I have had a few return on me the last month. both on olifin. I usually go back and spray a little stain one on it goes away. How do you treat these areas in order not to return. Yes I do qualify these spots. no over wetting. recommendations. Speed dry and charge, cloth and weight on these every time. never done the cloth thing.
returning spills
- Thread starter Bucey
- Start date
carpetcleaner
Member
You have to rinse the spill all the way out or get it dry quickly.
Prescrub before HWE will give a more complete flushing of the carpet.
Drying the carpet with a pad/bonnet after HWE will help stop wicking.
There are rinses that help to prevent wick backs.
Sometimes there will be wick backs and there isn't anything that will stop them.
Prescrub before HWE will give a more complete flushing of the carpet.
Drying the carpet with a pad/bonnet after HWE will help stop wicking.
There are rinses that help to prevent wick backs.
Sometimes there will be wick backs and there isn't anything that will stop them.
sweendogg
Member
Olefin being as hydrophobic as it is will shed any water based spill straight to the backing and pad. So one way to prevent wickbacks is to identify problem areas before you clean, flood them and water claw out excess mositure and residue residue. Then follow the tips mentioned aboves to clean... also to add lots of dry strokes works wonders.. and don't rush the olefin job.
J Scott W
Member
Flush and extrct thoroughly. As insurance use a post spray to stop wicking - Encapuguard.
alazo1
Member
I think the rx's agitation with it's immediate rinse helps with spills.
Put an airpath or any fan that can face down for a while.
Albert
Put an airpath or any fan that can face down for a while.
Albert
I went back today and ran the wand over spots and dropped a blower for about 15 min. looked better but i think there is still alot in padding. I think for now on Im going to ask if they want to pay extra for a flush and claw then I wont feel so responsble for the return of the spots. sometime i think I may go alittle far with the customer service. someday it will pay off. does the encap spay stuff really work ?
Dolly Llama
Number 5
rstrick said:
you won't need it if you flush the gunk out.
I'm not an advocate of adding more gunk (even pixie dust gunk) to a spill in an effort to make up for poor technique
nail 'em with some viscous chop strokes, then a couple SLOW dry strokes, then a couple/three S-L-O-W flush/rinse strokes, then couple/three slow dry strokes
full trigger on the wand with the chop strokes, but only trigger the wand on the back stroke on the S-L-O-W flush/rinse strokes
..L.T.A.
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
Spills aren't "returning spills" if they never went away.
Larry's right on the money. I only resort to the encap trick when I'm too lazy or tired to finish the job "right".
Larry's right on the money. I only resort to the encap trick when I'm too lazy or tired to finish the job "right".
sweendogg
Member
up the price a few cents a sqft or a little more a room so you can include the flushing of the occasional spots. Learn to ask the right questions to identify your problem spots. Like hot cofee, urine, entire cans of sodas. Spots that have returned on homeowner when they tried to remove them. Mark these and flush them before you start cleaning with a water claw.
meAt said:
He knows his steam cleaning! Most wicking probles are caused by inproper cleaning. encrap or bonnet cleaning will make the spot look to be gone, great. The next time you Hwe, your back to sqare one. I Started cleaning many many accounts that had this problem.
All better shiteatinggrinSPOT ON LARRY (IMO)
encapman
Member
Recurring spill stains are a fairly common problem in a commercial setting. A lot of the fiber these days in the commercial world is olefin. Olefin can shed water to the backing of the carpet. And with an olefin carpet, as the carpet dries the wicking process occurs very rapidly. Keep in mind, the backing is where the spill stain resides. So any puddles of "soda syrup goo" from dried up Big Gulps sitting at the floor level are poised to create a nightmare of recurring spill stains. If you take your super soaker and flush the spill you may get most of the spill residue, but you may leave a trace of sugar residue behind. And even a trace of "soda syrup goo" will cause a ghost of a stain to return. I've seen many capable carpet cleaners struggling with this problem. And every commercial property owner/manager I've encountered has been fairly exasperated with this problem too.
There is a simple alternative. Jeremy and Scott mentioned encap above. They are correct. As I've been saying for years, even before Scott and Jeremy jumped on board !gotcha! ... A good crystallizing encap detergent with a built in fluoro-chemical can work wonders on stopping recurring spill stains.
Here's the technique to eliminate every last trace of "soda syrup goo" from the fiber.
1. Clean around the outside of the spill, leaving the spill untouched and dry. At this point don't get the spot wet at all.
2. Approach the uncleaned spill stain making multiple LOW MOISTURE scrubbing passes with a Cimex/OP/Rotary/CRB/etc. Use MINIMAL moisture to scrub the spot with Releasit Encap-Clean DS or a similar product. Keep the spot nearly dry as you work the spot (don't apply much solution at all).
