First off---Hello to all--I am new to this board but not new to carpet cleaning (kinda) had my own carpet cleaning business in early to late 90's back then it was a portable extractor and a 175 with a mounted solution tank and carpet brush--method was --pre vac -- cleaning solution in tank of 175 (but not shampoo) to much foam--then extract with portable--always worked great never had a problem or a carpet i couldn't clean--just got back into carpet cleaning about a year ago--boy have the chems changed-current equipment consists of a mytee M5 portable with mytees hot turbo external heater, rotovac 360i with standard head that comes with it & also purchased the carpet brush head - and a hydro force sprayer, and of course another 175 rotary with carpet brush and solution tank-pretty much use the same method with exception of sometimes will put pre spray in tank of 175 apply and agitate at same time or will pre spray with hydro force sprayer then agitate with 175 or 360 with carpet brush- just depends on the carpet type and soil level, then of course finish with rinse and extract--well this method is fine with residential- however after doing this on commercial i find carpet looks great when done but after it dries is where i run into the wick back problem no matter how much i extract out using many dry pasess--I'm wanting to get into more commercial then residential and after reading this board and many others it seems low moisture is the way to go-either encap or using the dry compound stuff, master blend seems to have a good dry compound ( micro sponge) stuff, not knocking but don't want to go down the pad/bonnet path due to not wanting to have to have a bunch of those things to have to clean all the time-- I like the cimex machines but I am not 20 years old anymore and don't want something that heavy so cimex is out for me fore sure the 175 is heavy enough--So i am really wanting one of those 20 inch CRB machines with the collection thingies so bad i can taste it for a few reasons--can encap or use the dry compound stuff with it plus they are not too heavy, would make use of it to agitate pre spay on residential and a good pile lifter as well-So i've pretty much made up my mind that's the machine for me--So any help as to what's the best chems to use and the procedure/steps to take for BEST results and can you combine encap with dry compound stuff in some situations for better results Thanks to all who help and sorry this was so long, hope you didn't fall asleep and i must add I like this board the best after reading it because i notice there is little to no bashing going on here that you find on other boards everyone seems to be very respectful and honest with there opinions

Kevin, welcome to the board. I am new here myself so I will not be offering any advice on chemicals. I agree that this board is friendly and stays away from the junk found on other boards. I have found the best use of this board is to ask the questions and remain open minded to receive the wisdom contained herein. These guys are not lab techs or professors in a college. These are guys who have real world experience day after day for years on end. My guess is that there is not much this group of guys hasn't seen and dealt with real time in the field.
Here is a thought. Take it for what it is worth. I am north of 60yrs old and have health issues so I am not going to be hefting a lot of machinery for a lot longer. I have listened to the guys on this board and some of the most successful say that a three man team comprised of two Cimex's and a water guy is an optimum clean team. One Cimex cleans at 2-3000 sq ft an hour. At ten cents a foot that is $200 an hour with two its is $400. Paying 3 guys $20 an hour nets you $340 an hour minus the chemical cost, which if you are using Realisit, is negligible. Even you and a helper, the one who gets the Cimex out of the truck, could do well. Just sayin'.

Hi Steve and thanks for your input--yea i just hit 50 and thank god so far no health issues and am in pretty good shape but i still don't want to be lugging alot of heavy equipment around i am a one man show at the moment a CRB machine ( which i plan on getting soon) is not that heavy and can do encap, dry compounds cleaning and also used for agitaion of pre spray on residential jobs and i already have a 90 pound 175--but i was wondering if when doing the encap method on commercial if after spraying down the encap chem and working it in with crb machine could you also then use the dry compound stuff on top of that in heavily soiled traffic area's

I have done 13 years of HWE and I am brand new to encap so I am definitely not the guy to ask about dry compound. But I am sure there is someone here who can answer that for you.

What is the bulk of your business going to be? If you plan to do a lot of comm work better plan on getting a cimex. I only do small comm jobs so a 175 is good for me. Big areas you should get a mex. You can also do comm work by using the crb and 175 as a two step operation. For comm, I have a crb and sometimes only use that for cleaning I spray down Ricks DS and go to town or sometimes I just use the 175 with DS in the tank and one of Ricks FP pads. It's what works for you.

For resi work I use the 175 and DS with John G's glad pads. Or I will use John G's Pad Cap Pro. And yes I do use my 175 in resi work, if Chem Dry can do it so can I. I dont feel that just a crb on resi work does a good enough job. I like to pull something out of the carpet and using John G's pads will do that.

I sell the low moisture system, not what I use to do it.

