One option is to register with the only UK trade association for the industry – the National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA). Read on for five ways NCCA endorsement can set you apart from competitors.
Registered members are allowed to use the NCCA logo on their advertising. Letting prospective customers know that your business is registered with the NCCA is a massive benefit. A quick Google search and people can find out about the NCCA and what it offers, including:
What better way to set yourself apart than being the best at what you do? NCCA members get access to exclusive training with discounted courses. This allows you to upskill yourself or your team and become the best carpet cleaners out there.
The result? Better reviews, more word-of-mouth marketing, and a growing customer base. You can also learn about related services to diversify what you offer to customers.
Trust is huge for carpet cleaners and their customers. Put simply, customers need to trust your business before they let you loose on their home or business premises. The documents you use play a big part in this. When you send a quote, for example, potential customers might be put off if it doesn’t look professional.
Members of the NCCA benefit from free, downloadable templates to use for quotes, invoices and more. As well as giving customers a good impression of your business, these templates can save you hours of valuable time.
When you achieve NCCA endorsement, your business will be listed on our website. Prospective customers can find you on the NCCA directory and review you after work is carried out. This provides you with an excellent advert for your company as it will be seen by people looking for a trustworthy tradesperson.
Customers can fill in their location and the specific service they are looking for. So, whether you offer carpet, rug or upholstery cleaning, the NCCA directory will recommend your business to the right people and help your business grow.
Let’s not forget networking, which can be invaluable when you’re growing your carpet cleaning business. As a member of the NCCA, you can attend members-only networking events as well as joining exclusive advice forums.
This is yet another way to become better at what you do, provide the best service to customers and stand out from other carpet cleaning services.
From top training to hassle-free, professional templates, NCCA endorsement can put your carpet cleaning business head and shoulders above the rest. If you want to find out more about membership, contact us on 01562 547754. Or start your application today by completing our application form.
That’s why it’s good to have some tips in your back pocket for when you have a carpet stain emergency. Read on as we look at six of the most common carpet stains and how to remove them.
Red wine is the most common after-party carpet stain. Everyone has an opinion on how to clean a wine spillage. However, the best method is simply a mixture of water and white wine vinegar.
Soak up the excess liquid by blotting the stain first, before applying small amounts at a time of your homemade cleaning solution. If you panic and soak the whole carpet at once, you can end up spreading the stain even more.
Coffee stains are a very common carpet stain and they’re also one of the hardest to remove. If you don’t clean coffee stains properly, your carpet can end up looking murky.
Soak up excess liquid before using either a carpet cleaner or a homemade mixture of water and white vinegar. Start from the outside and work your way into the middle of the stain. Blot again to dry off any more liquid.
Baking soda is a good solution for cleaning fatty stains from carpets. Whether the stain is butter, margarine or even gravy, just sprinkle with baking soda and leave it for approximately six hours. Then vacuum the excess baking soda before dabbing it with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.
There’s nothing worse than the smell of cat or dog pee that has sunk into your carpet. The acidic property of urine means that it can also turn the carpet yellow and bleach the colour if you don’t deal with it as soon as possible.
To neutralise the acid, use baking soda. It will not only absorb the liquid but is also great at covering unpleasant smells. Leave it for 15 minutes before vacuuming it up.
Anyone with kids under 5 will appreciate this tip. Using isopropyl alcohol – found in most nail polish removers and hand sanitisers – is great for removing random scribbles from carpets. Apply to a cloth and blot the stain gently. Be careful when blotting the ink, as carpet colour could be removed when applying alcohol to the carpet (test on a less obvious area first).
While it’s not as common as other stains on this list, dried chewing gum is easily one of the trickiest things to remove from a carpet. The best way to take it off a carpet is to use ice cubes. Yes, you read that right!
By placing a resealable plastic bag full of ice cubes over the chewing gum, it will harden and make it easier for you to remove it. Chip it off using a spoon or dull knife and then vacuum the stain with a dry-solvent carpet cleaner.
The tips above will give you the best chance against common carpet stains. But DIY cleaning has its limitations. To remove the toughest stains and keep your carpet at its best, you can’t get better than a professional carpet cleaner.
The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) makes it easy to find reputable, professional carpet cleaners in your area. All members are thoroughly vetted, fully insured and adhere to a strict code of practice.
Ready to get started? Find your local cleaner today.
If you want to be assured of a reputable and high-quality service, read on for five reasons to trust NCCA-certified carpet cleaners.
The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) is the only nationally recognised UK trade association for carpet cleaners. Members are individually vetted to ensure they are highly skilled in carpet cleaning, and even have to take a training course in Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.
