anything revolutionary?

[TimP]

Wicking may be a complaint for hwe. But every time on cgd that it has happened to me VLM didn't do any better. With that said I have never been called back to fix wicking in residential. In my experience where I have gone behind another cleaner where the complaint was wicking (dirt came back) I have had customers drop their jaw at the results. And guess what...no wicking. And I know because I told them to call me and I would do what it takes to get rid of the problem. I have yet to go back.

So don't compare franchise problems with a quality hwe-ion cleaner.

I'd like to hear how many hwe guys on residential have wicking problems that they can't fix with using good tlc-ers and high flow wands in addition to adequate vacuum.

 

[truckmount girl]

If I HAD to lick a nasty carpet after it was cleaned by a good HWE cleaner or a good OP cleaner I confess I'd rather lick the HWE job. Don't get me wrong carpet licking is not my thing....not that there's anything wrong with that...

Neither is going to be pristine, and I think OP cleaning is great on a lot of jobs, especially commercial (minus medical offices and restaurants) but if I had to, it'd be the HWE job.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Bill Soukoreff]

Wicking may be a complaint for hwe. But every time on cgd that it has happened to me VLM didn't do any better. With that said I have never been called back to fix wicking in residential. In my experience where I have gone behind another cleaner where the complaint was wicking (dirt came back) I have had customers drop their jaw at the results. And guess what...no wicking. And I know because I told them to call me and I would do what it takes to get rid of the problem. I have yet to go back.

So don't compare franchise problems with a quality hwe-ion cleaner.

I'd like to hear how many hwe guys on residential have wicking problems that they can't fix with using good tlc-ers and high flow wands in addition to adequate vacuum.

Wicking is a thing of the past with current HWE technology, chemical choices and a skilled operator.

 

[bob vawter]

LOL@Lisa

 

[DevilThomas]

I'm a commercial cleaner looking to expand our offering to include carpet care. I don't want to be another H2O extraction cleaner. We have played with encapsulation with good success on commercial carpet however, we're not happy with the results on residential carpet. Is there a revolutionary "dry" system that works? We want something that separates us from the pack.

It is sad to see this guys question de-evolve into a HWE vs OP dick fight.

The most revolutionary aspect of todays carpet cleaning is that with a selection of "tools" .....knowledge readily available .... and a decent work ethic ....you can separate yourself from the pack by producing a superior product.

With a good Porty...
A Glided wand
A Rotovac or RX20
A good OP machine with about a 100 pads...1/2 Gladiator pads 1/2 cotton.

Supply of ProChem PowerBurst
Supply of Judson O2
Supply of HotKnife
Supply of PCP or Whamm
Supply of Spot & Boost
Some Red Vanish
Some PeeRadicator
Moisture stick
UV light
Couple of "air" movers
Professional Stain Kit

By using all of these tools in combination you will be able to produce a "revolutionary" superior product and handle almost any situation. You will blow any one tool carpet cleaner out of the water.

If you buy your equipment wisely...ebay, Craigs List...slightly used.... you can get all of the above equipment for about what most people pay for a really good lawnmower....approx $4000-$6000. Since you already have the account for cleaning and are already there....you can easily double your gross by adding carpet.... We did.

 

[Wayne Miller]

LOL, Lisa! Pretty funny.

Wicking is something, IMHO, anybody, regardless of method, should be able to remedy. I'm not sure what makes wicking unique to franchised operations? That's a comparison I'd simply never make. You might, but I don't see the connection. Most franchised operators I've met in the past 19 years are no less concerned about making happy customers than your typical independent. The one weakness they both might share in common, though, are those unpredictable little animals called employees.

In my experience where I've gone behind another cleaner where were NO complaints I often have customers drop their jaw at the results. Given the state of much of our competition it seems that should be the rule rather than the exception. When I don't get that response it's borders on disappointment.

 

[CleanEvo]

I used to be a VLM carpet cleaner and my customers were always very happy with the results.

