NCCA – Back On The Road Again
Ken Wainwright
On the 22nd September, members from very near and 'oh so very far' made the journey to Shrewsbury in Shropshire to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of our industry at the NCCA Technical Roadshow.
After a welcoming coffee accompanied by a fair bit of chit-chat with friends and colleagues, the day's agenda started with a presentation by Paul and Steve Bakker from the Woolsafe Organisation. After giving us a brief history of the development and growth of Woolsafe, Paul went on to tell us a little of the testing programme that a product must go through to achieve and maintain Woolsafe Approved status. Not only do the products have to meet stringent chemical criteria, but they must also prove to be effective, safe and not contribute to resoiling.
Paul then told us of a recent report in 'Which?' magazine where they concluded that dish-washing detergents were more effective at treating spots and spills than most leading high street brands of carpet cleaning products. On behalf of our industry, Woolsafe took it upon themselves to carry out further tests and report the scientifically supported results to 'Which?' Although there is no imminent re-testing to be carried out and published by the magazine, I believe that 'Which?' will take on board further product criteria such as colourfastness, resoiling and fibre damage should they re-visit this topic.
It is difficult to believe that a well respected magazine like 'Which?' could make such poorly researched and executed tests on a range of products. On behalf of us all, I would like to thank the Woolsafe Organisation for their initiative to contact the Consumers Association and 'Which?' to inform them of the errors and shortcomings they had made.
The second of the day's speakers was Mike Egerton of Host Von Schrader. The focus of Mike's presentation was that of dry soil. He told us that up to 90% of soil in most carpets was dry particulates such as sand, grit, pollen, hair etc. As these soils are non-soluble, the easiest way to remove them is with thorough dry vacuum cleaning. A regular, commercial twin motor machine is our industry's minimum standard, but this can be significantly improved by the use of a pile lifting, contra-rotating brush machine such as, amongst others, the Host Reliant, or one of the combined brushing and vacuuming machines such as Host's Freestyle or Liberator. Mike went on to tell us how problem stains such as Lilly pollen and photo-copier toner can be easily and effectively treated using Host's Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning Sponges.
Mike also told us of another use that a Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning system can be put to. Using specially designed brushes, Host's Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning machines and sponges are an easy way to clean tile and grout hard floors. He demonstrated by using just a handful of Host Sponges and a hand brush on both a tiled floor and some sheet safety flooring. The good results were achieved easily and quickly and the bonus for us is that we can do it without any further capital investment apart from a set of suitable brushes for our machines.
After an excellent lunch, the final presentation was from Andy Alcock and Judy Bass of L.T.T. (Leather Training and Technical Dept.). Andy told us that the rule of thumb with stains on leather upholstery is that you can't clean or treat them. As leather is totally different to textile fabrics, specific stain removal techniques invariably lead to leather damage rather than stain removal. The best way to approach these problems is to clean the whole panel or item. If the stain is removed, job done! If not, then a restoration process is in order, and this could prove timely and more expensive for the customer and usually involves removing the item from the premises so that work can be safely completed in the workshop. Pigmented leathers are typically quite difficult to restore, but aniline leathers respond well and quickly to a simple re-dyeing process and, with some basic training, is easily performed by even the less experienced technicians.
Woolsafe, Host Von Schrader and LTT all had on-the-day special offers to delegates for products and services, but as you will see from this month's Newslink, Host have extended their special offer for a short period exclusively to ALL NCCA Members.
As is usual on these occasions, last minute emergencies meant that a few delegates had to change their plans and miss the event, but attendance was still very good. If there was an award for furthest travelled delegates, it would surely go to John Bryden and his daughter who made the very long journey from the Scottish Highlands.
Finally, I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to Ray and Jackie Austin. It was Ray and Jackie who arranged the venue and sourced the caterers for the event. They've done such a good job that it has encouraged other members who were present to organise something similar in their own area. Look out for the next Roadshow announcement in the coming months.
^top
NCCA Training Courses
Dates for training courses during 2010 are as follows:
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Courses
(details...)
- January 22nd & 23rd (fully booked)
- April 9th & 10th
- June 25th & 26th
- August 20th & 21st
- October 29th & 30th
Courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester
» Download the booking form (PDF)
Spot & Stain Course (details...)
- February 26th, NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester
- October 22nd, Venue to be confirmed (Leicester)
Hard Floor Cleaning Course
- Thursday April 15th - Friday April 16th
- Thursday October 14th - Friday October 15th
To be held at the NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester.
