A few questions for VLM'ers that clean residential...

randy

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Randy
Here is one today I would never think vlm. Hell I didn't even want to put my vacuum on it but had to because of all the debris. Urine saturated, will have to wash my vacuum before I ever use it again. Elderly people with negligent care aide as far as I can see. I improved it but I would never call it clean.

View attachment 101914 View attachment 101915

VLM guys clean stuff like that all day long. Enzyme prespray like Spartan consume & a quality encapSHAMPOO (for Jimmy)with Oxy. Scots makes a good one, Core, Excellent Supply's Hydrox, Steamway.
 

Mr Brightside

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I am still not sold on it

I feel that we can agree that hwe is healthier so a lot of times homes with kids or elderly I feel that o would be doing a disservice

I do agree I could get away with vlm in cleaner homes ect I just have the wrong mindset and feel that I’m cutting corners

I could also bump the psi down on my Everest to a nice 300psi and do a good cleaning and have the carpets dry in 2 hours

the BIG problem for me istrying to build consistency with my customers and employees
Letting them decide if they should vlm or hwe will be a problem
 

Cleanworks

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I relate it to what I do with area rugs in the shop. I could never vlm a urine soaked rug and say it's clean. We flush the urine out as thoroughly as we can, treating with the appropiate products to dissolve old urine crystals, then we clean and deodorize. I realize in a home we can't do it the same way. We still apply urine products heavily and rinse them out, keeping in mind the underpad and flooring underneath. We can't get everything but I'm sure we are getting way more that you would with vlm.
 

Condog

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Tony
I relate it to what I do with area rugs in the shop. I could never vlm a urine soaked rug and say it's clean. We flush the urine out as thoroughly as we can, treating with the appropiate products to dissolve old urine crystals, then we clean and deodorize. I realize in a home we can't do it the same way. We still apply urine products heavily and rinse them out, keeping in mind the underpad and flooring underneath. We can't get everything but I'm sure we are getting way more that you would with vlm.
Definitely a major factor, but the conditions determine the method too.
Are the pets/pet still there? If yes, then what difference does it make?
If the pets are gone, sometimes replacement is the better option.
Best to have multiple tools like Mike is saying.
 

sassyotto

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sorry to be the butthead but im closely looking at the pictures and know that I could get the carpet cleaner with my TM. yes, it looks much better.

And if it takes just as long to clean, whats the point?

And drying time, I cleaned my Family room yesterday (yep Sunday) put a fan on it and it was dry in an hour. so again, whats the point?
 

scotty747

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I cleaned a small apt room yesterday with releasit and crb because it was already in great shape. The lady said it looked better than when she moved in 6 months ago. When I steam cleaned it. But it was trashed then.
 

Condog

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sorry to be the butthead but im closely looking at the pictures and know that I could get the carpet cleaner with my TM. yes, it looks much better.

And if it takes just as long to clean, whats the point?

And drying time, I cleaned my Family room yesterday (yep Sunday) put a fan on it and it was dry in an hour. so again, whats the point?
That's awesome you're superman.
I've seen posts by many TM guys that that have improved the carpet, not restored it to new.
Good to know there is a superman that gets things no one else can.
 
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scotty747

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My truck was at Jondon last week for blower shaft seals so i had to pass on a job that ended up using Oxyfresh carpet cleaning. Called me back yesterday and said his carpet is sticky and his dog wont stop licking his paws. The one hour dry time promise was four hours with fans on it. Heading over today to flush it out.
 

randy

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sorry to be the butthead but im closely looking at the pictures and know that I could get the carpet cleaner with my TM. yes, it looks much better.

And if it takes just as long to clean, whats the point?

And drying time, I cleaned my Family room yesterday (yep Sunday) put a fan on it and it was dry in an hour. so again, whats the point?

There are a ton of customers that hate truck mounts and steam cleaning. You aren't running into them because you don't offer both methods. Believe me, it's a huge number too.
 

randy

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My truck was at Jondon last week for blower shaft seals so i had to pass on a job that ended up using Oxyfresh carpet cleaning. Called me back yesterday and said his carpet is sticky and his dog wont stop licking his paws. The one hour dry time promise was four hours with fans on it. Heading over today to flush it out.

Oxyclean uses some seriously crappy chemicals. I alway extract a new customer that used them previously before starting a VLM program. They use some " presprays " that should not be used with VLM.
 
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Oxyclean uses some seriously crappy chemicals. I alway extract a new customer that used them previously before starting a VLM program. They use some " presprays " that should not be used with VLM.
Which encap machine are you using in residential?
 

sassyotto

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There are a ton of customers that hate truck mounts and steam cleaning. You aren't running into them because you don't offer both methods. Believe me, it's a huge number too.
LOL, I started with HOST so I know exactly what your talking about.