Then I got my truckmount and all I can say is that I don't use VLM in residential very often anymore. In fact, when cleaning my repeat customers who I used to VLM, I was shocked to see the nasty filth I dumped from the tank after cleaning their carpets, and their carpets didn't look that bad to start with.

Even lately I've been using the TM on some of my commercial accounts that I've always used VLM on. It's unbelievable the crap I've been leaving behind in their carpets, again, these are all "happy" customers who call me again and again.

I've learned that encap and VLM is a maintenance procedure only, the carpets are going to need to be flushed once in a while. You don't necessarily need a truckmount to do that, but if you want to do residential in a big way, then it's the only way to go.

There's a reason the mills recommend HWE, especially TM HWE, it works the best. And with the newer systems and a good glide, 2-4 hour dry times are quite normal and people are very satisfied with that.

 

[Wayne Miller]

There's a reason some mills recommend HWE. There's a reason some folks also recommend bonnet cleaning http://www.stainmaster.com/carpet-care/carpet_maintenance.jsp.

There's a reason bonnet cleaning is recognized my the IICRC. There's also a reason it was recognized by CRI right up to the very moment they realized the SOA program linked with certain mills (or perhaps the Directors of Technical Services of said mills) would bring new life and relevancy to what otherwise might be viewed as a marginal organization.

There is also, by the way, a reason why those little grocery store walk-behinds faired better than the Aerotech in the SOA evaluation and a reason why Harry and Harriet Homeowner can forgo the IICRC Certification and SOA requirements of said carpet mill's warranty by doing it themselves should the cost of hiring a pro be too much for the family budget.

To each his own. HWE is a great way to clean carpets. No argument from me about that. But, it's not the only way and it's not like politics don't play a role in who recommends what.

 

[DavidVB]

Unfortunately, as is evident in this thread, most opinions on this subject are offered by those whose experience is primarily limited to one system or the other. Or the opinions are offered by someone with something to sell.

To say that padding just smears soil around is just as misleading as saying there is no value in a good hot rinse and extraction. Don't believe either.

Much of this you have to figure out for yourself and that takes time and money.

 

[Ron Werner]

To say that padding just smears soil around is just as misleading as saying there is no value in a good hot rinse and extraction. Don't believe either.

If I didn't watch a video of a guy padding carpet, FILTHY carpet, and he goes over half the carpet before flipping the pad or changing it, then I wouldnt think it smears. I just don't believe that the cotton pad is absorbing ALL that soil and retaining it. Its making it look better, but there is soil being smeared.
Its like polishing a car with one rag and never changing it or washing it out.

 

[Guest]

Recoil XPS Super Charged System; I also recommend an external power booster, auto fil/dump and propane heater.

 

[SMRBAP]

Whoop t do, doesn't everyone just REMOVE IT?

If those are high volume spills or urine, and it was cleaned with a bonnett - they'll be back at some point, maybe days, maybe a week, maybe a month - but it will be back. Spots that big have almost certainly reached the backing and pad - and this is where the bonnet will never get.

Anyone cleaning deep spots (wet or dry) can snap a pic 5 minutes after the work is completed and they'll be gone - I want to see the a pic taken a few weeks later.

We do both as well - dry in commercial / HWE in residential (and in commercial too, every other 2-4 cleanings to get the dirt that the dry left behind and mashed in the carpet).

 

[John G]

I wouldn't let you in my house to clean. And that's all I'm going to say.

ROFLMAO... you are a funny lil guy.

 

[bob vawter]

no...YOU is funnier!

Shame on you...John...do you REALLY believe that crap?

 

[DavidVB]

Watching a video of someone padding a carpet is the basis for saying that dirt is just smeared around? Are we sure that TMs remove all the soil from a carpet? Is it possible that the agitation and absorption of a cotton pad might remove some types of soil better than water pressure and vacuum?

Don't get me wrong. We have chosen to use TMs on most of our residential since 1993. It's just that the comments that are so often made about low moisture methods are just not true. Just because someone uses the same pad on 1,000 sq.ft. of carpet does not mean that everyone does. We cleaned for years prior to our first TM with low moisture methods and had many satisfied customers and people like John G and Wayne Miller continue to do so. I say good for them if that is their choice.