Please download the booking form for further details.
Please see the Training Courses page for further details.
Carpet and Upholstery Training Courses
 Anyone contemplating setting up in business as a carpet cleaner could find a weekend in Leicester well spent.
This is where the National Carpet Cleaners Association is holding the next training course, aimed at both newcomers to the business as well as more experienced professionals, who may wish to extend, or update, their technical skills and knowledge, or perhaps complement the training courses provided by equipment manufacturers.
The NCCA Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning course provides impartial training on the complete spectrum of carpet and soft furnishing cleaning techniques and equipment currently available within the industry - with the added bonus of NCCA membership at the end of the line.
Attendance at this course, or a similar course, is mandatory for all new applicants for NCCA membership, who must achieve a pass to an appropriate standard of the test paper, which follows. Only after successful completion of the course will the applicant be eligible to become a fully accredited member of the NCCA and add the coveted logo to their company name.
The course will be led by Paul Pearce and Pawlo Woloszyn (Directors of the NCCA) who are practicing carpet cleaners in daily touch with customers and their problems, as indeed are all the NCCA Directors. As a result, participants are able to reap the benefit of their combined experience and thus avoid the pitfalls, which lie in wait for the unprepared.
Course prices are subject to change without notice.
Please see the Training Courses page for further details.
^top
The NCCA are ran an Advanced Spot & Stain Treatment and Removal Training Course on Saturday November 1st at the NSPCC Training Centre in Leicester.
 Spot and stain removal is still a genuine craft and requires a higher degree of skill and knowledge than almost any other process undertaken by the professional carpet cleaner.
Over the years our cleaning equipment and surfactants have improved, enabling us to remove almost any spillage on our clients soft furnishings.
However there is always an unknown spot or stain that proves difficult and it is these marks which cause our biggest headaches, along with the client's expectancy of complete removal.
During training we teach course delegates how to identify a stain, what specific things to look out for and how to advise the client prior to carrying out any work. Only once the work and possible outcome has been assessed should any attempt at stain removal take place.
Stains can be of a complex nature and will require patience and knowledge of appropriate cleaning solutions. It is also important to decipher what fabric, fibre, dyes, construction and finishing agents etc, have been used to create the soft furnishing being worked upon. So you see… it's not as simple as the TV commercial makes out.
The idea of the school is to assist in understanding the item being worked on, identify the stain and establish the chemical solution to be applied. It will also teach how to determine the expected results, not forgetting that we should never guarantee complete removal.
The course delegate can use his or her own spotting products on prepared samples, which we will be handing out during the training. This course will not only teach the delegates how to remove the soils, but also how to do it without creating more damage to the samples. There is nothing worse than removing the stain only to realise that you have left your client with a felted or fuzzed surface.
Along with the training each delegate will also receive a course manual and three spotting tools to be used on the day, which can be taken home to use again.
So come along and learn the A.B.C. of stains and how to identify spillages using F.O.C.A.L, along with the five methods of removal.
Course prices are subject to change without notice.
Please see the Training Courses page for further details.
^top
New "Code of Practice"
We are pleased to announce that the PAS 86 has now been published and is available to purchase from the NCCA office.
PAS 86: 2008 - Professional inspection, maintenance, cleaning and restoration of textile floor coverings - Code of Practice.
This Publicly Available Specification (PAS) has been developed by the National Carpet Cleaners Association in collaboration with BSI British Standards. PAS 86 gives the recommendations for the inspection, maintenance and cleaning of textile floor coverings. It is intended for use by the professional cleaning industry. It may also be of use to government bodies, trading standards, the insurance industry, carpet manufacturers, consumers, retailers, training bodies and those involved in the management, cleaning and inspection of textile floor coverings. The PAS is applicable to all types and styles of textile floor coverings within the domestic and commercial environments.
Content of PAS 86 includes:
- Scope
- Terms and definitions
- Management responsibility
- Customer service
- Installation
- Pre-cleaning tests
- Surveys
- Cleaning methods and procedures
- Preventative measures
- Spot and stain removal
- Anti-static treatments
- Cleaning chemicals
- Repairs
- Method statements
- Health and safety
- Survey form
- Fibre identification
- Risk assessment
- Bibliography
- List of figures
- Example of a survey form
- List of tables
- Fibre identification burn test
^top
|
