Help,my first restaurant job is tomorrow!

[gimmeagig]

I'll have to drop some Grease Eraser off to Meat when I'm up his way.

What ever you mix up fpr pre-spray, make sure to at least compare to Grease Eraser. GE is that "little guy" in the back of the room with the BIG voice. It works on all resturant grease. I mix it 2 scoops to a gal of hot water, lay it down for at least 5 minutes, and crank up the heat. It will clean in one slow stroke, unless it's layered grease. As for the rinse, don't mix too heavy.....GE even says to ease off on the rinse solution because of the amount of chem in the pre-spray. Read the directions.

The instructions on the jar say to add six 3 oz scoops per 5 quart into the hydroforce sprayer. I did that and I had to follow up with a small pump up sprayer with a higher concentration of grease eraser and citrus. That worked amazingly well.
Is it better to use the GE in a 2 gal pump sprayer than in a Hydroforce? I'm sure you have both.

 

[gimmeagig]

So I got about 2/3rds of the job done, I'm going back tomorrow to finish. I didn't have to move any tables and chairs, the owner had his people do it. Still, I probably underbid the job (live and learn). I generally bid jobs with the target of 50.- per hour for me. If I can make that I'm OK. But I have 4 1/2 hours in the job,and probably another 4 to go, the job pays 415.- works out to be .22c per sqft and I'm working way harder and using more material than in my residential jobs.
I know every market is different. I'm in Northern Idaho and the restaurant is struggling. What should I have charged?

The restaurant was way greasier than I had anticipated and the grease eater alone didn't cut through all the grease by itself in one step. I had to load up my 1/2 gal hand pump sprayer 4 times with a mix of higher concentrated gease eater, citrus and really hot water.After the first rinse I checked out what was still looking bad and sprayed those areas with the stuff and I rinsed it a second time. That worked REALLY WELL . But, like I said..... lot's of extra work.
The carpets looked way cleaner and the owner was happy. But it was still splotchy and after the restaurant had been neglected for over a year I wonder if I did as well as could be expected. I care about what I'm doing and I sure tried hard but since I have never done this type of job before I am not sure at what point I should leave well enough alone. I have nothing to compare it to.
When you guys do this type of job, do the carpets end up looking completely even and pristine or is the "blotchyness" normal. It might have been uneven drying that caused it but I'm not sure.
Once the tables are back it should not be visible anymore.

By the way I followed a suggestion on this thread and added Ultrapac into my Liquid Slurry rinse on the second room I did, but I almost think that was worse than just the Slurry alone.
Tomorrow I have the chance to experiment again and I'm wondering if I should not try the Chemeister Action Extraction, which is kind of an acid rinse. The rinse looks less capable that the AE but in the rest homes I'm doing it is very powerful and effective stuff.
That would be nice if it was good for the restaurant as well.
What do you guys think?

 

[Dolly Llama]

So I got about 2/3rds of the job done, I'm going back tomorrow to finish. I didn't have to move any tables and chairs, the owner had his people do it. Still, I probably underbid the job (live and learn). I generally bid jobs with the target of 50.- per hour for me. If I can make that I'm OK. But I have 4 1/2 hours in the job,and probably another 4 to go, the job pays 415.- works out to be .22c per sqft and I'm working way harder and using more material than in my residential jobs.
I know every market is different. I'm in Northern Idaho and the restaurant is struggling. What should I have charged?

The restaurant was way greasier than I had anticipated and the grease eater alone didn't cut through all the grease by itself in one step. I had to load up my 1/2 gal hand pump sprayer 4 times with a mix of higher concentrated gease eater, citrus and really hot water.After the first rinse I checked out what was still looking bad and sprayed those areas with the stuff and I rinsed it a second time. That worked REALLY WELL . But, like I said..... lot's of extra work.
The carpets looked way cleaner and the owner was happy. But it was still splotchy and after the restaurant had been neglected for over a year I wonder if I did as well as could be expected. I care about what I'm doing and I sure tried hard but since I have never done this type of job before I am not sure at what point I should leave well enough alone. I have nothing to compare it to.
When you guys do this type of job, do the carpets end up looking completely even and pristine or is the "blotchyness" normal. It might have been uneven drying that caused it but I'm not sure.
Once the tables are back it should not be visible anymore.

