your crew / fleet? how many vans? mostly resi or comm?

inquiring minds want to know.

thanx --- Derek.

I have 3 part timers, 2 GMC 3/4 vans, with 55% residential and 45% commercial at this time. I have found over the years it is much easier to work crews in the commercial field. I have been trying to grow the commercial end but my residential keeps growing w/o advertising. We are 95% encap, using the CRB machines in residential. Some times we post pad using a 320 rpm bonnet machine, but not very often. The customer response to CRB/Encap has blown me away. It seems like we make a cheerleader every time we get a new customer. Most of our work is 90% repeat/referral. I almost forgot the most important part of our business. For over 20 years in this business, I have always had a knowledgable live person answering our business phone and booking calls. We estimate all resi. on the phone and I call on all comm. to estimate/demo in person.

Derek, Your questions have taught me how to clean carpets...Ray, if you use CRB do you post vac often?

Bob, About 30% of the time, post vac will be necessary. When we post vac after the CRB, we use a wand w/crevice tool to pick up the dust bunnies/clumps/hair balls or whatever you want to call them. In a 3 BR house it should be 10 minutes or less. Another option is to put dirt cups on the CRB machine to eliminate post vac.

Ray, Is the vac a wet/dry vac or just a normal vaccum cleaner? Today I cleaned a condo with my mex and decided to post vac because of lint. The results were great but I am a little leary about using a vaccum cleaner on a damp carpet. Should an upright wet/dry be invented?

Hi, Ray is way more knowledgable than me, but I just wanted to let you know that I always post vac after the Cimex on residential carpet. I think post vacuuming is the best way to groom the carpet, and as you said, for the lint or fuzzies. I use a Windsor Versamatic for post vac, and it works great. I strictly use that one for post vac. For the best performance I clean out the fuzzies and build up under neath in the brush roll area before I pre vac- that way I can just vacuum all that crud up that I cleaned out, and my post vac is ready to go after I clean. I've tried a sanitare for post vac, and I didn't like the pattern it left. The Versamatic leaves a really nice looking pattern, and customers love it. I've been told that it won't mess up the encap either. Sorry this is so long, OH,and by the way, I've found that on a larger job if the carpet gets pretty dry before you post vac, it's way harder to push the vac, and also I think it looks way better if you post vac real soon after you clean as it leaves a distinct, nice looking pattern.

Wayne Schermerhorn

I'm sorry, I forgot to say that there is no need to worry about vacuuming a damp carpet as I and many others have been doing this for years. I use to post vac when I did bonnet cleaning, and the OP guys post vac all the time. It's not dangerous, and it doesn't interfere with the encap I've been told. The man himself told me that- Rick G.

Wayne Schermerhorn

Good advice Wayne. As long as you keep the brush roller clean and do not vacuum when the carpet is too damp, you should be alright. Uprights were designed to vacuum up dry soil. Too much damp air will shorten the life of the motor. A upright with a by-pass (dirt and air go thru the bag before it gets to the motor) are the best.

Thanks Wayne and Rambo...I checked-out the Windsor and it does look nice. Rambo, can you give some examples of the vacs w/ the bypass? Also I thought a bagless might be better.

At first I thought this may be adding a step, but then I thought this could take the place of the grooming rake, which I like, but always have to worry about knocking over on to Mrs. Landis's glass table...ouch!

I was using a Hoover Conquest to post vac and the motor went out in just a few months. We're now using a Sanitaire. I understand that they or the Powerflites hold up well to dampness. I don't do a lot of post-vacing so we'll see. I am getting to the same place in that I would rather post vac than rake.