My First Truckmount Cleaning Experience!

[Nomad74]

Yes but we are talking about dog piss, so its almost like he's here!

You just made coffee come out of my nose

 

[jcooper]

If that carpet was anything like the one I encountered a few weeks back, there is no way even the best of the best cleaner would have completely solved that problem. Best thing to do there is toss out the carpet and pad and treat the subsurface then get rid of the dog or home owner.
This was my was my job a few weeks back. Homeowner allows these two muttleys to run the home as they please. As I'm cleaning, one of the dogs would poop here and there. This huge finished basement. Once I got done homeowner wanted me to put her on a every six month reminder schedule (as if the stink pee would not remind her the carpets need treatment or her). I couldn't get out of there fast enough once done.

Encap... It fixes everything.

 

[steve_64]

Call the next guy in six months and report back.

Kinda cool hearing from a customers point of view. Thanks for the info.

 

[Doug Rice]

Winters?, more than one. I wouldn't have used my vac in your house either and yours reeks of dog pee every time you use it. Your not an everyday normal customer after dumping pounds and pounds of Host crap on your carpet for years. I wouldn't worry too much about the beautiful old woodwork in your house now as it smells just like your carpet as all that old dry wood has absorbed the pleasant aroma your used to. You do know all your clothing and furniture have the same smell? I think you need to ..................... well I could go on and on but you think your problems are from the CC and not the dog.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Welcome back Debbie! Forgive some of our righteous newbie pups.

I'm taking notes on your experience, and appreciate the feedback.

 

[green research]

We pump hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw chit into the lake yearly!! Now you're concerned?

I'm hurt you didn't use me! Though I would have told you it's not my fault that your dog uses your house as a urinal, and there is no better option then replacing it, so your dog can piss on it again..

Next time I will look you up! Will you come to Racine?

And yeah I AM concerned about all the untreated stuff going into the lake; aren't you?

 

[Jimmy L]

While I didn't read all of your story it did flow just like a romance novel. As I gazed at the story I teared up........became emotional..........a sudden rise......as I began to gently move to and fro in my recliner..........visions overcame me.......I became even more excited.............then the moment passed............and my eyes began to close.............ZzZzZzZzZzzz.

 

[green research]

Debbie, did the cleaner mention that the quantity of urine present could be impossible to correct? Did he discuss options? How much extra did he charge for the deodorizer application?

Were you smelling dirty water smell from his machine during operation or engine exhaust?

No, the cleaner didn't discuss not being able to deal with the urine -- "I have a really great deodorizer that will take care of it," or something along those lines. His confidence gave me confidence. I think I paid and extra 30 or 35.

The smell permeated the house immediately when he started up the truck, so I'm going to answer that it was exhaust. How do you prevent this kind of thing if you're a cleaner, needing to park kinda close and have the door open? Door sealing? Seems overkill on a good-weather day to me. Exhaust filtering? At least telling the customer that their might be an unexpected odor?

 

[steve_64]

Next time I will look you up! Will you come to Racine?

Now this would be fun!

I Live on the St Joe river in Niles Michigan. It dumps into lake Michigan so I get it too.

 

[green research]

Welcome back Debbie! Forgive some of our righteous newbie pups.

I'm taking notes on your experience, and appreciate the feedback.

Hi Lee! Thanks.

It's really all just a bit of fun. But it was an interesting experience, having my carpets cleaned by a professional stranger. I recommend it.

 

[green research]

While I didn't read all of your story it did flow just like a romance novel. As I gazed at the story I teared up........became emotional..........a sudden rise......as I began to gently move to and fro in my recliner..........visions overcame me.......I became even more excited.............then the moment passed............and my eyes began to close.............ZzZzZzZzZzzz.

Ah Jimmy. I didn't realize how much I've missed you!

 

[Mikey P]

Hey Deb

Few questions.

Where exactly did you find this guy?
Was he a one truck owner operator or employee?
Did he have online reviews?
Did you request or consider any pad replacement or sub floor work or inspection?
Are you aware of what a Rotary Extractor is?
If you had not ran out of Host powder, would you have used it again to absorb the urine?

Loved your story btw, you succeeded at finding the perfectly average HWE dude.

 

[Erik]

Loved your story btw, you succeeded at finding the perfectly average HWE dude.

I really loved her writing style, I have none.

 

[todg]

Haven't posted here in looks like seven years (hi!), but I thought I'd jump in and share this long but hopefully entertaining and maybe interesting thing: today I was a Regular Ol' Residential Carpet Cleaning Customer.

So I hired my very first truckmount cleaner today. This horrified and amused and excited me. Why would I hire such a person, you ask? Well, mainly because it took me five or so years to use up the HOST I had stashed after I left there. And I needed a cleaning. I thought about renting a Thing of Vileness at my local hoo-ha and making a game of it but decided to make a different game of it that involved less work: try a truckmount person.

