Who else here uses an upholstery tool on stairs?

[Bob Foster]

I hate stair tools. I find that if I use my Prochem tool it is just the same length of time but it does a better job. It is a lot of work though.
Any ideas how to make life easier and still put out a good job?

 

[Numero Uno]

I myself do as you do,I find it very nice detailing them.

You might try a Velcro strap with a carabinier attached to make it easier somewhat for yourself...

By tethering it a few feet down and at aching it to your rear belt loop/belt or work belt...

You will eliminate the problem of the hose weight as you clean...

That has worked well for us,I also likes the Bane 4 inch hand tool...

Nice wand lip orifice,but you would need to change to a bypass valve,and higher pressure valve and line as well...

Butler some years back carried a hand tool,for hard surface like the Bane version.

But it came complete like that with a squeegee lip/removable,and removable brush attachment...

quite versatile...But in a nutshell,I like the way you do it 2...

 

[Tony Neville]

I like a stair tool first and then vac and touch up with The prochem tool. Probably doesn't go any faster but the stair tool just flushes better, and the prochem gets the corners and edge's better. IMO

Tony

 

[Bob Foster]

Ceasar, I like that belt loop idea to get rid of the tug

 

[Doug Cox]

I've always done it that way.

 

[Eric Valentine]

I have a PMF style 4" detail tool. I usually use my Rotovac 360 with the 6" head on the flats, and the detail tool on the risers. If the stairs are not that bad, I just use the detail tool.

 

[The Preacher]

i use my PMF internal jet uph tool for stairs.

if i'm doing stairs last it's one way to cool off my neptune hoses to avoid black death.

 

[Dolly Llama]

we use the wand for the top and uph tool to detail nose and risers

..L.T.A.

 

[Royal Man]

Stair wand

I use an castex uphol tool and follow with a towel.

 

[JohnnyV]

There just has to be a better way....I hate the stair tool, I only have a 3" pmf upholstery tool....I've had quite a few ideas..I also use the Car Polisher with my own custom made Fiber pads.

 

[Greenie]

oh my....

Let's start off with Not all stair tools are the same, I don't even know what some of you guys are referring to when you say stair tool, I'm still trying to think back to when I had a porty and did stairs with a 3" uph tool....

First things first, immediately change the jets on your full size "stair tool" 06 flow min. preferably 08.
If you think you are rinsing carpet with an 02 you are missing something here.

I know on my old HydraMaster UT-40 I had no problem knocking out risers, and treads to include excellent work on the noses, the glide was the silver bullet for stairs. Best way to extract one radius is with another radius!
You need flow and heat on your side, neither of which you get with tiny jets, so lose them and get a full sized glided stair tool.
Well okay...you can save those for the pie shaped staircases as a detail step.

Just because you've been doing something for 20 years, doesn't mean you can't do it better tomorrow.

 

[Fon Johnson]

I used to think that I was giving my customers the best service by hand cleaning stairs for an hour painstakingly with an upholstery tool. Then I tried a stair tool. I quickly found out how NOT clean I was getting them. I've never looked back.

I wish I had a glide on mine, but I don't think you can put one on that swivel wand with the enclosed jet can you?

 

[Greenie]

A little bird tells me you can.

Same glide fits all three PMF "real" stair tools.

 

[Mikey P]

I can clean most stair cases with mt GTI wand.




perfectly.

 

[Al]

Hey Fon,

We got a glide on our swivel head wand, it's nice!

AL

 

[Steve Lawrence]

OMG!!!! Cleaning stairs with an uph tool is torture on your back.

We chopped down some old wands, made the ss tube about 16" shorter and they are ideal for stairs. Fast, easy, glided. 10x the flushing of a tool meant to clean thin fabric. Join the 21st century.

 

[Fon Johnson]

OMG!!!! I agree with Steve!

Thanks Al. I'd love to see a pic if you have one. The stairs are the slowest area to dry now that we use a glide on the wand. I believe in glides. The "kool aid" was good...

 

[R W]

I use the swivel headed stair tool. Faster....more professional looking than flinging a full size wand on the steps. I will sometimes detail with my Prochem upholstery tool. I finish off by vac hose cuffing the the nose.

 

[Greenie]

lol....that full sized wand approach must be an COIT carry over, fine if you are 6'7" and it's a straight flight.

I hacked a few rentals that way, was nice hitting the steps in three passes, but way too much work on ye old arms, I'm only 5'9.

It was a valuable lesson on productivity, a short 36-40" long stair tool, with a 14" wide head would be sweet for 90% of all jobs, probably put a 2" tube on it too, and no forward assist handle, they just get in the way, the tool is more universal without em.

I was very close to converting an old glided Butler 14", but the girly 1.5" tube held me back, too much hassle to put a 2" on it, just stuck with the 10" wide HydraMaster, as it was universal, even worked pretty good on the pie shaped ones.

I can see now from the post, many out there could benefit from faster production, how fast we process the work has more to do with profit per hour than anything else, assuming you are conscientious, which most are that read forums.

 

[Jim Williams]

An upholstery tool leaves a nice v-hack pattern on the stairs. The customers cry tears of joy when they see it.

 

[Bob Savage]

Stairs and upholstery are 2 of the services a lot of carpet cleaners do not like as well as carpet cleaning.

Having done this for 23 years now, I believe I've got this stair cleaning thing going well for me.

I use the PMF swivel stair tool (which is about 30" long), long enough so you don't have to bend over too much and kill your back. Instead of cleaning in the forward and back again motion (Backgammon pattern), as you may do when cleaning carpet, I start at the left edge, with the head of the tool parallel with the wall, not perpendicular. This allows me to edge clean where the carpet meets at the tread and riser (one of the crevices where hair and dust collect) in a side-to-side motion, with the tool ending up tilted out over the nose (side-to-side still) of the tread, so the tool can blast straight down with the 06 jet on the nose (which is also usually very soiled).

I do three treads at a time before backing down for the next 3 (including the turning of the tool head for the 3 risers), and then go back and do the same motion (side-to-side) as a vac stroke only, then take off the hose end and vacuum these 3 tread noses.

I've tried having the vac and solution hose attached to my belt and found it uncomfortable, so instead, I pull the vac and sol hose a little longer than it needs to be, and bring it up behind me on the left side, and loop it back down my right side about 4 feet (ankles now looped once by the hoses) so the hoses won't be fighting you wanting to go down the stairs while you are cleaning. With this procedure, the "tug" of the hoses is at your feet and is not interfering with your cleaning.

This is quick with plenty of flushing action for cleaning, with a good final vac, and easy on the body.

 

[STEVEC]

Most of the time I'll use the RV360 and then use the detail tool for the backs and corners.

 

[FastEddie]

I still can't believe a pro cleaner is using a tiny underjetted upl tool on stairs. I'll have to post what the real deal is.

 

[GRHeacock]

For at least 20 years, I mostly used a PMF "Shortie" wand on stairs. A lot better than a regular upholstery tool.

Start at the bottom, working up to clean the risers, working down to clean the treads. 5 minutes average time.

Works fine on straight stairs.

Also cleans under beds without moving them.

Curved or spiral stairs, or tight 180 degree turns at landings is tough to do with this setup, so I modified an internal jet upholstery tool for this purpose.

For heavily soiled noses, I liked the Hugger nose cleaner tool.

In situations where the solution and vac hoses might be cumbersome or drag the tool down, I would tie off them halfway, or into thirds with one of my Anti-Gravity Perfect Stair Hose Holders.

Then no drag with the hoses.

Gary