Thanks for your input, well i don't plan on going out and taking on anything to big at first and for a little while till i get used to doing commercial and good at it ( gota hone my skills a little bit first) then when i feel i really know what i'm doing and am good at it i'll go out and take on some bigger/larger accounts--But i definately want a good 20 inch CRB machine for the reasons i stated in my original post--on residential work i think i will stick with HWE for now and will either use the 175 or the CRB for agitation of pre spray purpose. Don't know if i want to get into using any type of pad as i think it would get old fast having to clean a bunch of pads all the time--So do you have good results with ricks chems how do they compare with other similar chems that you may have tried

For comm work I have only used Ricks chems. For Resi I have used both Ricks and John G's. I like Ricks juice for resi when I shampoo a sofa and John for when the home owner has a pet.

But it's Ricks all the way for comm work.

Kevin,

Before I got the Cimex/Releasit DS combo I was strictly an HWE guy. I can honestly say that now we look at it totally different. We use the Cimex/Releasit DS combo on all commercial and a lot of rugs. I would encourage you to use the 175 with the Releasit DS and don't worry about the dry compound stuff except in special, unusual circumstances.

Also I would encourage you to reconsider the Cimex because it is the best scrubbing machine out there. There are ways to use it where you would not have to lift it such as ramps for your vehicle. Once you use it and see the results you will not want to go back.

Kevin Pearson
www.pearsoncarpetcare.com

Kevin,

Welcome to the EncapBoard! There has already been some excellent advice above.

You own appropriate equipment for residential already - Mytee M5 and Rotovac 360. Plus you have a 175 rotary machine with a tank. That's a suitable combination for residential carpet cleaning. And your rotary machine can also be used for commercial too.

FOR RESIDENTIAL:

I would recommend replacing the brush on your rotary machine with a pad driver. Use the pad driver along with FiberPlus pads to scrub carpets. It will scrub more evenly, with better agitation, and using less juice than running a shampoo brush.

Using what you already own can work fine for now. Here are a couple of suggestions...

Forst of all switch to Encap-Punch for your HWE cleaning. It is an encap pre-spray. encap rinse detergent, and encap bonnet cleaner. So it covers a lot of territory.

FIll the rotary tank with Encap-Punch (mixed at pre-spray dilution). Scrub the entire residential carpet with the rotary along with FiberPlus pads and Encap-Punch. This will enable you to apply your pre-spray with agitation.

Now rinse the carpet with your portable and Rotovac (with Encap-Punch mixed in your solution tank). However, you won't need to rinse every square inch of the carpet, the lower traffic areas can be skipped since the Encap-Punch will encapsulate soil and be vacuumed out later. And the areas that you do rinse will rinse much quicker. This has the potential to save you time while increasing your efficiency.

As a final step - if there are areas of concern for possible wicking you could take you rotary and put a microfiber bonnet under your rotary machine and run back over the high traffic areas quickly to pull additional soil, and to reduce the chance of wicking issues.

FOR COMMERCIAL:

Use you rotary with the FiberPlus pads along with Encap-Clean DS2. This won't be as efficient as running a Cimex - but it can produce very good results (just slower than using a Cimex).

As you continue to grow your commercial business, you will no doubt want to pick up a Cimex. They are the most efficient machines for commercial carpet cleaning, and you will want to have one as time goes on. Get a ramp for your van and you won't have a problem. And as mentioned above, that's what employees are for

DRY ABSORBENT POWDER:

I would not recommend dry absorbent powder for your main squeeze. You won't be satisfied. It is expensive to work with the powder. THe results are all over the map. And you'll end up leaving behind a lot of the powder in the carpet. Dry powder is an excellent simple approach to cleaning specialty items where extreme low moisture is required, such as Sisal or Silk. But for everyday cleaning - I don't think it's going to make you happy. PS and we sell the CRB machines with the hoppers and we sell a very good powdered cleaner too. What I'm saying comes from experience.

IN CONCLUSION:

I hope that gives you some food for thought. I think with some minor adjustments, you can get great results using the tools you already own. You may want to consider growing into a Cimex as you move forward with your commercial accounts. You might also consider an HOS Orbot machine if you decide to really focus your business on low moisture cleaning.

Encapsulation can assist you as you go forward. If you employ encap as I outlined above using Encap-Punch in your residential scenario you will increase your production and improve the cleaning results. Any residue that you'll be leaving in the carpet is a favorable residue that can be vacuumed out of the carpet afterward. ANd the detergent won't attract more soil, like it can with traditional chemicals. And on the commercial side, using Encap-Clean DS2 will enable you to hit high production, without wicking or recurring spill stains, and with a very low end-use cost.

If I can assist you in any way let me know.





Rick Gelinas

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I agree with Kevin P the Cimex is by far the best choice. I haven't heard good things about the brush type machines on commercial.
I am also an older guy and have found the Cimex to be my best purchase EVER! I have sold my truck and TM, quit doing residential (which in Atlanta is 3 floors) and focus on commercial only. I bought a small trailer and once you get it on and off the trailer your set. The beauty of the Cimex is it Wow's/wins customers and it has become like a pension plan for me, and it's easy work with high profit
margins. So I work 3 or 4 days a month and make a real good income with plenty of free time to enjoy life.
I also recommend HIGHLY you reconsider the Cimex. Good luck

Hello rick and thank you for you very informative response-I was not aware that there was encap chems that can be used for the HWE cleaning method, is the residential method you described really encaping but with a twist by using the extractor to rinse and extract, and i would be using the same chem in the 175 and then in the extractor? would i just mix it differently in the extractor- do i need to give any dwell time after applying chem with rotary or could i just apply a whole room with 175 then immediately go back and rinse/extract? How does the Encap-Punch compare to a normal pre spray that one would use for doing a HWE method.

