FAQs - Deodorization

Q – Hey Jim, what would I use a "fogger" for?
A - If you offer fire damage restoration, its a good way to distribute smoke deodorizing treatments. Actually, a fogger is great for duct sealing, deodorizing and disinfecting in many situations. They are usually suitable for applying water or solvent based formulations. A fogger with the highly recommended ULV feature means that extremely small particle sizes can be produced for very effective disinfection and odor control. The coarse setting is generally used for duct sealing.

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Q - Is the apple air worth the impression of clean to the customers?
A - I believe that it is; however, during the winter months, the Cinnamon fragrance of Spice Air is even more popular with clients.

FAQs - Upholstery Question

Q - What is the best chemical and most versatile to use on upholstery? Fiber Plus?

A - Rather than consider a different detergent, although Fiber Plus does have a safe pH range for most upholstery, consider instead a different prespray. My favorite prespray for all furniture is Avenge Fabric Prespray. If you are certain that the material is synthetic and colorfast, you might want to have some Avenge Heavy Duty Fabric Prespray for the "tough ones".

You can extract with Fiber Plus, but my preference is to use Fab Set instead. With Fab Set you'll be able to rinse out all of the prespray's residues, which leaves the fabric soft, and also bring the pH down to the acidic side of the pH scale, which stabilizes colors and prevents most browning issues as well.

Just be sure to spray either Avenge product evenly onto all body contact areas, brush it in with a soft, horsehair brush, and then allow ten to fifteen minutes of dwell time. The Avenge products are both such complete products that you'll not need any "cleaning power" in your extraction solution, just the softening, dye setting, browning preventative benefits that Fab Set can bring.

FAQs - Pros and Cons of a Truckmount

Q - I want a truck mount because they are faster and can do a lot more without all the setup. are there any downers about having a truck mount besides the cost and maintenance?

A- You're correct that the main reason to use a truck mount is labor savings both in "set up and tear down", as well as during the cleaning process itself. The analogy that I like to use regarding the difference of a truck mount and a portable is the difference between a chainsaw and an axe. Both will cut down a tree. But the chainsaw will do it quicker, and you won't be nearly as tired when you are done.

Cost is relative, of course. You will spend 5 - 10 times as much for a truck mounted unit as you will a portable machine, but your ability to produce more work in a day, and to clean more square feet per hour more than pays for the difference of that cost.

Maintenance is an issue that you must consider. Just as a chain saw requires more care than an axe, or a car than a bicycle, a truck mount needs more care as well. As with the labor savings issue, you'll spend less time maintaining your truck mount each month than you'd spend carrying, filling, and dumping your portable each day.

The only other drawback that you must consider is winter weather. You're unit will need to be kept in a garage, have an electric heater put in over night, or need to be antifreezed when not in use.

FAQs - Difficult Red Dye Spots

Q - Jim what would get out mocha-latte? The customer that asked me already used Oxy-Clean on it. Got any ideas?

A - Mocha-Latte probably has some artificial red dye to enhance the brown "chocolate/coffee" color, as well as some other dyes. The problem is that the red dye might require the use of a reducing agent spotter, such as Red One or Red Relief. The Oxy-Clean residue will inhibit the activity of either of the "Red" products, as it works in the opposite fashion (oxidizers add oxygen, reducers remove oxygen).

Remind the customer that the Oxy-Clean has likely made the stain permanent , but you can try this:

1. Rinse the area thoroughly with clear water. Any rinsing agents might create another residue problem. Rinse until any foaming and the "musty" smell that comes from Oxy Clean is gone.


2. Use either Red Relief or Red One according to directions.


3. If there is a remaining yellow stain, rinse thoroughly. After you have removed the "Red" residue, the remaining yellow stain should come out with Stain Zone or Stain Magic, which are left to work over time, but are not to be heated.

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Q - Jim I had a customer call me and tell me that they have a Kool-Aid stain on their carpet what would be best to get that out. Guess its been there and dry for about a week.

A - First, ask them what brand of spotters that they tried already, and in what sequence. The reason you must ask in this way is that if you simply ask: "Did you try anything before you called me?", they'll lie and say "no".

