Today we test cleaned an area in a restaurant. Carpets have not been cleaned in 5 years, they are black wall to wall. Originally I told them I could not help. I shifted the focus of my business away from carpets about a year ago. What carpets I do, I do with VLM. I no longer have an extractor that is good for carpets. But they insisted to the point of nearly begging. So I told them I'd try out a small area and see what the results were, go from there.
So, what do I have to do this job? A machine made for restroom cleaning that has no heat, 500psi at 1gpm, and a single 3 stage vac. I have a single jet wand that attaches to it. About as ideal as a rug doctor.
I have a 20" 175, scrub pads, bonnets, and a shelf full of chemicals...
So how to make this work? I'm lacking on heat, and vacuum. Extra dry passes and post bonneting can make up for the vacuum. Hot tap water offsets the heat, and this place has some seriously hot water at the utility sink. But its still only about 160 degrees at the tap. Chemical is going to have to be the main area of compensation.
Game plan. 2 gallon pump sprayer, mixed Biopro at 6oz per gallon, grout master at 2 oz per gallon, and Orange Tough degreaser at 2 oz per gallon (might not have been necessary but I love the smell, it paid off, my waste tank smelled like oranges instead of grease). Spray heavy on the carpet, scrub with a green pad, keep it wet for 20 minutes, then extract, making several dry passes for each rinse pass. Follow up with an application of Omegazyme from Bonnet Pro, and go over with bonnets till I'm satisfied of out of time.
I found as I was leaving the house this morning a sample of RSF Alkaline rinse, so I made use of that too.
In action, I ended up scrubbing the carpet twice, with 10 minutes between scrubbing. The carpet was lightening up with the second scrubbing. Chemical had a dwell time of 30 minutes. I was getting pressed for time so I rushed the extraction. Only 1 dry pass for each rinse pass, and the rinse passes were made at a faster pace than I'd consider preferred. Still, when I was done, the carpets looked drastically better. I applied the enzyme encap solution, mixed at 6oz per gallon, let it dwell for 10 minutes, then began bonneting with Iron man bonnets. I used 3 bonnets (6 sides) for a 350 sq ft area. Notable improvement. I used my remaining 3 ironmans and then 3 of the high profiles I brought. This successfully removed a large amount of remaining soil, and much of the excess water (checked in with them a little bit ago and they said the carpet was dry within 4 hours).
I made it out just as they opened, 90 minutes of actual work time. The results were much better than I had expected, and I'm confident that had I arrived a little sooner and been able to take more time with the rinse phase of this cleaning, I would have had even better results. A couple years ago I would have been hopelessly lost on this job. But with the understanding I now have about the process for carpet cleaning, I was able to identify the weaknesses of my equipment, find ways to compensate, and produce good results.
Thankyou to Rob, and John at Bonnetpro, for making some great products, and thankyou to everyone here for the information. I don't plan on making a habit of this kind of thing, but the shared knowledge here is going to help get me through this one job.
So, what do I have to do this job? A machine made for restroom cleaning that has no heat, 500psi at 1gpm, and a single 3 stage vac. I have a single jet wand that attaches to it. About as ideal as a rug doctor.
I have a 20" 175, scrub pads, bonnets, and a shelf full of chemicals...
So how to make this work? I'm lacking on heat, and vacuum. Extra dry passes and post bonneting can make up for the vacuum. Hot tap water offsets the heat, and this place has some seriously hot water at the utility sink. But its still only about 160 degrees at the tap. Chemical is going to have to be the main area of compensation.
Game plan. 2 gallon pump sprayer, mixed Biopro at 6oz per gallon, grout master at 2 oz per gallon, and Orange Tough degreaser at 2 oz per gallon (might not have been necessary but I love the smell, it paid off, my waste tank smelled like oranges instead of grease). Spray heavy on the carpet, scrub with a green pad, keep it wet for 20 minutes, then extract, making several dry passes for each rinse pass. Follow up with an application of Omegazyme from Bonnet Pro, and go over with bonnets till I'm satisfied of out of time.
I found as I was leaving the house this morning a sample of RSF Alkaline rinse, so I made use of that too.
In action, I ended up scrubbing the carpet twice, with 10 minutes between scrubbing. The carpet was lightening up with the second scrubbing. Chemical had a dwell time of 30 minutes. I was getting pressed for time so I rushed the extraction. Only 1 dry pass for each rinse pass, and the rinse passes were made at a faster pace than I'd consider preferred. Still, when I was done, the carpets looked drastically better. I applied the enzyme encap solution, mixed at 6oz per gallon, let it dwell for 10 minutes, then began bonneting with Iron man bonnets. I used 3 bonnets (6 sides) for a 350 sq ft area. Notable improvement. I used my remaining 3 ironmans and then 3 of the high profiles I brought. This successfully removed a large amount of remaining soil, and much of the excess water (checked in with them a little bit ago and they said the carpet was dry within 4 hours).
I made it out just as they opened, 90 minutes of actual work time. The results were much better than I had expected, and I'm confident that had I arrived a little sooner and been able to take more time with the rinse phase of this cleaning, I would have had even better results. A couple years ago I would have been hopelessly lost on this job. But with the understanding I now have about the process for carpet cleaning, I was able to identify the weaknesses of my equipment, find ways to compensate, and produce good results.
Thankyou to Rob, and John at Bonnetpro, for making some great products, and thankyou to everyone here for the information. I don't plan on making a habit of this kind of thing, but the shared knowledge here is going to help get me through this one job.
