Common Tool Questions

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alexcarpets

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Hey guys!

Looking to add some necessary tools for carpet/tile to my setup and wanted to get some input. Please see below:

Vacuum - What would be a good option?

Tile Edge Cleaning Tool - Is this something I should look into for those areas that I can't get to with my spinner?

Pre-sprayer - There are a wide variety of options and I'm wondering what has been reliable and easy to use over the years. Is it the manual pump up pre-sprayers? If so, is it sub-par to the hydro-force injection pre-sprayers because the HF obviously provides heated water?

CRB - What would be a good one?

Rotovac 360i - Should I add this to my business at this time? (I am a startup)

Stair cleaning wand - Looking for a good option.

Upholstery tool - Looking for a good option here, too.

I know Google can present hundreds of options for each of these... but I really want to know what's worked in the trade for those who actually use this stuff day in and day out. Would appreciate your input.

Thanks!
 
Mr Brightside

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Hi there are so many options and ways of doing things so you may be overwhelmed and asking on forums you will usually get a bunch of different options
hopefully you're running a truckmount get the hydroforce sprayer for prespray and some pump ups for tile and grout and some trigger sprayers for upholstery
buy a crb if you want one but if you're going to use a rotary or rotovac just use that and a wand
get the evolution stair tool and a sapphire upholstery tool
 
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Bryce C

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I can answer a few of these with some confidence even with my short history doing this work. I hope you enjoy reading my friend..

As for a vacuum, anything but a Shark. Respectable cleaners always use vacuums with bags. Just kidding! Seriously though read through the old thread I rekindled a few weeks ago called something like "best vacuum cleaner" and you'll see there are quite a few well vetted out options that work great and suit your personal preferences and budget. I'm buying one that was recommended by Matt called a CleanMax Pro Series Upright 14" because of all the options I liked that one is readily available from a local family owned vacuum store, I love nurturing relationships with folks like that when I can.

For a low moisture upholstery tool I grabbed a Mytee 8400 GT because at the time I had no idea and wasn't participating on this forum. Turns out it is a fantastic tool that is comparable to the SS Upholstery Pro Hand Tool. The Saphire Scientific (SS) upholstery tool is supposedly a nicer make than mine, it is definitely more versatile having the option for a squeeze trigger or a constant adjustable stream. I imagine it has vac ports to release vac pressure like my Mytee 8400 GT has which is really important. Internal jets with vac ports on the front and back side of the stream is oober helful too. Either are fine tools. I'm sure there are others that are similar in quality and functionality as well but I don't know about them, and my mind palace is rather full right now. One thing I don't like about my Mytee is it is permanently attached to a 15ft hose. In hindsight I would prefer a tool that I can bring into residences on its own without lugging in a whole extra unecessary length of hose but that's my only gripe about it. Not sure if the SS uph tool is setup like that...

CRB? If you're planning on doing a lot of residential then get a 10" brush pro bro. The same Austrian made CRB, which is the one you should get imo, is rebranded under different names. Mikey sells one under Carpet Cleaner America me thinks. Who wouldn't want to support that guy? If you are planning on doing a lot of commercial then maybe a larger size for crushing square footage. Or get 2 of the 10 inchers and link em together as they are designed to be so you can still bring a 10" into residential environments on its own. Great for stairs and weaving around Mrs. Jones coffee table, and everything. Power scrubbin gets you better results with less chems and wand strokes and makes you look like a superstar, because you are.