 

[bob vawter]

People that OP have a PROPENSITY to believe OTHER outlandish tales as well!

Noah and the ark
Jonah in the whale belly
Lazarath back from the dED

well you get the picture!

 

[juniorc82]

Love listening to the HWE guys tell others just what their method of choice will or will not do.

Some are foolish enough to even listen or believe them, many are a lot smarter than that.

Go with your Op to a properly trashed out residential carpet full of dog and cat urine...I'm sorry but dry methods just don't cut it!
In line with the other comments- you can easily get the carpet dry in a couple of hours with the right HWE set up.

Zee
Go with your Op to a properly trashed out residential carpet full of dog and cat urine...I'm sorry but dry methods just don't cut it!
In line with the other comments- you can easily get the carpet dry in a couple of hours with the right HWE set up.

Zee

Statements like that surely bring a chuckle.

I encap , bonnet , and hwe. I would never even consider encapping residential. Maybe and this is a long shot, if it was a very lightly soiled berber olefin maybe. And as far as encapping or vlm ing a cat or dogg piss house you just cant do it. you have to flush the carpet with acid to neutrulize the alkaline deposits left by the urine nd vlm just cant do that

 

[XTREME1]

I tried OP and I used alot of pads and I am not impressed. Too much time, had to use a portable spotter for some of the stains and the clean just didn't hold up on the facility I used it in(cgd real thin). HOST worked better but HWE did great with a post padding on this particular facility.

I then tried to OP another account it didn't even come close to HWE. Cut loop pile low, OP was terrible HWE blew through it.

For a few accounts I do use it for maintenance.

Maybe it was the machine, pads and chems that I was using. I know it was operator error

 

[The Preacher]

so if a dog/cat/child/drunk college kid/old BAwb Vawter pisses on a carpet and we as cleaners don't PROPERLY decontaminate the area by pulling the carpet back, removing the pad, sealing the floor, cleaning the front and back of the carpet, installing new pad, we can get away with calling ourselves PROFESSIONALS because we squirt and suck with an HWE device???

taking a customers $$$ without doing the RIGHT thing is as hackash as spreading it around with a towel/bonnet!!!

 

[bob vawter]

sometimes i only dribble...

does that count too?

 

[Royal Man]

In certain situations the friction/contact from a pad will remove more than HWE.

Think about when you go to the car wash. You spray your car (a relatively smooth surface) with all that pressure and heat. But, the soil often is not removed until you simply wipe the surface.


As far as separating yourself from the pack. You can do it many ways. Not just with the cleaning method. Most clients don't care how you got it clean.

It's the end results that matter.

Do you ask your plumber what kind of wrench he uses?

Trust, reliability, personality, professionalism, ease of use, fitting their schedule, etc.. can set you apart also.



Dave Yoakum-

 

[DavidVB]

That sounds like someone who has actually cleaned a fair amount of carpet with both systems.

I still choose to TM most residential as I think it does a better job on most carpets. But to say low moisture cleaning just smears dirt around is no more true than saying HWE just leaves gallons of filthy water in the carpet just because some people splash and dash.

I'm afraid if this view were ever to become commonly accepted, it would be the end of these long and interesting threads though.

 

[CleanEvo]

Why is this even a debate?

All systems work to some degree. And they all may look good when you walk out the door. But the fact of the matter is that nothing will clean better than good chems, dwell time, agitation, large volume of HOT water for flushing and very good extration. Sounds like a truck mount or a good portable hot water extraction to me.

When I get shit on my hands, sure a towel will wipe that shit off, a little detergent and a towel will work better... but I'm thinking if there's a water tap around, I'm gonna be doing some washing.

 

[Dolly Llama]

carpet licking is not my thing....not that there's anything wrong with that...



Take care,
Lisa

UMMM..yes there is, Dear.... :mrgreen:


..L.T.A.