I was reading another forum and happened apon a thread in which the author mentioned this:

"After soil is crystallized it will stay in the carpet. Your vacuum will extract some of it, but most likely less than 60% of it. The rest of it stays in the carpet. Now, the carpet looks good and is more resilient (stay’s looking nicer longer). However, if the carpet ever gets wet, the soil will be released from the crystallized state. Depending on how long it’s been since the last encap, it may crystallize again when it dries…but it may not. Also because the physical matter is still in the carpets, it can accelerate wear."

This gentleman says he got this info from Rick. I was just curious if it was true or not. I was always under the impression that crystallized dirt broke away from the fibers and could easily be vac'd up. Also, that re-wetting crystallized dirt wouldn't release it from the crystal.

I'm confused! Please, set me straight! Have I been giving info to clients that is incorrect?

my real world experience has been that i see no noticeable "resoiling" when ppl walk on my client's carpet with wet shoes (rain and ESPECIALLY snow).

the fella that posted that admittedly hasn't been encap'ing/cleaning carpet too long.

others may have different experiences.

i don't get on my hands and knees and peer at the tufts with a microscope. and i don't look at what is in the vac bag either.

clean appearing carpet don't lie...well at least not after several years. i've seen no "build-up" of soil. so where does the dirt go? in the vacuums i reckon. but i really don't lose any sleep over it. my clients are thrilled and that's what they pay me for year after year.

thanx --- Derek.

Looked at the carpet fiber all the way down to the backing after several encaps on a CGD. Clean as a whistle.No build up, No re-soiling with wet shoes. Cut pile same results.

cancel

That info is a little inaccurate. Perhaps the cleaner misunderstood.

The crystallized residue OF RELEASIT will break away from the fiber and will be recovered during the post vacuuming process. Will 100% of the residue come out during the very first vacuuming? Probably not. It will likely require a few vacuumings to get the MAJORITY of the crystalized residue to release and be recovered via post vacuuming.

A very cool aspect of our crystallized polymer in Releasit is that it can be re-solublized. If the polymer is re-wetted (say from another encap cleaning), the polymer will turn back into a liquid state. Then after the carpet is dry again, the polymer will re-crystallize. What does that mean for you? It means that the polymer can NEVER build up in the carpet. If there happens to be any remaining residue that did not get vacuumed out of the carpet, any future wet cleanings will start the crystallization process anew. In other words there is no way a build up can occur with Releasit.

You can test what I just said for yourself. Dry a tablespoon of Releasit in a dish overnight. In the morning, add a few drops of water to the crystallized residue in the dish and mix it around with your finger. You will observe that the polymer will return to a liquid state. Now let it dry again and it will again return to a crystalized state. So there is absolutely no way you can get a build up.

Any residue that may still be in the carpet (prior to post vacuuming) CAN NOT attract soil. There is no sticky residue. There are no villainous detergent remains left behind in the carpet (as there will be with any cleaning method). All of the components of the detergent as well as the soil are now encased in the dried polymer. There is simply a soil resistant polymer left in the carpet, waiting for post-vacuuming. The crystallized polymer is microscopic, and it is highly unlikely that there could be damage to any synthetic fiber from the polymer. Carpet fiber is more durable than that! And keep in mind that as the fiber bends, it will naturally fracture the polymer away from itself.

I hope this covers the questions/comments made by the cleaner on the other message board. Maybe you could add my comments to the post on the other message board. Thanks.







Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Thanks Rick, I will repost your response over there. Its always good to hear the facts from the man who has them!!!

Rick, how much crystal by volume is there in a gal of RTU Releasit left behind on a carpet that has been cleaned???

I don't have a number on that Danny.





Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

I'm glad to see you're an honest man, Rick. I would have made a number up for danny.

It's not like he could possibly have any real need for that information.

ROFL!

I can feel the "love" in here today.

Matt,

Thanks for adding my comments to the post on the other board.






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

42

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

the reason i ask that question is what if a customer is educated enough to ask it??? looking like a deer in the head lights isn't a good sales tool!!!

Rick, have you ever considered sending a carpet sample to a lab to gather this info???

PS i cleaned for a first time customer last week and when i brought in my vacuum, he smiled and said, i'm glad you do what it said you should on that web site i looked at when i started looking for a carpet cleaner. i have already booked 3 refeerals from this one customer and he tipped me $20 when i cleaned his home!!! Customers are more educated, so be prepaired to give TRUE answers!

You know what you get when you send a redneck to SFS?

Danny,

That's really isn't a question that gets asked. In fact it has never been asked, and I think I've heard most every encap questions that could be asked by now. If an answer to that question was relevant and readily attainable I would entertain pursuing the data. However there are too many variables involved here (i.e. fiber construction - olefin, vs nylon, vs wool ---- how wet was the cleaning --- etc). The variables are not constant, so I think we'd be hard pressed to extrapolate an answer that has any relevance to anything. Bottom line - I don't think we'll be pursuing that one.






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

28?

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care