I've read some post about how to approach your HWE customers and convert to VLM. I did it today very smooth. Explained that part of Green Cleaning was the use of less water, less chance of wetting the pad and causing mold/mildew issues or adding humidity to the home. I explained it used 1/10th the water of HWE, quick dry. Had her attention and she watched the first room I invited her in to see the results as they happened she was truly impressed, even more so on how soon it dried and we oved furniture in place. Easy to convert if you communicate the benefits and involve the customer.

Not to be offensive but the whole create mold/mildew issue is shooting yourself in the foot for future work.  You may have to HWE at some time and now you have scared them -or- made them think you will say anything to sell whatever you want to sell.

Trust me I love my Cimex, and it is sooooooooooo much easier then lugging out my porty.  But is you have EVER created Mold and/or mildew you have been doing HWE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY wrong and need to take some classes.  I personally don't think that is your case, from what I know you are very experienced in carpet care.

Everything else is very sound and I salute you for your efforts- just don't hurt the industry as a whole to accomlish your goals.  That sounds like a page out of Chem-Dry's book with the mold deal.

Just tell your probable purchasers that you have ALL of the industry approved methods at your disposal and that you will gaurantee them clean carpet and satisfaction.  Then clean the dickens outta their carpet.

"Don't tell the world what you can do, show them".- Henry Ford.

Sorry if that came out too bluntly.  I'll get off my soap box and sit down like a good little boy now.

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

Good point Del, when I was discussing that issue I used as a possibility with some cleaners overwetting. But your probably right in avoiding the issue.

Same as Del said, be careful never know when it will come back to bite you.

That sounds like a great option for the homeowner. There are obviously MANY people out there that are paranoid about HWE, as evidenced by Chemdry's success. Image how excited these will be to have a very effective low moisture alternative.

I personally think that if customers see how easy it is for THEM to have there carpets cleaned VLM, they might want it done more often.

By the way, what machine did you use to encap?

I used the OP system I use my Hos(Vento)

In all honesty, Jeff is right. Too many soakers out there NOT to explain the issues of over-wetting carpets.

In fact, it is not only a great sales tool to explain...it is in fact the truth.

The guys to which Jeff refers are likely NOT on these forums. their owners may be...but even that is doubtful.


a similar argument is/can be made about OP methods and tip bloom. The bottom line as I see it, explain the method YOU will use NOW...and why IT may be better.

I know Jeff has many methods...and uses them as needed. I see..and value his point.

Further, i can recall when competitors of fast food were always bashing one anothers products...much like the political figures do today....I don't see jeff subscribing to that type of hype...but clearly explaining the main differences.

I will go tie myself to a tree now for the public flogging.

Seems funny to me but good HWE will be dry as fast as most VLM systems, as a matter of fact, the last Connections I went to a seminar on VLM cleaning was all about any system that drys carpets in 2 hours would be considered low moisture cleaning. Please define low moisture cleaning to this old timer.

Don-
An example of low moisture definition is this example, I cleaned over 1000 SF + Stairs on a job today, total water usage approxamently 5 gallons of water for my pads, I keep my water around 180-200 degrees so I can benefit from the hot water, the pad agitates the carpet absorbs the soil I rinse in the water so its still kind of HWE but mush less water. This was in a mentally challenged assited living facility so hoses running through the homes can't happen, noise levels can also be a problem. This allows me to clean almost in a stealth atmosphere. These homes get trashed food stains, blood, medicine,feces etc. the agitaion removed them all restores the pile where severly matted. Afte I'm done with one level I post vacuum to remove debris and soil I agitated up from deep down and groom as well. With the heat I used and low moisture it was dry in under an hour. Hope this helps. I always have managers watching and commenting they can't beleive it came out and is dry already, always nice to hear.

Man, you are making me seriously consider doing OP. I am having the hardest time convincing myself to use this method. What made you decide to give it a shot?

The biggest fears I have with OP are the tip bloom that people talk about, and convincing a customer that it can clean even better than they are used to. I guess you could take care of that with a demo.

As for tip bloom, what do you need to know in order to avoid this?

Also, does OP take longer than HWE? Heard it's pretty slow.

Thanks.

I got into OP after purchasing my Cimex and reading plenty on the subject. As for tip bloom scared the He-- out of me as well, when in doubt I use the glides under my pad reduces the aggressiveness of the pad, also spend the extra $ and buy glad pads or Ricks equvilant I also like the microfibre pads both reduce the chance of tip bloom, keep the machine moving, and like all systems practice, when in doubt start in a unnoticed area closet etc. but its easy to get used to. I have used a portable all along due to the accounts I have and can't leave doors open. Today I did 1039 Sf + stairs and move furniture, pre vac, post vac all by myself 3 hours and really did not rush the job. I don't really care for the cotton pads they don't last as long as the others and I only use on berber because they are more aggressive

I have been asking for years for a clear definition of "VLM" I say it does not have anything to do with the equipment or chemicals used, or how much water is used. If you clean a 12 x13 vacant bedroom in a residential setting and you raise the humidity in that room more that 8% from the time you enter it to clean it and the time you left it, you are not cleaning VLM (very low moisture)This is my take, from the Book of Rambo,Chapter 11, verse 9 & 10

Rambo I went to Vegas just to attend a workshop on VLM cleaning, and this is the net result of that seminar " if you can dry a carpet in 2 hours it is vlm" now I can't put into words how this disturbed me because according to them I suggested that they change their name to the "Fast Drying Method" because it had nothing to do with low moisture as I would understand the meaning of low moisture. To me it should mean a system that uses less moisture than traditional HWE cleaning I might add in that seminar I attended they got all caught up in how different parts of the country carpets would dry faster than other parts, the whole thing was a joke and I wasted my money even going to attend the crap