Minimum constant water temp to clean carpet effectively?

[Mr Clean Carpet]

I was wondering what temp you would feel comfortable cleaning carpet with if you didn't have the ideal temp?



Ezra

 

[Jim Martin]

220 to 225..seems to be the sweet spot...I can clean anything out there just fine with those temps.............

 

[mcatt]

If your asking the minimum constant temp I would say 180 is good t shoot for. Once you drop below that things go a lot slower and don't clean as well.

 

[rwcarpet]

At 200-220. If you can grab the QD's and hold....it ain't hot enough.

 

[Ken Snow]

Carpet can be cleaned effectively at virtually any temp including almost ice cold. It just means that some of the other parts of the cleaning pie need to take on more of the work.

 

[GeneMiller]

cleaned plenty of nasty carpets with just cold water. propane would run out and the filling station was just to far. my rotovac could care less.

gene

 

[Ken Snow]

Same here Gene- in the late 70's, early 80's we were still using propane units amd that happened multiple times a year. Just took a little more scrubbing.

 

[idreadnought]

I believe water that is 33 degrees. any lower than that and the water will begin to freeze in your lines and not flush the carpets properly.

Sorry couldn't help being a smart aleck. Hotter water speeds chemical reactions but it should never, but it isn't the only thing in the cleaning pie that helps to clean carpets.

 

[Mardie]

I found no difference from luke warm to hot tap water.

 

[dealtimeman]

as high as you can maintain, so be it if it is 50 degrees. if you can get hotter than good but always max the temp to what is available to you. you dont need hot water to clean but you will have to make up with other agitation chemistry and such. oh and it will clean a lot slower.

 

[everfresh1]

My gauge is it has to be hot enough to melt wax and soften up gum for easy removal around 200 degrees, although I like it hotter around 220, but of course you can clean with warm water, even cold in some cases, just not very efficient and the carpet will take longer to dry

 

[Jim Williams]

I use my porty with warm water out of a faucet every now and then in retirement homes. Cleans fine if you are using a good prespray. I used my truckmount for awhile running off one HX and it cleaned good too. No noticeable difference that I could tell.

 

[Ron Werner]

180 will clean nicely, 200+ is best
100-110 (ie hot tap water) will work as well.
For effectiveness I would prefer not to go cooler

 

[MicahR]

I was thinking the same thing Ken mentioned. If one part of the pie decreases another has to increase.

TACT: Time
Agitation
Chemical
Temp

 

[sam miller]

My gauge is it has to be hot enough to melt wax and soften up gum for easy removal around 200 degrees, although I like it hotter around 220, but of course you can clean with warm water, even cold in some cases, just not very efficient and the carpet will take longer to dry

Ya the hotter the water the easier Your Job you want to use clod water and scrub yor butt off go ahead.

Also the melting wax and getting gum to pop right off priceless.

Ps unless You carry the can of stuff for gum that freezes it!

 

[Mike Raimer]

My heat exchanger is shot and I am looking for a replacement. While doing so, I am bypassing the heat exchanger. I was going to use hot tap water (primarily from restaurants) to clean. Using TACT, what type of percentages should apply to keep cleaning constant. I assume it goes from 25% each to 15% (temp) while increasing time, aggitation, and chemical to approx 30% increase. My assumption is that the most increase would be to the surfactant?

 

[Mikey P]

You're spot on in applying the TACT principle (Time, Agitation, Chemical, Temperature) to compensate for the lack of heat while your truckmount’s heat exchanger is down. Since temperature is reduced (and in some cases dramatically so, depending on the restaurant's water temp and distance from the job), adjusting the other three variables is essential to maintain cleaning performance. Let’s break it down:

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TACT Overview – Adjusting When Temperature Is Reduced​

Since Temperature is one of the most powerful soil-breaking forces in cleaning—especially with greasy or protein-based soils—compensating for its loss does require adjustments, and Chemical (especially surfactants) is typically where the bulk of the lift comes from.


Here’s a general guideline if temperature drops from ~25% contribution to ~10–15%:

---

1. Time (Increase ~15–20%)​

• Extended dwell time allows the surfactant and solvents in your prespray to fully emulsify soils before rinsing.
• Add extra dwell on greasy traffic lanes and spots—aim for 10–15 minutes minimum.
• Don’t allow drying—maintain moisture for activation.

