Touchy Subject......

[rwcarpet]

I realize that alot of you depend on upsales such as protector for your businesses. Now for all you experts out there.......put aside your profit motives, and tell me honestly..........does carpet now adays really need protector, and does it really help reduce soiling and spotting?? Isn't all carpet made and sold today contain protectants built into the fiber?? I mean, I still sell it to custys that ask for it, but is it really needed? There are always those custys that "want lots of Scotchgard" applied to there carpets.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I've been working on getting an article published where we can get all of the people who make the carpet and all of the people who make the protector to make clear, public statements on this issue.

Its amazing (or maybe it shouldn't be) how little both sides want to put into print. I still hope to have it published in Cleanfax before the year is out.

 

[rhyde]

Me thinks Jim just answered it.

I really don't up sell but i sleep well at night

 

[Art Kelley]

It may not be of much value to the customers, but it adds a lot to your bottom line. I could turn my 100K/year business to 150K if I pushed this crap.

 

[Ryan]

About a month ago I started pushing it. The margins on protector are amazing! Its like selling cocaine!

I don't sleep well if I don't sell protector on a job now!

 

[Doug Cox]

I only sell if people ask for it or have always had it applied, specifically at their asking.

 

[joe harper]

"Sure it Works"................ :roll:

Doesn't ........."EVERYONE"........just mEter it through their machine.... :shock:



Ps A lot of our competition..Use it as a "BaRgAinInG ChiP".. to snag the client & offer it for FREE... The client has "NO IDEA" that they are NOT recieving the product..

 

[Lora Olson]

Why don't you do a test in your OWN home?? Pick your busiest traffic lane, clean it and put it down on half. After six months, you'll have an honest answer to tell your customers of your OWN experience in your OWN home. Then you can be honest about how you think it works.

 

[joe harper]

We offer "protection" at 50% of the cleaning..!

If that is too high...We offer to "protect" ..the open areas at 25%..!

 

[Askal]

I get my tile and grout cleaned every 4 to 6 months or so in my MBA. White grout. The last time we did it we were out of protector. I was dirtier in 2 weeks than before he did it. Had it recleaned and protected a few weeks ago again and it still looks like new. I'm not a slob but I have 3 large hairy dogs and live in the country=mud. I have also tested protector in my shop/office. All brands I tested were equal except one which I won't name. Like all above test it yourself. Go get some white carpet samples and used them as walk off mats. Then clean and protect.
Al

 

[Ryan]

Scotchguard has spent millions of dollars to convince people this type of product works. We as carpet cleaners profit lucratively from this marketing. Why in the world would you want to convince people otherwise!!!

Next you people will be telling everyone carpet is nasty and it needs to be ripped out and hardwood flooring installed.

 

[hogjowl]

I am almost afraid to answer that question, because I may be proven "wrong" in the future and then only proven "right" a few decades later ... after I am dead.

 

[Weebco]

Protector should be offered every time you clean. You don't know what the customer is thinking.
Sometimes I think the customer will not want protector, and then they ask me about it? When I think they will want Protection they decline, so it is a guessing game but I've learned to ask.
As for wanting to know if it really is beneficial to the carpet, look at how many trashed out carpets their are with God knows what's on them, you get them clean with some hard work, then protect them , because they are going to need it with all the abuse and abrasion and scraping of furniture , urine , blood , vomit , coke , coffee, tea , poop , ect, ect.

 

[sweendogg]

While it helps the homeowner out, I think we the cleaners actuelly benefit from this service more so than the consumer, it seems every job I go back on that i've protected, It always cleans up easier the second time around and that is not necessarily true for the non protected carpet. And to be clear, Most carpets come with two types of protection atleast most nylons. They have the acid dye blockers which are semi permanent then they apply the flourochemical treatment as an added layer of protection, we are concerned usually with replacying that outer layer that tends to walk off.

 

[John Watson]

You damn me if I do and Helen Damns me if I don't, Well,,,, I thinks Helen carries the bigger stick...

When it comes to encapping I was glad when I ran out of all the product I had with the protector included... Jobs went from quarterly/twice yearly to yearly or maybe 18 months before we would be called back again..

Wait a minute, There is some that have never called back, Damn I hate that Juice!!!!!

 

[Loren Egland]

DuPont recommends reapplying the protection after every professional cleaning, even if you already own a a fine warranted, stain resistant carpet like Stainmaster.

 

[alazo1]

DuPont recommends reapplying the protection after every professional cleaning, even if you already own a a fine warranted, stain resistant carpet like Stainmaster.

Hey Loren, do have any documentation of this?. This would be a great tool to help in upselling.

Thanks,
Albert

 

[joeynbgky]

Alot of cheaper new carpet doesnt com ewith it, so yes it helps

 

[Loren Egland]

I put this info in my brochure and on my website.