You don't need a power sprayer in the beginning, it's nice but not as critical as other things. Manual pump sprayers only add a minute or two of work. I like the 2 gallon $40 Husqvarna available at Lowes. Just empty it and run clean water through it at the end of the day if there are oxidizers in your prespray as to not destroy it. Get a couple of the same make with some replacement parts to keep on sprayin (you might find yourself needing a prespray and an enzyme mix in larger volumes in the same home, who wants to dump chems). You'll probably want 1 or 2 smaller half gallon pump sprayers as well. I have some old solo half gal pump sprayers from a previous endeavor that are working great for me at the moment. I use them on upholstery and rugs that require different pre sprays then my standard carpet cleaning mixes. Then a good amount of high quality 32 oz spray bottles. Spare yourself the retarded home depot style 32 oz'ers, they crap out frustratingly quick especially with certain chems. I order a dozen or so from US Plastics and the kick arse. I've left 40 volume/12% peroxide in one for a few months now and it still works wonderfully. Same price after shipping as BORG junk.

That's all for now. I'm not sorry for writing so much even though others here may find it annoying. Hope that helps bud!
 
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Mikey P

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alexcarpets said:
Hey guys!

Looking to add some necessary tools for carpet/tile to my setup and wanted to get some input. Please see below:

Vacuum - What would be a good option?

Tile Edge Cleaning Tool - Is this something I should look into for those areas that I can't get to with my spinner? 95% of residential jobs don't need a spinner, my HS wand cleans to the edge perfectly

Pre-sprayer - There are a wide variety of options and I'm wondering what has been reliable and easy to use over the years. Is it the manual pump up pre-sprayers? If so, is it sub-par to the hydro-force injection pre-sprayers because the HF obviously provides heated water? Hydroforcing since the 90's here...
Click to expand...

alexcarpets said:
CRB - What would be a good one? I have the best deal on the real Austian.machines

Rotovac 360i - Should I add this to my business at this time? (I am a startup) If you clean horrible carpet, probably...

Stair cleaning wand - Looking for a good option.

Upholstery tool - Looking for a good option here, too. SS Uph Pro is the darling of the industry

I know Google can present hundreds of options for each of these... but I really want to know what's worked in the trade for those who actually use this stuff day in and day out. Would appreciate your input.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Feel free to call me Monday after 10 am @ 775 552-5429 if you want great free advice..
 
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Living The Dream

Living The Dream

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alexcarpets said:
Hey guys!

Looking to add some necessary tools for carpet/tile to my setup and wanted to get some input. Please see below:

Vacuum - What would be a good option?

Tile Edge Cleaning Tool - Is this something I should look into for those areas that I can't get to with my spinner?

Pre-sprayer - There are a wide variety of options and I'm wondering what has been reliable and easy to use over the years. Is it the manual pump up pre-sprayers? If so, is it sub-par to the hydro-force injection pre-sprayers because the HF obviously provides heated water?

CRB - What would be a good one?

Rotovac 360i - Should I add this to my business at this time? (I am a startup)

Stair cleaning wand - Looking for a good option.

Upholstery tool - Looking for a good option here, too.

I know Google can present hundreds of options for each of these... but I really want to know what's worked in the trade for those who actually use this stuff day in and day out. Would appreciate your input.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The most important thing about a vacuum is using it and maintaining it. If you're doing carpets and tile, Shark is actually decent because you can shut the brushroll off on the tile, however buy one at Costco or get a warranty because Sharks just aren't built to last.

For edging we have a little handheld tool, and we also use our brushglide on our Evolution to get hard to reach places, but really it's not necessary if you don't have the funds. You can just get down on your hands and knees and hit it with a hand held brush.

We use a grout cleaner that I won't mention in this group, but most specific tile and grout cleaners work great. I've even used Prochem Ultrapac Extreme and had great results.

Mopping on your pretreatment for tile and grout works well. Pump up also works good for T&G. I don't recommend a Hydroforce Inline for T&G because of over spray that gets on appliances and trim. However a Hydramaster Inline is awesome for carpet.

CRB's are great! I use a 15" some people like 10" because you can also use it on steps. Don't buy a Mytee CRB no matter what.

Rotovacs 360's are awesome, but it's not necessary, unless you plan to market heavily with it and charge for it.

Stair tool- I use a dual jet, swivel, PMF that Mark Saiger sold me.