---

2. Agitation (Increase ~15–25%)​

• Agitation becomes more critical in the absence of heat.
• Use a CRB, 175 rotary, or oscillating pad to break surface tension and physically disrupt soil bonds.
• Hand agitation for upholstery or stairs should also be more thorough.

---

3. Chemical (Increase ~20–30%)​

• You're right—the surfactant system is where most of your compensation needs to come from.
• Use a hotter prespray formulation (more alkalinity or solvent boosters), especially in greasy or food-service environments.
• Consider adding:
  • Citrus solvent or butyl-based boosters for greasy builds.
  • Encapsulating agents or surfactant-rich pre-conditioners with high emulsification.
• Don't overdo alkalinity, especially on stain-resistant carpets—balance cleaning power with fiber safety.

---

4. Temperature (Reduced to ~10–15%)​

• Hot tap water from restaurants might only reach 120–130°F and will cool during hose travel.
• Still helpful—use inline thermometers to know what’s actually hitting the wand.
• Consider shorter hose runs or insulating hoses to preserve what temp you have.

---

Summary TACT Rebalance Example (When Temp Is Cut in Half):​

Component	Normal %	Adjusted %
Temperature	25%	10–15%
Time	25%	30–35%
Agitation	25%	30–40%
Chemical	25%	35–40%

Note: These are not hard numbers, but a conceptual framework to rebalance your system.

---

Pro Tip:​

You might even find you like some of your modified chemistry or agitation results more than using just high heat—especially when preserving dye stability or cleaning upholstery and delicate fibers.


Let me know what specific chemistry you’re using and I can help fine-tune the ratios or recommend boosters to match the soil load you're facing.

 

[BIG WOOD]

220 to 225..seems to be the sweet spot...I can clean anything out there just fine with those temps.............

What he said.

TACT

Sometimes, I don’t have the time to TACT, being that on a busy day, time and agitation are the two I might not have available

So chemical and temperature are increased

200-225 is what you need for nasty carpet

If you’re cleaning carpet at a golf resort community, you can drop the temp

 

[BIG WOOD]

My heat exchanger is shot and I am looking for a replacement. While doing so, I am bypassing the heat exchanger. I was going to use hot tap water (primarily from restaurants) to clean. Using TACT, what type of percentages should apply to keep cleaning constant. I assume it goes from 25% each to 15% (temp) while increasing time, aggitation, and chemical to approx 30% increase. My assumption is that the most increase would be to the surfactant?

If you’re cleaning restaurants with minimal heat. You definitely need to adjust your chemical. And since you have restaraunt hot water, I suggest mixing up a product like citrazov from Harvard very strong mixed with a strong addition of grime release (butyl)

 

[Mikey P]

If you’re cleaning restaurants with minimal heat. You definitely need to adjust your chemical. And since you have restaraunt hot water, I suggest mixing up a product like citrazov from Harvard very strong mixed with a strong addition of grime release (butyl)

and use a new brown 3M pad under a 100 pound 175 or Cimex

CRBs and Oreck Orbiters can stay home.

 

[BIG WOOD]

and use a new brown 3M pad under a 100 pound 175 or Cimex

CRBs and Oreck Orbiters can stay home.

I wonder if that keeps your conscience at bay for supporting an underpowered truckmount for all these years, overlooking the fact that you had to use restaraunt hot water just to get your desired heat (200-225)
And then needing to replace your engine’s rear main seal because you ran your hg to 15hg

But they pay you good so who cares who that bad advice hurt?

 

[Mikey P]

I wonder if that keeps your conscience at bay for supporting an underpowered truckmount for all these years, overlooking the fact that you had to use restaraunt hot water just to get your desired heat (200-225)
And then needing to replace your engine’s rear main seal because you ran your hg to 15hg

But they pay you good so who cares who that bad advice hurt?

I run 12-13 hg and have cleaned less than 10 restaurants with my 370.


My next truckmount will be a PEX500.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Wow! I forgot you replaced it twice

Thread 'WIll this or similar actually stop the dreaded Kohler rear seal leak?'
https://mikeysboard.com/threads/wil...top-the-dreaded-kohler-rear-seal-leak.303156/

Sell!Sell!Sell!

 

[Kenny Hayes]

It wouldn’t matter what size truckmount you have, if you have the means to run your emulsifier through a cimex and still bring some heat to rinse, that would be a good substitute. A 175 too. See, I didn’t type prespray!