Registered cleaners undertake an exam before being accepted as a member. They’re also required to have Public Liability insurance so your property is always protected.
It is reassuring to know that each member of the NCCA follows a standard Code of Practice. These professional standards are self-regulatory and all businesses are accountable for ensuring their work is of the highest quality.
When using an NCCA cleaner, customers can trust that their carpets, rugs and flooring are in good hands. Members are reliable communicators who know how to develop good working relationships with customers.
If a cleaner is a member of the NCCA, you can be assured that they know what they’re doing. Before they gain membership, they will have gone through an extensive training course and passed a comprehensive exam.
But that’s not all. Using a certified carpet cleaner also gives you the chance to check them out beforehand. NCCA members’ work can be reviewed online by previous customers, which will be shown in the search results on our website. That way you can compare range of services and get an initial impression before choosing a carpet cleaner.
You won’t get an easier way to find a local cleaner than through NCCA’s online directory. You will be able to scan through profiles of available certified carpet cleaners in your area – each one a trusted local cleaner with the NCCA.
It is part of the NCCA’s motto to work with integrity and be transparent. This can be seen in members’ pricing as NCCA-certified carpet cleaners don’t charge upfront. You can be sure that you will get a comprehensive and competitive quote on request. Members provide good value for money and you will get a fair price, with no hidden costs.
It just makes sense to use certified carpet cleaners who know what they’re doing. So, if you need a tough stain removed or want to keep your carpet looking and smelling great, find a trusted local cleaner today.
Simply fill in your location and the service you need, and you’ll be spoilt for choice.
While customers might see it as trivial, late payments can stall cash flow and cause real issues. At the very least, it means wasting time chasing up invoices when you could be completing more jobs.
So, what can you do about it? In this post, we’ll list five simple steps to get paid promptly for carpet cleaning work.
Even if you have hundreds of customers, it’s important to nurture your relationships with them. Carpet cleaners often have a huge repeat customer base, and this helps to tailor the service to meet their needs, even when it comes to invoicing. Ensure the invoicing details are correct so there’s no need to amend and delay the payment process.
If you’re considering joining the NCCA, a vital part of the Code of Practice focuses on communication. From start to finish, communication should be clear and transparent so the customer understands your requirements for payment from the beginning. Also, be sure to agree on payment terms and invoice as soon as you’ve completed a job while you’re still fresh in your customer’s mind. If you’re slow at sending invoices, you might find that your customers are equally slow at making payment.
Following up with the client after the invoice has been sent is a great idea. This clears up any issues quickly, avoiding delays. It’s not enough to just do the job and invoice if you hope to get paid on time.
A great way to get payments on time is to make the payment method as simple as possible. Invoicing with bank details is a top choice for carpet cleaners. However, why not consider using a card reader to take payments faster? It's often more convenient for your customers, some may even pay straight away.
If you’re owed money from carpet cleaning jobs, making a reminder schedule to chase up the monies owed is helpful. It’s not the nicest job, but if there are no issues or open disputes, a gentle reminder will nudge the customer to pay. By creating a schedule, you can ensure you’re not hassling the same customers too frequently. Instead, you could check in after 7, 14 and 28 days for example.
Sending emails is often a great way to communicate late payments, as you have it in writing. But it’s also the easiest to ignore. A tiered communication system is advisable, with phone calls to follow up on ignored emails, for instance.
It’s always helpful to have experts to turn to for business tips and assistance. This is where joining a trade association like the NCCA brings many benefits.
From free helplines when you need support or tips to downloadable templates you can use in your business, there’s a host of exclusive resources tailored to carpet cleaners. In addition, if you encounter disputes, a dedicated arbitration service is available.
Growing your carpet cleaning business is much easier when you’re a member of the National Carpet Cleaners Association. From resources and support for issues like late payments to networking events and exclusive training, we’ll help you become the go-to carpet cleaner in your local area.
For more information about NCCA membership benefits and becoming an accredited member, contact us today.
However, our beloved pets also bring a unique set of challenges, including muddy paws, odours and shedding fur. Fortunately, whether you have a cat or a dog, you can still enjoy a fresh smelling, spotless home – read on for our top house cleaning tips for pet owners.
Prevention is the best cure. By keeping pets clean, owners can enjoy a fresher, healthier, and more pleasant living environment. Regular washing and grooming will minimise the amount of dirt and excess fur your pet carries around, meaning less gets onto your carpets and furniture.
With dogs in particular, it’s a good habit to wipe them down when they come back from a walk, before they come back into the house. Leave some towels by the front door or in the porch.