Upholstery Tool- Drimaster is king.
 
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alexcarpets

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Mr Brightside said:
Hi there are so many options and ways of doing things so you may be overwhelmed and asking on forums you will usually get a bunch of different options
hopefully you're running a truckmount get the hydroforce sprayer for prespray and some pump ups for tile and grout and some trigger sprayers for upholstery
buy a crb if you want one but if you're going to use a rotary or rotovac just use that and a wand
get the evolution stair tool and a sapphire upholstery tool
Click to expand...
Thank you for your input. I just looked at the prices and CRB's are so expensive... I'm seeing them in the neighborhood of $1800 - $2500. The Rotovac 360i is $2400, and to your point if I'm going to go with that, then it's best to just stick to the Rotovac. That said, I have two questions:

i.) Why would the CRB's be priced comparable to a Rotovac? I was under the impression that Rotovac's are superior to CRB's... Is that not the case? Am I comparing apples to oranges? If so, what unique advantages (if any) does a CRB offer over a Rotovac?

ii.) Can the Rotovac 36oi's be used on carpet and tile, or just carpet?
 
BIG WOOD

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alexcarpets said:
Thank you for your input. I just looked at the prices and CRB's are so expensive... I'm seeing them in the neighborhood of $1800 - $2500. The Rotovac 360i is $2400, and to your point if I'm going to go with that, then it's best to just stick to the Rotovac. That said, I have two questions:

i.) Why would the CRB's be priced comparable to a Rotovac? I was under the impression that Rotovac's are superior to CRB's... Is that not the case? Am I comparing apples to oranges? If so, what unique advantages (if any) does a CRB offer over a Rotovac?

ii.) Can the Rotovac 36oi's be used on carpet and tile, or just carpet?
Click to expand...
The rotovac does hot water extraction only. And it’s slow as a snail

A CRB can assist in hot water extraction and or start you in the encap/low moisture cleaning if you choose to provide that service.
 
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alexcarpets

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Bryce C said:
I can answer a few of these with some confidence even with my short history doing this work. I hope you enjoy reading my friend..

As for a vacuum, anything but a Shark. Respectable cleaners always use vacuums with bags. Just kidding! Seriously though read through the old thread I rekindled a few weeks ago called something like "best vacuum cleaner" and you'll see there are quite a few well vetted out options that work great and suit your personal preferences and budget. I'm buying one that was recommended by Matt called a CleanMax Pro Series Upright 14" because of all the options I liked that one is readily available from a local family owned vacuum store, I love nurturing relationships with folks like that when I can.

For a low moisture upholstery tool I grabbed a Mytee 8400 GT because at the time I had no idea and wasn't participating on this forum. Turns out it is a fantastic tool that is comparable to the SS Upholstery Pro Hand Tool. The Saphire Scientific (SS) upholstery tool is supposedly a nicer make than mine, it is definitely more versatile having the option for a squeeze trigger or a constant adjustable stream. I imagine it has vac ports to release vac pressure like my Mytee 8400 GT has which is really important. Internal jets with vac ports on the front and back side of the stream is oober helful too. Either are fine tools. I'm sure there are others that are similar in quality and functionality as well but I don't know about them, and my mind palace is rather full right now. One thing I don't like about my Mytee is it is permanently attached to a 15ft hose. In hindsight I would prefer a tool that I can bring into residences on its own without lugging in a whole extra unecessary length of hose but that's my only gripe about it. Not sure if the SS uph tool is setup like that...

CRB? If you're planning on doing a lot of residential then get a 10" brush pro bro. The same Austrian made CRB, which is the one you should get imo, is rebranded under different names. Mikey sells one under Carpet Cleaner America me thinks. Who wouldn't want to support that guy? If you are planning on doing a lot of commercial then maybe a larger size for crushing square footage. Or get 2 of the 10 inchers and link em together as they are designed to be so you can still bring a 10" into residential environments on its own. Great for stairs and weaving around Mrs. Jones coffee table, and everything. Power scrubbin gets you better results with less chems and wand strokes and makes you look like a superstar, because you are.

