Carpet Cleaning of Champions !!!

[Willy P]

Geez Tim- I worked 6 hours today, earned $650 and had 2 hours drive time- (in the 6 hours), with a porty. You can A) - Work your ass off and do a numbers game or B) - Do a great job and charge enough for it that you can do it properly.

 

[TimP]

You're kidding yourself if you think that you can't get the dirt out with HWE. The job of the TLC'er is to suspend the dirt soil and dust (which is mostly dead skin cells). You don't have soil suspension with a vacuum. HWE you have that plus strong suction. You also flush the crap out with HWE. A vacuum is to get the bulk of dry soil that's easy to get to, in my opinion a vacuum isn't designed to get all the dust. I agree with vacuuming but there is a point of diminishing returns. And Ron you way pass the line of diminishing returns.

So tell me Ron. How much more dirt and dust do you get out after you do a basic vacuum, meaning about 5-10 minutes a room. 2 passes one forward one back move to the next row, do a cleaning with a rotary extractor. Let it dry and vacuum. Compared to your insane vacuuming and cleaning procedure. Really, how much more dirt for a 150 sq ft room? 1 oz, 2oz? I bet 1 oz is high.

I think I've heard you doing the tests before or something so what the # And how much is it costing the client to get that little bit of extra dirt out? What I'm getting at is diminishing returns.

 

[Ron Werner]

back to basics
80% is loose soil and can more easily be removed dry than wet.

TLC is designed to suspend the REMAINING 20%, ie the soil stuck on the fibres that won't come off with any amount of vacuuming.

A vacuum isn't designed to get all the dust. Hmmm. So I guess a broom isn't designed to get all the dust off a floor either. It will pick up everything that isn't stuck. Ever wash a floor without sweeping it first? Ever try to clean a toilet or sink without first brushing as much of the dust and hairs off first BEFORE getting them wet?

If I do two passes with a vacuum, at what speed? Like most guys, at the speed of a floor wand?
WHo are you trying to convince? If you're a "professional", why are you so intent on trying to guess that you've got as much of the soil load out as possible?

How much soil would be there after a rotary? It depends on what was there to begin with. Do you KNOW what was there to begin with or were you guessing that it was "clean enough"? You're much better than I am if you know what's in there because after 15yrs of vacuuming I can never tell till I run the Cleartrak over it, and MANY times I'm surprised at how much I pull up that I wouldn't have guessed was there.
How much does it take? 1oz, 2 oz, a pound? Would it matter to you? You've left it there anyway.

Diminishing returns? Really! I vacuum what I need to. If its still coming in the canister then its still worth the time vacuuming. You leave that crap in the carpet and it doesn't get suspended, it gets STUCK. Most cleaners that don't bother to vac or rely on a rotary move it too fast to flush out that soil. But the carpet LOOKS clean because it did flush out that visible 20%.

You're the only one kidding yourself Tim. I know exactly what I'm doing and I'm not afraid of that four letter word which leads to a five letter word.

 

[TimP]

back to basics
80% is loose soil and can more easily be removed dry than wet.

TLC is designed to suspend the REMAINING 20%, ie the soil stuck on the fibres that won't come off with any amount of vacuuming.

Ron. You need to understand that it's 80% of what comes into the house can be vacuumed (it's a % of type of soil that regularly enters the house). Your customers should be vacuuming at least weekly. They call you because they want what's stuck to the fiber to come out. The stuff that's attached to oils/grease in the fibers and sugars. That's what is meant by remaining 20% Anyways your customers should be vacuuming and mine do unless it's some sort of trashed rental or meth house. Anyways HWE doesn't discriminate and say oh you're the other 80% I can't extract you. TLC'er suspends all soil in the carpet and makes it float so you can rinse it out. In my opinion you're wasting your time trying to get all the dry soil out that you can. Yes I believe you should vacuum when it's obvious there is a lot of dry soil because you don't want to make mud and it will lower the PH of your TLC'er to make it not work as well. But that's the extent of vacuuming, and the point of vacuuming. And face it Ron that's what the TLC'er is desgined to handle, and how its designed to work.

So now Ron, what's the difference in soil between methods? You haven't given me an answer so what you're telling me is that you don't know, or are afraid to tell me.

