Wicking problem from hell---Need help!!

[BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE]

I recently cleaned a 5 bedroom house that has Mohawk Smartstrand carpet. The customer told me from the initial phone call that according to the manufacturer she only wants me to use hot water extraction and NO chemicals. Despite what she said, I still used a small amount of Red Label Cherry Bomb in my hydroforce sprayer and Extracted the carpet with Prochem Fiber rinse in my solution feed. When I finished the carpets were very clean and the customer remarked at how nice the house smelled. The following day, the customer called me back to say that many of the "spots" that were on the floor had returned. I went back and this time I used a high ph cleaner followed by a chemspec rinse in my solution line and extracted the carpet again. I even used a water claw on one of the stains. I left my fans to help dry the carpet and the following day the customer called again. I went back and told the customer I was embarrassed and she said ---no worries---this happens every time I get the carpets cleaned. The companies always have to come back 2 or 3 times because the spots keep coming back. I told her that would have been some useful information she could have shared prior to my first visit. She also admitted to using resolve and hydrogen peroxide on the carpets many times trying to remove the stains.

This time I went back and decided to take her advise and simply used water to flood the carpet stains while using my water claw. Once again the carpets looked great and the next day she called again because this time not only did the spots return, but they were even bigger! I made a few phone calls, I visited my local distributor and was told the stains were coming back to due an unusual amount of residue that must be residing in the carpet padding. They told me the only solution was to use a browning agent or flood rinse the spots with Prochem All Fiber Rinse (powder). So once again I went back and this time I used a 5 gallon bucket of water with Prochem All Fiber rinse (powder) and a measuring cup simply to use as a means of pouring the solution on to the carpet while the subsurface tool was in place. I poured the solution on the carpet and flushed it over and over with the rinse solution. I used about 15 gallons of solution cleaning 7 spots on the carpet ( 2 areas which were about a foot and a half in circumference. The others were about the size of my hand. The carpet looked beautiful when I finished and one of the stains I used an entire 5 gallon bucket of the rinse solution to make sure there was no chance of that wicking occurring again and this time not only did I leave fans I also sprayed stain free on top of the carpet which is an oxidizing agent and I explained to the customer that I did everything I could and there is no reason these stains should wick back at this point. I left a few fans and was on my way.

Its only been a few hours and once again the customer has sent me a text indicating that the stains are once again coming back. I called my training rep and he still keeps implying that the problem is in the padding beneath the carpet. He says there is simply so much residue I just can't seem to get it out. I am just not sure at this point. Now I am wondering if her water could be the problem. Living in Florida we have hard water and I guess my question is could her water be causing the wicking problem or do you agree it simply is so much carpet cleaner and residue still left in the padding beneath the carpet. I feel like my only solution at this point is to use a encapsulation product or maybe Host to just clean the top surface of the carpet and not get that padding wet but for me that does not feel like it is resolving the problem because as soon as that carpet gets wet or cleaned again down the road these stains are going to rear their ugly head again.

Does anyone have any advice at this point? And in case your wondering what type of equipment I am using--I have a sapphire 370 truckmount. I attached a few pictures the customer has sent me. 2 of them are from the same area---one was taken this evening and the other was taken prior to todays cleaning.

 

[sbsscn]

try this

Use a PH pen check the PH

if not then

Take a white towel, some urine stain remover or othe oxidizer/ Stain 1 and lightly mist it on a small area on the carpet. Blot with towel and evaluate. if you see a bung of the brown stuff then mist a light amount of super cap
and bonnet with terry bonnet, run fans for 10-15 minutes and you should be fine.

If you do not have Super cap then use Unchained

If you do not have Unchained use CTI/pros choice ARA again lightly mist and if possible bonnet in.

another method could work is
just rinse with pros choice Last step or SCR with lightly no saturation Do not OVERWET!
Do multiple dry passes.
Fold some cotton terry towles and place on the suspected areas, place some weights like 1 text book and allow to dry. if wicking occurs then it will wick into the towel

 

[jtsunbrite]

I got easy one for you , guys. Would you use VLM or HWE? 1-8**- junk?
It's very sad that landlords don't have adequate access to their property to keep tenants in check. In any case, great negligence on both sides....

Luky, Unchained, Grout Master and black label, it will look like brand new.... I couldnt tell you how many of these disasters I have fixed over the years.

 

[jtsunbrite]

Doing property management with a vendor key means I can follow up on every freaking job I want, when I want. I know perfectly well what works, when and how.... the world is my oyster.

The advantage I have over you is that I have 50,000 more jobs than you have ever done to figure things out. I do residential, commercial and rental....

Jim its the doing the horrible ones, over and over and learning what works and what doesnt work. Then you just keep refining the chems and process till you, look at these jobs and smile ! Money !!! gotta love the bad ones.

 

[Luky]

Luky, Unchained, Grout Master and black label, it will look like brand new.... I couldnt tell you how many of these disasters I have fixed over the years.

I trust your judgment, however that case was biohazard situation and required overhaul of subfloor. I believe that maggots would love the taste and scent of Rob's secret products.

 

[jtsunbrite]

did you replace the subfloor