You don't need a power sprayer in the beginning, it's nice but not as critical as other things. Manual pump sprayers only add a minute or two of work. I like the 2 gallon $40 Husqvarna available at Lowes. Just empty it and run clean water through it at the end of the day if there are oxidizers in your prespray as to not destroy it. Get a couple of the same make with some replacement parts to keep on sprayin (you might find yourself needing a prespray and an enzyme mix in larger volumes in the same home, who wants to dump chems). You'll probably want 1 or 2 smaller half gallon pump sprayers as well. I have some old solo half gal pump sprayers from a previous endeavor that are working great for me at the moment. I use them on upholstery and rugs that require different pre sprays then my standard carpet cleaning mixes. Then a good amount of high quality 32 oz spray bottles. Spare yourself the retarded home depot style 32 oz'ers, they crap out frustratingly quick especially with certain chems. I order a dozen or so from US Plastics and the kick arse. I've left 40 volume/12% peroxide in one for a few months now and it still works wonderfully. Same price after shipping as BORG junk.

That's all for now. I'm not sorry for writing so much even though others here may find it annoying. Hope that helps bud!
Click to expand...
Bryce, I really appreciate your detailed feedback - Very informative, and super helpful! -- Thank you!!
A couple of follow-up questions:

1) Are you referring to this power sprayer from Lowes?
2) Can you please share the link to the 32 oz. sprayers?
3.) Vacuums - Bags vs Bagless, as it relates to our trade... your thoughts?
4.) I'm on the fence between the CRB and Rotovac 360i..... I think one will suffice... your thoughts?
5.) Not asked in my original post, but would love to know what your current setup looks like for chemicals... How many do you have with you in your van? Which ones?
6.) What is your current setup (machine) please?

Thank you again for the very helpful post! :)
 
A

alexcarpets

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Mikey P said:
Feel free to call me Monday after 10 am @ 775 552-5429 if you want great free advice..
Click to expand...
Mikey, thank you so much for this offer to call you. Would have happily taken you up on it, but unfortunately saw it way too late... like 2 whole days late! LOL
 
A

alexcarpets

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Living The Dream said:
The most important thing about a vacuum is using it and maintaining it. If you're doing carpets and tile, Shark is actually decent because you can shut the brushroll off on the tile, however buy one at Costco or get a warranty because Sharks just aren't built to last.

For edging we have a little handheld tool, and we also use our brushglide on our Evolution to get hard to reach places, but really it's not necessary if you don't have the funds. You can just get down on your hands and knees and hit it with a hand held brush.

We use a grout cleaner that I won't mention in this group, but most specific tile and grout cleaners work great. I've even used Prochem Ultrapac Extreme and had great results.

Mopping on your pretreatment for tile and grout works well. Pump up also works good for T&G. I don't recommend a Hydroforce Inline for T&G because of over spray that gets on appliances and trim. However a Hydramaster Inline is awesome for carpet.

CRB's are great! I use a 15" some people like 10" because you can also use it on steps. Don't buy a Mytee CRB no matter what.

Rotovacs 360's are awesome, but it's not necessary, unless you plan to market heavily with it and charge for it.

Stair tool- I use a dual jet, swivel, PMF that Mark Saiger sold me.

Upholstery Tool- Drimaster is king.
Click to expand...
Greatly appreciate your input! - Thank you!!
A couple of questions:
1) Is there a specific vacuum you would recommend from Costco?
2.) I am unable to find the brushglide and Evolution setup you mentioned. Can you please share links?
 
