Questions from a newbie

[CleanItGreen]

I'm new to the carpet cleaning business and could use some advice from you experienced guys.

A little background: I decided to use encap as my bread and butter carpet cleaning technique, and I initially opted to go with a Procaps cylindrical brush machine for agitation. My supply guy here in town sold me on how a cimex would be better so I went with that. All fine and good, until I realized getting 125 pounds of unbalanced machine up and down residential stairs was a pain. So I went back and got the procaps machine. using bio encap (fits with my "green" theme) carpets looked great...except for the fact that stains and spills didn't really respond. so I picked up a spotting kit, and figured that would do the trick but I'm spending a lot of time dealing with spots and spills. A chance conversation with Rick, and he let me know that while encap and cimex were great for commercial, encap in general is not the best for residential. So after weighing getting a 175 or OP machine vs extractor, I ordered an extractor due to hearing from people who have had their carpets cleaned via someone with a 175 that spots simply reappeared soon after the cleaning and that the bonnets only clean the top part of the carpet.

Here is where I could use some feedback from you guys. Someone else told me that a 175 is great if used correctly, so now i'm again trying to decide whether to go get one and send the extractor back, get one and keep the extractor, or simply go the extraction route. my main issue is that I want to cut down on the time spent getting spots and stains out of carpet. encap hydrox seems to work better than bio encap, but again, i still end up getting stuff up by hand. Also, is there a general purpose spot remover that tends to work best on spots in carpets? fyi, I do have a hot water spot extractor.

thanks for the responses. i will sit back and learn.

[Aussie Geoff]

I'm new to the carpet cleaning business and could use some advice from you experienced guys.

A little background: I decided to use encap as my bread and butter carpet cleaning technique, and I initially opted to go with a Procaps cylindrical brush machine for agitation. My supply guy here in town sold me on how a cimex would be better so I went with that. All fine and good, until I realized getting 125 pounds of unbalanced machine up and down residential stairs was a pain. So I went back and got the procaps machine. using bio encap (fits with my "green" theme) carpets looked great...except for the fact that stains and spills didn't really respond. so I picked up a spotting kit, and figured that would do the trick but I'm spending a lot of time dealing with spots and spills. A chance conversation with Rick, and he let me know that while encap and cimex were great for commercial, encap in general is not the best for residential. So after weighing getting a 175 or OP machine vs extractor, I ordered an extractor due to hearing from people who have had their carpets cleaned via someone with a 175 that spots simply reappeared soon after the cleaning and that the bonnets only clean the top part of the carpet.

Here is where I could use some feedback from you guys. Someone else told me that a 175 is great if used correctly, so now i'm again trying to decide whether to go get one and send the extractor back, get one and keep the extractor, or simply go the extraction route. my main issue is that I want to cut down on the time spent getting spots and stains out of carpet. encap hydrox seems to work better than bio encap, but again, i still end up getting stuff up by hand. Also, is there a general purpose spot remover that tends to work best on spots in carpets? fyi, I do have a hot water spot extractor.

thanks for the responses. i will sit back and learn.

If you ask a dealer what's best, they'll sell you what they sell.
It's better to do your research before you go shopping.
The more people you ask, the more opinions you'll get.
Though what suit one person may not suit the next guy.
The first question you have to decide on is what is your target market going to be?

[Charles]

An extractor & 175 is important in this business. I use my 175 on every job no matter what. It has a soultion tank on it and makes it easy to put down the chemical. I use a white 17" floor pad and it will not ruin carpets. I only use Releasit products. For residential you can use Punch and it's low foaming. Hydrox works good on beige carpets and berber. Chemicals I have on hand are: Basic Encap, Punch, D/S2, Hydrox. With these cleaning solutions I am able to take jobs away from major Franchises. Last week I took another one because whatever junk they put down didn't clean and the lady was amazed the way we cleaned her kitchen chairs and carpet. Send me an e-mail & I will give you a couple of tips of where you can buy an extractor & 175.

carpetclean2000@yahoo.com

[encapman]