By the way I followed a suggestion on this thread and added Ultrapac into my Liquid Slurry rinse on the second room I did, but I almost think that was worse than just the Slurry alone.
Tomorrow I have the chance to experiment again and I'm wondering if I should not try the Chemeister Action Extraction, which is kind of an acid rinse. The rinse looks less capable that the AE but in the rest homes I'm doing it is very powerful and effective stuff.
That would be nice if it was good for the restaurant as well.
What do you guys think?

Ultrapac is a PRE-SPRAY and one of the best.
It's NOT used in the rinse like Dry Slurry

the reason the GE worked better in the pump up cause in-line sprayers are JUNK with powders.
You can't mix strong enough .
if you notice, the dilutions rates recommended for in-lines always are less strong than dilute rates for pump or electric sprayers ....it's NOT cause an in-line magically makes pre-spray stornger...it's cause powders at max or max+ RTU dilute won't mix and spray worth a chit

Buy a good 2 or 3 gal electric sprayer ..pumps ups are too slow to put down what you need.
You need a good elect sprayer to get the same volume as an in-line


22 cents a ft is good money for restaurants .
by may math, the joint is little less than 2000ft
a good two man crew should be able clean 1000 ft pr hour doing a "good" job
they're moving chairs/tables ??? you should be in 5-700 sf pr hour range
If you're not there, you need to be
8 hours to clean 2000ft ....brother, you'll never make any money at that pace

"blotches".....it could many things
soil, wear or wicking are the most likely culprits .
If drying "blotchiness" (more dry in some places than others) it won't be there the next day



..l.T.A.

 

[Goomer]

22 cents a ft is good money for restaurants .
by may math, the joint is little less than 2000ft
a good two man crew should be able clean 1000 ft pr hour doing a "good" job
they're moving chairs/tables ??? you should be in 5-700 sf pr hour range
If you're not there, you need to be
8 hours to clean 2000ft ....brother, you'll never make any money at that pace


..l.T.A.

You should make some money at 22 cents, but probably not on your first restaurant.
It sounds like you first resty went exactly as it should have......took too long, and did not come out as good as you liked. I'm sure not many here can say that their first restaurant was a shining success......I can tell you mine wasn't.
You sound like you are paying attention enough to where it should get easier, the results should be better, and you will get faster.
Despite being somewhat disappointing, these are the jobs that earn you your stripes, and the jobs that you will learn the most.

It's not that 22 cents is not enough, it's that you are spending too much time on the job, which is to be expected. When you get more restaurants under your belt, and feel you are optimizing the amount of time they take, you will have a better feel for whether 22 cents is enough for you, and you will be more confident in asking for more the next time if you feel the need.

I think it is better that you did it without a 175.
Now if you get your hands on one, you will appreciate the difference.

 

[BLewis]

Well if your having to do all of that, it would have been better to pull out a 175 with red pad or brush, spray GR down heavy scrub and wand. Using a 175 if you have 2 people will cut your time by about 40% if your having to do all that and it hasn't been cleaned for a long time. The first time I did my China restaurants I thought what the heck have I gotten myself into. But, after the first clean they go about as fast as the rest but I do use 175 on both.

 

[sam miller]

So I got about 2/3rds of the job done, I'm going back tomorrow to finish. I didn't have to move any tables and chairs, the owner had his people do it. Still, I probably underbid the job (live and learn). I generally bid jobs with the target of 50.- per hour for me. If I can make that I'm OK. But I have 4 1/2 hours in the job,and probably another 4 to go, the job pays 415.- works out to be .22c per sqft and I'm working way harder and using more material than in my residential jobs.
I know every market is different. I'm in Northern Idaho and the restaurant is struggling. What should I have charged?

