Ray and Shorty- Got to tell you reading your post on using the Makita and Punch has taken me from dreading upholstery to marketing for it. Gotta love the internet FREE education I use the Makita 80% of the time for upholstery and many times for stairs. Just want to say Thanks did a sectional couch and chair along with 6 rooms of carpet today, couch and chair both in under an hour, dry before I left.

Jeff, I sure do love the Makita 9227-C. I bought mine at Lowe's for $200 and I know that I have cleaned enough furniture with it to have brought in $18000.00 in revenue in the last 24 months, and that sweet little machine still runs like new and I am still using the same 6- 7" 100% cotton bonnets (with elastic bands to hold them on) that I bought from Plus Mfg. I have done a couple of sofas with my son's unit he bought from Harbor Freight for, get this, $29 and Ricks 8" white fiber plus pads, and it worked good. It will never last 2 years, but he can buy 6 of them for what I paid for mine. I still would not trade 6 of the Harbor Freight units for 1 Makita

Ray there are two 9227-C models the CX3 and the CY, which one do you have?

http://www.mytoolstore.com/makita/mak08-02.html

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

Jeff, glad to see another convert and pleased that I was able to help in some small way.

I give credit to where I learnt most of what little I do know, to Gary H Heacock and Ray Moody.

These ARE the true masters in this industry.



Del, I use the CX-3, the handle on top gives you so much more control when going over edges, around corners and under arms.

Also, with the carry box I have, I do not have to remove the handle it each time I put Big Mak to bed.

I always have spare bonnets in the carry box, and NEVER put damp ones in there, helps stop the rust.

A lot of the time, especially when doing backs and sides, I use it one hand only.

Squeeze the trigger, push the button in, then just guide it along.

Big Yella and Big Mak have made the most significant increase to my bottom line EVER, apart from fabric protection.

With the high humidity we suffer here most all year round, these two machines have given me new found confidence to clean even when it is raining heavy & the humidity is so thick, a knife wouldn't cut it

Cheers,

Shorty.


I've seen the light, and changed my wicked ways.
www.get.shorty.com.au

Del, I have the CY unit.

Jeff,

I have the same set up with a brush attachment. I need to get the bonnets. I've been such a jacka$$. I've turned down 2 upholstery jobs because I felt embarrassed to use the drill. That’s going to change.

Mo-
I use the small tuways from Excellent supply on upholstery and on stairs I use a combination I use the fiber plus pad left from my Cimex (used ones cleaned in the washing machine) for prescrub followed by the tuways. Only comments I ever got was "that seems better than just throwing water on it" and of course "its almost dry already the last time we had it cleaned it was wet for hours" Like shorty I keep in the soft bag it came with I also have 5 tuways/3 fiber plus pads, extention cord and upholstery brushes all fit nicely

Can't buy into encap on furniture, have done the odd chair or two but for large jobs our small portable HWE is faster and a lot less hassle, and please tell me who is going to ever post vac chairs. We all know that most chairs we are asked to clean just need a good vacuuming

Being new to the cimex and encap chems and procedures, how can I find out how the upholstery is done. Is there a video or something? Do I need to know the secret handshake first? Have done 'em a long time with hwe. Like to learn what this is about.

dave

Dang it. You guy's are gonna force me to give this a try.

Knowing it won't work.

Dave, have a look at this...........................

http://www.network54.com/Forum/228309/message/1191359320/Little+Mak


My process follows NORMAL cleaning practice which involves simple, common sense.

Inspect fabric for any problem areas or concerns and bring it to the customers attention before starting.

Place drop sheets on floor.

Thorough vacuum of all pieces including deck, back, sides, kick panels and cushions.

If the customer is home, we make sure that they are in the room talking to us as we LAY THE PIECE ON IT'S BACK AND VACUUM UNDERNEATH.



All the above is what would normally be done in any situation.

I work with my trouble 'n strife, Del;

She will pre-spray the main frames first, then I will clean them.

She does not spray so far ahead that the Releasit dries.

She does not over apply the Releasit, otherwise you have excess foam going over everything.

After I have cleaned a piece, she towels it down to help extract more soil & to help set the pile.

She sets up small air movers to help dry, blowing across the fabric, not directly onto it.

I set up a table on the drop sheets, this table has custom made legs for my height to eliminate back strain.

She pre-sprays the cushions, I clean them, she towels them down as per above, then places them tent-like on the furniture they belong to, still with the air movers blowing across them.

It's almost like production work, we work the same way on each job, we both know what we are to do.

If she stuffs up with something, I pick it up, and if I stuff up, she will pick it up in the final towel down.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Shorty.

I've seen the light, and changed my wicked ways.
www.get.shorty.com.au

you did 6 rooms a couch and a chair in less than an hour?? What process did you use to clean the 6 rooms?
Man, thats fast.