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/teflon.html

http://www2.dupont.com/Teflon_Advanced_ ... index.html

 

[Jim Nelson]

I use teflon an have seen red wine come out of 3 carpets with just my regular cleaning. In 30 years i have seen a lot of red wine an i leave it behind every time..I do a white Berber FR 1 to 2 times a year for the lest 8 years since they got the puppy . It looks like the dog lives in the FR while they are at work , teflon every time i clean i am convinced it works an i have pic to prove it ,the hard part is putting the pic hear some day thou . Started to use more of it when a lady talked me into cleaning her dirty white uph i told her i don't clean uph any more. She begs me to clean it and sad it had ben protected and would clean up fine an it did. Some times the costumer knows more then us, i don't push it i just offer it. It work's an is a money maker ,an it's never ben a problem. At 40% of cleaning why would you not offer it to people who want it?

 

[CleanEvo]

I also find that the customers who have Teflon applied, often their carpets clean up nicer the next time than those who don't have Teflon applied. But it could also be that the people who have Teflon applied are much more "anal" about their carpets appearance and generally take better care of their carpets. If Teflon makes them feel good about their investment, then it's a good thing.

 

[Royal Man]

Everyone wins!!!

The more a client spends the, happier they are.

The more I make, the happier my wife is.

Winer winner chicken diner!!

 

[CDRX]

I admit that it is about the easiest add-on sale there is and in many cases makes good sense, especially with light colored carpet and a house full of kids and pets. A couple years ago I promoted it on every job for a week and kept track, I made an extra $1000 that week.

But as I get older I'm getting tired and lazy I guess, when I have a full busy day of work scheduled I don't want to spend the time and energy to treat a whole house and groom it, especially if I'm running late for the next job already. I'm sure I'm leaving a lot of money on the table.

I honestly think most carpets don't really need it anyway, it's like waxing your car, yeah it's a good idea but not really critical.

 

[carpetcleaner]

I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer that can be applied to all carpet 100% of the time. I don't think there really is any benefit of using stain protectant on olefin or polyester, but the manufacturers put it on there.

I had 100% nylon cut pile. I have twin boys and 2 dogs. I cleaned my family room 2-3 times a year. I would stain protect only half of the room after each cleaning. I used only name brand protects and followed the direction very closely. I sold that house after 6 or 7 years. I could not tell which have had the stain protectant on it.

A local builder, didn't include stain protected carpet unless you paid for an upgrade. I can tell right away which people didn't upgrade. 1 upgrade gives you the same "builder" grade carpet but it has stain protection.

I don't know if the health concerns are still there for the newer stain protectants, they used to be the only products that I used that had warnings to remove birds and other small pets until the product drys.

 

[tman7]

Since we're on the subject. How does everyone apply their protectant? Up untill recently I applied it with a pump up sprayer which I hate using. Recently I tried using an inline sprayer (hydroforce @ 300psi) with the tip removed and attached to the teflon bottle itself, it was quick and easy as can be.

 

[rwcarpet]

All good answers!! I won't stop selling protector, but I won't pressure to sell it. In fact, I gotta call Hardball for some Soil Blocker. I like the way it applies, and I have tested it on older carpet with good results.

Thanks for the input........I was really waiting for Martys response.

 

[Brian R]

It works when applied.
It works better when it's applied correctly.

I've been cleaning for 20 years but I'm no carpet cleaner.
Scotchgard has helped me clean up carpet easier when I have come back to one of my own and sometimes when the customer says it was applied last time.

It makes money, makes our life easier and protects the customer investment (is this an infomercial?)

Most carpet is sold with some kind of protectant on it. It still needs to be "re-applied" after a cleaning because of the wear and tear done to it in between cleanings.


I sleep just fine. I couldn't live with myself if I thought it didn't add some kind of benefit and I was selling the hell out of it.

 

[Ron Werner]

I apply it with the Omni Sprayer.

I applied it once a year to a rental carpet and spills would bead up after over a year in a very high traffic area.
I wouldn't sell it if I didn't believe it would help.

It may be protected from the factory but like a car's finish, it wears off and can use a touch up after some time.

 

[randy]

Why don't you do a test in your OWN home?? Pick your busiest traffic lane, clean it and put it down on half. After six months, you'll have an honest answer to tell your customers of your OWN experience in your OWN home. Then you can be honest about how you think it works.

I did just that in my home a few years ago. I tested (5) different protectors and found that 3M Scotchgard & Dupont Teflon are among the worst. Complete seal worked fantastic but it's a silicone (which the manufacturer will deny) and cost a small fortune. Plus you don't dilute it.

The encap products that contain protector are a total scam. The one from Bridgepoint Encapclean is a total joke, one of the worst encap products I have used (right up there with Prochem's proCRAP & Clausen's junk. Harvard Chemical's Bonedry seems to hold up well and provide some degree of protection, although they don't claim it to contain "protector" .It is marketed as a cleaner and it cleans great and protects better than some products claiming to contain a protector.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I love this place! Great opinions, and no one is afraid to speak their mind. This is why I support MB almost exclusively.

Do what Lora said to do. I ticked off a few when I said something similar and wouldn't tell the results because I want you all to do it. But since she's nicer than me, better looking, and has a tough, no nonsense husband, maybe you will listen to her instead!!

I'm still finding it interesting that its difficult to get answers from the carpet manufacturers that they'll put into print.

Until they do, do what Lora said.

ESPECIALLY on olefin and polyester. (Hint Hint)