Mikey P

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alexcarpets

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BIG WOOD said:
The rotovac does hot water extraction only. And it’s slow as a snail

A CRB can assist in hot water extraction and or start you in the encap/low moisture cleaning if you choose to provide that service.
Click to expand...
It sounds like the Rotovac is more for deep cleaning, and hence slower, while the CRB works better as part of a cleaning process to get the most use of the pre-spray/wand setup.
I plan on using pre-spray/wand for most jobs. What I'm trying to figure out is what would be better (CRB or Rotovac) for those really dirty carpets that a wand just won't be enough for. For this scenario, which would you recommend?
 
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alexcarpets

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Some more related questions:
1) My apologies in advance if this is a dumb question, but can CRBs be used for tile as well? Or is it strictly a carpet thing?
2) What is this machine that is being used at the 0:37 mark of the video? How would this machine differ from a CRB with respect to when/why one would be used over another?
 
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alexcarpets

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alexcarpets

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I am also in need of shopping for a bunch of tile tools, like:

-Squeegee
-Tile/Grout brush
-Pads
-Anything else?

Is there a list of recommended products for this?
 
Mikey P

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alexcarpets said:
Thanks Mikey! Can you please help me understand the difference between when/why I would opt to use a CRB vs a Rotovac. In my newbie mind, I'm thinking Rotovac = agitation + extraction, while CRB = extraction. So I'm really trying to understand.
Click to expand...

Most carpets just don't need that level of agitation..


or ( over) extraction
 
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alexcarpets

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Mikey P said:
Most carpets just don't need that level of agitation..


or ( over) extraction
Click to expand...
oh okay! What should I look for in a good CRB? I'd like to be ablet to tackle both carpet and tile. Any specific one you'd recommend? I'll be doing both residential and commercial
 
Mikey P

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alexcarpets said:
oh okay! What should I look for in a good CRB? I'd like to be ablet to tackle both carpet and tile. Any specific one you'd recommend? I'll be doing both residential and commercial
Click to expand...

I put a link to my website where you can buy any size you want I recommend you get two sets of brushes the blue standards that come with the machine and extra set of whites for doing hard surface with fine grain as well as wool and more delicate fibers
 
Kenny Hayes

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alexcarpets said:
Thanks Mikey! Can you please help me understand the difference between when/why I would opt to use a CRB vs a Rotovac. In my newbie mind, I'm thinking Rotovac = agitation + extraction, while CRB = extraction. So I'm really trying to understand.
Click to expand...
I have a 10 and 15” crb, with renovators on both. Renovators are easy on and off. For agitation, whether doing low moisture or hwe, they are awesome. I cleaned 6500 ft by myself yesterday. Crb for pre scrub coffee stains, then Cimexed afterwards. You can do the same with hwe. Crb just glides along. Rotovac is not the same and slow even with brush head.
 
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Cleanworks

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alexcarpets said:
Thank you for your input. I just looked at the prices and CRB's are so expensive... I'm seeing them in the neighborhood of $1800 - $2500. The Rotovac 360i is $2400, and to your point if I'm going to go with that, then it's best to just stick to the Rotovac. That said, I have two questions:

i.) Why would the CRB's be priced comparable to a Rotovac? I was under the impression that Rotovac's are superior to CRB's... Is that not the case? Am I comparing apples to oranges? If so, what unique advantages (if any) does a CRB offer over a Rotovac?

ii.) Can the Rotovac 36oi's be used on carpet and tile, or just carpet?
Click to expand...
I am in the process of selling my Rotovacs. I have both the 360i and the 360 XL. Great machine, especially with the brush head but I don't use them often enough. I don't run into trashed carpet that needs it very often. I also have a CRB which use more often when I feel a carpet needs more attention. The Rotovacs hook up to your truck mount and spray and scrub and extract in one motion. Very effective but can be slow making sure you extract well. Most guys use a wand afterwards to extract a little more and get rid of the swirl marks. The CRB is just a scrubber but a very effective one at that. You prespray, scrub, them extract. Works great.
 
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