So I had a job today. Just got back, took 4 hours and saw some things I've never seen before. Used Vacaway Products. (Read the summary at the end if this is too long) Gonna share my experience:

Got a call yesterday for a 3 bedroom. Asked if there were any stains, "Yes, lots" he said. Asked if there were any animal stains or odors "Yes, everywhere" he bellowed. I asked when the carpets were last professionally cleaned, "2 years ago", he assumed. The client sounded gritty and swore like a sailor on the phone. This made me feel a little uneasy. For me, It's difficult doing jobs sometimes without seeing it and quoting in person. But I am trying to build clientele so I gave him a flexible quote and told him I'd see him tomorrow. What's the worst that can happen?

I show up to the job today and it was a trailer - there was chickens in the yard and the paint was peeling off the door. I knock and the client answers. He looked like that old guy from Duck Dynasty and had a cig dangling from his lips. "You don't have a rug doctor do you? I need these carpets squeaky clean!", guess this was his way of saying hello. I told him I used a portable cleaner and reminded him of my process - again. So he guided me through this trashed wood floor, down the hallway to the first bedroom. This is where things got weird. I guess this place was rented to a couple who thought they were freaking Motley Crue - it was trashed. First off, the smell hit like a brick wall - pee, poop and vomit scattered everywhere. All of which I assumed were animal excretions but could have been from anyone. The dirt and grease stains were the gnarliest black I've seen - black as iron pans. "Can't do it", I quipped. Because at this point it would be unreasonable to clean. First off, there's no guarantee any of the stains would come up. Secondly, the guy was shady as heck and had unrealistic expectations. But he insisted I check out the other bedrooms - so I obliged. Guess what? The other rooms were even worse! Paint stains, gum and used ear cleaners sprawled out everywhere. At this point I had 2 options: leave, make no money and meet my family at the park for a bbq. Or - strike a high quote, make no promises, cash only, client signs a waiver and I get to eat rare steak and a 6 pack of some tasty IPA. I chose option 2.

So I did my close inspection and found some dangerous things. I decided to wear gloves because during the inspection I found: used needles, .22 gauge bullets - and aluminum foil ( crack paraphernalia). I told the client that this would cost more because of the needle disposal and drug paraphernalia. Finally, I started to vacuum. It took an hour and twenty minutes! I emptied the bag 15 times. Next, I ran back to my truck for the classic, "what the F am I going to use to clean this carpet, moment". And I remembered the sample pack that I boujght from Vacaway Products. Disclaimer: I do not work for this company! I'm just a wacko with a portable who takes jobs you're apparently supposed to walk away from.

So I decided to use the Dirt Axe pre-spray, mixed in some of their deodorizer and went to town. I ended up using a gallon of pre-spray per room. I Scrubbed the carpet like there's no tomorrow. Then I used my 175 with micro fiber bonnets - sprayed the bonnets with Dirt Axe mix and went crazy on the fibers. At that point I was blown away. 75% of the the stains are gone. 10 minutes later and all of the stains were gone. I used my porty to extract with the slowest passes possible. The results were phenomenal. The carpet looked brand new. Just to be on the safe side I used bonnets for drying and lifting more grime.

Job took 4 hours. Turns out the customer worked as maintenance supervisor for a local property management and has more jobs lined up. It was a good day thanks to Vacaway. Anyone else use their products?



Summary: Carpets were trashed. Used Vacaway products. The pre-spray worked phenomenal.