Who to pick then. I thought about calling upon my network to see who was good, but for whatever reason I decided to just be average lady homemaker with no cleaning network and look through my coupons that I usually just toss. I have an aversion to such things though, except for the Chinese food one, and ended up refusing to hire anyone who sent me a coupon. So I turned to the ever-supplying internet, and picked a cleaner based pretty much solely on the look of his website and lack of grammar mistakes. Hired!

Like most residential folks calling for a cleaning, I'm calling for one reason: spots. Specifically, urine.

Not mine.

The dog, a southern dog who lately is called Jerk Dog, has decided that Wisconsin winters are just too durned cold to go out in. So despite my best attempts to train her to use the lawn I actually grew for her in the basement this year, she spent the entire winter letting her guilty effluent out on the at least 25, maybe 35-year-old nylon carpet. I decided to wait until that sweet spot of spring, between the approaching wall of humidity and the temperature being warm enough that Jerk Dog will go outside. Now.

Hired Guy has been informed of all this and assures me the problem will be solved. I agree to pay extra for deodorizing, no problem. Okay, let's do this thing. I pre-vac like a mofo because I have trust issues. And I'm glad I did because he didn't.

Shows up on time; good lad. I'm equally amused and horrified at hoses being run in my door for the first time. True that I don't appreciate them being dragged along my old woodwork though.
View attachment 71861 I am surprised by the truck stink--something I'd never considered or experienced before. He says the things all cleaners learn to say, like "be careful going from the carpet into the kitchen as it may be slippery." I find this adorable for some reason, but also understand it kinda secretly might mean "get out of here lady I'm working." I split and let him work, taking a few surreptitious pictures on my way to the garage to hang out with my mess there for a while.
View attachment 71859 Some kind of cleaning tool.

When he's wrapping up he has me walk through with him to verify my happiness. I know that such a thing is not yet possible though; I reserve happiness verification until it's dry. I say nice things anyway. I do however point out that I can very easily smell wet urine. He lays down more deodorizer. Meh. I'm going to have to take care of this myself after all, dang. Visually, most of the spots are gone and overall it looks pretty good and matches my fair and realistic expectations: wettish carpet, most of the spots gone or hidden, no real improvement of my very worn traffic lanes, no magic fluffing of the crushed loop in my daughter's room. But I thought he would be able to deal with the urine--my main reason for calling--and he couldn't.

He's outside packing up when I hear water running. I go to the window and I can't believe it but he is dumping right in my driveway. And my street drains right in to Lake Michigan; extra not cool. And now my driveway is going to smell?!
View attachment 71860

He gets my email address "to send a receipt" but I know it's really for a reminder for next year. Sigh. He was honest about the dry time, which I appreciated, and suggests using a 50/50 vinegar/water mix for spotting. I smile and thank him. Overall, I thought he did a decent if disappointing job, he was likeable, and he obviously has had training but then the driveway dumping put him in to hack territory for me.

Just for fun, since he left I've been taking not-so-calibrated temp & RH readings every hour or so:
Outside at time of cleaning: 52.5F and 63% RH
Inside 3 ft. above floor: 67.5F and 59% RH
At carpet: 2:15p 57.9F and 87% RH
3:00p 65.3F and 91% RH (urine still smells after 1 hour dwell))
4:00p 65.2F and 92% RH (several urine spots wicking)
5:00p 65.5F and 91% RH
6:00p 67.6F and 95% RH
7:00p 69.1F and 90% RH
8:00p 68.7F and 86% RH
9:00p 68.5F and 81% RH
10:00p 68.7F and 74% RH (urine still smells after 8 hour dwell and still damp but much improved)

Poor guy left thinking he had a satisfied customer, since he was satisfied. But now I have to either call him back when I don't want to see him again or deal with things a different way. Which at least I'm capable of doing. Especially if Jim sends me that magic urine-removal stuff I know he has.

Oh and since I figure some of you might wonder: I paid a little over 200 for about 650 sf, including stairs and aforementioned deodorizing. Since I have now paid a cleaner to do my carpet for me, a truckmount user no less, I feel like I can move on from the industry now. (That's probably not true, but it felt like a good way to wrap this up, ha.)

 

[green research]

You knew about this website, yet you didn't contact us to help you find a reputable cleaner.
And you seem to know more about cleaning carpet than the guy you hired with the way you described the job and the wicking. With as much as you are currently educated into this business, you should know that your carpet is already ruined.

I don't want to get into the specifics about what he should've or could've done different. But one thing I do want to point out, is that you get what you pay for. He only charged you around $.23/sq. ft. That's the whole deal. With the way Google is, why didn't you pick the carpet cleaner based on their rating on the local listing?

Sorry for being so harsh, but this guy might be new, or just had a bad day and came from a job similar to your basement, which is why you smelled that odor. The smell of urine in our waste tanks are boosted with bacteria and heat, making it smell twice as rough. Most of the time, we don't have time to clean our whole unit out in between jobs. No excuse, I'm just trying to vouch for the carpet guy.

