Do BOOSTERS really work??

[Clean-n-mean]

Ok so a few questions:
1. When do you know you need a booster??

2. How does a booster really work? Let's face it, by adding a booster we are adding more cleaner!!

3. So can you just add more chems and figure it's a booster

4. I'm sure a really dirty carpet warrants a booster. Many will probably say this right away. And its probably crucial, I am sure to cleaning efficiently and on a timely manner.
Just wanted to throw all this out there, as injust received robs sample pack.
Ingot slot for the money. I am excited to try it out!!
Thanks

 

[Tom Forsythe]

D'limomene nd peroxide boosters are most common as it is hard to include d'limonene and peroxide in water-based concentrates. https://cleanfax.com/technical-tip/power-boosters/

 

[wandwizard]

Ok so a few questions:
1. When do you know you need a booster??

2. How does a booster really work? Let's face it, by adding a booster we are adding more cleaner!!

3. So can you just add more chems and figure it's a booster

4. I'm sure a really dirty carpet warrants a booster. Many will probably say this right away. And its probably crucial, I am sure to cleaning efficiently and on a timely manner.
Just wanted to throw all this out there, as injust received robs sample pack.
Ingot slot for the money. I am excited to try it out!!
Thanks

Yes, boosters really work. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! The use of a booster or the need of using it really depends on the effectiveness of the pre-spray you're already using on the type of soil you're using it on. I've seen pre-sprays that worked fine on certain types of soils but fail miserably on others. Increasing the amount of chemical in the pre-spray is normally counterproductive as well as wasteful. It's more about the TYPES of soil, not the amount. I've seen super filthy carpets come out fine w/o any extra chemical or any added booster.

If I know I have a particularly tough poly to clean, especially with what appears to be oily soil, I might add some citrus if I don't think the TLC is going to cut through it or I may just mix a small batch in a pump up or trigger sprayer for the super bad areas. It most definitely DOES make a difference. O2 boosters are really about the need to take out certain stains during the cleaning process and brightening of the fibers. I can't possibly factor in all the different pre-sprays out there and how one may work as opposed to another. All I can say is sometimes in certain circumstances boosters do help make the job easier and actually reduce both the amount of chem needed and the amount of time to do the job.

 

[Scott W]

Soil can be removed by alkalinity, by solvents or surfactants. Solvents, usually d'limonene or sometimes a blend of d'limonene and petroleum solvents can be added for cutting greases, especially petroleum oils. That boost is not needed on every job. Including the "booster" in every prespray would significantly increase the cost and many times that would not be needed.

Adding more of the same prepsray just makes more foam and a product that is harder to rinse out.

Surfactants work well even when diluted. So, a surfactant booster would not be necessary except on a rare circumstance, such as a prespray that had no surfactant.

Another way to boost is to add total alkalinity. This allows the prespray to have a longer dwell time before the cleaning effectiveness is reduced by time or reaction with soils present. they let the prespray work longer.

Oxidizers brighten colors and whiten whites. Some oxidizers also provide a boost to total alkalinity. Use this type of booster to make colors pop.

 

[Clean-n-mean]

D'limomene nd peroxide boosters are most common as it is hard to include d'limonene and peroxide in water-based concentrates. https://cleanfax.com/technical-tip/power-boosters/

Tom,
Thank you for the quick reply. So its usually either one or the other in a booster??

 

[Clean-n-mean]

Yes, boosters really work. That's my story and I'm stickin to it! The use of a booster or the need of using it really depends on the effectiveness of the pre-spray you're already using on the type of soil you're using it on. I've seen pre-sprays that worked fine on certain types of soils but fail miserably on others. Increasing the amount of chemical in the pre-spray is normally counterproductive as well as wasteful. It's more about the TYPES of soil, not the amount. I've seen super filthy carpets come out fine w/o any extra chemical or any added booster.

If I know I have a particularly tough poly to clean, especially with what appears to be oily soil, I might add some citrus if I don't think the TLC is going to cut through it or I may just mix a small batch in a pump up or trigger sprayer for the super bad areas. It most definitely DOES make a difference. O2 boosters are really about the need to take out certain stains during the cleaning process and brightening of the fibers. I can't possibly factor in all the different pre-sprays out there and how one may work as opposed to another. All I can say is sometimes in certain circumstances boosters do help make the job easier and actually reduce both the amount of chem needed and the amount of time to do the job.

Thanks randy!!!! Man, I have alot to learn still. Can you recommend any good chemistry book reads???

