Triexta Update

I received a call today from a well informed and customer service oriented carpet cleaner I know, and the story he related spoke to both technical and marketing issues we must all be aware of.

This gentleman sends a newsletter to all of his customers, including the carpet retailers who refer him. In it, he made a point of warning his customers that the new Triexta fiber that is being so heavily promoted today may not live up to the expectations the retailers are creating.

It seems that at least one of the retailers he sent this newsletter to became very upset at his sharing this information, and confronted him about it when he met with her. While his initial reaction was irritation at her support for what he (and likely you) consider to be an inferior fiber, his “business head” thought about it a bit longer.

In our discussion, we both had to agree that Triexta does solve two problems that nylon (the cleaner’s favorite fiber) does not:

1. The Triexta fiber is inherently resistant to red dyes. Unlike Stain Resistant Nylon, which loses its stain resistance over time from abrasive soil and most cleaning processes, Triexta does not.


2. Triexta fibers also resist color loss from urine stains. Since most homes in the US today have more than one cat and/or dog, this issue is powerful, and should not be overlooked.

There remains little doubt that Triexta will continue to have the “oil loving” characteristics of its better known cousin, Polyester, but that’s why professional cleaning is needed, isnt’ it?

The cleaner is going to visit his referring stores and discuss his more balanced view of Triexta, which he should. He mentioned how annoyed he gets when retailers make comments about carpet cleaning that don’t really address the “whole story”, and he recognized that perhaps he did the same.

The lesson for you (and for me)? There are several:

1. Triexta is here to stay. Go to most carpet stores, and its “everywhere”. Its surely better than Olefin, and likely better than Polyester. The fact that we don’t like it as much as Nylon is more our issue than it is our customers, after all.


2. We might not like “oil loving fibers”, but our customers aren’t as worried about Oily soils as they are bleach and dye stains.


3. Let’s keep our dialog with those stores that gladly refer us, and make sure that while we need to serve our customer’s needs, we also need to make sure we understand the whole story.
   
   Having an open minded attitude that listens to the views and needs of all parties will keep your business not just the one your customers wish to use, but that retailers will gladly recommend!

For more information on Triexta, see my article at
http://tinyurl.com/cleantip6

Is it Wicking or is it Sticking?

What do you do when you get called about a spot that has been discovered by your customer after you have cleaned their carpet?

Before you show up with an arsenal of products, you need (and your customer needs) an answer to these three questions:

1. Did the stain remain after cleaning?
2. Did the spot come back when it dried?
3. Did the spot show up over time?

The reason that these questions are so important is that they speak to three different types of problems.

1. "Did the stain remain after cleaning?"
   If you've done everything you could to clean the carpet and a stain remains, you might need to use reducing or oxidizing agents with some of your advanced skills to remove this stain. And, in some cases, there are stains that cannot be removed regardless of your skills and available stain removal chemistry arsenal.


2. "Did the spot come back when it dried?"
   If spots disappear during cleaning, but reappear after the carpet dries, the problem is probably wicking. This needs to be treated with an absorbent powder or sprayed with an anti wicking agent


3. "Did the spot show up over time?"
   This is more likely a sticky residue than a wicking problem. When adhesive residues (such as from tape) or clear sugary drinks spills, the soil that was attracted to the sticky residue comes up easily, leading the cleaner to believe the spot is gone. If it comes back, you need to follow more extensive spotting procedures to remove the sticky residue that in the case of a spill is likely deep within the carpet yarns, and will require extensive flushing to remove.

Each of these three different circumstances requires cleaning, spotting, and stain removal skills to correct. But those products and skills are not of much use, and can sometimes even work against you, if you don't know the difference between the three.

Freeze Warning!

As we move toward the end of October, temperatures in the the northern part of the US and all of Canada will begin to drop below freezing at night, and in the next couple of months perhaps during the day. Cleaners are aware of the need to protect their equipment during this season, but often overlook the damage that freezing might do to their cleaning products.

While most products will work as well after freezing if they are thawed out, there are a few categories that may be permanently damaged if left out in the cold overnight. These includes:

• Carpet Protector
• Liquid Enzyme products
• Floor Finishes

Some of these products, especially protectors, are sold as "freeze/thaw stable", but most are not. Leaving such products in an unheated vehicle overnight when temperatures go below freezing risks a loss of the product's performance.

Even though most other cleaning and spotting products do not lose effectiveness when frozen, the fact that you'd start your day trying to pour a frozen bottle of prespray (as an example) into a measuring cup is not likely going to be pleasant or productive for you.

If you cannot store your vehicle in a heated garage overnight, remove all of your cleaning agents and other treatments and bring them inside for the night. It will protect those very important (and expensive) protectors, deodorizers and floor finishes. It will also make the use of all of your other products easier and less annoying while you cope with the unavoidable annoyances cold weather brings to us all.

