to buy the new shiny toys that come out
but remember that even though they are an
investment, they take a big chunk out of your
expense budget.
Tip#3 Pay attention to your shipping costs
Shipping costs may seem like a “minor”
expense when looking at the big picture, but
in recent years, the costs have dramatically
increased.
Ordering products in small batches from
multiple suppliers will run you a lot of money
in shipping costs, particularly if you have to
order across the border. Many companies
offer free shipping on certain items you can
take advantage of, but pay attention to the
asking price of the product, as it may be
inflated to cover those shipping costs. Try
to save up products you need until the need
becomes more urgent. For example, if you
would like to try that new accessory for your
hoses, or that new kind of spotter, wait until
you are desperate for more something critical
like prespray before ordering.
Keep a clipboard in your storeroom and
add things you need to the list as you think of
them. Hold off as long as you can, then place
a larger order to save on shipping. If you are
within driving range of your main supplier,
even better, but don’t waste half a day’s work
to go get the products, send someone else so
you can keep cleaning carpet while it’s picked
up!
Tip#4 Use Powdered Prespray
Some suppliers may not like me giving
you this tip, but powders not only perform
better, they are far more economical. Mixing
liquids is easier, faster and more convenient,
but once you learn how to mix powders at
the truck properly you will have no issues
using powdered prespray. When you order
liquids you are paying for water as well as the
chemical. That water is heavy and expensive
to ship around. It is also more hazardous for
spills and extra expense goes into getting it
to your door. Once you have it, you will go
though it much faster than powder, and you
are paying just as much per unit. Switching to
powdered prespray has cut our chemical costs
dramatically.
Tip#5 Lower your idle!
Truckmount operators need to realize
that it is not always necessary to run their
machines at “full bore” for every job. When
your truckmount runs full speed, you are
obtaining maximum heat and vacuum, at the
expense of excess water and fuel usage. If you
set your idle down a bit, you are still getting
decent heat and vacuum far beyond what a
portable would provide but you will notice a
huge difference in how fast you go through
water, how much noise and pollution you are
generating, and how much fuel over time is
consumed. If your job entails a nice, fairly
clean carpet in an upscale home, you don’t
need maximum heat and power, that is costing
you! It is not necessary to crack a walnut with
a sledgehammer.
Back off your idle by 1/3 and watch the
same results, or perhaps even better results
than if you ran full blast. For upholstery
cleaning you should always run it at just
slightly above idle. Your water temperature
will be “less hot” dropping down to 160-180s
but your work quality will not suffer. You are
also going easier on the machine, running it
cooler. This makes breakdowns happen less
often. If the next job is a trashed rental or
greasy restaurant, then by all means, crank it
up! Use the power when you need it. As an
example, when running on full idle, my waste
tank kicks off after about $200-$300 worth
of work. A few days ago I finished a $500 job
including lots of furniture cleaning without
kicking off from full waste tank! This is from
reducing idle by 1/3 while cleaning carpet and
1/2 for upholstery.
25