Rick, I would like you to please go into some detail about what we should be looking for in an encap product's ability to crystalize. I have used a lot of Releasit and have never had a complaint. I like the way it foams, cleans and smells. Recently someone encouraged me to try Vacaway's encap product because they said it would out perform the Releasit. So I tried it. It cleaned O.K., did'nt foam as much as Releasit and I think Releasit smells better. I compared the two in a crystalization test and here is what I found. The Releasit crystalized in pieces that could be easily scraped away from the container with a finger nail. The Vacaway crystalized in such a way that you could actually blow the crystals out of the container without touching them. I have been told that because of this the Vacaway cleaned carpet would stay cleaner longer because it would vacuum better. I am not so sure that this is true. I plan on sticking with Releasit but I must admit that I am curious about this whole crystalizing thing. Shed some light for us Rick.
P.S. Still lovin my Sprint. I think it is an under-rated piece of equipment.

Hey Joe:

Can you tell us how well the Sprint behaves?
In what kind of carpet do you use it?
What about the soiled and nasty areas?
What kind of brush is better?
What about the little edge brush?
How well is the perfomance of the pump?

Sorry for so many questions, but I am hesitating
between the sprint or the whittaker


Thanks, Jorge Schmidt
DryCare

Jorge,
I read, studied and talked to people for 6 months concerning cylindrical machines. I finally decided on the Sprint and I have'nt regretted my decision. I have used the Sprint on smaller encap jobs and have used it in residential settings also. It performed great in both areas. I use the standard brushes that it came with and they seem to clean just fine without any damage to residential carpet. The sprayer works very well. They told me at Excellent Supply that the spray would come out more narrow than the brush width but mine sprays the full width of the brush. But possibly my favorite thing is the collection tank. It is designed to collect the moisture from hard floors but I found out that it also collects some moisture from carpet also. This is great because not only are you getting the benefit of encapping you are also extracting some dirt also. For every gallon of solution it will collect around 5 to 10 ounces of dirty water. It collects the most from commercial glue down carpet. And for homes that have pets you will blow their mind when you show them how much pet hair you collect even after pre-vac. For filthy residential you would want to pre-scrub with the Sprint then extract with a pad machine or hot water extract. For large commercial or filthy commercial I use the Cimex. I don't have the side brush so I can't comment on that.
The only drawback that I see is the fact that you need to buy a dolly for transport. Other than that I think it is worth the money. I just hope it is built tough because I'm going to be using it a lot.

Joe,

Thanks for your wonderful
Sprint review. It surely
will help me in my decision

Jorge

I will start by saying that VacAway is a good product. And you are correct; the VacAway polymer is different than ours. Their polymer dries down to a lighter polymer. And as you observed Releasit dries more heavily.

So which is better? Each polymer type has different characteristics. The question is whether a lightweight polymer would be advantageous for carpet care (regardless of how it may be marketed). You may wonder, what difference does it make? Well an encapsulation polymer needs to have sufficient mass (or bulk) in order to draw and suspend soil. When an encap product is formulated with a lower polymer density its ability to hold soil can be compromised. Another concern would be the possibility of the lighter polymer becoming airborne. A couple of the encap products on the market have a lighter polymer. We've chosen to go a different path.

And keep in mind: you were no doubt comparing undiluted products. The polymer will be even thinner when it gets diluted down to the level you would use on the carpet. Hence the issue of polymer density becomes even stronger.

Releasit was formulated with a very specific target when it comes to crystallization. And while VacAway may be a decent product, we feel very positive about the polymer structure of Releasit and in the way it performs where it matters most (on the carpet). Releasit's crystallization is intense! Its cleaning performance is POTENT. And its soil resistance is exceptional.

I urge you to go ahead and compare Releasit with the other encap detergents on the carpet. The carpet can't lie. And as you evaluate real world results over time, you can determine which product cleans the best, and which product keeps the carpet looking cleaner longer.

We strive to produce the very best encap products. It matters to us that what we provide will aid in your success. And we do our level best to provide the tools to help you clean most efficiently. Releasit’s polymer is an example of that commitment.



Releasit: Dried in a petri dish

Rick,
Thanks for the reply. Makes sense to me.

Rick, Could you expain the differance between Stay Clean and Release it. Also what is the differance in "dry foam" cleaner?

Tim I don't want to get into a discussion about the competition's products. Stay Clean dries down differently than Releasit. And when we tested it a couple of years ago, it performed very differently. That's as much as I'll say.

Here's what I'd suggest. Get a sample of any other encap detergent and do some side by side testing...

1. First dry a tablespoon of it in a saucer to see how it will dry. Does it dry brittle, or does it dry sticky?

2. Next do a cleaning test: Take a scrap of carpet. Soil it with whatever you'd like to. I like to use Mountain Dew because it is soooo sticky. Then add dry dirt to the carpet. Brush the dirt in and let it dry. After the carpet is completely dry, vacuum it thoroughly. Now scrub the carpet with each detergent, mixed at the recommended dilution. After the carpet is completely dry, post-vacuum thoroughly. Now carefully compare the appearance to see which product cleaned the best. Next add more dry soil to the carpet and then re-vacuum the carpet. Now compare the carpet again to see which product resisted resoiling better.

This type of testing can be performed fairly easily. And it will demonstrate pretty clearly what you can expect from an encap detergent.





Rick Gelinas
encapman