Repetitive motion(carpet cleaning) is a body killer! What issues has CC given you?

[Desk Jockey]

You sir are amazing! I tip my hat to you.

 

[Vivers]

I've been pretty fortunate. Cleaning carpet for @ 15 years, mostly alone. I'm almost 3& and can put in some long days without too much trouble. I have had "trigger finger" for many years. I'm useless cleaning left handed so I never do it. I know I should force myself but I'm always in such a hurry and want to do a good job too.

I see a chiropractor monthly.

Always been a big believer in quality shoes.

I call myself "the Kid" because I really do feel like a kid. I love what I do and feel fortunate to still be able bodied to do it. That is despite a major leg break a couple years ago (tib/fib) from a low speed motorcycle fall.

Oh, and I've got at least 20 pounds to lose after sitting around all Winter.

But blessed.


The Clean Machine

Love this attitude brother

 

[Mike Draper]

14 years ago I destroyed myself in a skiing accident. 2 broken legs, shattered pelvis and a crushed heel. cracks in my bottom 2 vertebrae and they are now protruding forward, back hurts everyday. Just had surgery on my foot again ( 3 months ago )to make it better, its worse now. I wear hearing aids, Audiologist says I wont hear my grand kids by the time I'm 50 if I dont change something. I'm just a basket case who loves to clean carpet. Something has gotta change though. I expect to win the lottery soon, I play almost 2x a year.

 

[Vivers]

I've been in the business going on 20 years and along time ago I found I had to hire a technician and him have him do the majority the work.

I am basically the quality control and customer service guy at the jobs. Of course help set up, breakdown, move things and such but leave the majority of the rest of work to him except when using the rotary tool which I can use no problem.

Do you guys really like the zipper for residential carpet? I was allowed to try the prototype by the nice people who build that and did not like it for residential use myself. Has it changed and what can you guys honestly tell me about it?

 

[hogjowl]

Of course it hasn't changed. It's just the board darling this month. Can you imagine walking that thing forward and backward all day?

 

[jcooper]

Stairs can beat a guy up too. I use a pretty short handled tool. I'm going to get a long handled stair tool soon. I need to be able to stand up straight.

Yea, stairs suck! That's the reason I do them(stairs) last now, if possible. This way my back hurts when I'm done and driving away. Instead of having a whole floor to clean.

 

[jcooper]

14 years ago I destroyed myself in a skiing accident. 2 broken legs, shattered pelvis and a crushed heel. cracks in my bottom 2 vertebrae and they are now protruding forward, back hurts everyday. Just had surgery on my foot again ( 3 months ago )to make it better, its worse now. I wear hearing aids, Audiologist says I wont hear my grand kids by the time I'm 50 if I dont change something.

Holy crap....

 

[Goomer]

Stairs, upholstery, and sometimes even hose management are what gets me everytime if I rush them without paying attention to my posture while bending and reaching.

Strains my lower back something awful if im not careful.

 

[Desk Jockey]

funny if I ran a portable the only thing that would hurt on me would be my reputation and my conscious.
_

Its a joke Frank...................................so is cleaning with a porty!

Damn two for one!!!!!! I'm on a streak!

; )

 

[hogjowl]

You would be soundly run off the Jwit board!

 

[Desk Jockey]

You're right I wouldn't last long there. Those guys have no sense humor.

 

[Goomer]

I understand your jealously….. She sure is purty, ain't she….

 

[hogjowl]

They do have a sense of humor, it's just juvenile. Gcclee, or whatever his name is would fit right in over there. In fact, I think he CAME fro there.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Actually Chris is a good guy. Just wound a little tight!

Frank you're a better man than me to clean with one of those. Welll that's not entirely true. You're a better man than Porkchop!

 

[Goomer]

Frank you're a better man than me to clean with one of those. Welll that's not entirely true. You're a better man than Porkchop!

Im not sure how I should take that.

 

[WillS]

I personally have only been cleaning carpets for a few years, but my back is already killing me. It's probably from doing stairs all the time in these 4 level houses in Las Vegas. Its like 29 steps in each home sometimes.