 

[Clean-n-mean]

Soil can be removed by alkalinity, by solvents or surfactants. Solvents, usually d'limonene or sometimes a blend of d'limonene and petroleum solvents can be added for cutting greases, especially petroleum oils. That boost is not needed on every job. Including the "booster" in every prespray would significantly increase the cost and many times that would not be needed.

Adding more of the same prepsray just makes more foam and a product that is harder to rinse out.

Surfactants work well even when diluted. So, a surfactant booster would not be necessary except on a rare circumstance, such as a prespray that had no surfactant.

Another way to boost is to add total alkalinity. This allows the prespray to have a longer dwell time before the cleaning effectiveness is reduced by time or reaction with soils present. they let the prespray work longer.

Oxidizers brighten colors and whiten whites. Some oxidizers also provide a boost to total alkalinity. Use this type of booster to make colors pop.

Thank you scott!! That's some of the best info I have ever received on this.
So I have three boosters:
Oxydizers
Solvents
Surfactants
And each will excell depending on soil type.
So can you boost with calcium carbonate? Just regular baking soda?
Hmmm, I'm going to study what you wrote here!!
Thank you scott!

 

[Scott W]

Thank you scott!! That's some of the best info I have ever received on this.
So I have three boosters:
Oxydizers
Solvents
Surfactants
And each will excell depending on soil type.
So can you boost with calcium carbonate? Just regular baking soda?
Hmmm, I'm going to study what you wrote here!!
Thank you scott!

Calcium carbonate does offer some benefit when you have hard or very hard water. But, it can leave a difficult to remove residue when over-used. I advise against trying this. Use products that have been formulated and known to work.

Citrus Solv or Citrus Solv II for the solvent boost. Boost All for the oxidizer and alkalinity stablizer.
https://interlinksupply.com/index.php?item_num=1621-5372
https://interlinksupply.com/index.php?item_num=CR16A

The Boost All is available in larger sizes if you find you use often, the larger sizes will save you money.

 

[CCWorks]

Double dose your favorite chems that is appropriate for the type of material being cleaned.
That should raise the cleaning solution ph or what ever. Just got to be sure it works on the soil and fiber.
Like; if the mix rate is 1 to 50 parts, make it 1 to 25 parts.
As for using boosters, extra time, space and hassle.

 

[wandwizard]

Thanks randy!!!! Man, I have alot to learn still. Can you recommend any good chemistry book reads???

I pretty much gave up on the idea of understanding the chemistry of all the stuff we work with. You'd need a pretty high IQ and a chemistry degree to do that. Both of which I definitely lack. My IQ is maybe slightly above C level, just enough to keep my head above water. I do have some experience though going back really to about 1980 when I cleaned my first carpet so that's worth something. I've used a lot of d limonene, particularly since about the early 2,000's. I've never been very big on oxidizers and use that a lot more judiciously. In other words, if I don't think it's gonna help it doesn't go in the mix. I learned most of what I know the hard way. I did it WRONG and eventually learned how to do it RIGHT. Believe me, I cleaned LOTS of carpet and upholstery the wrong way even though I thought I was doing my dead level best.

I can tell you this from years and years of experience. A lot of labels on products will give you 2 dilution choices. The first is normally for what we would call light to normal soil while the heavier dilution is for what we would call "trashed", "rat nasty", etc. I almost never use that heavy dilution for anything no matter how bad it is. For lighter soil, you can often get by with much less than even the normal dilution and still knock a home run. I've seen numerous jobs where the addition of d limonene or citrus booster made the difference between success and failure. Most of these times were on either polyester or olefin. Both of those are like a sponge to any oil-based soiling. There are a lot of new pre-sprays out now that have greatly reduced my use of a citrus booster. I don't even have any on the van at the moment although I'll probably continue to buy it.

 

[Clean-n-mean]

Thanks randy for sharing your experience and knowledge!! Sounds to me like know exactly what you are doing!!
Yes olefin and poly both seem to be the hardest to get clean. Very much so when they have pets and the carpet gets down right oily form the animals.
It seems a good mixture chem like magic wands grease eater has done me pretty well. And it has taken the guesswork out of some of it.
I have noticed adding citra pure seems to boost it quite a bit.
But how the hell do you know.mixing all these together is not wasting a ton of money and giving inferior results.
You can really only go by what they tell you on the label and what results you get.
I'm learning what works best with what material. I guess that's just time and experience.