If you ask brands and sequences, they'll often forget to lie and tell you. If they used anything with a bleach, such as Oxy-Clean, you might not be able to get the stain out.

Assuming they only blotted with water or mild detergents, you should clean the area first; olefin and polyester will usually release red dyes during the cleaning process; high quality stain resistant nylon that hasn't been abused should also release most, if not all, of the stain.

If there is any remaining dye, treat with Pros Choice "Red One" or "Red Relief". After treating the area, clean other rooms (if available to clean), so that you can give the treatment time to work. In some cases, the dye will fade out while you are doing something else.

If it hasn't, apply damp heat with a hand steamer or iron according to the products label directions.

You have a good chance of completely removing the stain.

FAQs - Dry Clean Only?

A quick question? What is your experience with dry clean only upholstery using the Drimaster
? I have a customer with a 2-3 year Clayton Marcus, microfiber cloth, chair and ottoman, no tags, but if his memory serves him dry clean only. I personally have done a number of dry clean only with the Drimaster no problem. We cleaned the ottoman with Prochem Upholstery Cleaner, lightened but nothing impressive. Any suggestions?

Microfibers are usually polyester, sometimes nylon, and possibly (but very unlikely to be) rayon. A burn test will confirm which it is. Don't worry about specific fibers; just make sure its synthetic, not regenerated cellulose (rayon).

Because of the very fine denier that gives them their name, they can adsorb (as opposed to absorb) several times their weight in water, so you'll likely be surprised, and perhaps frightened, at how dark and "wet" it will become when you clean it.

Don't let that bother you. Simply precondition it with materials suitable for synthetic upholstery (either Prochem Upholstery Prespray or Bridgepoint Avenge Heavy Duty), and if it appears to be heavily soiled, boost the prespray with Bridgepoint Citrus Solv and Boost All or Prochem Citrus Pro and Oxy Plus. Rinse with Bridgepoint Fab Set or Prochem All Fiber Rinse, and be very sure that you open any vacuum relief valves that you have on the tool and/or machine, as your only real risk is damaging the fibers themselves with excessive vacuum.

The fabric doesn't have a predetermined "nap lay", so instead just use a clean white towel to absorb left over moisture, and to "fluff up" the nap so that it dries soft.

Use a solvent based protector, as a water based protector might leave it feeling a bit stiff. Remember, people buy this product because they like it to feel soft.

FAQ's - Silk Walls

Q - I have a wall panel which is made of silk material and has a few greasy stains which have come from oily hair or oily hands. Please advise what technique and what chemical to use.

A - Fabric covered walls, panels, and partitions are usually cleaned with hot water extraction using a low wetting or "dry" upholstery tool.

In your case, silk can have issues that the more commonly used synthetic materials will not. Silk may watermark, fade, or stretch if not cleaned very carefully. While there are times that it is safe and makes sense to clean silk furniture fabrics with hot water extraction, I do not recommend you attempt to clean silk wall or partition materials in this fashion.

Its recommended that you clean as much of the surface as possible with dry cleaning sponges. The areas that have the greasy hand prints can be cleaned by applying a dry cleaning solvent with a towel, then carefully wiping the more heavily soiled areas. Further soil may be extracted with dry towels afterward.

Be very careful not to spray apply the solvent, especially if it is a volatile solvent. Volatile solvents that are applied by means of spraying may evaporate quickly, leaving circles or "watermarks" wherever residual soil exists. By carefully apply the solvent by means of blotting, such rings should not exist after cleaning.
If the body oil is not removed by dry cleaning solvent, you can try a neutral detergent, such as Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo or Bridgepoint Fabric Shampoo. Mix either of these shampoos in a bucket of water, dip a clean white towel in the bucket, wring it out "dry", then fold the towel into a flat pad and carefully wipe the area in one direction.

CAUTION: The cleaning ability of these products is such that they might create areas that look cleaner when you are done. Be prepared to lightly wipe the entire panel to blend in the appearance, or the result may look worse when you are done.

Business Retainer FAQs

Q - Homepro spotter, is it good stuff?
A - Homepro is an excellent spotter for your customers, as is Groom Industries' Perky Spotter, and frankly both are good professional products as well.

