confused....

[fantastic floors]

Ok i am confused - who is cleaning residential carpets with VLM rather than HWE?

I am just getting started and don't have a truck mount, just a portable, but i would really like to just do VLM.
I understand that the situation dictates method such as pet urine is HWE, but can i clean residential carpets with VLM using a 175 with scrub brush and then bonnet?

I read on here some guys moving away from their truck mount more and more on residential. I would like to do commercial more and more but right now getting started my first customers are residential and i want to do a good job for them but having a portable is definately a drawback especially when you have to do an upstairs.

Any thougts or suggestions?

Thanks!

[MikeB]

I have used a portable on residential and for me it was brutal. I never quite got a good system down as far as dealing with all the hoses, filling, dumping, cords (2 cords in separate outlets if a heated unit) etc,.. up and down stairs...maybe I'm lazy?? but too much non productive work there for me.
VLM on residential is fairly simple once you settle on the type of equipment you are comfortable with and what works well for you. I have zero experience with a 175 so I can't comment on its effectiveness first hand.
What I use is an OP machine with cotton, cotton/poly blend or micro fiber pads with scrub strips. along with good cleaning agents like E.S. Hydrox or Punch, both work very well with Hydrox being more suited to light colored carpets.
For a simple and effective setup, OP machine-(Challenger, Oreck Lowboy, Orbitec defender) many others available, and some cotton/poly pads and a good vac. 2 pump up sprayers, 2 5 gal buckets ( one for hot water and clean pads- one for dirty pads, some clean white terry cloth towels, a grandi groom rake....and your off and running.
If I was starting out and needed an OP machine, in all honesty, I would jump all over an Oreck Lowboy with the E.S. wheels on the floor kit. Cheapest option out there right now for a new machine and its really pretty! Wheels on the floor OP is a breeeeeeze!

[fantastic floors]

Thanks Mike for the reply. I have everything needed except the OP machine. My 175 will work but its a bear. I will look into the machine you suggest. BTW - I think I am lazy too not wanting to pull a portable up stairs. Either that or just getting old.

[David-Hebert]

We run portables doing residential either a Steamin Demon
or a Cross American product, Demon runs on tap water pressure and is auto fill auto dump, Cross American stays in the van I have the option to have it set up to auto fill auto dump or use my AUX wast tank and water tank, we can run 150 feet with no issues.

I shy away from a 175 in a home in unless empty my view it makes you look like a janitor not a professional cleaner. The Orek Lowboy with the wheel kit would be my choice if I was starting out, just add a spray unit to it and bang you are off and running

[jtmellon]

Well I guess in Davids eyes I am a janitor. I have had 3 Cimex machines, 2 Challengers and 1 Vento (worst machine ever) and I have gone back to using a 17" rotory machine.

I don't get many calls for resi work (and the ones I do get are all from Craigslist, so you can just picture what type of customers they are) and I am a janitorial business (office cleaning, carpets). I no longer do floor care as the price of wax and ins will kill you and it's a lot of hard work for little money.

I use a 17" machine with pads that have the green stripe in them, I have a corded sprayer and a pump up ( I use the corded on resi work more then the pump up) a good vac, good chems (only from Rick) and a carpet rake.

Pre vac, spray juice, dwell, clean and groom, collect money. It's simple. I do plan to buy a more newer light weight 17" machine, as I have an older model way back from 1998 and it's built like a tank.

[fantastic floors]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Can anyone tell me the best way to do stairs with VLM?
What tool do you use? Do you use the same process as on the carpet?
Does the customer have to vac the steps the next day for them to look good?

[Ed E]

I started out with a 175 rotary. I do alot of 3 level town homes and student apartments. The 175 is heavy and has little wheels that wont even roll over its own cord. It darn near killed me carrying it up and down stairs all day. Plus, the way I was taught to do full absorption cleaning with it was very inefficient.

I dumped it in favor of a SprayBorg after using the 175 less than six months. The Sprayborg is everything a rotary isn't, and is productive enough to use in commercial settings. I still use the 175 for hardwood and T&G, though (purely for $$ reasons). I also think the LowBoy as equipped by ES is a very good option though.

I use an orbital Oreck XL Pro machine on steps. It is pretty effective, and you can easily get any pad or bonnet you want to use with it. I always use Punch on steps anymore, with the same cleaning steps as carpet.

[MikeB]

I have gone from a HWE spottiing machine for steps to an orbital machine and pads. Vac, spray, ( rick's Hydrox or Punch ) dwell, pad clean, groom...same as carpet.

[ebarnett]

I too used to use a porty for residential with the rotovac and it was a nightmare. I still wake up some nights being attacked by hoses and cords, and in my nightmares i could never find the breaker box to reset the tripped breakers. VLM is SO MUCH EASIER! Couple things are very impotant I think, 1. Get a good vacuum ( i bought a crap one and it has cost me on a few jobs) 2. Get a good sprayer 3. Get a good op machine. (I was using the cimex for a while, it did ok, but using the small tuways was not the best. I then landed an account that justified the Orbot - the difference between it and the cimex for residential is night and day.) 4. Get a good stair tool. The hos micro or ccs stepson. 5. Most importantly use great encap chemicals.

[fantastic floors]

thanks guys for the feedback - i really want to make this work. Yeah i was just never thrilled with the porty setup and i am thinking there has got to be a better way. I ordered Ricks Oreck OP machine with wheels for an entry level machine and will use it on my first VLM job next week. I hope it all goes well. LR, MBR and 13 stairs of frizee carpet light gray. I am thinking on using Hydrox with microbeasts and super zorbs.

So i will 1. Prevacuum 2. pre-spray with Hydrox and aggitate in with a small CRB like machine 3. Let dwell at least 10 minutes 4. proceed to go over with OP machine and pads (either microbeast or superzorb) 4. Groom with Grandi groom 5. Collect check.

Are those the proper steps?

[ebarnett]

You could use the crb they work great, or you could use a fiber pad on your oreck first to agitate. Might save you bringing in a second machine. Also only agitate if the area is dirty. if decent, just prespray, let dwell, then begin cleaning with the microbeast

[MikeB]

Crb works well on frieze but when I OP a frieze I use a glider under the machine The glider helps take some of the weight off the frieze to avoid tip blooming. Depending on how bad the traffic areas are, I use my crb to do most of the scrubbing in the heavy soiled areas. Then go over with the op to extract.

---

I'm just a little gun shy on frieze with OP because of the loose construction

[fantastic floors]

Do you guys vac before you leave the job? I thought I read you shouldn't vac if carpet is still wet? Am I missing something? I thought after OP finish with grande groom? Which is correct?

[Lefty724]

Do you guys vac before you leave the job? I thought I read you shouldn't vac if carpet is still wet? Am I missing something? I thought after OP finish with grande groom? Which is correct?

A lot of guys here post vacuum.

I choose not to since I always clog my vacuums, plus it makes them stink.... I always use a groomer instead and have never had a problem.

[ebarnett]

I think it really depends on the carpet. I rarely postvac. The scrub lines from the op are not really that bad on most carpets. On the frieze you will hardly notice them at all. Some guys cant stand to leave anything but straight lines in the carpet, I on the other hand, don't mind if the owner sees that it has been thoroughly scrubbed. I believe the stigma is make it look like a truckmount and wand finish. I dont really buy into that as we are a very different process than a truckmount and wand and by trying to look like them we are just adding time to our jobs.