Hot Water Extraction Is The only Way To Clean, period!

[richgallina]

I think it's funny that for over 16-17-18 years I forgot I've been cleaning with low moisture and never had to come back to extract any soil out especially after the crb came out. It's a different way a cleaning and I believe I mastered it. After cleaning 23 years in this business I've seen what could be cleaned with what and what couldn't be cleaned at all. Yes every machine may have there place but surely I believe that you do not need an excessive amount of moisture to get the job done right. I've been seeing a lot f this in youtube ads and I'm not disagreeing with them but we're definitely not on the same page. 

One trick to low moisture is the slower you clean the faster you clean. Don't rush your machine, let it do the work. I'm in middle of trying different compounds and Adsorb Ultra - Dry Powder Compound for Carpet Cleaning is on top of the list for quality. There are several more I'm trying but I'm using low moisture not powder.

[encapman]

Excellent post Rich! Thanks for sharing your real world experience. I interviewed a highly successful residential carpet cleaner at the last Mikey's Fest in St Petersburg. This residential cleaner ONLY uses CRB machines and Releasit for ALL of his work. And he stays booked with people demanding his service. And like you, he says that he enjoys the luxury of slowing down when he needs to - he doesn't rush the process. Yet he realistically commands high dollar job averages. The CRB/Encap approach has helped him carve out a niche. Sounds like it's working pretty well for you too.

[richgallina]

Absolutely Rick, It's not a business for fast money. Especially with all the 'toy's' available. Like any good business it takes time and persistence. I'm not CRB only but I'm all low moisture. When we have great Chem's like Releasit products it makes our life much easier. Although I use several manufactures it's for different situations and that's something you learn over time. The only HWE I do is for Upholstery but I even use a ShearDry for that. I love the Cimex for big Commercial jobs, and I love the CRB and OP for my Residential and small commercial Jobs. Most of all I love not having that extra expense in fuel and maintenance of TM's and because I'm in NY the freezing weather doesn't help!

This is just my experience and I'm sure many would disagree with me,  but I don't owe anybody a dime and I'm able to take care of my family!

[Click]

Is there not the odd occasion where hwe is needed after encapping because the soil load it to much for bonnet cleaning?

[GroovyJon]

Is there not the odd occasion where hwe is needed after encapping because the soil load it to much for bonnet cleaning?

Hey Click, each method has its benefits and I suppose it all depends on the situation. I had times I had to extract carpet after finding out that the previous "carpet cleaner" extracted but mixed chemical in his rinse water. This left chemical residual throughout. I basically had to extract to flush out the carpet.

On the other hand I have seen encap perform on some of the nastiest carpet I have ever seen. I thought for sure I would need to extract but tried encap out of curiosity and was amazed. I switched back to extraction to finish the job then realized the results were not as good. Finished the job with encap lol.

Long story short I suppose it depends on the situation, but both are always tools in the box.

[encapman]

Well said Groovyjon. All these methods are simply "tools in the box". Sometimes one tool is more ideal for a certain situation. And sometimes a person becomes especially comfortable and efficient working with a particular tool. At the end of the day though it all comes down to what produces the desired results. That's what we're in business for. Sure, it's easy to get into a political debate "my method is better than your method" - but that's silly. ALL methods can produce absolutely wonderful results in the hands of a skilled technician.

[richgallina]

I totally agree with you Groovyjon. My way of putting it is each tool is an extension of you. I just have to say for the typical soil I deal with everyday residential or commercial encapsulation does the job IF YOU DO IT RIGHT. I've seen where people give a quick vacuum if at all and then encap. That's not the correct way to get the best results IMO. If all you have is a vacuum you should have a nice commercial vacuum and spend more time vacuuming then encaping. Having a CRB is one of the best tools to have even if you are HWE. It is critical to remove any soil that's not attached  to the fiber before applying treatment. Any method this should be the first and most important step, otherwise your wasting chemical and possibly setting stains. Yes there are times I have to break out my HWE but it's very little unless I'm cleaning upholstery. 

I guess what I'm saying here is you shouldn't have to leave so much encap juice that it needs to be flushed out. Sometimes it's better to clean an area twice with light coats of treatment then it is to soak it with one which usually never works anyway!