Q - Does it help get business?
A - It doesn't help to "get business" as much as it helps you to "keep business" by reinforcing customer loyalty, and reminding them you are their cleaner.

Q - I see that the warranty cards for the Maxim Carpet Protector have some stuff on them about that. Do you teach about carpet protectors in your carpet cleaning classes?
A - Our carpet cleaning class teaches how protector is applied at the "mill", how it works chemically, and how to apply it properly.

Simple Email Question

Its interesting how a simple question is fraught with so many complexities:

1. Let's start with the first part of your question: "Can you add a deodorizer to your prespray or rinse water...."

The answer is a qualified "Yes".
Many deodorizing products work well as additives, and are compatible with presprays, cleaning detergents, and acidic rinse agents. Some products are not compatible as additives, though, so you should consult label directions of any product that you'd like to use in this fashion.

If I'm going to add a deodorizer to a cleaning product, I prefer to add it to prespray. This will help deodorize not just the carpet, but the prespray which may have an offensive odor. It also prevents the possibility of leaving behind a soil attracting residue or lingering fragrance that may not remain pleasant days after the cleaning job.

2. The second part of your question was: ".........and then say you deodorized the carpet?"
You can say you applied or added a deodorizer, but whether or not you actually deodorized the carpet is a matter of inspection after the job. If the source of the odor was confined to the face yarns of the carpet, the act of applying a deodorizer with your prespray, then rinsing away soil as well as the residue that caused the offensive odor might effectively deodorize the carpet.

If, however, the odor has penetrated through the carpet and perhaps the cushion, then odor causing residues (such as urine or vomit) would remain after cleaning, and odor would still exist. In such a case you could not fairly say that you "deodorized the carpet".

Subsurface treatments, either through injection or the use of the Spot Lifter Water Claw (tm) would be required to deodorize the carpet. In cases of severe contamination you might not be able to deodorize the carpet at all, and replacement of the carpet and cushion, as well as sealing of the floor and baseboard, would be necessary.

FAQs - Tile & Grout Questions

Q – Listen Jim, is the SX-12 a good machine?
A - Yes, the SX-12 HARD SURFACE TOOL can be an excellent accessory to a heavy duty, high pressure portable or a truckmounted system. In fact it is the latest technology for cleaning tile and grout!
It works with an easy front-to-back and side-to-side motion, it even works on uneven stone, tile surfaces & smooth concrete. It is light-weight and I find it non-fatiguing: as it glides so easily over the floor.

Q – Jim, what kind of pressure do you need to operate it?
A - 800 psi. The SX-12 blasts soil and dirt from tile, grout, and smooth or rough hard surfaces. The rotary arm spins to create amazing soil blasting power working from 700 to 2,000 psi while the vacuum ports pick up all the waste. The SX-12 is ready to work with truckmount or heavy duty, high pressure portable carpet machines, pressure washers and vac systems.

Q - I am just wondering because I am starting to do work for a local company who installs tile and I might want that in the near future.
A - Tile and grout cleaning is very profitable. You'd be better to use a truck mounted unit, or a portable designed for the purpose. The portable units are very heavy, though.

Doing More with Less

In today's times, finding products that serve multiple purposes not only can save a cleaning and restoration company money, but it also reduces stress by bringing more simplicity into the workplace and minimizing complexity.

Over the past decades, product manufacturers often put multiple labels on the same or similar products to make training easier and to minimize label copy and sales support time. With a little time and attention, you can reverse that trend and begin to learn how to get more out of less.

One such example came to me just yesterday. A fire restoration contractor was asked to clean a home after a protein fire. He wanted a deodorizer to add to his cleaning solution that would counteract the odor, but had none in stock and had to begin the job that day. I discovered that he had Citrus Solv, which is used primarily to boost the effectiveness of carpet and fabric presprays. In this case, I suggested that he use it to boost the detergents he was using for both the hard surfaces as well as the textiles.

The solvent in Citrus Solv is also used in most protein odor counteractants, and with this knowledge the restorer was able to use a product that he had on hand, and that cost 50% less than would the specialty protein odor counteractant.

Ask you suppliers which of the products that you use have such multiple purposes, and begin to simply your work and save money at the same time.