21st Century "Fine Fabric Care" Procedures

Cleaning Today's Challenging Fabrics

I've spent nearly three quarters of my lifetime working with upholstery cleaning products, tools, and procedures. Over that period of time, the largest single obstacle to a cleaner's confidence in becoming a fine fabric specialist was the fear caused by the perceived complexities of fabrics, testing, as well as the cleaning chemistry and procedures.

The following procedures and products are the simplest, the safest, and the most effective means of cleaning and restoring everything from the most durable synthetic fiber fabrics to the trickiest, hypersensitive natural fiber fabrics available to anyone today!

Why the SIMPLEST?
Because most of the cleaning is done by one of two preconditioners: “Upholstery Pre-spray” for synthetic fiber fabrics, or “Natural Fiber Cleaner” for natural fiber fabrics and blends. Other than the occasional need of an additive or a specialty spot and stain remover, these two products really “do it all”.

Why the SAFEST?
“Upholstery Pre-spray”, while designed primarily for colorfast synthetic fibers, self neutralizes rapidly and easily rinses away. This prespray has the power needed to break down oils, fats, and grease that has bonded to oil loving synthetic fibers, but few of the risks associated with other alkaline prespray products.

“Natural Fiber Cleaner” starts with an acidic pH, which makes it ideal for all natural fibers and blends, and especially safe to use on white and potentially non colorfast fabrics. The acidic pH of this product means that no additional acidic rinsing agents are needed, unless severe color bleeding sensitivity exists.

Why the most EFFECTIVE?
Using this unique system; you have a self neutralizing alkaline cleaner, Upholstery Pre-spray, for synthetics, with which you can attack the most troublesome oily soils that otherwise make the cleaning of such abused upholstery fabrics a time consuming and fatiguing task. Plus, in addition you have the unique Natural Fiber Cleaner, an acidic cleaner for natural fibers which is absolutely the best acid based cleaner I have ever used! It has a surfactant system specifically designed to attack oily soils, as well as built in solvent boosters to assist the surfactants so that fabrics that might be otherwise seen as beyond cleaning, can often be restored to a nearly new condition.

For complete article, please visit...
http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/public/765.cfm

Bedbugs & Lice on Upholstery and Bedding

The most common insect control issues associated with upholstery and bedding include: BEDBUGS, FLEAS AND LICE.

Each of these parasitic insects create discomfort for your customers, and may be difficult to eliminate.

Here are some of the serious questions that are heard frequently, along with a link to an article I have published in the eCleanAdvisor.com where you can find some additional links to an excellent resource you might wish to share with your customers!

Q - How can you tell if the residence or building is infested?
Q - What should you know about insecticides and other methods for treating bed bugs?
Q - What might you do when returning from a visit to an infested residence?
Q - Do bed bugs cause harm or spread pathogens?

For answers to these questions and MORE, please visit:
http://tinyurl.com/25bxjq2

How To Safely Clean Upholstered Furniture Using Your Truck Mount

The primary drawback in using a truck mount upholstery cleaning attachment is also its greatest advantage: Convenience!

A cleaning technician who might hesitate to suggest the "add on" of some upholstered furniture cleaning while on a carpet cleaning job is not as likely to hesitate when he just has to connect an upholstery cleaning tool and "go to work".

Unfortunately, this ease of quickly switching tools also makes it easy to overlook such important steps as:

• Testing
• Inspection
• Dry soil removal
• Preconditioning
• The use of a properly designed upholstery tool
• The use of proper cleaning chemicals

Regardless of the cleaning equipment or system used, the neglect of these important considerations will result in unsatisfactory results, displeased customers, as well as the probability of expensive damage claims.

For the most important considerations in using truck mount equipment to safely clean upholstered furniture areas follows: http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/members/139.cfm

Acid Rinses

Over the past two decades many cleaners have shifted from the use of alkaline carpet cleaning detergents to the use of acidic rinse agents. Cleaners began to become concerned about potential cleaning residues, and while some attempted to solve the problem by rinsing with clear water alone, others chose to use existing chemistry to attempt to neutralize pH as well as rinse cleaning agent residues from carpet.

The products they first tried were already available, and had been on the market for several years already: Acidic Rinse Agents.

These products were primarily used for rinsing upholstery after preconditioning, and their primary purpose was (and still is) to be used for stabilizing dyes, preventing cellulose browning, and softening velvet and chenille fabrics.

These products still work for carpet, but have mostly been replaced by products that act as cleaning agents as well as neutralizing agents. These products are acidic in pH, and do help to neutralize preconditioning agents, but have the added benefit of providing cleaning as well as neutralization. With these acidic cleaning (rather than rinsing) agents, you need not precondition the entire carpet, but instead only the parts that have heavy accumulations of petroleum, proteins, or fats.

Browning: Correction without Destruction!

If you clean a natural fiber fabric that contains cellulose fibers such as cotton, linen, or regenerated cellulose such as rayon, there is always a risk of a condition known as cellulose browning.

