Prior to starting Wirral Cleaning Company on 28th December 2002, I had not long finished a BA (Hons) degree in which I majored in Photography and Media. 

I had applied for 8 jobs in the Media and was actually glad I failed to get any of them because something just didn't feel right. 

Then one afternoon, I was living in 100 Gorsefield Road, Prenton at the time, I had a lightbulb moment. I suddenly realised that I don't want to be employed, that felt like bars over my head, I wanted to be self-employed, that  gave me a feeling of the sky was the limit.

So, that meant no more job searching, but what was I going to do?

I left the house and went for a walk around Prenton, and as I did, I noticed that most driveways and paths were weathered and basically dirty. There must be a market to clean all of this I thought. So the next two months, I researched the jet spray industry, the competition, the machinery, the pricing, and everything needed to start the business.

After two months, I was in my friend's mother's house in Upton when a leafelt came through the door. It said we will clean your lounge carpet a suite for £141.

I had another lightbulb moment. I realised that I don't want to be outside jet spraying all year round, in the winter, the wet and the cold. I saw that I could clean carpets and suites instead, under a roof, and be able to work in comfort 12 months a year no matter what our great British weather dealt us.

And there was more... I could clean a suite and a carpet for £95, why not?

The research I had done for the jet spray business was not wasted fortunately. 80% of it was transferable to cleaning carpets and upholstery and I set a date to start in a months time, on 28th Decemeber 2002.

Now here's where more favour struck. I went online to find that a training course was starting in two days time in Gateshead and there was two places available. I booked my train tickets and Travelodge and went. Within a week I had got my first Carpet and Uphiolstery Cleaning certificate, taught by professionals in the industry. My confidence was growing.

Back home on Merseyside, I drove the next day to Bootle, Liverpool to buy some equipment. As I was driving along the Strand I saw Ronnie, an old friend of mine. "Jump in I said, lets go for a drink and a catch up." As we drove along, we saw another friend of ours, Jason. "Get in Jason, let's go for a drink and a catchup," as you do.
Jason was on the way to a friend of his in Crosby, John, who was helping him move house and requested I give him a lift there first.

​

John was clearing out his van and asked me what I was doing. "Starting a carpet cleaning business in 3 weeks," I replied. "I've been doing that for the last 7 years," John told me. "Do you want to work with me the next three weeks and I'll show you the ropes?
It was that simple. In those three weeks John, Northwest Cleaning Services from Crosby, taught me everything he knew and helped me hit the ground running 28th November 2002, two or three years ahead of my time.
Thank you John, much appreciated, and if you live in Liverpool and you want your carpets or upholstery cleaning, call him, he does a great job.

I started 28th Nov. It was a cold winter and I got 20,000 double sided leaflets printed. In that first year I posted them all over Wirral, especially near where I lived, Prenton, Oxton, Birkenhead, Tranmere, Rockferry, Upton, Thingwall, Moreton, Leasowe, Bidston, New Brighton and all over Wallasey. 

​

I worked hard and built a full time business up. Over the next few years I posted leaflets all over Irby, Pensby, Barnston, Gayton, Parkgate,  Heswall, Caldy, West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols, then the Mersey side, New Ferry, Bebbington, Bromborough, Eastham, and started getting calls to go to Ellesmere Port, Chester, Deeside and even Rhos-on-Sea, but that was for a full house, and a nice day out too.

It took my about six months to get really comfortable with cleaning anything. I was a bit nervous when I first started as I didn't want to shrink anything. I had heard bad stories and even had a nightmare one night. I was cleaning a carpet in a house somewhere and the more I cleaned it, the more it shrunk till it was literally the size of a postage stamp! I was so scared what the lady would say when she saw it. I woke up before she saw her shrivelled up carpet. I'm glad to say, I have only shrunk one carpet in the last 19 years, but fortunately, a Carpet fitting company stretched it back and all was well.

Long gone are the days of  shrinkable carpets fortunately. Most nowadays are man-made and I recommend you buy polypropelene if you can. It looks identical to wool, but it's plastic, you can't tell, it ilasts years and dirt can't stick to it so it cleans up like a dream every time.

I used to have a farmer's house contract near Neston and every year I'd go and the light beige hallway and lounge carpet was black. Not that surprising as dogs, cats, children and chickens were constantly coming in and out from the yard. It was a shoes-on house. Everytime, the carpets came up like new, and I used to say, "sorry, couldn't clean them, had to put a new carpet down for you."

 

To be continued with:

The dirtiest carpet I have ever seen - Meols 
The carpet with a six foot burn hole in the middle - Liscard

One good turn leads to three days off work - Tranmere

What happens when a stain comes back after two days? 

The haunted house and the Warlock - Seacombe

and more...