I think that after less than a week on this forum I have come to many conclusions, I have read all the comments posted and have weighed the thoughts and convictions of the serious carpet cleaner all the way down to the cellar of the splash & dash artist. I have been in business all my life and have made and spent lots of money, like many of you have..

Carpet cleaning, wood floor sanding, ceramic tile cleaning, what have you, is directly linked to a rapid world of disposability. Just like the lighter that we chuck in the garbage, we as consumers tend to buy cheap, when worn, replace with new. Everything is so cheap on the market today it's not worth repairing any longer, 27" tv at Wal-Mart $ 289.00 ( longevity 3-5 years) After that garbage......buy new.

The need for all kinds of courses in repairing, dying, master cleaner, or whatever else they think of is not realistic in todays world. 97% of all carpeting manufactured today is synthetic fibres, and 52% which is looped pile, and 2/3 of all pile manufactures in the United States is Nylon. I have presprayed, strong degreasers, and vertually every other caustic chemical at these carpets during tests and they all stood up, bounced back and look great.

The bottom line the splash and dash atrist will make as mush money if not more at the end of the year and every year than the Big Gun, Highly Trained, Ready for Combat, Carpet Inspector.

Any idiot can clean a carpet, a window, polish a floor, or whatever and he can even chew gum at the same time. The company of many of you here trying to push IICRC courses , and degrading those who do not agree is making me sick to my stomach. Mr. Steamer asked where his dues go towards for over a week and not one of you IICRC wizzards had the intestinal fortitude to answer him.

  N     I     G     R     I     D     E     R     where when a man stands alone he is not an outcast...............he is at peace with himself

Malarky.

The people who want a carpet repair done  often are the most grateful people out there.

If you don't want to be part of the elite, you don't have to.

However lots of mom and pop shops are having a hard time getting by and often being able to  offer the stuff no one else does is the difference between surviving and not.

Some people try and take out koolaid and rarely succeed, leaving a customer with an ugly  carpet so that they will want to replace the carpet. Others see koolaid as a routine stain that has a 80-90% of coming out.

Some people use ammonianted cleaners on a 5th generation nylon, then the customer wonders why the carpet doesn't perform well, so she replaces it.

Even more importantly is the cost and hassle of replacing flooring. In the average North American home the third highest priced item they will buy in their  lifetime will be flooring(be it carpet, ceramic, wood, whatever). This is of course directly behind  a house and a car.In businesses the cost of replacing a floor is sometimes 3x the cost of the materials because of the moving of furniture, fixtures and down time.

Some cleaners can keep a carpet looking new for 20 years, some can't.

Flooring is usually a reflection of how good your home looks. If you want stains, bleach marks, worn traffic areas then don't learn  the best techniques. Its my experience that the "cadillac" customers expect a cadillac job. I want cadillac customers, not price shoppers.

The most unbelieveable part of your post is when you say we put down the IICRC naysayers. No we are just defending ourselves from the seemingly hostile mouths running down an organization whose only mission is to help promote and devise ways to better our industry. The IICRC does not issue any dividends.

You guys had the nerve to say I made profit from the IICRC. Too much. I help ANYONE who asks, spend about 20 hours a week doing work for three organizations and it costs me a bundle out of my own pocket. You are non stop taking potshots, fire away. I feel good about what I do.

Saved a guy with two yellow chenile chairs he faded two days ago, took me 4 hours. Charged him $85.00. He is thrilled. I like helping people, you seem to have a problem with that.

100 % right on the money......we are all clowns dancing and juggling our way into customers homes and business just to do our magic on their carpets, they don't care anout anything but getting their dust mite ridden and grease riddled carpet cleaner than it appears now. Notice I did not say clean down to the fibres, just cleaner than before. That's it in a nutshell.

I for one am the biggest IDIOT running to the bank every day with a hand full of carpet cleaning money. I couldn't tell a nylon carpet from an olfin if you gave me a million dollars..........and I don't care and I am NOT A IICRC Secret agent carpet inspector.........pleeeeeeeeeeeese give me a break

SOAP AND WATER............SOAP AND WATER

WHO THE HECK COMPLICATED THIS INDUSTRY

All of you are still  forgetting something.......you can make the carpet look great only a certain amount of times...........what usually gets worn out and makes the carpet seem used is the padding, no padding= no carpet looks

What elite are you talking about, this is  short term work, we grow old, get tired, fedup, retire......in Canada the season is short and we have to fend off all the cut-throats every season, this is not a business, this is warfare.

You wasted 4 hours for $ 85.00 Great businessman you are, I'm sure he was thrilled, if you are not making $ 75.00-$100.00 an hour in this trade, GET OUT and go pump gas I'll even lower the bar just for you to $50.00 an hour PLEASE DO NOT SAY YOU ARE PART OF THE ELITE.  ha ha ha haha ha  Come on please do not insult my intellegence, your letter started off smart but like all the rest of you out there it just ends up being dumb, and totally empty.

Thanks for trying to make a constructive statement anyway

      JACK          NIGHTRIDER  where the wind blows softly and silently in the eye of the storm

If I had charged him more, he might as well have  reupholstered it eh?

I also use it as a tool to teach my employees and subs.

Its not all about the money.

I don't go out on the road very often. Sit behind my desk.

I make a living.

I live well. I am happy doing this (helping people that is). That is the smell of green grass to me.

Let me ask you something........is that you in the picure on the left..............You're right $ 85.00 was enough.....after all how much are bananas these days......are you going to tell me that you actually had your employees there too........how many bananas an hour do they cost you...................this is getting better by the second......your subs were there to.......what tree did they fall from..........did you actually read what the heck you wrote before posting it. If you did, I now know why you sit behind a desk, please stay there and have a banana on me.  Try some Ice Cream and Chocolate syrop with it. ummmmmmmm GOOD.

Are your customers not afraid of catching flees from you and your helpers.

     Jack       NIGHTRIDER   when a man thinks stupid thoughts, only he knows how truely stupid he is, but when those thoughts are shared with the world......... we all know

I for one am the biggest IDIOT running to the bank every day with a hand full of carpet cleaning money. I couldn't tell a nylon carpet from an olfin if you gave me a million dollars........

Therefore

YOU SHOULD GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS.

YOU SUCK!!!!

SOAP AND WATER SOAP AND WATER

don't any of you believe in getting stains out???

Gee whiz you guys,how can you look yourself in the mirror if you just think you're a dumbass with a job anyone can do.

No,it's not rocket science but for goodness sakes,if you don't know anything about carpet please just stay home.

I sure hope you guys have excellent liability insurance.

I'm starting to agree with some of the others and thinking some of you are the kind of HACKERS that give us a bad name.

I for one am proud of being a Carpet Cleaner and know darn well that I can do a FAR BETTER job than most people.

I too am proud of being a cleaner, NO, I don't think it is rocket science but if you do it well it pays like being a rocket science which is good enough for me!

But being the BEST is still what drives me, it should drive all of us.

Gentlemen.......gentlemen.........sorry to burst your bubble heads........how will you know what best is.....there is no bar to measure. That's like saying my white shirt is whiter than your white shirt.....unless the shirt is yellow or black and you are trying to get it white..............there is no bar.

   join the circus, barnaby is looking for 2 clowns

           Jack      NIGHTRIDER