The restaurant was way greasier than I had anticipated and the grease eater alone didn't cut through all the grease by itself in one step. I had to load up my 1/2 gal hand pump sprayer 4 times with a mix of higher concentrated gease eater, citrus and really hot water.After the first rinse I checked out what was still looking bad and sprayed those areas with the stuff and I rinsed it a second time. That worked REALLY WELL . But, like I said..... lot's of extra work.
The carpets looked way cleaner and the owner was happy. But it was still splotchy and after the restaurant had been neglected for over a year I wonder if I did as well as could be expected. I care about what I'm doing and I sure tried hard but since I have never done this type of job before I am not sure at what point I should leave well enough alone. I have nothing to compare it to.
When you guys do this type of job, do the carpets end up looking completely even and pristine or is the "blotchyness" normal. It might have been uneven drying that caused it but I'm not sure.
Once the tables are back it should not be visible anymore.

By the way I followed a suggestion on this thread and added Ultrapac into my Liquid Slurry rinse on the second room I did, but I almost think that was worse than just the Slurry alone.
Tomorrow I have the chance to experiment again and I'm wondering if I should not try the Chemeister Action Extraction, which is kind of an acid rinse. The rinse looks less capable that the AE but in the rest homes I'm doing it is very powerful and effective stuff.
That would be nice if it was good for the restaurant as well.
What do you guys think?

Did it foam to much and lose suction with the ultrapac and was it metered at 3 gpm? Most companies Prochem and Chemspec say You can boost Your detergent with a tlc still a low ph rinse is a good idea afer its clean.

Sapphire recommends using a sprayer mixed with there rinse acid based like spraying teflon to neutralize residue

 

[gimmeagig]

You're right, my thought really was "What have I gotten myself into?" And yes, that job is taking a lot longer than i have anticipated. I was figuring on 6 to 6 1/2 hours, my pay would have been over 60.- per hr. On track with what I need to make, at 8 hrs not so good....
Anyway I don't really want a helper ( even though I might consider it for these type of jobs) and I don't have a 175. I'll look into that one. Maybe renting one for those jobs might be a way to go at least for a while.
I'm not quite understanding the thing about the hydroforce sprayer not being good for a powdered pre spray. The stuff dissolves perfectly in my hydroforce and there is absolutely no residue in the bottom of the jug. Wouldn't that mean that it is just like any other pre spray?
I'm confused, there are a lot of powdered chemicals on the market, does that mean that none of them are suitable to be used in a hydroforce? Can someone please explain that to me?

 

[Ron Werner]

the first clean in a year? expect it to have some wear areas around the tables, that will give it a blotchy look. First cleaning is always the worst. Hopefully you can get them on a schedule where they are cleaning every few months. Keep it at the same price, each time will get easier.

I use a product called Attack from Esteem. Put a little citrus with that and it cuts off the grease, unless its caked. When you get into caked on grease you almost need a wire wheel to break it up.

 

[joey895]

Larry's been railing against inline sprayers for years, unjustly IMO. As long as you dissolve the powder good you'll be fine and they are a huge time saver. Even if you use an electric or pump up you still have to get it dissolved.

For the record I do have a battery multi sprayer and tried switching to it but that only lasted about a month and I went back to my inline now the electric only gets used on high rises and for protector.

I dump my powdered pre spray right in the jug, fill with hot water from the truck mount and shake it while I walk to my starting point. By then its dissolved and ready to go.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[floorguy]

man i wish you werent so far up there....

i am going over by yellowstone on wed, and i would have brought ya some chems to try....

or taken a look at your setup....

if it is in fact around 2-2500 sqft....no way you should be in there 6 hrs...