Obviously you aren't going to change because you've got it in your head that you're really doing something. But 95%+(I'd go higher but there are a few who think you're great) of carpet cleaners who have seen your video think you're out of your mind vacuuming like that and we know that it's a total waste of time. HWE get the fine dirt in the soil suspension, no if ands or buts. If I had time I'd meet you at Mikeyfest and challenge you double blind like Meat is challenging Mikey.

 

[floorguy]

no on the dry pass...i have tested it a few times, and the dry pass areas are only slightly dryer....

but like mike said...when the head is moving slower its a better "flushing"

it because the carpet was just in a heat chamber....not because it was overly wet

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Well I am a believer. Just when I was ready to toss this 39 dollar hunk of junk bissel in the garbage it saves the day. I had to clean two abused rooms. The carpet looked like it needed a good vacuum but not too bad. I dumped 4 slap full canisters of dirt not lint dry soil from less than 200 sq ft in 15 mintues. It made the carpet clean so good. Spray it down and crank the heat up. I was really impressed. The point is if I buy a 500 dollar vacuum, do I want to use it on a nasty job. I don't think so.

Now if I didn't clean carpet, I would definitely call Ron because I know the job would be done RIGHT. The job he does is so much superior to anyone else. I would have him clean a few rooms at a time maybe the downstairs one trip and the upstairs the next. I personally would have no problems spending a little more because I know I could leave the keys, go to the lake, and come home to a first class job.

 

[Ron Werner]

no on the dry pass...i have tested it a few times, and the dry pass areas are only slightly dryer....

but like mike said...when the head is moving slower its a better "flushing"

it because the carpet was just in a heat chamber....not because it was overly wet

That makes sense Doug. Jim P was saying at the Uph class at Mf its the heat that helps clean. Makes sense also that the slower the head the better the flush.



Tim. MOST people DON'T vacuum well enough to remove the soil. You do go on about things don't you? regardless of topic.
YES, 80% can be vacuumed. Haven't you been reading, that's what I said! That's what I'm vacuuming. Homeowners either don't want to, don't have a machine capable enough, or don't have the time to. You've been cleaning for 4 yrs, I've vacuumed for 4yrs in my 16yrs of cleaning! You have no idea what you're leaving behind, and like the other 95% or more of the other cleaners that think I'm wasting my time, you don't care. So long as that carpet "looks" like its clean, and you get your money, you're happy.

So why are so many ripping outcarpet? Because cleaners come in and say they are professional and the carpets resoil after they leave. Why? Because they didn't remove the soil load and it wicked up.

Whats the diff in soil? I'm afraid to tell you???? Are you shittn me?? Particle size and what's bonding it to the carpet. I've a vid where a tm removed most of the sand but failed to remove the deodourizing powder. Why? The sand is loose and heavy enough/large enough to get flushed out. The powder got wet and bonded together, it stuck to the fibres. You're applying a prespray that breaks the oils bonding particles to the fibres. That doesn't mean you're flushing them out, it means you're moving them around enough so they aren't visible. The RX is great at getting sand out. But I did a much better job with a greenhorn on a carpet I've RX'd that wicked up terribly afterward.

Watch the Rotovac vid for the 360i. Chris starts out with a 2jet wand and streaks the hec out of the carpet. Then the 360 leaves it all uniform and looking clean. Did it remove it any better or just mix it up and spread it like bonnet cleaning does. RX20's were meant to eliminate that streaking left by a wand.
You ever wand a carpet full of soil? A black line will form on the side of the wand pass, you just keep cleaning across the room moving that line till you don't see it. Is the soil removed? I doubt it. Are the "visible soils" removed, a good amount of them are.

Am I going to change. Certainly not because of your insightful arguments. When I remove the soil before getting anything wet I remove a multitude of potential problems that I never have to worry about. One day I hope you run into a job like my friend did a few years back. You'll be wishing you had prevac'd.
One day you'll be RXing a carpet that will turn brown before your eyes as you move from one area to the next. 20 min with a vac and you could save yourself 30 min of truck time.
I've vacuumed carpets that looked clean already, only to find a ton of powder in it, or gyp rock dust. You aren't getting that out wet I can guarantee you.

The ONLY cleaners that think I'm wasting my time are cleaners that are only interested in getting a cheq, not in the health of the carpet they have just been paid to clean. We're there to remove the soil from the carpet. So don't mince words over what kind it is or whether you might have to spend a few minutes with a vacuum, remove it! The only reason you get away doing what you're doing is that customers are ignorant and they trust you to know.

Any time you want to put me to the test, I'm ready.