Suggestions?

[Wandslinger]

I cleaned a carpet last week which was a nice off-white nylon looped designer carpet. It had never been cleaned before. I pre-sprayed with soapfree and then extracted using LAST STEP by CTI. The customer called and said the carpet dried a bit stiff.

Now, when I was cleaning she opened all of the windows and there was a fairly good and dry breeze flowing through. Typically I would warn my custy that it might dry stiff because of the low moisture in the air and make the comparison that it's like what happens to a towel if you dry it outside versus tumble dry in your dryer. I tell them that it will eventually soften up. Unfortunately the custy left at this house and she wasn't forewarned so now it's like I did something incorrectly.

My question is, would you rinse with just water, encapp with a CRB to soften the fibers up, rinse with an acid or rinse with a rinse agent again?

 

[Nate The Great]

Don't quit your day job........

I'd re clean it with fresh water and see if that alleviates the problem.. Do you can fans to leave? Does she have an a/c to leave on? Worse case I'll leave the bathroom vents on if the house is going to be closed up..

I don't like to leave windows open if the customer isn't there...

 

[Wandslinger]

Thanks Nate,
I can always count on you......

I'm thinking the same and also run maybe 200-300 PS just to rewet it and then keep everything shut so it can dry slowly.

Don't quit your day job........

I'd re clean it with fresh water and see if that alleviates the problem.. Do you can fans to leave? Does she have an a/c to leave on? Worse case I'll leave the bathroom vents on if the house is going to be closed up..

I don't like to leave windows open if the customer isn't there...

 

[Johnny]

Surprised that chemistry left the carpet stiff. Was it stiff before you started? I would try lightly misting and brushing in Fab-Set or similar all fiber rinse. Or misting and then extracting with Fab-Set.

I've never noticed stiffness from fast drying. I always try to dry as fast as possible.

Ps. Hope that wasn't the job I referred you. I didn't know it would be a problem. Honest.

 

[Cleanworks]

I am mystified why the carpet dried stiff using an acid rinse. I think the carpet may be over wet. Check your equipment to make sure it is in good shape. I have heard of guys spraying fabric softener and grooming it in.

 

[Spurlington]

Probably stiff if all previous residue or current prespray wasnt rinsed enough .. Im guessing .. and using an acid rinse should soften fibers.

 

[ruff]

Carpet could be stiff due to hardness of water. How hard is the water in your area?
It could be that just going with a CRB will do the job.

 

[Lint Basket]

I used to get crunchy carpets once in awhile when I used Procyon, isn't Soapfree similar?

Is this a repeat or new customer? Could be someone else's soapy mess?

Like Ofer, I was also thinking that it could be your water in addition? I can't believe how much difference water is in my area from one town to the next. My TDS is about 220 ppm and my father in laws 5 miles down the road is 500 ppm, and his soft water is 650 ppm. Crazy right? Soft water has more mineral (it's just sodium bicarbonate) which in addition to Soapfree which is Tri-Sodium you might have a lot of Sodium going on?

 

[SamIam]

Tom uses a 570 and a Devastator wand.

He also has a water softener.

I like the hit with a crb idea, if that doesn't works rinse with last step one more time mist and vac.

 

[Mark Saiger]

Carpet Fresh?

 

[Mikey P]

Carpets dry instantaneously here in Nevada.

That ain't your problem.

Chem residue.

 

[Zee]

Guys, the second sentence he stated : never been cleaned before.


Did you guys even read it?

 

[Zee]

I would have some boiling hot water and spray it down lightly... run a bonnet over it and groom it.

 

[Nate The Great]

Guys, the second sentence he stated : never been cleaned before.


Did you guys even read it?

What never been cleaned before?

 

[SamIam]

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Carpet Fresh?

Does carpet fresh foam up real bad?

 

[SamIam]

I'm guessing he's already done with it and all conversations are moot.

 

[Old Coastie]

Tom, you said it would soften with time, why not go vacuum it and leave your card for the next time?

 

[Able 1]

Did you notice a foam? I did one this week that was crazy foamy(noticed while running the CRB)!! I could imagine that it dried crunchy.. I would say 1 in 300 have any foam issue for me.. Soft water rinse here only, soft as a babies Marty..

 

[Able 1]

Damn autocorrect!!

 

[Mikey P]

Does carpet fresh foam up real bad?

Doink!


You should have seen the Resolve residue @Derrick T. and I ran into today

 

[Spurlington]

Guys, the second sentence he stated : never been cleaned before.


Did you guys even read it?

Hahaha .. right !!


Maybe never professionally cleaned .. but a store bought or rented machine possibly .. or not !! Or they wanna say never been cleaned to put all the responsibility on the current cleaner !!

I had so many say,"We never wear shoes in the house." and Im looking down wondering what the hell do you call those then !!

 

[carpetcleaner]

I would start with my vacuum and see it that softens it up. If not, rinse it with plain water.

 

[Mikey P]

Tom, you were pretty quick with the slow drying reasoning, in 31 years I've never experienced this so I'm wondering where you came up with this..

You have an onboard softener, right?

 

[jcooper]

Chem residue.

That's what I'd guess.

 

[steve_64]

Slow drying allows all that deep crud in the backing to wick up.

You can flush and scrub all day but you'll never get 100% of it when it's that old.

I'd just vac it good and get them on a schedule.

 

[Zee]

I guess for you spurlington, I will start qualifying my comments "sarc" "joke" "dead serious".

 

[Spurlington]

I guess for you spurlington, I will start qualifying my comments "sarc" "joke" "dead serious".

Haha !!

You were absolutely right !! We were responding as if they were previously cleaned .. bypassing the statement saying never been cleaned before !!

No need to cater to me.

 

[Wandslinger]

Wow, okay so again the carpet was never cleaned before. I went back and it felt a little stiffer then the areas where I did not clean. Not very noticeable, but still felt different. I called CTI about the LAST STEP rinse and Todd said that it definitely wasn't the chem mix. He equated to a tumble drying a pair of jeans in a dryer and or hanging it outside for drying . Outside often makes the jeans a bit stiff until you wear them and then they will soften up. I totally agree. My wife does the same with towels. Outside always seems to be stiff. I'm going back tomorrow, quick rinse with 2 to 300 PSI. Hoping that takes care of it.

 

[Mikey P]

Wow, okay so again the carpet was never cleaned before

and my dog would never pee on the carpet, that would be a no no...

 

[SamIam]

Wow, okay so again the carpet was never cleaned before. I went back and it felt a little stiffer then the areas where I did not clean. Not very noticeable, but still felt different. I called CTI about the LAST STEP rinse and Todd said that it definitely wasn't the chem mix. He equated to a tumble drying a pair of jeans in a dryer and or hanging it outside for drying . Outside often makes the jeans a bit stiff until you wear them and then they will soften up. I totally agree. My wife does the same with towels. Outside always seems to be stiff. I'm going back tomorrow, quick rinse with 2 to 300 PSI. Hoping that takes care of it.

Don't trust todd he makes stuff up!

Joking hahHHa