 

[Able 1]

You all NEED to get a stair tool that you can stand up straight while cleaning..

 

[WillS]

We use the portable HOST machines with the bristles, bending down to clean with that is a requirement lol

 

[Derek]

i've had tennis elbow since '98 when i started using a wand...never had it after laying brick for several years, but a year of wanding gave it to me.

sold all that equipment and took a chance with VLM, no more tennis elbow.

i got trigger finger over the Summer while using my new Whittaker Trio. just finished 2 months of O.T. and it is 95% gone. they used something that the P.T. never offered me back when i went for tennis elbow. it is some type of anti-inflammatory that is applied topically and then a low-voltage patch is applied for 2 minutes to "work" the anti inflammatory in. i thought it sounded like hogwash, but it worked. i then had her do 3 visits of this treatment to the tendonitis in my right wrist. after 10+ years of that problem, it reduced it by 50%+

this system of therapy is called Iontophoresis. Google it, i HIGHLY recommend it. if you are already seeing a P.T. / O.T., ask them to hook you up. it takes a prescription to get this treatment.

some info i found while Googling it: http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/Features/Top-Story/Electrically-Assisted-Therapy.aspx

 

[Goomer]

You all NEED to get a stair tool that you can stand up straight while cleaning..

No doubt.

Your right on.

I am using a shirt stair tool which has to be the biggest culprit.

 

[Shorty]

I can relate to what you say, I'm alright Jack. (Zerkie).

Just a young'un at 69 & haven't been fit since I started in this game back in '71.

I do like to have my wands custom made so that I can stand up straight when wanding.

I also used to swap from right to left regularly.

Since giving up the rotary, my back & legs have improved out of sight.

Now that I'm going down the commercial track, I don't use the wand very much, but I still do a heck of a lot of upholstery which I love, including leather.

I'm still 4 stone overweight but I've seen too many young fit people fall off their perch from too much exercise.

I've also had a nasty leg injury 18 years back, still have my leg and still working despite what the quacks told me.

My knees sometimes swell up when I do 14-16 hours a day, but by wrapping a vinegar soaked bandage around them for a couple of hours, I'm ready to go next day.

Arthritis and K.R.A.F.T. is my main problem, (going back to the van and can't remember what I went out there for sort of thing).

Arthritis, especially in my right hand where I've broken two knuckles (ran a mining camp for 480 single people back in the late '70's early '80's where I had to maintain order, hence the broken knuckles but still have a straight nose , also had 60 cleaners on staff), is starting to cause a bit of discomfort.

Hopefully, I will still be doing this in another ten years just so that I can beat Rambo's record.

He retired at 77, two months later he told me, "don't ever retire".

I am basically a very lazy guy & always look at the easiest way of doing things, this includes having folding tables for cleaning upholstery at the right height, etc; sofa jacks (courtesy of Gary H Heacock) to lift furniture to put skidders or blocks under, and any thing else I can find to make life easier.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Im not sure how I should take that.

It was a shot. Everyone is a better man than Porkchop! LOL

 

[Captain America]

I've been in the business going on 20 years and along time ago I found I had to hire a technician and him have him do the majority the work.

I am basically the quality control and customer service guy at the jobs. Of course help set up, breakdown, move things and such but leave the majority of the rest of work to him except when using the rotary tool which I can use no problem.

Do you guys really like the zipper for residential carpet? I was allowed to try the prototype by the nice people who build that and did not like it for residential use myself. Has it changed and what can you guys honestly tell me about it?

Bill

I am 55 been cleaning for 14 years same back, shoulder, arm , elbow , pinched nerve as others.....chiropractor for the last 6 months...
I cleaned with rx20 off and on for 5 years, but doesnt work in residential also cumbersome on some commercial and heavy to lift.