[GroovyJon]

I totally agree with you Groovyjon. My way of putting it is each tool is an extension of you. I just have to say for the typical soil I deal with everyday residential or commercial encapsulation does the job IF YOU DO IT RIGHT. I've seen where people give a quick vacuum if at all and then encap. That's not the correct way to get the best results IMO. If all you have is a vacuum you should have a nice commercial vacuum and spend more time vacuuming then encaping. Having a CRB is one of the best tools to have even if you are HWE. It is critical to remove any soil that's not attached  to the fiber before applying treatment. Any method this should be the first and most important step, otherwise your wasting chemical and possibly setting stains. Yes there are times I have to break out my HWE but it's very little unless I'm cleaning upholstery. 

I guess what I'm saying here is you shouldn't have to leave so much encap juice that it needs to be flushed out. Sometimes it's better to clean an area twice with light coats of treatment then it is to soak it with one which usually never works anyway!

Hey Rich, your last paragraph hits allot of interesting points, what im going to tell you comes from my experience. I have used encap for a long (im getting old lol) time on commercial accounts. Back in the day I used a different encap product, it worked somewhat well..for a while anyway, then the carpet started looking poor and extraction was needed.

I switched to Ricks encap product line on the same accounts and never had the issue again. I can only assume that Ricks encap line had a much better polymer that really encapsulated soil and was successfully removed post vacuum. The beauty about a true encapsulate is it is enduring... what I mean is some encapsulate has attached to the fiber allowing for soil to repel after the job has been completed. Eventually this will release from the fiber etc.. It really is a cool system with a longer lasting product in my opinion.

I believe someone posted a video of a guy that put encap on a plate and let dry. He then put pepper on the plate and turned it upright to show how encap can repel soil. Basically too much of anything is bad, but what is left behind done correctly can resist soil after the carpet cleaner has left. Along with proper vacuum maintenance blah blah

[Jarrod]

That was me that did the pepper test to prove the plate with ds2 would release soil. I took three plates. One had water. One had a detergent used for HWE. And last had DS2. Allowed all three to dry. Only the DS2 passed the dry soil test. The pepper just fell of the plate once tipped over.

[Bernd]

That was me that did the pepper test to prove the plate with ds2 would release soil. I took three plates. One had water. One had a detergent used for HWE. And last had DS2. Allowed all three to dry. Only the DS2 passed the dry soil test. The pepper just fell of the plate once tipped over.

I have seen this video and and it realy demonstrates how DS2 works! I do the test with every new product and sometimes wonder how different products dry...

Gesendet von meinem SM-T580 mit Tapatalk

[encapman]

Well said GroovyJon. There are times when HWE is a valid course of action. Yet you'll also find a large percentage of accounts where HWE may not be required. It's the role of the professional carpet cleaner to evaluate the carpet and select the method that will produce optimum results. Encap is a great way to maintain carpet, especially when a routine schedule for cleaning can be established. A good encap program can limit the need for HWE and in some cases eliminate HWE altogether.

[mrmnikon0921]

Excellent post Rich! Thanks for sharing your real world experience. I interviewed a highly successful residential carpet cleaner at the last Mikey's Fest in St Petersburg. This residential cleaner ONLY uses CRB machines and Releasit for ALL of his work. And he stays booked with people demanding his service. And like you, he says that he enjoys the luxury of slowing down when he needs to - he doesn't rush the process. Yet he realistically commands high dollar job averages. The CRB/Encap approach has helped him carve out a niche. Sounds like it's working pretty well for you too.  

Do you have a copy of the interview or could you forward me his name so I could follow up on his system.  Thank you

[encapman]

The cleaner we interviewed is Don Doll. Their company has been in business since the 1960's. Don inherited the company from his father. And now his son is active in the business (so there are 3 generations). In the early years the company was HWE. But when Don took over, he said he wanted to move it away from HWE. He wanted to create a niche. He eventually ended up going with the Whittaker system. At this point they're using CRB's exclusively along with Releasit as their detergent. Their company is very successful as a low moisture only company, serving primarily mid to upper end customers. The guys who heard the interview seemed to really enjoy it. Unfortunately it wasn't recorded though. In hindsight that would've been nice.