement arrived via mail, and I sent it back with my signature fixed. I did my homework – the private club was one of the oldest and most exclusive in the city, which is a mouthful for a place like London, obsessed with tradition and privilege. No matter how hard I tried, though, I could not find a list of past members, which only teased my interest more. 

Finally, Sunday came, and I loaded my equipment in one of our minivans. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so giddy for a job. I arrived at the address and parked at the service entrance, strictly following the instructions I had received in an email. My host was waiting for me, and for once, the voice matched my impression – an impeccable three-piece suit, the sophisticated manner of an Oxbridge graduate, the self-confidence of someone in complete control. 

I must say I’ve had high-end customers before, but nothing could come close to the opulence and style of the club’s interior. It was a marble and mahogany affair all the way, with high mirrors in the hallways and aristocratic portraits on the walls. The club’s library looked like the movie set of a Victorian period drama – the pictures my host had sent me did not do it justice, nor would my description. You have to see it to appreciate its beauty and impeccable style. 

The only challenge related to the carpet cleaning was moving the furniture. But we had discussed it on the phone, and the manager had a few guys from the staff helping me lift the armchairs carefully and moving them out of the way. It was a quick, straightforward hot water extraction, followed by applying Scotchgard protector – both carpets required just under 80 minutes overall. 

The manager and I did the final inspection, and he was perfectly satisfied with the job. Just before I left, I couldn’t help myself and did something I had promised not to do. “I know I shouldn’t be asking this”, I turned to my host, “but I couldn’t find any information online about your past members. I am a bit of a history buff, so could you share any fascinating person, long gone, of course, who was a member?”

My host gave me a Sphynx-like smile. “We pride ourselves on protecting our members’ privacy. Hence, you were unable to find any such information. But since we are talking about history, let me say this – we’ve had more than a few PMs as our members, including the only one who was a member of both the Tories and the Liberals.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was only one prime minister my host could be talking about. He gave me the slightest of nods of confirmation, and then we shook hands – as accomplices in our little breach of historical secrecy. 

Disclaimer: I contacted the establishment described in this post and got their permission to publish the story, granted that no names and details will be mentioned. 

Categories: Smart Carpet Care

Green Cleaning VS Reality

How do you deal with an unyielding customer with an idea fix about your service? How do you infuse some common sense in a situation that defies reason? Let me give you an example.

My name is Chris Standall, and I have more than ten years of carpet-cleaning experience working in Central and West London. It almost comes with the territory to deal with haughty customers who have very specific requests about their carpets, but most of the time, they are within the bounds of reason. Not so much a few weeks ago when I got a call from an address in Victoria. I could smell trouble the moment I picked up the phone – the woman on the line was doing her best impression of the Dowager Duchess from Downtown Abbey, her condescending voice instantly putting me off. But if I only worked for people I liked, I would have been out of a job long ago. So I listened to her politely without interruption, took her details, and scheduled an appointment for the next day.

If you have never been to Ecclestone Square in Victoria, it is the kind of central London residential area you would associate with old money. The prim colonnades flanking the front doors, the white-marbled facades of the terraced house overlooking the little park, and the expensive cars neatly parked in front – all screamed of wealth and understated power. And of a nice fat quote for me, all things considered.

I parked my minivan and headed for the front door. I couldn’t help but wonder if a butler or a maid would answer the door, but it was my customer herself – there was no mistaking her. She was wearing a casual but classy blouse and trousers, and you might have mistaken her for a regular middle-class woman. But the magnificent golden Rolex on her right wrist and the equally impressive diamond-incrusted bracelet on the left told me better.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Anne Blake. Let me show you the problem with my living room carpet.” I had thought our first conversation might have been an act – people often try to sound more official on the phone than in real life. But the way she moved, carried herself and communicated immediately disabused me of that notion. Anne was obviously irritated that she had to deal with something as mundane as booking a carpet cleaner. Still not a big issue – I was quite used to people who thought what I did was a necessary nuisance.

Walking into the living room, I was not surprised to see a high-end Axminster carpet from their velvet collection – a top-of-the-line product you would not see in every home. Its light beige surface was in perfect condition except for the large circular stain next to the coffee table.

“My house assistant slipped the whole pot of coffee yesterday, and the stain has remained despite her efforts.” By her tone, I assumed Anne was not particularly impressed with the assistant’s efforts. “I assume you can deal with it more effectively.”

“Indeed, ma’am”, I responded solemnly, hardly suppressing my irony. However, Anne considered my response perfectly satisfactory and sat in one of the armchairs.

“I do have one additional condition. You see, I am a strong proponent of living green in every possible aspect. Is it possible to remove the stain using only natural-based materials and no chemicals whatsoever?”

Anne did not strike me as the kind of person who would try to pull a prank on me, so I had to assume she was serious. Green cleaning is one of the most absurd and ridiculous trends I have seen online. Of course, you can use natural materials like vinegar or essential oils for some lightweight tasks, but the idea that you can employ them for every cleaning problem is preposterous. Naturally, I had to use a somewhat different language with my demanding customer.

“I am afraid that’s out of the question, Ma’am. I am a professional carpet cleaner, and I can only guarantee the quality of my service if I can use the full complement of tools at my disposal. Otherwise, I cannot take the job.”

I could see that my response shocked her. I realised her question was semi-rhetoric, and she expected a quick concurrence. “I would be more than happy to address all your doubts. I can assure you that all materials I use are perfectly health-safe. Besides, the procedure does not require any heavy detergents – a small amount of anti-stain foam I will fully extract during the steam washing. No residual chemicals on your carpets.”

That explanation seemed to assuage her anger a bit. She nodded her royal consent and stood up. “I will be in the study. How much time will it take?” I assured her it would not be more than an hour and rolled up my sleeves. The stain was relatively fresh, and I knew it would come off easily. I did use less stain remover than usual, then steam-washed the problematic area. The hot water extraction removed any trace of the coffee residue. I used a hot-air dryer, and fifty minutes after the start of the procedure, the carpet was back to perfect.

When Anne came back from the study, the first thing she did was to stare intently at the area around the coffee table. “You did an excellent job”, she conceded, then paused for a second. “But I am still not convinced you couldn’t have achieved it with natural products.”

“Let’s agree to disagree on that, ma’am”, I said cheerfully and handed her the bill. If life has taught me anything, it is not to argue with people who believe they are always correct.

Categories: Smart Carpet Care

What Is The Most Suitable Carpet Cleaning Technology For Your Home?

How to choose the most proper way of carpet home care and what are the pros and cons of each of them:

  • Hot water extraction is a healthy option for deep cleaning and regular maintaining. That is a perfect choice for sensitive people with allergies. It can eliminate dirt, grime, mould, bacteria, mildew and other irritants, but there is a need for several hours to be ready for usage again and heavy foot traffic. Allow the textile to dry completely.
  • Shampooing is a powerful way to stain removing. Please, get rid of tough, stubborn spots and residues over the carpet, return its shine and colours through that washing option. The disadvantage here is that there is a danger of sticky detergent traces left behind, so a perfect extraction is necessary.
Smart ideas and thin details for your home carpet care

Carpet dry cleaning is a smart solution for dynamic domestic and commercial properties, but require excellent ventilation and fresh air. Those who suffer from breathing diseases must avoid the chemicals in carpet care technology.

  • Bonnet washing focuses on the surface purifying, so is not suitable for textile coverings which needs a deep clean.
Categories: Smart Carpet Care