I hate seeing guys suffer , been there to many time Ivebeensold Ivebeensold Ivebeensold

 

[gimmeagig]

man i wish you werent so far up there....

i am going over by yellowstone on wed, and i would have brought ya some chems to try....

or taken a look at your setup....

if it is in fact around 2-2500 sqft....no way you should be in there 6 hrs...

I hate seeing guys suffer , been there to many time Ivebeensold Ivebeensold Ivebeensold

Thanks for the offer, I need all the help I can get shiteatinggrin
Residential used to take me longer than it should have but I got that down pretty well now. The problem is (if it is a problem) I'm kind of meticulous and I really want to get a reputation for doing great work and if it takes extra time it's still worth it to me.I just want every job to turn out as good as possible.

 

[BLewis]

I use a hydroforce and powered cleaning agents (grease eraser, OSR) and I have never had a problem. I do mix with really hot water from a tap I put on my pre-heated fresh water tank.

 

[Dolly Llama]

a powder that calls for 2 scoops pr gal in a pump or elect sprayer would need 16 scoops pr gal for same strength (assuming stock HF internal metering tip) which is 8-1

or another way of looking at it...what ever amount you put in your half gal pump up that worked so well would need to be multiplied by 16 to get the same results .

that's what makes them more difficult to get max and max+ dilute in them with powders



a rotary is a great option and time saver with a TWO man crew .
for a one man op figure to add another 50% or more time to the job


..L.T.A.

 

[Steve in Omaha]

man i wish you werent so far up there....

i am going over by yellowstone on wed, and i would have brought ya some chems to try....

or taken a look at your setup....

if it is in fact around 2-2500 sqft....no way you should be in there 6 hrs...

I hate seeing guys suffer , been there to many time Ivebeensold Ivebeensold Ivebeensold

Thanks for the offer, I need all the help I can get shiteatinggrin
Residential used to take me longer than it should have but I got that down pretty well now. The problem is (if it is a problem) I'm kind of meticulous and I really want to get a reputation for doing great work and if it takes extra time it's still worth it to me.I just want every job to turn out as good as possible.

Hopefully that will be your first and last Restaurant cleaning job. If you spend that much time and energy trying to be the very best residential cleaning company, you will be hitting $100 per hour in no time.

Shoe covers on every job
Clean equipment and truck
Paint store canvas tarps to protect floors...thank meAt!
minimum of 5 corner guards on the truck
Uniform...no blue jeans!

Best!

 

[joey895]

a powder that calls for 2 scoops pr gal in a pump or elect sprayer would need 16 scoops pr gal for same strength (assuming stock HF internal metering tip) which is 8-1

or another way of looking at it...what ever amount you put in your half gal pump up that worked so well would need to be multiplied by 16 to get the same results .

that's what makes them more difficult to get max and max+ dilute in them with powders



a rotary is a great option and time saver with a TWO man crew .
for a one man op figure to add another 50% or more time to the job


..L.T.A.

I get what you're saying Larry and it makes sense. I'm no chemist so I can't explain it but my experience has been that the lower dilution in the inline gets as good or better results than the higher dilution in the electric. Maybe because it's coming out under more pressure or because of the extra heat? I really don't know why but it's been consistent and I do use the electric fairly often because I use it on high rises.

Sent from my ADR6300 using tapatalk.

 

[floorguy]

a powder that calls for 2 scoops pr gal in a pump or elect sprayer would need 16 scoops pr gal for same strength (assuming stock HF internal metering tip) which is 8-1

or another way of looking at it...what ever amount you put in your half gal pump up that worked so well would need to be multiplied by 16 to get the same results .

that's what makes them more difficult to get max and max+ dilute in them with powders



a rotary is a great option and time saver with a TWO man crew .
for a one man op figure to add another 50% or more time to the job


..L.T.A.

while i am not a pro HF person (I like them on small quick jobs, rather then unload my old porty to spray)

I mix it just as if it was 10 gallon electric sprayer...i bucket tested once and with no tip it was at the 10 gallon mark....That and jobs I do with the electric and times I decided to do them with the HF (either as a backup or whatever) It empties that bottle in the same amount of space as my electric....