I recommend you call him back to fix it, if he promises customer satisfaction. Since you know about us and this website, we can give you a list of things to suggest to him in fixing it or at least making it livable.

Since this is a basement, I recommend getting someone to come remove the pad underneath (if there is one) and then having your carpet guy come back to reclean it with the proper urine treatment.. You'll see more promising results.

You are absolutely right that you get what you pay for! I didn't seek out a reputable cleaner on purpose though... I didn't want a great cleaning; I wanted a regular cleaning. I already know my carpet's shot, so I wasn't worried about whoever doing whatever. I just wanted to see what the middle-of-the-road pricing company could do and why someone might choose them instead of higher or lower priced folks. Test the perceived value and see what happens, you know?

 

[todg]

So I turned to the ever-supplying internet, and picked a cleaner based pretty much solely on the look of his website and lack of grammar mistakes. Hired! FYI: No comma after internet... On another note, you didn't hire a carpet cleaner if they didn't have grammar mistakes. Most carpet cleaners have 6th-grade education levels...

 

[Jimmy L]

We are all Forrest Gumps

 

[steve_64]

Wand forest wand!

 

[icleancarpetz]

Welcome back Debbie! Forgive some of our righteous newbie pups.

I'm taking notes on your experience, and appreciate the feedback.

Its not the righteous then thou thing but the reality of the pre-existing conditions.

As Steve64 and Lee mentioned Thanks Deborah for your input from customers point of view. Website, grammar, presentation etc. there is always learning and improving in everything if you look for it.

This one deserved flood followed by step-on water claw. Rotary would have taken care of the wickback.

 

[icleancarpetz]

Wand forest wand!

Lol

 

[steve_64]

In one instance I wonder if he gave you what you asked for, no upsell. But with the stinky van and dumping in the driveway, it does reak of hack.

 

[WillS]

That dumping in your drive way picture is the perfect ad pic for every HOST and VLM cleaner.

 

[steve_64]

I'm glad you didn't call me lol.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I have removed installed carpet for cleaning off-site. Replace pad after cleaning and sealing floor.

With the carpet on steel cables pressure wash until the fountain of poo eventually turned clear. Then treated and extracted both sides.

Reinstall carpet.

Easy money.

 

[Mark Von*Lay]

Cool story.... I would have charged u more ... rotary plus water claw and injection over kill... and the Judson quat- a lot- is amazing just sayin

 

[SamIam]

That dumping in your drive way picture is the perfect ad pic for every HOST and VLM cleaner.

My perfect pic is my vacuum full of absorb wood left in the carpet.

 

[Nomad74]

My perfect pic is my vacuum full of absorb wood left in the carpet.

I just did a house where a local hack had come in before me and used some sort of sponge crap. The customer said it was walnut shells or coconut shells. Whatever it was, it was weird and had terrible resoiling issues. The customer complained she was vacuuming his dust sponge crap for weeks. She finally couldn't take it anymore and called me. I love this other local cleaner. I've picked up many of his customers... Thank you, and don't think I don't know you removed my business cards from Burrito Bandito and replaced them with yours. Oh, I know.

 

[Cleanworks]

I have removed installed carpet for cleaning off-site. Replace pad after cleaning and sealing floor.

With the carpet on steel cables pressure wash until the fountain of poo eventually turned clear. Then treated and extracted both sides.

Reinstall carpet.

Easy money.

Yeah but she wasn't willing to pay that much.

 

[PrimaDonna]

Mikey has some serious competition In the story telling category.

He can weave a good story but this was very good.

I'm surprised that the only thing mentioned by others was the lack of or suggestion to use a black light. We always use the moisture wand/stick to detect where the urine is and ends. Surprised this tool wasn't mentioned.

We never promise to fix urine issues. Since we don't know if it's in the sub floor unless we pull back the padding. So we have customers sign off that there is no gaurentee that we can remediate it completely. Surprised he didn't have something in place to cover that. I'm always wary of anyone that claims to be able to fix urine issues completely through cleaning alone.

Welcome back....but don't hang out too much. I kinda like being the main chick around here.....

Just kidding. We need more estrogen on MB.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Mikey has some serious competition In the story telling category.

He can weave a good story but this was very good.

I'm surprised that the only thing mentioned by others was the lack of or suggestion to use a black light. We always use the moisture wand/stick to detect where the urine is and ends. Surprised this tool wasn't mentioned.

We never promise to fix urine issues. Since we don't know if it's in the sub floor unless we pull back the padding. So we have customers sign off that there is no gaurentee that we can remediate it completely. Surprised he didn't have something in place to cover that. I'm always wary of anyone that claims to be able to fix urine issues completely through cleaning alone.

Welcome back....but don't hang out too much. I kinda like being the main chick around here.....

Just kidding. We need more estrogen on MB.

If he's only charging .23/sq ft, he can't afford a urine light