Reduced my 870 to a porty.

[Nomad74]

Yesterday I got a call from a customer that someone had poisoned her dog and he (the dog) defecated all over the carpet. I get there and my eyes immediately start burning when I walk in. I could barely inhale due to the strong odor. The smell was of extremely strong cat box and urine. The customer points to about 4 specific spots that are annoying her. This is definitely a case of Mike's "Just remove the porkchop". I click on my UV light and show began. There was urine everywhere. There also seemed to be a heavy residue everywhere. To complicate things, the urine covered stairs were going down, so I would have to clean against the fall of my hose. I Hate working against my hose on stairs.

I informed the lady that her carpet was so contaminated it would not be cost effective for me to treat it using the waterclaw method at $45 a gallon. I recommended replacement. That's when the truth came out. She was having visitors and just wanted it to smell better. I was ready to walk but she was desperate. I ended mixing a heavy dose of Pureforce CitrusForce (enzyme) and SaigerCide mix, added more SiagerCide to my rinse and turned up the acid, strapped a bottle of USR to my hip, and went to work.

I start cleaning and within a few strokes of my wand, my SS870 was reduced to a porty. I pulled the hose to see what was going on and a fist full of soap suds fell out. The foam totally killed my performance. I didn't have any defoamer with me so I had to put my hose up to the bathroom sink and let water flow through it while burping the hose. It took me forever to get that room clean. Wanding slower than Marty and burping the hose more than Mike at a cauliflower eating contest, I eventually got through it.

As I was wrapping up, I apologized to the customer for taking so long. I explained the foaming issues I was having and that's when I got more truth. Seems that someone had tried to do her a favor and cleaned her carpet with a Rug Doctor. Whomever did this must have soaped the crap out of the place.

I know I can't do much about the Cat box odor since it was full and fuming away, but at least the carpet looked and smelled good when I was done. My goal for the day is to go pick up a jug of Crystal Defroamer.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

"No good deed goes unpunished....."

 

[Cleanworks]

In a pinch spray some volatile solvent in your hose. Makes a great defoamer even if expensive.

 

[Nomad74]

In a pinch spray some volatile solvent in your hose. Makes a great defoamer even if expensive.

Man. Wish I would have know that. I was at the point where I didn’t care about cost.

 

[Nomad74]

@TConway , this was the job I was texting about last night.

 

[Rob Grady]

Liquid Downey Fabric softener added to your waste filter or tank will save you buying any of the shelf offerings.

 

[Acp]

yup downy imo is better than any of the defoamers out there, just a small glug in your vac line and it coats the whole line all the way back to the truck

you can even dilute it 50/50 with water and it still works better than the crystal defoamers

Ive had jobs like that before and didnt have any, had no choice but to borrow a glug from the customers laundry area lol

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Turn the rpm waaaay down. Defoamer in the waste tank is minimally effective because the ridges and turbulence of the vacuum hoses make the most of the foam.

 

[Old Coastie]

So, what happens if you mix Downey with the prespray?

 

[Brian H]

Plain old table salt will also work. Don't throw away those packets of salt from McDonalds.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

So, what happens if you mix Downey with the prespray?

It will create a gummy substance that will clog your sprayer, reduce the effectiveness of your prespray, and be difficult to rinse out.

Other than that, nothing bad....

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I've taken the spray tips off the wand sometimes when this is encountered, just let it flood the surface without impact agitation.

 

[Nomad74]

I learn so much from you guys.

 

[Brian H]

It will create a gummy substance that will clog your sprayer, reduce the effectiveness of your prespray, and be difficult to rinse out.

Other than that, nothing bad....

Reminds me of something I did a long time ago, propably 1983 or 1984....

I was running low on Teflon and didn't have enough to finish protecting a job I was doing but I did have some other generic protector. I figured I could just mix the two together and have more than enough product. Big mistake!! It turned to oatmeal in the bottom of the sprayer along with clogging the spray tube and tip. Took over an hour to finally get it completely cleaned up and finish spaying the carpet with the generic protector.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Reminds me of something I did a long time ago, propably 1983 or 1984....

I was running low on Teflon and didn't have enough to finish protecting a job I was doing but I did have some other generic protector. I figured I could just mix the two together and have more than enough product. Big mistake!! It turned to oatmeal in the bottom of the sprayer along with clogging the spray tube and tip. Took over an hour to finally get it completely cleaned up and finish spaying the carpet with the generic protector.

I bet one of the two was the original "Teflon MF" we used to be able to buy at 16:1 for around 400.00 a gallon.

Ask me how I know....

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Take notes kids!

(I am)

 

[Jim Williams]

I learn so much from you guys.

Me too. Just when I thought I knew it all. Dang it!

 

[ruff]

Norman 74, when you're done testing your equipment's limit of endurance and fragility. Please take your time and not that there's anything wrong with your on going research.

But do yourself a favor and buy this and in the 50 pounds bucket. It lasts forever and is well worth it:

http://www.jondon.com/crystal-defoamer-1.html

 

[Mark Saiger]

It will create a gummy substance that will clog your sprayer, reduce the effectiveness of your prespray, and be difficult to rinse out.

