Advice on starting a VLM cleaning business

[Javier]

Hey everybody this is my first time here, I want to thank you all for sharing your knowledge and helping others with much less experience like myself.
My wife and I just moved to Naples, FL. and started a small house cleaning business, we clean mostly apartments and medium size houses. We do vacuum and clean floors but we want to offer a much better and complete service for carpet, tile and grout cleaning. At this moment we don´t have a big budget to invest on equipment like a truckmount. So we want to start with VLM cleaning. I been looking into buying an Orbot Vibe and a CRB to start with and then move on from there.
So I want to ask you if you think that with those two machines is good enough to start offering carpet, tile and grout cleaning with good results.
all your comments will be truly appreciated.
Thanks again.

 

[hogjowl]

Don’t be a moron

 

[Cleanworks]

Hey everybody this is my first time here, I want to thank you all for sharing your knowledge and helping others with much less experience like myself.
My wife and I just moved to Naples, FL. and started a small house cleaning business, we clean mostly apartments and medium size houses. We do vacuum and clean floors but we want to offer a much better and complete service for carpet, tile and grout cleaning. At this moment we don´t have a big budget to invest on equipment like a truckmount. So we want to start with VLM cleaning. I been looking into buying an Orbot Vibe and a CRB to start with and then move on from there.
So I want to ask you if you think that with those two machines is good enough to start offering carpet, tile and grout cleaning with good results.
all your comments will be truly appreciated.
Thanks again.

Vlm does not lend itself to residential cleaning in my opinion. You would be better off investing in a high performance portable. Crb and a portable will give you good results. A little more cumbersome than using a truck mount for houses but will get the job done.

 

[FredC]

Vlm does not lend itself to residential cleaning in my opinion. .

Why?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Skip the CRB unless you have a particular need for it.

 

[Cleanworks]

Why?

I have vlm equipment and use it on commercial frequently and find it works great. In residential, you are dealing with thicker carpet installed over pad, often with all kinds of biological contamination. I just feel more comfortable flushing the soil out rather than encapping and leaving the soil there or bonneting and trying to absorb the soil into the bonnets. I'm not saying it can't be done by I prefer hwe over low moisture methods.

 

[Jimmy L]

No VLM for residential

 

[Hack Attack]

If you're doing highend well maintained carpet then vlm is an "ok" option

 

[hogjowl]

If you're doing highend well maintained carpet then vlm is an "ok" option

As long as their ok with tip blooming

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

use both vlm then extract with a portable. More work but better results . Orbot & vibe have a new carpet brush should do a great job on dirty carpets. jz

 

[J Scott W]

For moderate soil levels and residential carpet, a Brush Pro CRB can make the carpet look really nice. But I do prefer to flush soils in a residential setting. S good portable plus the Brush Pro for additional agitation would be a great combination.

However, Chem Dry proved for many years that low moisture methods like bonnets do appeal to home-owners and a business can do very well promoting that fact. Just not my preference.

 

[Dolly Llama]

However, Chem Dry proved for many years that low moisture methods like bonnets do appeal to home-owners and a business can do very well promoting that fact.

yea, if you lie like a sumbich and the homeowner has never had a good CC'er

we clean mostly apartments and medium size houses

get a decent porty dude
plenty available new for $2500 bukz

..L.T.A.

 

[JohnHawkP]

Get hold of a good mowing guy and offer a one stop shop.

Refer work to him and take a cut.

Your customers then need to make just one call - to you

 

[FredC]

In residential, you are dealing with thicker carpet installed over pad, often with all kinds of biological contamination .

ATP testing by some manufacturers has shown that there are VLM systems that actually remove more of those contaminants than HWE. In fact after the carpet was cleaned the biological contaminants increased from their lowest post cleaning point because of the additional water allowing for microbial amplification.

 

[Cleanworks]

ATP testing by some manufacturers has shown that there are VLM systems that actually remove more of those contaminants than HWE. In fact after the carpet was cleaned the biological contaminants increased from their lowest post cleaning point because of the additional water allowing for microbial amplification.

Exactly what systems are those?

 

[FredC]

Exactly what systems are those?

Straight handled TRS machines using their presprays with colloidal silver.

 

[Desk Jockey]

ATP testing by some manufacturers has shown that there are VLM systems that actually remove more of those contaminants than HWE. In fact after the carpet was cleaned the biological contaminants increased from their lowest post cleaning point because of the additional water allowing for microbial amplification.

Once dry are the readings still elevated with HWE?

I'd much rather use VLM over cleaning with a portable. The exception being urine, blood, vomit.

 

[Cleanworks]

Straight handled TRS machines using their presprays with colloidal silver.

I don't know what a trs machine is. I know they use colloidal silver in certain microfibre towels to control bacterial growth.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Trinity Renewal System. OP machine

 

[Cleanworks]

I wonder if these manufacturers did real world testing in people's homes or if they were testing in a lab. I think that makes a world of difference. Colloidal silver could probably be added to hwe presprays or rinses as well.

 

[FredC]

Once dry are the readings still elevated with HWE.

That is my understanding since the increase occurs and there is no removal. The atp testing is measuring live and dead stuff

 

[Desk Jockey]

It's real world I don't doubt microbial activity is amplified with moisture. The problem with ATP testing is it shows you there is something there but doesn't distinguish what. Is it soil, blood, sewage, mold? You only know the count is higher.

 

[Small town janitorial]

Sub it out to a carpet guy, or buy a crb and a slightly used portable off craigslist. Then you can learn what works for you and your market. Having multiple services can help keep you busy, but rarely make you really good at anything. Specialize and get more per hour and be proud of doing a better job than those who do a little of everything.

 

[FredC]

I wonder if these manufacturers did real world testing in people's homes or if they were testing in a lab. I think that makes a world of difference. Colloidal silver could probably be added to hwe presprays or rinses as well.

Real world including having independent operators testing in the field

 

[Javier]

Hey thanks for all the comments and great advice, I really do appreciate your help

 

[Cleanworks]

Real world including having independent operators testing in the field

Are colloidal silver additives readily available in op or other presprays?

 

[FredC]

Are colloidal silver additives readily available in op or other presprays?

I don’t know that colloidal silver is the only active ingredient controlling microbial growth.

Readily available? Sure, there are a shitload of blue people selling generators on the inter webs.

Other presprays? Idk if there are others that use colloidal silver or other ingredients to inhibit microbial growth

 

[Cleanworks]

I don’t know that colloidal silver is the only active ingredient controlling microbial growth.

Readily available? Sure, there are a shitload of blue people selling generators on the inter webs.

Yeah, I read a little about people making it themselves but I meant in properly prepared presprays that you can buy off the shelf. I wonder how the tests would compare if the hwe presprays or rinses had an antibacterial/antifungal component.

 

[FredC]

Yeah, I read a little about people making it themselves but I meant in properly prepared presprays that you can buy off the shelf. I wonder how the tests would compare if the hwe presprays or rinses had an antibacterial/antifungal component.

I edited to say that I’m not familiar with others that have microbial growth inhibitors.

Idk how it would compare but I would think that your average hwe cleaner isn’t adding any so this system is leaving less contaminants than the average hwe cleaner.

 

[Wand Slinger]

I wonder if using an acid rinse was part of the testing for hwe. It's my understanding that the acid rinse aids in more contamination removal and the acidic environment is a detterent to microbial growths of certain types.