Charles makes some good points above. A rotary and a portable extractor are a great way to approach residential carpet. Ideally a truckmount is what's most efficient for servicing a steady load of residential clients. However the dual method (scrub & extract) is a far less costly way to also achieve excellent results. And with those tools you have a wide range of options available to you... pre-scrub/rinse, bonnet, pre-scrub/rinse/post-bonnet, shampoo/bonnet, encap shampoo-only (ideal for commercial work), spot-cleaning with the extractor, upholstery and stairs with the extractor. A rotary and an extractor is a sensible approach that will enable you to do good work on residential carpets in a fairly simple way. Another exellent tool to have is the Orbot, but the dual method will certainly work get the job done well for you.

If I can help you give me a shout.

[CleanItGreen]

Thanks for the input, guys. @Aussie--I *thought* I had done my homework ahead of time, but realized I hadn't done enough, hence what from the outside looks like a totally scattershot approach to getting into the business. From the looks of things, I'll be getting a 175. I guess the last question is, with an 8 gallon extractor, will I need to keep my 3 gallon heated spot extractor. seems like having the little one and the bigger one is redundant, though the portability may come in handy.

[Jamie]

Thanks for the input, guys. @Aussie--I *thought* I had done my homework ahead of time, but realized I hadn't done enough, hence what from the outside looks like a totally scattershot approach to getting into the business. From the looks of things, I'll be getting a 175. I guess the last question is, with an 8 gallon extractor, will I need to keep my 3 gallon heated spot extractor. seems like having the little one and the bigger one is redundant, though the portability may come in handy.

It is a question I have been asking myself for the last few days (but the other way around) I'm asking myself should I get a spotting machine, especially for upholstery? Will a spotter with a single 2 or 3 stage Vac and 55 psi be sufficient to extract upholstery instead of hauling out the full size porty.? (I've also just started using some punch prespray when extracting)


So I suppose the answer to your question should give me the answer to mine as well.

It seams to me that you have accumulated a lot of the basics (plus a few more) you will need to run a start up business. You need the different tools for different situations. IMHO I think you definitely need a 175 if you don't want to haul the Cimex but there are ways to minimize the effort (but that's Shorty's cue to enter)

Jamie

[jtmellon]

Here is a tip, keep all the equipment you buy. I would never sell any tools for the business again. I have mad that mistake many times.

I own and use all the time a 175 with a shampoo tank, I use it on comm work and on resi work as well.

I use Ricks products and fiber plus and max pads, on resi work i use Tuway bonetts and my customers are happy with the results.

I also use a spotter machine that I purchased from Rick, it's a great tool but I will be buying a cyclo for stairs in the future (just a little easier to use).

This is a great business to be in if you do it right.

[Cairnswun]

Okay, I guess I better open my trap, and see if I can't put my foot in it again.

CleanItGreen,

here's my take on it.

Essential equipment:

Good vacuum with brush.

Spotting machine.

A variable speed polisher or Cyclo, SMALL POLISHER.

Cimex.

Small portable.




You need a really good vacuum to dislodge as much dry particulate matter as possible. I prefer the Dyson down under for residential, for commercial I use an 18" Windsor.



A small spotting machine is great for small spotting jobs and can also be used for cleaning upholstery.



Variable speed polisher, I use a Makita with Tuway bonnets for upholstery, sometimes I may need to extract with the small SPOTTER.



Cyclo I use with the brushes for stairs, also on leather.

On bad stairs, I may also follow up with either the spotter or porty;




Cimex, KING of COMMERCIAL, if you're having trouble getting it up, do what I did and invest in a set of "Big Wheels".

I'm pushing towards 68, weigh in around 220lb and stand all of 5'6+1/2"

If I can still take Big Yella up three flights of stairs, why can't you.?

With a Cimex, you don't need a 175 floor polisher, use Big Yella to scrub.




Small portable, when you get those really trashed jobs, use Big Yella with pre-spray in the tank and scrub the carpet.

Follow this up with the portable extractor.




Brilliant job, collect the cash, see you in 6 months.


Cheers,

[jtmellon]

Okay, I guess I better open my trap, and see if I can't put my foot in it again.

