To groom or not to groom?

[dealtimeman]

recently i have had a few customers that do not want their carpets groomed and prefer to have the triangles set in the carpet as they asscociate the triangles with being clean. most are my repeat customers as i did not groom before and know i am grooming. i have explained that grooming the carpet dries the carpet faster and stuff but they insist on the triangles. even had a lady that wanted protector but did not want me to groom the triangles out, so i grooomed the carpets with large trianlge to make her happy.


how many of you automatically groom the carpet?

how many of you ask if they want the carpet groomed or not?

 

[CleanEvo]

I groom if they buy Teflon, otherwise I don't... somewhat Hackish, I know.

 

[Mikey P]

Only trailer trash would want the triangles.

 

[Mike Draper]

exactly!

 

[CleanEvo]

One of my regular customers, a doctor, thinks that the nice even patterns of my wand strokes show that I have an organized mind, can you believe that? Like, I'm a carpet cleaner!

 

[dealtimeman]

i am telling you they associate the triangles and the overall patern to cleansliness.

 

[harryhides]

Perhaps he enjoys making even patterns when he stitches his patients up.

 

[Askal]

Hey Mikey! If you don't know what you are talking about then keep your peace. I used to be homeless and I lived in trailers for 25 years and I like groomed carpet.
Al
ps I just don't like to push the rake.
pps I am a founding member of the WTTA (White trash trailer association). Seriously.

 

[royalkid]

well, I use a RX-20 and "groom" with carpet rake in triangle pattern...custy's love it.

 

[Able 1]

well, I use a RX-20 and "groom" with carpet rake in triangle pattern...custy's love it.

Almost makes them think it was HWE... :shock:

 

[The Preacher]

i use an 18" soft bristle push broom to groom with, makes short work of traffic areas after i bonnet clean!!!

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I groom the carpet after every job. Its makes the carpet brighter and it opens up the fibers and dries faster.

 

[Brian R]

After grooming for Chem-Dry for The first half of my life I can say I wouldn't groom a carpet just for appearance...isn't that what a Hybrid Green Glide is for?

My customers love the triangles.
I would groom after a bonnet job maybe because the swirleys look like hell...but vacuuming once when dry takes care of that.


If it served a purpose that effected the final outcome of the cleaning, it would be a different story.
But other than dry times, maybe...and working in protectant, maybe...I can't see another purpose unles you are trying to separate the fibers because of the sticky residue you are leaving behind.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

i am telling you they associate the triangles and the overall patern to cleansliness.

Amen! I do not groom anymore unless there is a reason for it.

 

[dealtimeman]

i am not saying it to skip out on work or if it is correcty to do or not, i am saying my regualars do not want me grooming their carpet. they say it looks clean, but the triangles affirm the clean.

 

[Chris A]

If you are not doing it just because of extra work, then you are lazy because it takes about 30 seconds per room (max). If you have another reason, then carry on... I groom everything, and most customers seem to like it that way ("now it really looks finished...")

 

[bob vawter]

if i groomed in the ghetto...
my little ol' black ladies..
would make me wear that Gandi!

 

[TimP]

I don't groom but don't leave triangles.

 

[bob vawter]

I don't groom but don't leave triangles.

OK..can you describe a stroke that don leave triangles......

 

[TimP]

It's called straight forward and straight back....lift and repeat. :roll:

 

[Chads]

Every body that dosent like the triangles ,probally dont lay out good triangles it does take a little technique. I aways start a room and work it out in my head before i start cleaning that way every thing looks nice and symetrical.

 

[hogjowl]

I stopped grooming years ago after a repeat customer asked me not to. She liked the triangles. (Yeah, she was trailer trash.) I never heard a negative word about it in all these years. Never thought about it, really. I have ignored all the threads related to it here and on ICS. However, a couple of days ago, I read an article in one of the rags, by some guru, that discussed this topic and I started to revisit it in my mind. I decided there might be some merit in it and decided to take it back up and see if it made a difference.

So, for the past two days I have been grooming the carpets.

All I can say is it's boring as hell and my customers don't seem to GAS.

 

[TimP]

No they don't GAS if you groom or not. It doesn't do a damn thing for the carpet. If they don't like the triangles they can vacuum them out when it dries. It's just another means of raising the price and spending more time in their home to make the customer think they are getting something for their money when in fact it's a complete waste of time. I don't groom not even with protector cause it says on the bottle of protector I use that it's not needed.

 

[hogjowl]

That particular "guru" was trashing one of his competitors jobs cuz he didn't groom.

 

[Blue Monarch]

Dries faster. Complete BS IMO.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Rarely groom, most of the time with a hybrid glide I can leave a room looking like it has been groomed.

I used to leave triangles, got flamed for it on a board a few years ago. I think the criticism was that triangles leave somewhat incomplete dry strokes. Since then I changed to an even forward and back stroke.

The triangles left a nice looking pattern but customers tell me with the even strokes that the carpets look brand new.

 

[bob vawter]

It's called straight forward and straight back....lift and repeat. :roll:

the triangles show Mrs TT that every inch of her trailer carpet has been cleaned ...whereas a straight stroke does NOT!!!

and you ACTUALLY raise yor wand at the end of each stroke....?

you sir ARE a hack!

 

[Brian R]

My dry strokes are what left the triangles. You have to make sure the carpet is clean first and then start getting it dry.


I never made my triangles square with the room.
They would always "flow" to the door I was cleaning out of.
They would seem to come out of the corner of the room.

I never did like it when the triangles would go one way and then a 90 degree agle when you have to turn.

Mine would always be uniform and perty...again..image and perception.

 

[Steve in Omaha]

That particular "guru" was trashing one of his competitors jobs cuz he didn't groom.

I would strongly urge all my competitors NOT to groom the carpets for that "finished like new look" when done. Positively a waste of time. hahahahahahahahah$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[TimP]

It's called straight forward and straight back....lift and repeat. :roll:

the triangles show Mrs TT that every inch of her trailer carpet has been cleaned ...whereas a straight stroke does NOT!!!

and you ACTUALLY raise yor wand at the end of each stroke....?

you sir ARE a hack!

I sir don't GAS what you think. Also I never had a person worry about me missing a spot, and I never miss a spot. You sir don't vacuum nor use prespray and are therefore considered the biggest hack on the board. I vacuum, prespray, mechanical scrub as needed, use a high flow greenhorn with a hole glide to emulsifier extract w/MB Soap free and also place 2 airpath fans to dry. I just don't groom and I do things my way and DGAS if I'm a hack or not. I'm quite comfortable with the way I do things.