Pet hair is easily the biggest pet peeve (pun intended) for those with cats and dogs. It gets everywhere and sticks to surfaces such as upholstery and carpet. If your vacuum doesn’t do the trick, here are two other ways to try:
It might be tempting to try and clean up muddy paw prints from carpets and furniture straight away. But it’s often better to let them dry first. Once the mud is dry, you can use a brush and vacuum the rest away. This is a great carpet cleaning tip for pet owners that don’t want to spend hours scrubbing off wet mud.
If you share your home with dogs or cats, they’ll likely make their way onto the sofa or bed every now and then. By using protective covers on your soft furnishings, such as washable slipcovers or throws, pet owners can easily remove and clean them, preventing dirt and pet hair from embedding into the fabric.
Wondering where that pet smell is coming from? Their toys could be to blame. Pet toys harbour a range of stinky bacteria and pet smells – especially soft toys. With this in mind, it’s important to pop them in the wash regularly to keep dirt and odours at bay.
The living areas aren’t the only spots that need cleaning – your bathroom needs some TLC after you bathe them. Pet hair can block drains and plugs, which can lead to stinky water and more severe blockages over time. To avoid this, use a pet hair catcher in the plughole. That way, you can easily remove the build-up into the bin.
After washing your pet, the bath or shower also needs a good clean with antibacterial products to ensure optimum hygiene for the whole family.
Pets often don’t mix well with carpets and as a carpet owner with a pet it’s recommended that you vacuum lightly soiled areas on a weekly basis, medium soiled areas twice a week, and heavily soiled areas daily. If you want to take it to the next level, a deep clean from a trusted professional will ensure your carpets look their best and smell great.
If you want to give your carpets a an expert clean, The National Carpet Cleaners Association makes it easy to find trained, insured and fully vetted cleaners near you. Simply enter the service you need along with your postcode, then hire a local cleaner without having to worry about their professionalism or quality of work.
Set up in 1968, the NCCA has over 600 members throughout the UK that are vetted, trained, insured and ready to help you. We clearly and fairly set out the professional standards that all carpet cleaners must maintain to ensure you find someone near you to deliver the best service and results.
By using an NCCA member for your carpet cleaning, you can be sure you are making the right choice. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s why you can trust the NCCA to put you in touch with reliable local carpet cleaners…
Not everyone can join the NCCA. Our members are professionally vetted to ensure they meet the high standards expected of a Trusted Local Cleaner. These checks are designed to ensure we endorse the right cleaning companies, those that are committed to providing great service, customer focused and trustworthy.
You have to know your craft before you can join the NCCA. Before being approved as a member, all applicants must undertake a training course in Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and achieve the standard pass mark in the NCCA entrance examination that follows. This exam is recognised as one of the toughest in the industry and ensures only the very best individuals join the association.
Alongside recognised training qualifications, all our Trusted Local Cleaners have adequate insurance to cover them in the event of a problem or accident. A Public Liability insurance policy is required, which is standard for companies offering services to the public.
Unfortunately, in our industry, there are cowboy companies who charge over the odds for poor service. If you want to ensure you will get great value for money, NCCA professionals are a top choice. Members charge a fair price for services and always strive to provide the best value during the work carried out.
In all cases, you will receive a quote for the work, and this is a fixed price without hidden costs. In some cases, additional charges may apply if other services are requested at the time. But you can rest assured that you will not be pressured into using other services.
In addition, NCCA carpet cleaners do not charge upfront for services (either full or part payment). Instead, payment is invoiced once the work is done.
NCCA members have profiles on the Trusted Local Cleaner website, featuring their contact details, information about their business, pictures of their work and reviews from customers.
These reviews are particularly important as they help other consumers make an informed choice about who to hire. For this reason, we encourage feedback about our members and both positive and negative feedback is welcome. All reviews are moderated for authenticity so you can build up an accurate picture of how the company operates.
We recognise that occasionally things don’t go as planned and it is important that if this happens, consumers can access a clear, user-friendly process.
As such, all NCCA members have signed up to a self-regulatory Code of Practice and a complaints policy to use when dealing with complaints from customers. To give consumers an additional layer of protection and to reinforce our commitment to quality and consumer protection, if things go wrong the NCCA can act as an independent arbitration service.
The NCCA logo is a sign of reputation and trust; helping consumers choose the right cleaning company for them and giving good businesses the recognition they deserve.
If you are ready to hire a Trusted Local Cleaner, you can use our online directory. Simply enter your postcode and the services you need. Then choose from vetted, fully trained, professional cleaners near you.
We have members across the country that specialise in cleaning carpets, upholstery, hard flooring and soft furnishings to keep your home looking great. Get started today!