Hi all - it's been suggested to me by a supplier that a great residential cc system is to pre scrub with cimex and releasit, and HWE afterwards. This apparently takes no longer than pre spraying, scrubbing with a rake and extracting, with the added bonus of not leaving any sticky stuff behind.
Any of you guys using this system? Is it as quick as that? Could soft brushes be used for this instead of pads?
I want to set myself up with the "best results" resi system I can but it needs to be quick and able to be used on all types of residential carpet - cut and loop pile (commercial too). Also wondering if the 15" cimex is better for this or whether better to get 19" to make the commercial stuff quicker.
Got money in my pocket and need to decide NOW...

How's that for 40 questions!
Cheers
Heathrow

Heathrow,

We have a few cleaners who use the Cimex in that fashion for residential cleaning.

Yes, the 15" Cimex is the way to go. You could use the soft brushes, that would be a good option. And yes, there is a benefit to using Encap-Punch, because any residue left in the carpet will continue to be extracted during the post vacuuming process, so you're cleaning with 2 methods (extraction and encap).

The added agitation of the Cimex will make your HWE rinse much more effective. And I agree that scrubbing with the Cimex is just about as fast as pre-spraying and raking. Another side benefit that you may see in some instances is if you pre-scrub the entire house with Encap-Punch you may find that some clean sections of the house will suffice with encap only and won't require a HWE rinse, so you'll save more time.

If I were a residential cleaner, the approach you're considering would be my preferred method. It would make it easier and more efficient to clean. And bringing the mighty Mex into a home would really set you apart from the competition.








Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

If it was me and I was only doing residential cleaning I would use a CBM such as the Windsor ICapsol.

IF I was doing a lot of both commercial and residential then I would get the Cimex and the ICapsol, a 19 inch Cimex. Money being an issue with only having to choose one for both situations I would go with a 19 inch Cimex it will get you where you are going faster.
I currently use either a CBM and a 20 high speed rotary
there is no way I would want to go any smaller.

I use my Sprint to pre-spray every HWE residential job I do.

I also use to apply protector at the end of jobs as well.

I get more comments about all the great equipment I use and how hard I work and how nobody has gotten their carpet cleaner since I started using my Sprint this way.

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

Del, a few questions. When I started out, I was doing resi by prespraying, scrubbing with a PILE Lifter, and HWE. Jeez, what a chore! Carting all these machines in and out was a backbreaker. Yes the carpet looked fantastic but it seemed to take forever. This is one of the reasons I started doing commercial pretty much exclusively.

Did a home the other day as a favor, did the prescrub thing, HWE, lots of furniture to move, $375 bill, 6 hrs. serious labor all by my lonesome. Think the homeowner thought I was moving in to stay. Sofa and 2 chairs added another $150 and 2 more hours to boot. They were cooking me dinner and fixing me up with a bed by then.

So, do you think you spend too much time in the homes you do all that scrubbing in, or do you make your cust. aware that it will take you longer? Do you get enough $$$ to make up for all the time it takes? I will say that the results are fantastic and this is the most thorough way to do the job, so maybe you have a faster way of doing this powerscrubbing than I do? Do you use a helper, maybe?

I have spent the last 20 years prespraying, scrubbing & extracting resi carpets. Only the chemicals have changed. Now I use Encap Punch. Scrubbing is NOT faster than prespraying. It is more effective than prespraying. There is now way a Cimex will be faster than a Hydroforce or battery powered sprayer. There is no way a sprayer can scrub & clean a carpet. It is the combination that works best. A rake just wears you out IMHO.
Extraction is better than not. But, as stated earlier, may not always be necessary.
Thank you for your attention.

Mark, I agree that a rake will wear you out. That is why I like the CRB machines so much, they do an excellent job of grooming. Also of scrubbing in pre-spray when necessary. Most of the time the CRB will do the complete job in residential that is not trashed.

Mark and Ray nailed it.  It is slower then a rake.  But I sweat about 1000% less using my Sprint.  Is it time consuming sure it is.  Would I rather just cimex GCD- sure I would.  But if they pay my rates for residential then I work- I am not the most expensive, but I am certainly not the cheapest.

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

OK so Rick - what's the difference between the Encap Punch and the Releasit? I gather that both can be left in the carpet? And if I had a 15" Cimex to do mainly residential (I think this size will be more manageable in and out of houses all the time), how much slower than a 19" will it be when I come to do a commercial job?

Heath,

Releasit is the BRAND NAME. You asked what's the difference between Releasit and Encap-Punch? All of our detergents are RELEASIT.

I'm sure you meant - what is the difference between Encap-Clean and Encap-Punch?

Encap-Clean is used in scrubbers such as the Cimex and cylindrical brush machines. It foams lightly and is a serious kick butt shampoo/encap product. It is designed to work perfectly in a shampoo type application.

Encap-Punch is a low foaming product. It is actually designed on a pre-spray architecture. It contains more solvency and more surfactants than Encap-Clean. It can be used as a pre-spray, as a HWE rinse detergent, and as a bonnet cleaner. And it is CRI approved. Punch has excellent cleaning power and it is ideal for any application where you will be doing HWE cleaning. A major benefit is that any residue left in the carpet after cleaning will continue to be recovered during the post vacuuming process, so you're cleaning with two methods of cleaning - the primary method = extraction and the secondary method = encapsulation.

The 15" Cimex is more maneuverable and it is a good 25 pounds lighter. For residential work it is a perfect machine. It will be slower on commercial, there's no getting around that. It just comes down to which direction you want to go in. If you feel that you will be more heavily focused on residential with occasional commercial work, then the 15" machine could work nicely for you. If you want to really target commercial, the 19" will serve you best. It just comes down to what you're marketing approach will be.

If you want to call me at the office I can assist you further. I will be available Tuesday afternoon, if you want to give me a call 1-800-330-1888. Talk to you soon










Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com