Other than that, nothing bad....

Love it

 

[Jim Pemberton]

It will create a gummy substance that will clog your sprayer, reduce the effectiveness of your prespray, and be difficult to rinse out.

Other than that, nothing bad....

Just to be VERY clear:

I wasn't born knowing this, and I didn't "go to school" to learn it.

I learned most of it after making mistakes.

I doubt many of you will make as many mistakes as I have in my career.

Here are a few of my worst:

Trying to correct browning with straight Chlorox (It didn't just not work, it broke down the latex backing and reacted with the Haitian Cotton cleaner and stunk out the house...bought that one)

Dry cleaning a fabric with thermal fog deodorizer (I thought it would be a good short cut to clean and deodorize...... bought that one)

Mixing a reducing agent and oxidizing agent together (just about killed a few people as well as myself with that stunt..)

Using a white sock instead of a towel to wipe down upholstery (no damage...but you should have seen the look on the lady's face when she caught me..got thrown out of the house)

Using wall cleaner to prespray a cotton print sofa (the colors ran like a river right in front of my eyes...bought that one)

There's more, but I've embarrassed myself enough.

 

[Shorty]

Jim Pemberton, although you made some significant mistakes, I bet you never made those same mistakes twice.

Hence we all learn from our mistakes, I prefer to learn from others, but that doesn't always work either.

Re the defoamer, when using a portable, I found that a small cake of soap that you get in hotels also does the trick if placed in the waste tank.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Jim Pemberton, although you made some significant mistakes, I bet you never made those same mistakes twice.

You're kind, but I was a teenager when I made those mistakes, so I confess there were a few others I made twice, just not those ones...

I haven't any idea why my father didn't disown me. You guys with sons working for you, consider yourself lucky you didn't have me working for you. Confidence and inexperience are a horrible combination.

But I learned alot of techniques from those mistakes...and a great deal of humility.

 

[Old Coastie]

Jim Pemberton, although you made some significant mistakes, I bet you never made those same mistakes twice.

Hence we all learn from our mistakes, I prefer to learn from others, but that doesn't always work either.

Re the defoamer, when using a portable, I found that a small cake of soap that you get in hotels also does the trick if placed in the waste tank.

How on Eath would soap prevent foaming?

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

Man. Wish I would have know that. I was at the point where I didn’t care about cost.

Got to Walmart and get some fabric softener.... cheap as borscht, and works great direct into the hose in those situations......

 

[Dolly Llama]

I didn't have any defoamer with me

..L.T.A.

 

[Nomad74]

Norman 74, when you're done testing your equipment's limit of endurance and fragility. Please take your time and not that there's anything wrong with your on going research.

But do yourself a favor and buy this and in the 50 pounds bucket. It lasts forever and is well worth it:

http://www.jondon.com/crystal-defoamer-1.html

ooooooohhhh, I can probably get more Legend Reward Points also with that purchase. I just used my points today to buy 2 Studebakers and one Stealth air mover. I can't wait to make a video for Marty.

 

[Nomad74]

Just to be VERY clear:

I wasn't born knowing this, and I didn't "go to school" to learn it.

I learned most of it after making mistakes.

I doubt many of you will make as many mistakes as I have in my career.

Here are a few of my worst:

Trying to correct browning with straight Chlorox (It didn't just not work, it broke down the latex backing and reacted with the Haitian Cotton cleaner and stunk out the house...bought that one)

Dry cleaning a fabric with thermal fog deodorizer (I thought it would be a good short cut to clean and deodorize...... bought that one)

Mixing a reducing agent and oxidizing agent together (just about killed a few people as well as myself with that stunt..)

Using a white sock instead of a towel to wipe down upholstery (no damage...but you should have seen the look on the lady's face when she caught me..got thrown out of the house)

Using wall cleaner to prespray a cotton print sofa (the colors ran like a river right in front of my eyes...bought that one)

There's more, but I've embarrassed myself enough.

My Hero

 

[BradFenstermaker]

I have hit a lowes before while working out of town for rug doctor liquid defoamer. I felt dirty while waiting in line to purchase.
I have 6lb crystal defoamer on the truck always now.
Its nice to have when you walk in a home and see Resolve pet t

 

[BradFenstermaker]

treatment in every room of the house.

 

[Shorty]

How on Earth would soap prevent foaming?

Exactly what I said when I first heard of it.

When I was cleaning an MT, there was a build -up of previous detergent in the carpet.

I had a small cake in the van & chucked that in the waste tank & the foam stopped..

Or this may help some understand better:

I realise you're not having a bubble bath in your clients home, but the same principle applies, especially when you're stuck, & foaming at the mouth.


Why do the bubbles of a bubble bath disappear when a bar of soap is put into the water?

• BUBBLE bath products are formulations of cationic (positively charged) surface active agents and bactericides. Soaps, however, are predominantly anionic (i.e. negatively charged). When the two are mixed in water (a polar solvent) the charges cancel each other out and the bubbles collapse. To prevent a scum forming, most bubble baths contain small amounts of non-ionic dispersants to keep the dirt in suspension.