ProChem Europe Ltd National Training Academy

I have been lucky enough to visit ProChem Europe Ltd National Training Academy based in Chessington, nr London 4 times since starting Cheshire Cleaning Co. 

I have written this blog on my courses, what the pros and cons are about travelling such a long distance and whether it’s worth it – enjoy!

• ProChem Europe – Professional Cleaning & Maintenance of Woven & Tufted Carpets, Rugs and Soft Floor Coverings with Industry Approved Cleaning Methods. May 2019.
• ProChem Europe – Professional Cleaning & Maintenance of Upholstery Fabrics & Finishes with Industry Approved Cleaning Methods. Sep 2019.
• ProChem Europe – Professional Stain Removal on Carpet & Upholstery with Industry Approved Cleaning Methods. Oct 2019.
• Woolsafe Organisation – Woolsafe Fibre Care Specialist. July 2021.

I first attended ProChem Europe Ltd National Training Academy based at their Head Office in Chessington to undertake their C1 – Carpet Cleaning Course. I drove down with it being the first time and underestimated the travelling – arrived at the hotel at 03:00 and was up at 07:00 for an intense days training. Learning a new skill everything was mind-blowing, anyhow, I took all the information in and passed the course. Learning all the different types of carpet fibres, backing, secondary backings, cleaning methods and more. This is the basic training for any new/unqualified carpet cleaner – it learns you the tricks of the trade, the chemistry behind professionally cleaning carpet and the industry do and don’t with regards to spraying and extracting water from the carpet.

As I was wanting to join the National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA), I was required to undertake the U1 – Professional Cleaning & Maintenance of Upholstery Fabrics & Finishes with Industry Approved Cleaning Methods within 3 months of the carpet cleaning course.

This course was delivered at their HQ in Chessington and delivered in the same style as the carpet cleaning course, one-day theory and practical learning all the fabrics and finishes, chemistry as well as tricks of the trade by highly experienced and professional instructor [Phil Jones] and Adam Jankowski. For this course, and having previously driven to Chessington, I caught the train and tube and stayed in a hotel local to their National Training Academy – Travelodge (London Chessington Tolworth). Though, I would not recommend staying here. My room was next to the bar toilets and stunk of stale urine and I was wondering whether this was a test to see if I would offer to clean their carpets and upholstery whilst there. You could spay a ton of urine neutraliser and it wouldn’t take the edge off the stench! If you’re heading to Prochem HQ do not stay at this hotel and check the reviews before doing so – I didn’t.

The next training course was Professional Stain Removal on Carpet & Upholstery with Industry Approved Cleaning Methods this was delivered near to Manchester Airport – finally! A course within driving distance of my home. It was the best and most professionally delivered course I had attended, really interesting to learn how to remove all different types of spots and stains from a range of carpet and upholstery. The day was a mix of theory and practical which also included a very special “scratch and sniff” session whereby you had to identify 16 stains from a range of carpet samples.

My most recent training course was with Adam, Woolsafe Organisation training instructor which was delivered at ProChem HQ – though this time I drove (because of the pandemic) I didn’t want to be sat on public transport and I would upgrade my hotel to Premier Inn, Tolworth and travel in style at a reasonable hour – boxing clever to miss the traffic and I did just that. Though the UK was experiencing heavy rain and thunderstorms and most of the local roads in Surrey was flooded.

The course was long – mostly death by PowerPoint and unlike previous courses, it was 100% theory – no practical. Not even a burn test, this was skipped as we should already know how to perform a burn test. 

At the end of the day, we were given an open book exam to take home and complete and return to the Woolsafe Organisation. Then to be told we would only receive a certificate of attendance if the instructor deemed us competent. So I guess the Woolsafe Organisation is an elite members-only club and they are very selective of whom they allow inside.

Not only this, if you would like to become a Woolsafe Approved Service Provider (WASP) that again, you require references and at least five years experience cleaning carpets, your instructor needs to prove that you are eligible for membership – this didn’t go down well with a participant on the course as this wasn’t known before attending.

If you’re travelling down to ProChem Europe Ltd – their HQ is based in the middle of an industrial estate, with a very small car park for training attendees. I would arrive EARLY to get a parking space.

If you’re planning on booking a hotel – stay at Premier Inn (Tolworth) this is 5 minutes drive from ProChem Europe Ltd and across the road from Travelodge [don’t stay here] as it stinks, doesn’t have a great reputation and word on the street suggests it is used as a knocking shop.

NCCA membership – DO IT! Why? Membership demonstrates your competence and commitment to the carpet, upholstery and hard floor cleaning industry. Shows your potential clients that you are fully trained, adequately insured, professional and accredited by the only trade association of its kind – the National Carpet Cleaners Association.

If you’re reading this and have any questions, feel free to get in touch. Just contact us via our online form with your questions and I will respond at my earliest convenience because I wish someone would top me off before attending as I would have made my hotel stay longer. After all, the days are intense, coupled with travelling it’s a good job there’s unlimited coffee, water and a hot meal at lunchtime. Talking about meals, they’re gorgeous – I have not had a bad one yet. They range from pasta dishes, lasagne, hot buffet and mousaka.