 

[smart n kleen]

Since I started using the new ultrapac extreme I haven’t boosted anything. I do add Brightener sometimes and are used to add venom viper citrus as a booster

 

[rob allen]

Boosters have their place. Always have and always will. Whether it’s boosting for urine, caked grease or just to brighten. Boosting also makes up for the cleaning pie when many lack a large powerful Truckmount that delivers high heat, pressure and vacuum. Then their is process.

Will one pre vacuum, mechanically agitate and post bonnet? What about cleaner expectation level? I’ve seen cheap cleaners happy with results that I could not sleep at night delivering. Yes there are many variables, so many that I can repeat what I said earlier. Boosters have their place. Always have and always will.

*Groutmaster never needs boosting for tile and grout and is one best carpet boosters ever made. Be sure to get your free Groutmaster samples. At .50 sq ft it can make you 1-2k in profits and it's free!

GroutMaster Sample (16oz)

ONLY 1 PER CUSTOMER! All extra orders will be removed immediately. Description Video SDS What is Groutmaster? it is the premier tile & grout cleaner that rarely needs prescrubbing. Mix 2-3 scoops, 4-6 oz in a gallon hot water. Spray it down, wait 5-10 mins and run your spinner over it. Cuts...

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[ACP]

better to not overthink it imo.

Bio pro + unchained will cut through just about anything youll find in a residential setting.

if its commercial and near a kitchen with a grease load so thick the carpet looks like leather than add a scoup of groutmaster

 

[wandwizard]

better to not overthink it imo.

Bio pro + unchained will cut through just about anything youll find in a residential setting.

if its commercial and near a kitchen with a grease load so thick the carpet looks like leather than add a scoup of groutmaster

Now you tell me! I think I've about fried my brain overthinking stuff all these years. Of course, when I started my own business in 1987 there wasn't a whole lot to over think. I had my choice of less than a handful of chems locally for years. Actually, I think they had 2 pre-sprays and virtually no spotters were available. There was no internet available and I only had OJT for about 6 or 7 years previously cleaning carpets which amounted to using whatever my boss supplied to me and a little portable Mr. Steam. When I got my first catalog from Jondon in the mid 90's I didn't know what to do with all they had in there. There is so much available today it's mind-boggling. I can only imagine how confusing it can be to someone starting out. W/o forums like these and all the free help available I'm sure there would be far more failures than successes!

 

[Anderson]

best to uncomplicate the chems....
most of us have gone through 20-30 chems in the last 5-10 years....
some guys go through 20-30 chems per year.....

stick with 1-2....RSF & GM
use robs SF...for homes
add robs GM as needed for trashed rentals...

use GM for resturants and heavy soiled commercial...and tile....(maybe an enzyme added???)

adjust these 2 as needed......

Rinse with Robs SF alcaline /neuetral rinse
or use a Fiber rinse/i use FLEX ICE......

altar these 2 back and forth as needed....

thats basically all i use on everything....
easier to rinse out......and uncomplicated!!!!!


acid rinse vs alcaline rinse is diferent on diferent jobs.....
homes==acid rinse
commercial= acid or alcaline rinse?????

 

[Clean-n-mean]

My grandpa always told me...there more then one way to skin a cat!!!
And I believe through my limited experience that the right chemical on the right carpet can make the difference between killing yourself and NOT killing yourself!!!
And also, saving time! Save a little time on each job and it adds up at the end of the day.
It may make the difference between me getting some action or no a ton when I get home from the wife......lol

 

[wandwizard]

My grandpa always told me...there more then one way to skin a cat!!!
And I believe through my limited experience that the right chemical on the right carpet can make the difference between killing yourself and NOT killing yourself!!!
And also, saving time! Save a little time on each job and it adds up at the end of the day.
It may make the difference between me getting some action or no a ton when I get home from the wife......lol

Oh it can indeed! Been there and done that believe me. I've got lots of cat skinning experience under my belt.

 

[Fedri]

Keep it simple, bio 10k pro and flex ice for rinsing cuts the shit like a soft butter, and I never use boosters, and on rat nasties I just increase the concentration of the chemical. For nasty commercial I use the rsf with high pH rinse. Simple only few pre sprays to carry.

 

[Clean-n-mean]

Keep it simple, bio 10k pro and flex ice for rinsing cuts the shit like a soft butter, and I never use boosters, and on rat nasties I just increase the concentration of the chemical. For nasty commercial I use the rsf with high pH rinse. Simple only few pre sprays to carry.

Thanks fedri!!! Yep I dont think it's so much the chems i have used already as much as it is my lack of experience.
I'm still ramping up with better wand, now mytee booster, and more heat coming as well.