Rick,

Do you have any observations regarding the recent article in Cleanfax on encap chemistry. I have heard the thought before of some products not drying down well and attracting soil. The article mentions adding "oils." I was told that adding flourochemical can cause this. I don't want to become a chemist but I thought you might have some thoughts about the information in the article.

David VB

Mark Warner is the national sales manager for The Bullen Cos., Inc., and brand manager for Clausen Carpet Solutions, makers of Stay Clean "encapsulation" detergent.

Could it be that the comments regarding fluoro-chemicals might possibly be based on the fact that Clausen's product doesn't contain fluoro-chemical?

Fluoro-chemicals are costly, and blending them to work properly in an encapsulation formula is a fine balance. It's understandable why some manufacturers leave them out. On the flip side, Releasit and several other manufacturers (including DuPont Resistech) recognize a benefit from employing good fluoro-chemistry. There are 4 benefits that come from utilizing a properly balanced fluoro-chemical. (1) It's easier for the encap polymer to release from the fiber. (2) The lower surface tension caused by the fluoro-chem adds to the surfactancy of the detergent (3) Wicking is reduced (4) A measure of soil resistance is imparted. And that is why Releasit is blended with a very effective fluoro-chemical.

Now here's what Mark Warner said about fluoro-chemicals in the CleanFax article...

"In the late nineties, fluorocarbon chemistry was introduced to carpet cleaning chemicals, often referred to “second generation encapsulation chemistry”.

The concept was to leave a protective-like substance behind on the fiber, causing dirt and soil to slide off the fiber like a fried egg slides off a modern frying pan.

The concept had great promise, but again had some pitfalls.

Also, the government had some concerns surrounding the long-term health effects of fluorocarbons. That debate still rages.

But on a more relevant note, they were found to be hygroscopic, meaning that they attracted moisture from the atmosphere. We have all witnessed this effect when watching ice-melt work in sub-freezing temperatures.

Another common experience is feeling the surface of a modern frying pan after it has been cleaned, dried and stored for days in a cabinet.

When you run your fingers over the surface, it feels slimy or oily on the surface.

In fact, it is neither of those that you feel. What you’re actually feeling is moisture attracted from the atmosphere, like the moisture attracted to the outside of a glass of cold water on a hot day.

It is this moisture attraction that caused a spike in carpet moisture during humid conditions and actually caused heavy re-soiling to occur."


So I guess we've all been damaging carpets by applying protectors to our customers carpets. LOL


It's unfortunate to see an article get published that's more geared toward the sales interests of the company who wrote the article than to providing factual information that cleaners can use.






Rick Gelinas
encapman

Another item in the article also deserves clarification:

Mr. Warner stated this in the sidebar....
"Many people don’t realize the negative impact of perfumes or fragrances in their carpet cleaning chemicals."

There could be some truth to this assertion - (providing that there was enough fragrance oil in the product to leave behind a residue). However this is preposterous considering that the amount of fragrance used in a typical detergent amounts to DROPS, not ounces.

What do the facts show with regards to fragrances in cleanig products? Just about every carpet cleaning product that has ever been sold has some type of fragrance added to it. That's part of what manufacturers do to present a pleasing product. When we approached this in the development of Releasit, we chose to add a fragrance that could impart some benefits to the product, rather than just adding a filler. We wanted to add more than just a good smell. I had known about the benefits of Tea Tree extract for years. And that's why we selected Tea Tree.

According to the Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Sharon Crawford...
"Tea tree oil's natural solvent properties make it an excellent biodegradable cleaning product".
So what we have with Tea Tree is a scent that adds cleaning performance. Tea Tree is a terpene so it can boost solvency. That's a plus, not a negative.

Mr Warner's sidebar went on to say regarding fragrance oils...
"In fact, these oils will never dry into a powder on their own and greatly impact a cleaning chemical’s ability to dry fast and completely."

To that end, I'd like to encourage anyone to dry a tablespoon of Releasit in a saucer on your counter overnight. In the morning you'll find a beautiful brittle polymer awaiting you that breaks up and flakes from the dish. See if you find anything sticky whatsoever in what is left in the dish.

Next test Releasit on the carpet. Clean a section and walk on it for several days. Compare the results with other detergents. Examine the carpet for resoiling. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Mark Warner is a really nice guy. And I know he has a job to do in promoting his product. However I think most folks are wise enough to recognize the direct sales angle behind what was written in this article.





Rick Gelinas
encapman

Tee Tree is a Turpene, so it can Boost Solvency...Know I know how to "Kick it up a Notch" when I come to those oily carpet, perhaps....25 drops in my solution tank, hmmmm

Those are the exact issues I wanted you to comment on Rick. I have a local supplier who is having an encap product private labeled for him and that is all the sales pitch he has been sold on. It never made sense to me.

I think it is very regrettable that so many articles in the trade journals are just thinly veiled advertisements. We used to have more articles from seasoned cleaners like Joey Pickett or Doug Bowles or Barry Costa etc.