I like electric better for nasties though...because as meat said, you can jack your dilution easier

 

[Dolly Llama]

I can't explain it but my experience has been that the lower dilution in the inline gets as good or better results than the higher dilution in the electric.

.

Just speculation on my part, Joey, but i'm thinking there could be a couple logical reasons for that
(may or may not be applicable to you, but certainly applicable to some that have similar experience.)

1.) they run emulsifier rinse..so they're knowingly or unknowingly boosting the pre-spray with what's being metered from their soap tank

2.) the volume (the amount of RTU applied to carpet) they're spraying is greater with HF due to most elect sprayers stock jetting and/or pump volume capacity (and pret' near every pump-up) putting out less flow .
They might be putting down a full gal RTU pr 200 sf w/in-line, but only applying half that with elect or pump sprayers



..L.T.A.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Roxy most pre sprays work just as good mixed at lighter dilutions. You mixed 18 oz, but 8 would have likely been enough. Depends on the job. You will have to learn over time.

 

[floorguy]

Roxy most pre sprays work just as good mixed at lighter dilutions. You mixed 18 oz, but 8 would have likely been enough. Depends on the job. You will have to learn over time.

1st OHHHHH BUILLL SHIT, if he is at a hell hole...it needs more chem...


2nd totally depends on the job...sure 8 being scrubbed would work as good as 18...

its like my dad when he presprays for me, or on jobs i help him.....cant get it through his head that HOTTER, does not mean make it wetter, for problem/traffic areas...

This area needs to be resprayed....if the 1st dose didnt work...maybe, just maybe hit it with HOTTER (less diluted) or with a different spray...and the subsequent areas that have issues...need HOTTER, spray....not just wetter :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[rwcarpet]

I'll have to drop some Grease Eraser off to Meat when I'm up his way.

What ever you mix up fpr pre-spray, make sure to at least compare to Grease Eraser. GE is that "little guy" in the back of the room with the BIG voice. It works on all resturant grease. I mix it 2 scoops to a gal of hot water, lay it down for at least 5 minutes, and crank up the heat. It will clean in one slow stroke, unless it's layered grease. As for the rinse, don't mix too heavy.....GE even says to ease off on the rinse solution because of the amount of chem in the pre-spray. Read the directions.

The instructions on the jar say to add six 3 oz scoops per 5 quart into the hydroforce sprayer. I did that and I had to follow up with a small pump up sprayer with a higher concentration of grease eraser and citrus. That worked amazingly well.
Is it better to use the GE in a 2 gal pump sprayer than in a Hydroforce? I'm sure you have both.

Actually, I only have and use pump-ups. I've had the electrics and battery sprayers. Never last. And I haven't used an inline for 20 years.

As for the blotches.......could very well be the lighting. Resturants are notorious for bad lighting and many shaded areas.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Roxy most pre sprays work just as good mixed at lighter dilutions. You mixed 18 oz, but 8 would have likely been enough. Depends on the job. You will have to learn over time.

Dear Dan, while it's true there's a point that mixing stronger and stronger will reach a point of diminishing returns and you're just wasting chemical ..
But I can't think of ANY pre-spray that works "just as good" at half rate on a "trash pit"



to quote a fellow bass angler friend of mine;

"Depends on the job. You will have to learn over time."


!gotcha!


..l.T.A.

 

[sam miller]

Roxy most pre sprays work just as good mixed at lighter dilutions. You mixed 18 oz, but 8 would have likely been enough. Depends on the job. You will have to learn over time.

Not accusing anybody of anything, but normally guys who want to save a little coin shimp on the dilution ratio's. Sometimes it works. but I'm guessing on those trash pit photo's Your bustin full strength?