Here is the story....I have an upcoming job with approx. 10,000 sq. ft of carpet. The carpets have not been maintained on a regular basis and I am wanting some suggestions on how to approach. My first thought was to use the TM & HWE followed by post bonnet to reduce wicking. I would be using my new Cimex for the post bonnet. If I use this approach how many bonnets would I need on hand to ensure I don't come up short? My second question is, do I need to do all that? would I be ok just using the Cimex with the medium brush set and an encapsulator? I realize these questions seem basic but this is my first commercial job and I just received my Cimex 2 days ago so I have yet to turn it on.

Walt,

Did you get the machine from Ed York? Has he offered the suggestion of using it with bonnets in conjunction with HWE? Ed is a very smart man and he knows a great deal about carpet cleaning so maybe he has some good ideas in this regard.

However I am not a proponent of using the Cimex with bonnets for a commercial job like you've described here. And if you feel that you absolutely must perform HWE cleaning for whatever reason, then you might want to clean with encapsulation after you clean with HWE. After the carpet is totally dry i.e. the next day - you could clean it once more, this time using Spin Vac and the FiberPlus pads. The reason for the second cleaning is to finish off the carpet and remove any wicking that may have occurred.

However if the two-step HWE/encap process can be avoided - a simpler method would be to just go straight to encapsulation cleaning right off the bat. The Cimex/encap combination by all by itself has performed some pretty impressive stuff for us on some really ugly carpets. I’ve seen many carpets go from YUCK to WOW with the Cimex/Spin-Vac/Pad trio.

But if HWE cleaning must be performed, I would follow it with encapsulation as I've outlined above. Wishing you the best with your endeavor. Enjoy your new machine.


Rick Gelinas

If you go encapsulation cleaning forget the brushes, get pad drivers and Rick's fiberplus pads, does a much better job and you will use a lot less chemical.
This not what a chemical sales person wants to hear, however once you get on to this type cleaning you will be purchasing a lot more chemical.

I agree with Rick, If you just have your heart set on HWE, then do that first, and follow the next day or so with Encapsulation.
Also, if your hesistant to go in and "Just" Encapsulate the place, run a pile lifter prior to encapsulation.
I would also lean toward using the fiber plus pads, or hog hair pads.