If the customer wants VLM, then let them call someone else. I can get it clean, they can only make it APPEAR clean.

Im booked till the end of September so I couldnt even handle VLM customers.....
 
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Acp

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encap for ultra clean residential only. Im talking spotless 10k+ sqft homes with rooms people never use. Works great for that, especially when the home is going up for sale.

2nd guy can TM the stairs and all the downstairs areas and its faster than dual wanding.

95% of the time with average day to day customers encap sucks in residential, comparatively...

I love it for commercial... knocked out 2 buildings today. Checked all the areas we used TM last time and they were the dirtiest, the encap'd areas were cleaner after 2 years so this time we encap'd the whole thing
 

steve_64

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Vim in residential can take a lot longer to do when done right.
Vac scrub wipe baseboards off post vac or pick up fiber brush out spinner marks.

I hate carrying in the equipment too.
 

Meter Maid

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I can’t take it anymore...

I hate/love this forum’s namesake, and I swore this forum off because I hate/love him, but I have to chime in on this thread.

I love Mike and you idiots, by the way.

Look, I started a part time carpet cleaning business several years ago as a “side hustle”. Since I wanted "easy money", I fell into the VLM trap. It was cheap...

So, I bought an Orbot and a Cimex. I hit the boards with the "don't soak your carpet" bullshit and kept going. I acquired a few more VLM items and kept going.

I finally got tired of cleaning tile with glamorized floor scrubbers, so in January of 2019, I bought a truckmount.

I then realized I wasn't actually cleaning carpet with those expensive floor scrubbers.

All the sudden, it was so easy and fast to clean nasty carpet with hot water and a wand. Plus, the carpet was actually clean.

All the VLM friends I made started calling me an asshole (which I can be).

Bottom line is I love VLM for commercial carpet because it's better for that application (dogs don't piss on and kids don't play on commercial carpet).

Residential carpet? You are ripping off customers because you are not cleaning their damn carpet.

Last week, I cleaned a room in my house that I'd been VLM'ing for a few years. What I pulled out with my TM was disgusting and I thought that room was clean.

Yes, I know how to properly VLM.

Bottom line is the only reason to choose VLM for residential carpet is because you can't, or refuse, to buy a TM. Period...

Trust me... if I could properly VLM residential carpet, I would.

F you guys
 

Meter Maid

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Also, for residential VLM people, clean half a room with your VLM process and I’ll clean the other half with my rotary extractor.

Make sure that room is a mess and I’ll bet my rotary extractor and TM that my side will be MUCH cleaner.

Furthermore, my dry times will be similar to the VLM side, because rotary extractors pull from the bottom up.

So, if the carpet is cleaner and the dry times are similar, what is the benefit of VLM to the residential customer? Also, what happens to the residue from household cleaning products, that almost all residential customers use, when you run a pad over their carpet? Do pads pull out all that soap?

The VLM benefit? It’s cheap for the “cleaner”.
 
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sassyotto

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Paul
I can’t take it anymore...

I hate/love this forum’s namesake, and I swore this forum off because I hate/love him, but I have to chime in on this thread.

I love Mike and you idiots, by the way.

Look, I started a part time carpet cleaning business several years ago as a “side hustle”. Since I wanted "easy money", I fell into the VLM trap. It was cheap...

So, I bought an Orbot and a Cimex. I hit the boards with the "don't soak your carpet" bullshit and kept going. I acquired a few more VLM items and kept going.

I finally got tired of cleaning tile with glamorized floor scrubbers, so in January of 2019, I bought a truckmount.

I then realized I wasn't actually cleaning carpet with those expensive floor scrubbers.

All the sudden, it was so easy and fast to clean nasty carpet with hot water and a wand. Plus, the carpet was actually clean.

All the VLM friends I made started calling me an asshole (which I can be).

Bottom line is I love VLM for commercial carpet because it's better for that application (dogs don't piss on and kids don't play on commercial carpet).

Residential carpet? You are ripping off customers because you are not cleaning their damn carpet.

Last week, I cleaned a room in my house that I'd been VLM'ing for a few years. What I pulled out with my TM was disgusting and I thought that room was clean.

Yes, I know how to properly VLM.

Bottom line is the only reason to choose VLM for residential carpet is because you can't, or refuse, to buy a TM. Period...

Trust me... if I could properly VLM residential carpet, I would.

F you guys
love a guy who tells it like it is. (and is spot on)
 

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