...in between my quarterly visits.

not sure if i want to:

1) i order a case of spotter bottles and sell it to them?

2) give them the website addy / phone #, and they can do it themselves?
(but now they could buy their own equipment and train in house? or is that being paranoid?)

3) take a plain gallon jug (no labels) and sell it to them?
(this negates #2, but now that i think of it, what about MSDS? i could make my own label to put on it with Instructions and Cautions...)

what have you done in your biz? what other options do i have? am i worried for nothing?

thanx --- Derek.

Give or sell them spotter with your name and number on it. Make sure it is not the good stuff ha! ha!

Good question. I wouldn't think you to be paranoid just aware. What sort of liabilities would you be taking on in selling them spotter? Would you have to start collecting taxes, etc. Also, if there is a problem with chemical sensitivity, inappropriate usage, etc. How much legal help would you need to defend yourself. If you give them info on the chemical, how to acquire, etc. how easy will it be for them to start doing the work themselves? Is the PileMaster or GLS or Windsor Rombus or Challenger or Mist n Brush machine or Sprint or RotoWash or Minuteman CRB or CRB machines sold by Orbitec, CCSOP or Cobb that difficult to acquire/learn to use? Can you not tell them what you use in their facility? Just in case someone gets sneezy & wheezy?
Is there anyway of politely telling them of a product they can get at local dollar store or Health food store(Bi-O-Kleen products) that wouldn't compromise your situation? Good luck!
I've sure learned alot on this forum,for my in-house program. Thanks y'all! Cash and checks are also accepted.

I have been leaving a bottle of Encap-Spot with a small sticker containing my contact information however I like Dave’s idea suggesting to them Bi-O-Kleen products. You would be recommending a good quality product and not have to deal with your legitimate concerns.

yes that is a good idea, i see BoK on the store shelf locally for them to buy.

BUT, does BoK have an Encap product? not to my knowledge. i am not comfy recommending a non-encap product to ppl who know nothing about carpet care, let alone how to prevent wicking. without Encap i think they would make a bigger mess for me

thanx for the ideas thus far fellas!

much appreciated --- Derek.

Derek,
If an encap product is preferred, might check out the George Foreman line of cleaning products. I think I got a quart spray bottle of encapsulating cleaner at the local Dollar Tree. It seemed curious that encap had laready reached that far into the "civilian" society. Also, depending on your local your clients are probably being visited by local jansan sales reps. So you might check out: Hillyard's Double Down, Envirox Carpet Complete(Really pricey around here), Hydroxi Pro, Spartan has an encap spotter(I think, might be H2O2 instead), The Windsor encap product line of chemicals for their Rombus equipment "Red" something, National Chemical Labs (NCL) now has a complete line of carpet care chemicals for encap, spotters, concetrates, dry to a powder or crystal, that are dirt cheap around here. Check out the Parish Supply Website, also Polymer Concepts.
I understand what you mean about wicking, it is a bit more difficult to come up with encap products you could suggest without them following the trail back and finding out how reasonably priced the eqpmt. and user friendly the process is. Too easy for the general public to do themselves. Eventually Carpet Physician is going to catch on and we'll see encap in the grocery store. Hey have you seen the Advance AquaClean Extractor (FLX i think) line that has interim and restorative moisture settings? Interim setting reduces the psi/gpm and sucks it up be curious how encap punch would work in that? Seems like the carpet usually drys in about 30 to 45 minutes with the interim setting. Of course it is a traditional self contained single brush machine instead of CRB. Anyone encap with a Certified? Pile lift like normal dry, then spray on encap, unplug vac motor and agitate in chems, allow to dry and plug vac back in, then pile lift again(if needed).
Best of luck,

thanx Dave!

not a Pilelifter, but have used my Host with average results. i use it now for some spotting. have Zebra brushes i bought just for that and now i regret it and wish i bought the Black brushes...

well, before having them use something from a JANSAN, i would sooner have them call Excellent Supply and use a product i KNOW works. having tried some "generic" type Encap products in the past, they never do what Releasit does for me.

me got some thinking to do

thanx for all the advice fellas, i might just give them some of my resi spotter bottles to use, that have my co. name on it.

have a fantastic weekend all --- Derek.

Yeah! I used a HOST machine some years ago, with the Whittaker liquid. Same with regard to brushes, more aggressive the better the weight just isn't there. Was a nice tool for stairs though, the ability to take off the handle and use it that way. Now have switched to a Cyclo polishers with pads and brushes for stairs, sometimes a doodlebug with white pad. Cyclo is pretty nice for upholstery as well.

I have found NOTHING out there that does as well as Encap-Spot. Unfortunately Rick doesn't sell it in a give away size although I do give away quart bottles to those high dollar clients.

Derek if I remember correctly in previous posts you are familiar with CleanCraft products. Their Safe-Out spotter is real good. It's not an encap spotter but it works very well and does not attract dirt later on. I leave a bottle of that with all of my residential clients. It is sold in quart bottles or 8oz. bottles. I have used this for 5 years. For a while I went with an encap spotter from another distributor, it worked well however Safe-Out works a little better.

You would have to buy a case of it though.

I highly recommend, with confidence (emphasizing CONFIDENCE) Safe-Out. It's the next best thing to Rick's Encap-Spot.

Just another option for you.

thanx Richard.

Dave, yea i forgot about being able to take the handle off. for extra weight, someone on another forum recommended what he did, which was add some ankle weights to the machine.

i have heard good things about that Cyclo Polisher as well. does it work better on stairs than the Host or an Oscillating type buffer (which is what i use on stairs).

thanx --- Derek.

I would give them a quart bottle of quality encap with your business advertising on it.
Chances are it won't be used much, but you gave them the spotting capability they asked for.
No amount of spotting will cancel out the over all need for your quarterly cleaning.
Give your customer a SAFE spotter.
Some spotters have chemicals that are not compatible with or will react when you clean.

I'm amazed at what HAPPY customers tell me they got out with the spotter that I left them.

Yeah I think so. I've only tried an older Oreck(small 12" I think) on stairs. The pile lifting action of the HOST was probably better, but the ability of the Cyclo and it orbital action is pretty nice especially on the vertical part of the stair. One can get the HOST on its side but, it isn't as easy. Unfortunately, I've always been doing this along with another job so I tend to look toward things that allow me to be more of a marathon runner, rather than a sprinter. Again, though that is the beauty of encap.