Testimonials

The Lego House

James May’s ‘off the wall’ idea for a BBC programme
How do you clean more than 3.3 million standard size Lego bricks in a full-size, fully-functional two-storey house?

‘Top Gear’ presenter, James May, is known for his madcap ideas, but this was definitely one of the strangest.

With the help of architect, Barnaby Gunning, interior designer, Christina Fallah and more than 1000 volunteers, he created the world’s first full-size Lego House, complete with working toilet, hot shower, and kitchen with fittings and appliances, including the kitchen sink.

After completing the 20 ft high house in the middle of Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Christina Fallah recommended Rodas Cleaning to clean the house before filming for ‘James May’s Toy Stories,’ broadcast on BBC2.

The Lego House took six weeks to build, and Rodas Cleaning were given only one day to complete the cleaning, inside and out.

When the team of five people arrived, access to the remote site was by a narrow farm track. They were working alongside the volunteers at what was still a building site. With their ‘can do’ approach, the team was undaunted by the tight deadline and, from experience, they knew that elbow grease, rather than harsh chemicals, would win the day. Unfortunately, the house was not completely watertight, so this added to the cleaning task, which took attention to detail and great care to make everything shine.

London-based Christina Fallah Designs created the colourful, modernist stripe design of the exterior and the interior furniture and fittings. Rodas Cleaning’s first task was to test spare Lego bricks to ensure that they remained colourfast during the cleaning process.

Fitments and fittings, made entirely from Lego (no cheating) also needed to shine.

‘Rodas did a sparkling job on this and the project gleamed!’
Christina Fallah

Unfortunately the Lego House had to be demolished after filming, as Denbies Wine Estate needed to access their vines to harvest the grapes. However, all the working fittings, lovingly cleaned by Rodas, have been preserved and there are plans to display them at a London gallery.

Famous East End cinema restored to its original art deco glamour

Rodas Cleaning Service Services was chosen to restore the original art deco style carpet of the Troxy Cinema in London’s Commercial Road in an extensive refurbishment of the building to a top conference venue and banqueting suite.

Ray Power, Proprietor of Rodas Cleaning Service Services, explains:

‘The building had latterly been used as a Mecca bingo hall. When the fixed seating was removed, colour differences and tracks made this a particularly challenging job. The original carpet matched the stunning classical art deco surroundings, and to replace it would have cost around £100,000.

‘The caretaker, who had been there for many years, told us he couldn’t remember the carpet every being cleaned.

‘We used a range of equipment and processes to match the colours and restore the overall texture of this vast 2000 sq. metre expanse of carpet.

Deepak Sharma, Managing Director of Troxy, a division of AhburnEstates, said:

‘We were delighted with the results Rodas Cleaning Service Services achieved. It was a key
part of the refurbishment which was meant to truly restore the former grandeur of the Troxy.

‘Not only did Rodas Cleaning Service Services do a fantastic job but they did it very cost effectively, at a fraction of what it would have cost us to buy a new carpet.

‘The ground floor of the Troxy is now open to the public who are, once again, able to savour its original beauty and grandeur. We are currently embarking on the next stage of the project, the full refurbishment of the Troxy’s first floor.’

The Troxy, whose motto was ‘Where East is best’, opened in 1933, seating over 3,500 people. The first film shown was King Kong and the last, in 1960, was The Siege of Sydney Street, based on true local events. It was also a live venue for top artists of its time like the Andrews Sisters, Gracie Fields, Petula Clark, and even Clark Gable. A young Vera Lynn, a local East End girl, made one of her first public appearances here.

Club One9Five, Epping, Essex

Saving money and keeping up appearances

When David King purchased Club One9Five in Epping, Essex, it had been closed for five months, following a redecoration programme. He was concerned about the appearance of the washroom areas and the carpets, which had never been cleaned.

He took the advice of Rodas Cleaning’s Ray Power, who convinced him that he had the expertise to restore the washrooms and carpets to ‘almost new’ condition.

Due to heavy foot traffic and the inevitable drink spillages, the carpets were extremely soiled, with many heavily stained areas around bars and tables. Ray was totally confident that he could bring the original carpets up to the high specifications of a prestige club visited by famous footballers and celebrities such as Jude Law, Pixie Lott and EastEnders’ star Jessie Wallace, who plays Kat Moon.

The team used a hot water extraction machine and a ‘Rotovac’ to clean the 100 square metres of carpet in 4 bars, lounges and around the dance floor. They also undertook deep cleaning of the toilet and washroom areas.

Ray drew up a cost-effective maintenance plan to clean the carpets every 3 months, keeping them looking good at all times,

‘I was absolutely delighted with the results and have taken out a long-term contract with Rodas Cleaning to clean Club One9Five on a regular basis. They provide a thoroughly professional service, and I cannot speak highly enough about them,’ says David

Rodas Cleaning Service
Cleaning with care