The way I'm handling spills...

[Meter Maid]

I decided to start pre-treating spills by misting some encap on the spill-spot and then agitate the spill with a Makita polisher. The goal is to not over-saturate the spill with water to keep away from wicking. After I hit the spill-spots, I go ahead and put down my regular pre-spray and then extract. Point is I'm never soaking the spots.

Sound decent?

 

[Hack Attack]

no.. not really..

wicking occurs when there has been inadequate rinsing or drying

I'd prefer to rinse/remove more

do extra dry strokes

and still be out the door before you and your extra steps

 

[Cleanworks]

I don't spill much anymore. I use a sippi cup.

 

[Hack Attack]

I don't spill much anymore. I use a sippi cup.

such a skite

 

[DAT]

Depends on what the stain is. Sometime under cleaning it is the way to go.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Depends on what the stain is. Sometime under cleaning it is the way to go.

give some examples, Derick.
and will that "under cleaning" result in a recurring spot months later?

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Sound decent?

nothing wrong with what you're doing, Chris, but you're over thinking it.
and in most cases, wasting chem and time and doing more than is needed

96.7738% of wicking is due to not flushing the gunk out .
Slow thorough flush/rinse/extract strokes are needed on those spill/spot areas .
along with slow thorough dry stroke(s)

wicking was a very rare thing with us (fo-reel)
and almost always due to poor/lazy wand technique and/or lack of attention where needed most


Most common one was forgetting where the spot/spill was after pre-spraying .
Especially on berbers where many spill/spot areas will often disappear a few minutes after pre-spray

dropping coins on those spots was our way of knowing what spots/areas needed more attention
(more thorough flush/rinse/extract)


..L.T.A.

 

[encapman]

Removing 100% of the soil down at the backing of the carpet may be challenging or next to impossible at times. And that's why wicking is a very common problem. And this is especially true if you're dealing with commercial glue down "CGD" carpets. A CGD carpet has limited airflow when performing HWE cleaning, and the tuft bundles are often crushed and compacted, thereby trapping soil at the base of the fiber.

As carpet cleaners, we're called upon to clean carpet fiber - the fuzzy stuff up top. But what lies beneath the fuzzy stuff? What various kinds of spills, crud, and debris have seeped down to the base of the fiber? How much has penetrated the backing? What has gone through the backing and is now in the pad or on the sub-flooring? If our carpet cleaning methods were able to totally address the backing and the subfloor then we would be cleaning a lot more than the fuzzy stuff.

Since we can't clean the subfloor (except in isolated areas with a Waterclaw), what lies down at the base of the carpet has the potential to cause a wicking problem. It's unavoidable at times. However, there are some methods for reducing or eliminating the condition. Here are some techniques that can minimize the problem. Yet even on the best day, wicking may still occur sometimes.

1. Clean as thoroughly as possible.
2. Accelerate the drying. Use fans, crank up the HVAC system, and or increase airflow to the building.
3. Clean with encapsulation products, or at least finish off the carpet with an Encap product.

The high concentration of polymer in a good Encap product will help to get a wicking condition under control. And if your Encap product has a built-in fluorochemical, that can also retard wicking.

 

[Mikey P]

Be nice Mike, be nice...


So..


Go practice on concrete to learn how much your HF is rely putting down and do your best to visualize where that same amount of fluid is going when you prespray a spot.
Put a coin down on this spots that your afraid of forgetting about during the rinse process.
A wand or RE with a window is invaluable in letting you know if you got the extra suds out, especially spotters the owners may have used.

If you're still worried about wicking, must some 50/50 encap on the area and brush it in.
But not with a friggin Makita, you'll look like an idiot.


Slow down, increase your flow, keep your filters clean, do 2 dry strokes and use a legendary wand.

 

[Meter Maid]

Thanks everybody. Never had this problem when I wiped residential carpet with a cotton pad, so I’m learning.

 

[Meter Maid]

I have a Devastator 12”, run at about 375 psi and do dry strokes until I see virtually nothing in the window.
Wicking doesn’t always happen, but deep spills are hurting me maybe one job per week.
What I notice more is how my own carpet re-soils a lot faster since I started using my TM on it. Night and day from when I used to use an OP with cotton pads.
I’m not going backwards but would like to know what the hell I can do differently.

 

[DAT]

give some examples, Derick.
and will that "under cleaning" result in a recurring spot months later?

cause you don't know what's in the pad, and a 2-inch spot can turn out to be gigantic wick back spot because it was overwetted. Under cleaning what I say is to use appropriate strong chem mix and pre-treat lightly. It easy to overwet the spot during pretreatment/pre-spray using HF. Use hand sprayer instead to treat the spot and agitate with crb. Avoid using HF over that area. Using encap is an excellent way to prevent nasty wick backs.

 

[DAT]

I have a Devastator 12”, run at about 375 psi and do dry strokes until I see virtually nothing in the window.
Wicking doesn’t always happen, but deep spills are hurting me maybe one job per week.
What I notice more is how my own carpet re-soils a lot faster since I started using my TM on it. Night and day from when I used to use an OP with cotton pads.
I’m not going backwards but would like to know what the hell I can do differently.

what rinse are ya using?

 

[hogjowl]

Once you get that under control, will you figure out if dry soil is really 70%

 

[Meter Maid]

I use some 4 ph rinse from Pro’s Choice. I’ve tried a few different rinses. I’m going to trying using an encap as a pre-spray. I use a Worx sprayer by the way. It’s around 250 psi.

 

[Hack Attack]

What I notice more is how my own carpet re-soils a lot faster since I started using my TM on it.

I'd look at your prespray technique a HF can easily pump out more than you need if not careful

And how easy is that prespray to rinse? Rub your hand over an area you've rinsed, if it still feels slick the prespray is still there

 

[Meter Maid]

I'd look at your prespray technique a HF can easily pump out more than you need if not careful

And how easy is that prespray to rinse? Rub your hand over an area you've rinsed, if it still feels slick the prespray is still there

I don’t use a HF anymore, for better or worse, I like the Worx sprayer better.
An encap pre-spray should help with this, right? Any leftover pre-spray dries to a crystal?
I feel like I rinse pretty thoroughly.

 

[Hack Attack]

yes, an encap is designed to be able to be left behind so any unrinsed residue shouldn't be a problem

 

[sassyotto]

I did away with rinses and just use softened water. been doing that for about 10 years. Now when I go back to the same house it isnt as dirty.

Anyway, back to your first question, if I see a bad spot I will rinse it with just water prior to the normal cleaning procedure. You will be surprised at how much plain water will get out.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

You could just clean the spot first and put a blower on it.
I have a couple stealth blowers I like because you are able to aim them and control the airflow. Or use your dry upholstery tool ... encap on a rag... Makita tool on poly might leave a mark.

 

[hogjowl]

Fred’s on that rag a lot

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Rag rhymes with raft.