If you use the new generation "dry" upholstery cleaning tools, such as the Upholstery Pro, and acidic cleaning detergents, your chance of causing browning is far less than it once was.

However, if you tend to clean all upholstery with "the same stuff" (usually an alkaline cleaner) and use old fashioned wet upholstery tools, browning still can occur. Should you ever cause browning on upholstery, follow these steps to correct it:

1. Remove the furniture from your customer's house whenever possible. Most browning removal procedures take repeated applications, and visiting a home several times is costly to you, and annoying for your customer (which means it can become VERY costly to you if they tire of your visits before you have solved the problem.)

2. Clean the furniture using only an acidic rinse agent (such as Upholstery Rinse) or an acidic detergent (such as Natural Fiber Cleaner). This method will also remove the alkaline cleaning agent residues that caused the browning in the first place. Rapidly speed dry immediately afterward, and in most cases, the browning will be gone, or greatly reduced.

3. If step 2 does not work, apply an acidic neutralizing treatment, preferably one that does not contain any detergent or surfactant (such as Dye Stabilizer and Rinse). The reason not to use a product with a surfactant is that this eliminates the need to clean the fabric once more, or leave further residue. Repeated cleanings and accumulated residue will cause texture changes.

4. If step 3 does not work, apply a reducing agent, that again does not contain a surfactant (such as Coffee Stain Remover). This type of product requires time to work, and has a strong odor,and in this case may leave a powder residue than can be vacuumed away without causing distortion.

5. If step 3 doesn't work, you will need to rinse the fabric again, dry quickly, then use a non-chlorine oxidizing agent (such as Boost All) added to a neutral shampoo (such as Fabric Shampoo). This application will need to be followed by another acidic rinse application, and speed drying. This step may result in over whitening and additional texture distortion, and should be avoided whenever possible.

While your first goal should be to never allow browning to occur, if it does happen, your best choice is to attempt to remove the browning with steps 2 and 3, repeating those steps as needed and drying quickly. In this way you have the best chance of removing the browning, and also minimizing texture distortion and bleaching that cause additional damage.

Carpet Cleaning Detergents

Carpet cleaning detergents are an important part of hot water extraction cleaning. While cleaners sometimes use acidic rinses or even clear water after using traffic lane presprays, as we discussed last, the majority of cleaners use a carpet cleaning detergent in their portable or truck mounted carpet cleaning equipment.

Carpet cleaning detergents have been around as long as there has been hot water extraction machines. At one time they were used alone for cleaning, and some cleaners still do most or all of their cleaning by simply adding this type of product to their solution tank or truck mount stock solution.

Most cleaners, though, use a carpet cleaning detergent to clean the areas of a carpet that are not routinely sprayed with a traffic lane prespray.

The two types of carpet cleaning detergents that most cleaners encounter are liquids and powders.

Liquids have the advantage of being easy to dissolve in water, and that they often leave the carpet with a soft hand, or feel.

Their weakness is that in very hard water areas,they may not be as effective.

Powders, on the other hand, need more time to dissolve, but are often the most aggressive cleaners and are very effective in hard water applications.

So if you use a portable machine or have a truck mount that has a sensitive (translate "easy to clog") chemical metering system, then liquids make sense, especially if the water is soft.

If you use a truck mount, and if you are willing to take a few minutes to make sure you detergent is dissolved thoroughly, you might prefer the extra cleaning power that a powder can give to you.

A third category of carpet cleaning product that is NOT a detergent are the "surfactant free" or "soap free" products. These products have no detergent, but only alkaline builders in them. What they provide is good cleaning of oily soils without leaving a surfactant residue behind. Carpets cleaned with these products feel like they've been rinsed with water only, and have no odor. Such products are ideal for people who want a "chemical and fragrance free" cleaning.

Upholstery Inspection and Testing

In the last few weeks I've gotten more than a few emails and calls about upholstery cleaning problems. In fact, one of which came in after this video was done!

Every one of these problems, without exception, could have been prevented by proper testing and inspection of the fabric. Taking a few minutes (and it only takes a very few minutes) to look over the piece of furniture before you clean it, and conducting a few tests, will help you determine three VERY important things that you and the customer need to know before you begin cleaning:

1. Testing and Inspection helps you better inform your customer as to what they should expect in the way of a result from your cleaning efforts. Simply put, a heavily soiled and stained white polyester sofa will clean more quickly and look a lot better than a heavily soiled and stained white rayon sofa.


2. Testing and Inspection helps you to chose the best products. The "best" products doesn't mean defaulting to "safe" either. This means you can use aggressive and effective products on durable synthetic fiber fabrics, and of course gentle and safe products on less durable, perhaps non colorfast natural fiber fabrics.


3. Finally, Testing and Inspection helps keep you out of trouble and from paying claims. Finding out that the dyes in a fabric might bleed, or that fabric weakness might result in a torn area during cleaning keeps you from paying needless claims.