Went to the wand(prochem)Ti and Prochem 12" with glides and wheels.. this helped some(for the last 8 years),but still same motion and pinched nerve in neck for the last 2..4 years.
Just purchased a Zipper 2 weeks ago after much research....
I did 1 restuarant this week and this is my results:
- cleaned better than the wand...
- more extraction.. faster dry time(1/2)
- Labor: i cleaned 2 hours and absolutely no joint pain in arms, shoulder or neck...
My back was a little tired but I basically just pushed the zipper with my body not using arms much...
Stood upright the whole time - (the chiropracter told me the bending over in an ackward position is what causes joint pain)

Residential results:cleaned my house(3 rooms)
- used about 35 gallons of water.. was dirty as it is the last carpet I clean...my wife made me use it on our house first
- dry time was half(2..3 hours) with little or no dry strokes(used 30hp w 45 blower and kero heat)
- labor - probably half as it causes u to stand up straight and the pushing and pulling is easier

more cleaning needs to be done by the Captain before I make final conclusion
but so far its a game changer in my book!

 

[Vivers]

Repetitive motion(carpet cleaning) is a body killer! What issues has CC given...

Bill

I am 55 been cleaning for 14 years same back, shoulder, arm , elbow , pinched nerve as others.....chiropractor for the last 6 months...
I cleaned with rx20 off and on for 5 years, but doesnt work in residential also cumbersome on some commercial and heavy to lift.

Went to the wand(prochem)Ti and Prochem 12" with glides and wheels.. this helped some(for the last 8 years),but still same motion and pinched nerve in neck for the last 2..4 years.
Just purchased a Zipper 2 weeks ago after much research....
I did 1 restuarant this week and this is my results:
- cleaned better than the wand...
- more extraction.. faster dry time(1/2)
- Labor: i cleaned 2 hours and absolutely no joint pain in arms, shoulder or neck...
My back was a little tired but I basically just pushed the zipper with my body not using arms much...
Stood upright the whole time - (the chiropracter told me the bending over in an ackward position is what causes joint pain)

Residential results:cleaned my house(3 rooms)
- used about 35 gallons of water.. was dirty as it is the last carpet I clean...my wife made me use it on our house first
- dry time was half(2..3 hours) with little or no dry strokes(used 30hp w 45 blower and kero heat)
- labor - probably half as it causes u to stand up straight and the pushing and pulling is easier

more cleaning needs to be done by the Captain before I make final conclusion
but so far its a game changer in my book!

Seriously, because what I found is it was difficult to use in residential settings due to all the furniture and stuff people have. I could totally see commercial being great with that though. Are you doing dry passes? We have an Apex with 31hp so were good on power.

I currently have the 360i but raking out the wand marks and cutting in the corners gets old also.

So please keep us all informed as you get a little more use out of it

Thanks a ton

 

[hogjowl]

I told my Doctor the other day that something had to be wrong with me, because t hurt all over. He just grunted.

I was horsing around with my 1 year old grandson on Saturday and threw my back out. I'm walking sideways now .

But, I still put in two 8 hour days on the wand yesterday and today! My son just couldn't make it in to work both days. He has a cold! Straight commission; no work, no pay!

My Dad retired twice and went back to work both times within 6 weeks. He was a worker. He's having his left leg amputated tomorrow due to diabetes. He won't make it a year now.

 

[Connor]

Marty, Try DDPYoga.

 

[hogjowl]

I'm not gay.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I told my Doctor the other day that something had to be wrong with me, because t hurt all over. He just grunted.

I was horsing around with my 1 year old grandson on Saturday and threw my back out. I'm walking sideways now .

But, I still put in two 8 hour days on the wand yesterday and today! My son just couldn't make it in to work both days. He has a cold! Straight commission; no work, no pay!

My Dad retired twice and went back to work both times within 6 weeks. He was a worker. He's having his left leg amputated tomorrow due to diabetes. He won't make it a year now.

That's awful. I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[hogjowl]

Modern medicine put him where he is today. Without it, he would have died suddenly with an aortic aneurism at 84. One minute you're working, and the next your dead . That's the way it's supposed to end.

Not having body parts chopped off while waiting on your next surgery for another failed disc, valve, kidney or joint.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yea my father was on so many meds he carried a list. I blame some of the for his cancer but without them his quality of life wouldn't have been what was his last 19-years. Piece by piece is no way to go. Hopefully it doesn't affect his spirit.

So sorry!