3. After you make several low moisture scrubbing passes as described above - next apply a few squirts of Releasit Encap-Clean DS mixed 50/50 with water from a trigger sprayer directly onto the spot. Brush the 50/50 concentrate down into the fiber.
This approach works. If the steps are carefully followed exactly as outlined above, there's no chance of a recurring spill stain. This is a sure fire way to correct the recurring spill stain problem. This technique can be really useful when you've got thousands of square feet of commercial carpet to clean that's covered in spill stains. Plus, and this is a BIG plus - the next time the carpet is cleaned (even with HWE) the spill stain will not come back.
Here's the reason why this technique works so effectively. With this approach you're utilizing a low moisture cleaning process. The low moisture method helps to avoid chasing water down to the backing of an olefin carpet which can then quickly wick-up following the cleaning. By massaging the fiber with multiple low moisture passes you will gradually release the sugary residue from the fiber (as mentioned above - keep the moisture to an absolute minimum). Then applying a 50/50 mix of Encap-Clean DS as your final step will over-compensate for any residue that may remain. The heavy amount of encap polymer in that mixture encapsulate any remaining residue. And the fluoro-chemical in the formula will also slow the wicking process. This method for fixing recurring spill stains works. It's simple and foolproof.
This technique of dealing with recurring spill stains can also be a great way to land new commercial accounts. When we go to sell a new account we ask the building manager if they ever have any problems with recurring spill stains. Invariably the prospect will say YES. We then say "we'd like to clean half of the spot with a special process that we use for recurring spill stains" "we will leave the other half of the spot uncleaned so you'll have a point of reference" "you and your staff can walk on the carpet for a few days to see if the side we cleaned comes back" "then "I'll check back in a week or so and see how it looks". This sales technique will make you money! When they see that your company can effectively correct a problem that's been driving them nuts they WILL hire you without hesitating. Give it a shot and let me know how you make out shiteatinggrin
P.S. Here's one more idea that may be helpful: Using an encapsulating HWE detergent such as Releasit Encap-Punch can also bring the anti-wicking benefits mentioned here to your HWE cleaning.
.
There is a simple alternative. Jeremy and Scott mentioned encap above. They are correct. As I've been saying for years, even before Scott and Jeremy jumped on board !gotcha! ... A good crystallizing encap detergent with a built in fluoro-chemical can work wonders on stopping recurring spill stains.
Here's the technique to eliminate every last trace of "soda syrup goo" from the fiber.
1. Clean around the outside of the spill, leaving the spill untouched and dry. At this point don't get the spot wet at all.
2. Approach the uncleaned spill stain making multiple LOW MOISTURE scrubbing passes with a Cimex/OP/Rotary/CRB/etc. Use MINIMAL moisture to scrub the spot with Releasit Encap-Clean DS or a similar product. Keep the spot nearly dry as you work the spot (don't apply much solution at all).
3. After you make several low moisture scrubbing passes as described above - next apply a few squirts of Releasit Encap-Clean DS mixed 50/50 with water from a trigger sprayer directly onto the spot. Brush the 50/50 concentrate down into the fiber.
This approach works. If the steps are carefully followed exactly as outlined above, there's no chance of a recurring spill stain. This is a sure fire way to correct the recurring spill stain problem. This technique can be really useful when you've got thousands of square feet of commercial carpet to clean that's covered in spill stains. Plus, and this is a BIG plus - the next time the carpet is cleaned (even with HWE) the spill stain will not come back.
Here's the reason why this technique works so effectively. With this approach you're utilizing a low moisture cleaning process. The low moisture method helps to avoid chasing water down to the backing of an olefin carpet which can then quickly wick-up following the cleaning. By massaging the fiber with multiple low moisture passes you will gradually release the sugary residue from the fiber (as mentioned above - keep the moisture to an absolute minimum). Then applying a 50/50 mix of Encap-Clean DS as your final step will over-compensate for any residue that may remain. The heavy amount of encap polymer in that mixture encapsulate any remaining residue. And the fluoro-chemical in the formula will also slow the wicking process. This method for fixing recurring spill stains works. It's simple and foolproof.
This technique of dealing with recurring spill stains can also be a great way to land new commercial accounts. When we go to sell a new account we ask the building manager if they ever have any problems with recurring spill stains. Invariably the prospect will say YES. We then say "we'd like to clean half of the spot with a special process that we use for recurring spill stains" "we will leave the other half of the spot uncleaned so you'll have a point of reference" "you and your staff can walk on the carpet for a few days to see if the side we cleaned comes back" "then "I'll check back in a week or so and see how it looks". This sales technique will make you money! When they see that your company can effectively correct a problem that's been driving them nuts they WILL hire you without hesitating. Give it a shot and let me know how you make out shiteatinggrin
P.S. Here's one more idea that may be helpful: Using an encapsulating HWE detergent such as Releasit Encap-Punch can also bring the anti-wicking benefits mentioned here to your HWE cleaning.
.