Rick, you can thank me later for feeding you that question. And thanks for your response.

David VB

I was more interested in the part of the article heading Breakthruough Chemistry. Where is says this new third generation encap cleaners are using entirely new solvents and surfactants. These dry down to a powder not a crystal like form, and actually fall off the carpet as dust.
If I understand the article correctly he is saying that this new chemitry dehydrates the grease and soil as it dries, turning it into dust like powder that would certainly be easy to vacuum up, leaving the carpet totally residue free like when it was new. He also states that this new chemitry allows us to do deep restorative cleaning on heavily soiled carpets. If this is true that is quite a benifit for all of us.
So the big difference then, is that it doesn't crystalize and encapsulate the dirt, it turns it into a powdery dust. That is different than what we are doing now if that is true.
This would mean that a counter rotating brush machine (which he actually mentions in the interview) or cimex or maybe even a rotary with a brush would be all you would need to scrub the cleaner into the carpet and let the chems do there work on basically any carpet.

Jim E

Hey Jim,

Are we honestly to believe that dirt can be dehydrated into dust?

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but IMHO transforming solid matter from one form to into another form sounds like something more in line with what the Creator can do.

Let's think about this for a moment: What types of soil can be transformed from a solid to a powder?... Oil based soils? Sugar based soils? Detergent residues? Food dyes? Synthetic dyes? Etc? Each soil type has different molecular structure, so how can various soils be dehydrated into powder without using a variety of different chemicals? Logic indicates that this is not likely going to happen.

And if amazing new raw chemicals were to hit the market capable of transforming all kinds of solids into powder, wouldn't there be a flood of new cleaning products on the market utilizing this incredible new technology? Wouldn't the vendors of raw chemicals want to sell these new ingredients to more companies than just the Bullen Co?

Consider a possible explanation for some of the statements made by a few of the manufacturers who are endeavoring to make encap products...

According to Webster, the definition of "Encapsulate" is…
1 : to enclose in or as if in a capsule
The definition of "encapsulation" describes enclosing something in a capsule. How can we enclose something in a capsule when there's nothing in the formula to accomplish this task?

Recent advancements in polymers have made encapsulation of soil in carpet possible. A number of companies are using these new polymers to build encap detergents. Properly formulating these polymers into a detergent enables soil to be ENCAPSULATED and recovered in the post-vacuuming process. This polymer is the vehicle that encapsulates soil and carries the soil away from the carpet. The soil can not be held in suspension for post-vacuuming if there's insufficient polymerization taking place. And if there's a weakness on the part of the polymer, the encapsulation process will fare badly.

Here's the problem that I see...
It seems that some of the encap manufacturers who have brought their new encap offerings to market are having trouble getting their product to dry down as it should. Here are two possible reasons for the polymer failure. First of all, it's tricky to get the correct balance so that a product will dry down to a brittle crystal. A lot of the time the detergent will dry down like gooh. In other cases the detergent will stick to the dish like a barnacle. We struggled long and hard to get our products to dry the way they do. Secondly, it's costly to add sufficient polymer to the formula to get a brittle dry down to occur. I know what the costs are for the polymer we use and it ain't cheap!

My guess is that some manufacturers may be resorting to using buzz words (such as "film former" and "third generation") to try to get around the fact that their product doesn't contain a polymer that dries down to a brittle crystal-like structure.

In the interest of establishing what an encap product can truly accomplish, the best thing to do is TEST the product yourself. Dry the product in a dish to see how it actually dries down. Does it form a brittle polymer that resembles a crystal that breaks up easily? Then clean a carpet and see whether the carpet cleans easily and resists resoiling. In this simple way you can determine for yourself which products work as they should. This is the best way to cut through hype and establish the truthfulness of whether or not you're going to get the results you expect.






Rick Gelinas
encapman

Thanks Rick, You are a better teacher than those I had school. I certainly have a better understanding of your product now.

Great info Rick


I am not sure but I am sure you know Clausen has been making that product for sometime now.
It maybe reformulated now I do not know , but I remember using their Stay Clean product several years ago when I was testing out several chemicals for SD company and The Clausen product was also on the list. Funny I found that the product worked better as a low moisture encap product then it did as a prespray product.

Because I seen the anti resoiling properties first and in one of my APT complexes with the Clausen this was over 4 years ago I desided to search to see if there was better product for this type of cleaning. A few years later we found Releasit.

I have to agree that most of us can see a soft sales pitch when it is handed up.

I will say that your focus on encap only products for the most part has put you head and shoulders over your competion, not to mention your great service.

a dust huh???? one other thing to think of....

when you pull up a carpet to replace it what do you see under there???

yup the smallest sediment...dust if you will

personaly i would rather vac up a small crystal form that may be hanging out in the fiber, then to try and go down and get "dust" that has fallen through the cracks....just me


ohhhh and i hate when my local jan, carpet, suppliers pull this kinda crap on me....pushing(and i do mean pushing) their product while trying to sound liek the know it alls...really annoys me