Will OP cleaning ever....

[MikeB]

Just looking at Angie's List this morning and noticed that the description of different carpet cleaning methods just echos what the industry has always said. I wonder if there will ever be a distinction made between "bonnet" cleaning and "op". With bonnet cleaning, it says that only the top 2/3 of the carpet is cleaned and the residue and junk is left in the bottom 3rd at the backing.
It is not capable of removing all the soil and considered a good method for lightly soiled carpets only.
I know that guys like John. G. have fought this for decades, and I'm certainly not the only one to be frustrated by it but it makes me wonder why it's so hard for op to be truly recognized as a viable alternative that actually does remove tons of soil and even surpass the effects of HWE in many cases.
When you live in a rural area, where "new" ideas are often meet with stern resistance, it makes it very difficult when some people automatically assume a challenger machine or orbot is a "floor buffer" and where's the steam?
I have managed to convert many customers after seeing the results for themselves, but when all of the information out there suggests that one of your methods is less than thorough, it's frustrating.

[Peter B]

I hear you Mike, Loud & clear. This is how it might be solved. First all the manufactors of orbital machines lobby to the Shaw Industries ect. ect. and show them the facts of their cleaning systems.
Now the BIG money tms manufactors are going to fight this and will not lay down for it . Might be why Shaw Industies promotes hot water extracting to up hold customers warrantys it is the flushing rinseing that i feel they are looking for.
Todays encap has improved alot over the years getting away from the stickey shampoo
residue problem from years before.


Former hot water clients if they demand the truckmount by all means we provide it.
We will explain the vlm method and alot faster dry times and seems the faster dry times is the # 1 decision maker. Peter B.

[DON ELDRED]

Shaw Does not like rotary cleaning for one simple reason, they are fed up with all the complaints they get about improper cleaning, damage done to fibres again from improper cleaning.
This is not to say that these systems in the hands of a professional cleaner would fall into these catagories, however, you must remember that the biggest percentage of commercial carpet is cleaned by the janitorial contractor
using untrained people and using floor stripping mentallity as there cleaning procedurer. Therein lays the problem with the mills.

[Gkleen]

As an OP cleaner, I do not want it accepted by the mainstream. It is a tremendous help to us that HWE is still so popular. I get soooo much work because of the improper use of HWE. Carpets too wet, dirty socks, odor etc... (Not that HWE is a bad method, but it seems to attract a lot of "Hacks".)

Also, when a person decides to enter the biz and purchases all of the HWE necessities, the odds are in favor of them not surviving. The investment is usually more than they can stand while waiting for their business to grow.

Me personally, I don't need Shaw to sell my method for me. My results sell my method in the form of lots of referrals.

[MikeB]

Gkleen, as far as being different and setting ourselves apart, I'm right there with ya.
I started my business with the intention of offering an alternative to some of the crappy services out there ( not saying hwe is crappy) and I did not want to have to compete on price alone. I new as a new cleaner, I would starve.
I honestly don't think most people research what the carpet mills recommend anyway, but the general "perception" is that carpets should be "steam" cleaned and I can deal with that, but when resources like Angie's List recommend it and discourage "bonnet" cleaning (doesn't even mention OP), well it just perpetuates the misconceptions.
In life, as in business, perception IS reality and when trusted resources are misinforming people....well I'll stop complaining now. haha

[TheCleaningDude]

For better or worse, I don't think we'll see much headway into residential low moisture cleaning for quite sometime. The only exception would be if we were faced with astronomical gas prices and cleaners - by way of the marketplace - simply could not conduct business using conventional HWE equipment.

Method aside, the truckmount manufacturers, brick and mortar as well as online retailers will always support HWE. It's big business. An entry level TM from one of the big builders is 12K minimum and the small builders around half of that. And don't forget the accessories. Hoses, reels, wands, spinners, re's, etc. Plus repairs, and service maintenance. It never ends. Big money for sure.

VLM is a fraction of the cost. Accessories, maintenance and repairs are null comparatively speaking.

As we know, most cc'ers are HWE and in many instances 100% HWE - even commercial. It's difficult to convince a HWE cleaner that VLM works. Strong debates often ensue. Keep in mind this is from industry peers. The public as a whole can be even harder to convince. However, on average many do not care. But those that do care and want to see some 'steam' will require convincing.

I make it a point, before any job is booked - unless a repeat of course - exactly how we clean and what to expect. It's a big help imo.

Using VLM might cost a job from time to time as some only want HWE, but that's how it is. Regardless, we get great results and customers are happy.

Commercial is a whole other animal. Cleaners are jumping on VLM left and right. It's gained a lot of ground. The Cimex, Brush Pro, Orbot and Trinity have really taken off. Of course none of that would matter without great chemicals The chemicals available now are amazing.

Perhaps the great looking, long lasting results of VLM on commercial will convince more and more cleaners in resi, but I think it'll be a while.

HWE is fine and I think it works great. But I know what VLM can do. I don't mind being the odd man out and in many respects it can give you an edge in your area.