There is a conversation going on down on the Oz Forum, basically asking about machines.

However, a cleaner mentioned that he uses brushes instead of pads.

Here's a portion of his spiel.................


"I find the brushes a lot more convenient and they actually scrub the carpet fibre and not gloss over the top".

He then went on to say that he hasn't used pads for at least twelve months, (when he lost a drive board/pad holder, and was to tight to buy a set, just wanted one).


I would be interested to know the general concensus of the on-going battle between pads and brushes.

Which, and why, is your preference. ??

Personally, I use different pads or brushes for different fibres, not one for all.

Looking forward to some interesting replies.

Thanks,

Shortestwun down under.

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

If he likes brushes better - he's certainly entitled to his viewpoint. But I think his viewpoint is not shared by many. It sounds more like this to me. He lost a driver. He chose not to get a new one at the time. And now he would like to convince himself (and others) that he made the right decision. Kind of like the guy who buys a particular model of a car - and then goes around telling everyone how great that car is. Is he trying to convince them - or is he trying to convince himself? [Just a thought]

Now on to the question at hand: Why do pads work better than brushes (in most cases)?

Brushes:
Brush bristles bend over sideways under the weight of the machine. The assumption that the bristles penetrate the fiber in fact isn't the case. Rather you are just scrubbing the carpet with the sides of the bristles. Added to that, the bristles are lubricated with shampoo. So what you're scrubbing with are the sides of slippery bristles. Not much agitation going on there. And agitation is what we're looking for when it comes to encap scrubbing.

Pads:
Pads make full contact with the surface of the carpet. As opposed to slippery sides of brush bristles (as described above), they're connecting with the carpet fiber. The pads contain a plethora of fibers - and it's that plethora of fibers that connects with the carpet fiber. Try this - lay a shampoo brush and a Fiberplus pad side by side on the carpet. Now press down on them with each hand and try to slide them across the carpet. This exercise will demonstrate which one "grips" the carpet better. And it's the grip that matters. So what we're actually doing is we're gripping the top of the fiber and MOVING the tuft bundles. In fact the tuft bundles are being moved and they rub against each other. This is similar to when you spill some lunch on your shirt and then go to the sink and rub the cloth together between your hands to remove the spot. One final way to illustrate the effectiveness of using a pad over a brush is this: If you wanted to scrub a grimy pan in the kitchen, you could use a brush, but most of us would agree that one of those scrubby pads works much better. Why? Same reason - SURFACE CONTACT. It's all about surface contact and the pads just do a better job than a brush for that.

Fiberplus brand pads:
Fiberplus pads are designed with a special binder material that helps them to hold up to the rigors of carpet scrubbing. They also have the correct balance for carpet agitation - not too aggressive, but aggressive enough to be efficient. The regular beige pads are the right choice for all types of commercial carpet. These pads will usually last approximately 7,000-10,000 sq ft. The gray Fiberplus Max pads are good for durable commercial carpet (like an olefin loop). They're about 20% more aggressive than the beige FP pads, however they also wear about 20% faster - so there's a trade off.

So that's the long version. You can add my comments to the discussion Down Under Thanks for asking Shorty.










Rick Gelinas

CLICK HERE TO TAKE A FUN 1 MINUTE SURVEY

If I am using brushes it is for two reasons

1 delicate rug, two deep down crud in the carpet, this a CBM is used though.

It too me a while to try Ricks suggestion on using pads, but once I did the brushes only get used in rare instances

I did a side by side test in a church auditorium. Did 1/2 of the room with the cimex brushes, did the other with fiber plus pads.

When finished, got on the platform overlooking the carpet from the front and the difference was very noticeable.

The fiber plus side looked a good 30% cleaner.

So I then had to redo the side I did with brushes using fiber plus pads.

I wish that the brushes would have won, which would mean one less cleaning item to purchase. But alas, the proof is in the pudding.

We use pads all the time with the exception of area rugs, then we will use the soft brushes on the Cimex to precondition prior to cleaning.

I posted Rick's comments, (which all made perfect sense to me) on the Aussie forum.

It seems one just can't help some people.

Thanks for trying Rick, and others.

Another question:

Am I to be considered a "PADDER" because I use Fiberplus Pads for in excess of 90% of my work ?

Or do I have to "brush up" on my wording once again.

I thought a "PADDER" was a Big John G type. ??

Thanks for the helpful comments guys.

Ooroo,



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