I have looked into the cimex and it is a nice machine but i think i like the CRB machines a little better due to i think it's a little more versitale in that in addition to being able to be used for encaping, it can also be used for agitation of pre spray on residential, can run it over carpet to restore and lift fibre prior to a pre vac would probably make the pre vac work better, have the option of using dry cleaning compound in the right situation, and it's alot lighter very easy to manuver around

Hey Kevin,

Yes Encap-Punch is an ENCAP 3-in-1 product. It's an encap pre-spray, an encap HWE detergent, and an encap bonnet cleaner - all at their respective dilutions.

So if you're using it in an HWE setting - you are actually cleaning with 2 METHODS...
Method 1 HWE: Primary cleaning is accomplished with HWE
Method 2 Encapsulation: Residue left in the carpet can continue to be vacuumed during post-vacuuming

Regarding application with a 175 rotary - you can blast over the entire carpet pretty quickly. Then go back and extract/rinse the more heavily soiled areas. This amounts to a time saver, since the rinse step can be accomplished more rapidly, and the less soiled areas of the carpet won't need to be rinsed.

You asked how Encap-Punch compares to traditional pre-sprays. From a performance standpoint it compares very well. From a residue standpoint it is in a class by itself. Typical pre-sprays leave residue in the carpet that can attract more soil. Encap-Punch leaves behind an encap residue that actually accomplishes soil removal and won't attract more soil.

I agree with the logic in your second paragraph. The Cimex is clearly the Cadillac when it comes to commercial carpet cleaning. But not everyone needs a Cadillac - sometimes a smaller sports car will do.

To learn more about Encap-Punch - go to the ENCAP-PUNCH
page. And this short video can provide some additional information too...







Rick Gelinas

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Hello Rick,

First of all thanks for all your advise, the more i read up on encapping on different boards the more confused i become, on what type of machine and chems to use--i just sold off one of my HWE portables for 1700 but that is still not enough for a cimex or crb, so i will be starting out using my 175 rotary, it does have a solution tank on it and i do have the carpet brush, can i and how good will the carpet brush work, or should i just get a pad driver and use something else, and i know good since i will not be useing the "best" machine for encapping i'm assuming i can somewhat make up for that with the use of good chems and procedure. would my encapping work better by using a sprayer to apply and also having solution in my tank and do both but only in high traffic and real dirty area's or just apply thru tank on rotary or just spray chems on. Once again I thank you and sorry to be such a pain in the you know what.

Kevin,

Your rotary is a good place to start. You can always get a Cimex when you're ready for it.

Ditch the shampoo brush and get a pad driver. Use the FiberPlus pads. There is a very big difference.

Use you shampoo tank to dispense the juice, don't spray the solution onto the carpet. You'll have much better control of the solution and the results will be more consistent and faster too using a shampoo tank.

You can do OK with that set up. If you need help let me know.





Rick Gelinas

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Hey Rick,

Ok i will take your advice and use my 175 for encapping till i get enough commercial business and can afford a cimex, i'll also ditch the carpet brush, get a pad driver and Use the FiberPlus pads, solution tank on my 175 i believe is like 4 gallons, how much coverage or how may sq ft on average should i expect to get from a 4 gal tank?

I notice that you have the SPRINT Multi-Purpose CRB machine, is this the same machine as the power flite Multiwash - Automatic Scrubber? I am seriously interested in this machine, i would use it on residential to run it over carpet as a first step to restore the carpet before a pre vac, i believe that it would make the pre vac more effective, then i would pre spray then use it again for agitation, then finish up with rinse and extract, I am also interested in giving your encap punch a try on residential HWE jobs as well to see how it performs, and for encapping on commercial i'd also like to try on of your encap chem's for commercial,

How well would the sprint work on hard surface cleaning and what chem would be used for that, i'm thinking that when i'm on a residential job, and after doing a great job on carpet w/very happy customer and if cust has a small kitchen area with tile floor i could offer to clean it for free with the sprint which would make cust even more happy, earn her repeat business along with hopefully alot of referals

If the price is right i can purchase everything i need from you, my pad driver the fiberPlus pads, the sprint machine and chems my 175 is a "saturn" made by "EDIC" it is 1.5 HP Modle number off machine is "17LS3-SS" I measured the carpet brush that i use with it and it measures 15inch Let me know what you can do for me with a break down of cost per item, if you'd prefer you can call any time at 303-549-0710 I look forward to possibly doing business with you