What pushed me toward teaching was seeing bad information online.

There are a lot of so-called “gurus” out there teaching methods that ignore safety, environmental impact, and long-term damage. And the problem is, people trust it.

Quite frankly, that didn’t sit right with me.

One day I was complaining about the latest bad advice I saw to my good friend and IICRC instructor, Ann Bedwell. She recognized my passion on the subject and suggested I look into becoming an instructor.

What drew me to the IICRC is that it has established a set of standards built on the consensus of experienced professionals across the cleaning and restoration industry. There’s no one “guru” saying “do it my way,” but rather a set of best practices that have been vetted and approved by industry peers.

When I teach cleaning hard surface floors, I don’t just teach “the Robert Falzone way.” I also teach methods that I wouldn’t personally use, but are recognized as acceptable methods in the standard.

That means my students don’t just know one way of getting the job done, they know all the ways to get from point A to point B and can choose the way that works best for them.

The biggest misconception technicians have is that these surfaces are indestructible. They’re not.

Take ceramic and porcelain, for example. Most technicians think that because it’s manmade, nothing can damage it. But strong chemicals, high PSI, or aggressive pads can absolutely wear away the thin glaze layer on these materials.

Once that glaze is gone, it’s gone. There’s no fixing it—you can’t re-glaze the tile.

I also see confusion around stone identification. Polished limestone, for example, is often marketed as marble. Geologically speaking, though, they’re not the same thing. So knowing the difference is critical.

Stone falls into three categories: Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Igneous. There are 50+ types of stone, but they all fall into those three buckets. Once you understand those, you know how to approach cleaning.

Hands down, using the wrong chemistry, especially chelating agents.

Those are great for carpet because they pull out dirt and minerals. But on stone, they can leach minerals out of the surface itself.

Now you’re not cleaning. You’re damaging the material. And most technicians don’t even realize they’re doing it.

Another issue is using one product for everything. You wouldn’t use the same shampoo for your hair, your car, and your dog, but people try to do that with cleaning chemicals.

You need products designed specifically for the surface you’re working on.

A lot of technicians try to clean with the wand. But the wand is for RINSING.

If you’re relying on the wand to do the work, you’ve already lost. 95% of cleaning happens before the rinse step. If your chemistry, heat, agitation, and dwell time aren’t right, you’ll work harder and get worse results.

Another big mistake is skipping dry soil removal.

If you don’t remove dry soil first, your chemicals turn it into mud. And now you’re fighting against yourself.

I also see overuse of high-pH chemicals. They have their place, but using them all the time can damage surfaces, create health risks, and lead to callbacks.

You don’t need harsh chemistry to get good results if you’re doing the fundamentals right.

If you’re willing to expand, there’s real money in doing this well.

When you understand surfaces, you’re not just any old carpet cleaner anymore. You can walk into any home or business and identify everything—carpet, stone, tile, LVT, concrete—and know how to clean it.

Not only does that make you more confident in your work, but it opens the door to additional services and upsells on every job.

IICRC classes like Floor Care Technician (FCT) or Stone, Masonry, and Tile Care Technician (SMT) are the ideal starting point for anyone looking to learn about proper hard surface care.

I want my students to walk away with tools to make more money!

I’ve had students go from one-truck operations to building multi-million-dollar businesses. I know technicians making $10,000 a month using what they learned in my classrooms.

But it’s not just about money. It’s about confidence.

A marble floor can last a lifetime, but one wrong move can destroy it. I want my students to know how to do the job right and protect what they’re working on. If I can stop even one person from damaging a floor, that’s a win.

Knowledge is generational. If it’s not passed down, it gets lost.

The IICRC helps preserve that through standards, but we still need instructors to carry it forward. I’ve seen more than a few instructors retire and take their knowledge with them.

I actively encourage people in my classes to consider becoming instructors. If you have the desire to teach others, I’d love to help you on your journey.

First, check your ego. If you have an ego, don’t become an instructor. You need to genuinely want to help people learn.

Second, find a mentor. I had the good fortune of learning from my good friend and mentor Dane Gregory of 3D Corporation, who has over 30 years of experience in the professional cleaning industry as a business owner, trainer, and sales manager. Having a more experienced instructor to help guide you through the process is invaluable, and I am extremely grateful to Dane for his mentorship and support.

Third, you’ll need an IICRC-approved manual. If you don’t want to write your own (which can be pretty daunting), you can typically work with another instructor and for a small licensing fee, you can use their manual and support materials.

Lastly, you’ll need good presentation skills. Whether you’re teaching live stream or in-person, you’ll be using Power Point throughout the day to help students learn. So being comfortable building and flipping through slides and speaking to groups of all sizes are important skills.

A lot of my time is spent in ministry work and with my congregation. I also am a volunteer minister at a prison.

I enjoy gaming on the Xbox, traveling with my wife, and sharing what I know online.

I also create AI-driven content. You’ve probably seen videos of me or my dog, Barkeroni, getting up to all sorts of crazy adventures to promote my classes and reach new audiences.

At the end of the day, I consider myself an influencer, but not in the traditional sense. I want to influence people not to ruin floors!

Robert Falzone’s training focuses on helping technicians:

• Understand surface materials at a deeper level
• Avoid costly and irreversible mistakes
• Expand into higher-value services like stone, tile, and LVT

His approach blends industry standards with real-world experience, giving students both the “why” and the “how” behind the work.