School is Never Out for the True Professional Cleaner
As kids return back to school, we are reminded of the importance of a good education. School doesn’t just teach facts and figures. You learn skills that allow you to accomplish many basic tasks. Math, reading, problem-solving and learning to work with others are skills that most of us learned in school.
Perhaps the most important skill that school teaches us is how to learn. We learn to read, ask questions, test theories and discuss ideas as a means of expanding our
knowledge. Imagine what would happen if a child was never taught these basic skills. It would be difficult to learn to drive, fill out a job application, read a menu, count money, use a computer or smart phone, travel abroad or shop without acquiring the skills you learn in school.
But learning doesn’t stop when you graduate from high school or college. You still need to acquire specific skills and knowledge in your chosen field of endeavor
in order to achieve excellence. That is when specialized training is needed. Can you imagine hiring a surgeon who only received on-the-job-training? What about an
automobile mechanic who watched some online videos to learn how to fix your car? Professions like cosmetology, plumbing, home building, childcare and many others
require training, certification and in some cases, licensing. It should come as no surprise that training and certification are available for professional carpet and upholstery cleaners, too. This training and certification come from an organization called the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification or IICRC.
Unlike those other professions, however, training and certification are not legal requirements for carpet and upholstery cleaners. That is why most professional carpet cleaning companies never invest the money and time in their employees to get this valuable training.
Hansen Steam Way technicians are different. We believe in the value of classroom learning in addition to our field training. In the classroom, technicians learn to identify the type of fibers they are cleaning. This is important so that they select the proper cleaning agents to assure safe, effective cleaning. They learn cleaning chemistry so they can choose the right products based on the type of soil and stains they are working on. They learn how fibers are dyed and how carpet and upholstery are manufactured.
In a typical 2- or 3-day IICRC course, our technicians get practical hands on demonstrations by a seasoned instructor with many years in the industry. This allows the students to reap the benefits of decades of experience without the risk of problems on the job.
There are separate courses for certification in each of several cleaning categories including: carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, leather cleaning, color repair, odor control, ceramic and stone tile cleaning as well as carpet repair and reinstallation. Once the course is completed, our Technicians must pass a monitored 150-question exam to qualify for certification in that discipline.
But that is not the end of it. The IICRC requires ongoing education to maintain certification. So our Technicians keep learning even afterthey have achieved certification. This assures you, our valued clients that we are up to date on the latest in the cleaning industry.
As you can probably imagine, education is not free. It requires a significant investment of time and money to keep our team at the top of our profession. At Hansen Steam Way we believe you are worth it.