CleanItGreen,

here's my take on it.

Essential equipment:

Good vacuum with brush.

Spotting machine.

A variable speed polisher or Cyclo, SMALL POLISHER.

Cimex.

Small portable.




You need a really good vacuum to dislodge as much dry particulate matter as possible. I prefer the Dyson down under for residential, for commercial I use an 18" Windsor.



A small spotting machine is great for small spotting jobs and can also be used for cleaning upholstery.



Variable speed polisher, I use a Makita with Tuway bonnets for upholstery, sometimes I may need to extract with the small polisher.



Cyclo I use with the brushes for stairs, also on leather.

On bad stairs, I may also follow up with either the spotter or porty;




Cimex, KING of COMMERCIAL, if you're having trouble getting it up, do what I did and invest in a set of "Big Wheels".

I'm pushing towards 68, weigh in around 220lb and stand all of 5'6+1/2"

If I can still take Big Yella up three flights of stairs, why can't you.?

With a Cimex, you don't need a 175 floor polisher, use Big Yella to scrub.




Small portable, when you get those really trashed jobs, use Big Yella with pre-spray in the tank and scrub the carpet.

Follow this up with the portable extractor.




Brilliant job, collect the cash, see you in 6 months.


Cheers,

Ahh Shorty as always: Nail on the head.

[Tumble]

Shorty,

I think your list of essential equipment is perfect. I wish I had spoken to you when I entered this industry, and would have saved myself a lot of time, effort and money. With respect to trashed out carpets, I have been experimenting with a few things, and have found the cimex scrub of prespray prior to extraction works really well. Obviously cashing in on the cleaning pie chart here. One problem I have had since day dot, is getting residential polypropylene to look good once it dries. They always look good when wet though...... For lightly soiled poly's the cimex gives you a great results everytime. For the heavily soiled ones, I have tried
1) scrub and extract,
2) scrub, extract then encap, and
3) scrub extract come back when dry encap.

Method 3 being the best, then 2, then 1.

Tried something different on one I did last week. Presprayed with a higher concentration of pre-spray, cimex scrubbed and used a 15:1 encap juice in a trigger bottle on any areas that looked extra trashed. Then I hot water rinse/extracted, once again keeping the 15:1 encap on hand, and did the old squirt and shuffle on any spots that remained. I also took the glide off my wand (as I am convinced that glides work well on cut pile but not on low profile/loops), and did plenty of dry passes. Also focused on not using too much rinse water and turned pressure down to 150psi. Packed up, and by the time I had packed, half the house was already dry. Looked sensational. Rang customer to check a few days later, and still looked great. Think I have found an efficient and effective way to clean trashed poly's. If not trashed though, will always encap because HWE has let me down everytime......

[Cairnswun]

Thank you both Gentlemen.

Look at it this way, I have had four decades to hone my mistakes.

Here's a few things I have taught myself in the real world.

I always try not to make the same mistake twice.

Not all salespeople are going to rip you off, Rick & Nancy are living proof of this.

Unfortunately, they are in the minority, 'nuff said on that.

When you find a good product and a good system, work on them both to make them work better for both you and the client. (I like what you did with that poly; if you want to see what can be done with poly's;, check these three pics out:
http://www.cairnscommercialcarpetcare.co...s-our-blog

Sometimes, I under-quote on a job, (very rare now), BUT I always work that job to the best of my ability and try to get the very best result possible regardless of what it costs me.

Think long and hard before to open your wallet for that new toy.

ASK - ASK - ASK people to give you their take on something, especially those that have bought that product and take notice of the ones that are doing well in their own business.

DON'T let a salesperson pressure you into buying something, it's your money, you worked hard to get it, so you can spend it with whomever you want to.

Always talk these purchases over with your spouse/family before you commit.

With chemicals, ALWAYS check out the MSDS PRIOR to purchase and check for any nasties, if you're not sure on a product, Google it, or ASK QUESTIONS about it.

There are many other gems, but it's getting past my bedtime & I have an early start tomorrow.

G'night all.

Shorty.