Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 05:35:36 pm

Title: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 05:35:36 pm
Booked a job in today to do next week the customer hired a Rug Doctor a month ago and she called me today to give her a quote.
The carpet is a white Polyprop loop berber style the soiling was terrible as you would expect she was less than impressed with the Rug Doctor which cost her £75 to hire and 4 hours to clean, i asked how long it took to dry and she said about 4 days adding that they were sliding around on some areas :o it was so wet.
She said the reviews on the site were good i asked her what site this was and she said the Rug Doctor site ::)  i said "they would be wouldn't they they wont publicise any bad reviews.
My quote came out at £145 for a through lounge stairs and small landing she said i wish i had got you to do them before ::) she was surprised at my price. 
What i wanted to ask you guys is, apart from making sure i have defoamer in the tank have any of you experienced cleaning up after a Rug Doctor and if so what unique problems i may face, i expect it will be pretty straight forward but want to be sure.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Steve. Taylor on October 04, 2010, 05:45:32 pm
Other than the foam you have mentioned cant see any problems james it would be intresting to wet the carpet with distiled water and see the PH with the test paper i would just use pureclean rather than add more detergent to it if that is what you feel has been left
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: derek west on October 04, 2010, 05:46:28 pm
james i don't have foaming problem but if i did, i would prespray a small area where its really dirty with plain water, envirodri and see how it reacts foam wise, if not much foam then prespray with PB , enviro then acid rince, if lots of foam then prespray with water, enviro then acid rince extract. if still looks dirty then clean again using PB method as before.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 05:48:37 pm
Yes a ph test would be interesting i will do that and let you know, the thing is the carpet is filthy i have never used pure clean is that a extraction product, i am not sure just extracting it will do the job, i could not believe it had been cleaned so recently.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 05:52:20 pm
I did a flat last week where the lady customer had used a shampoo on it, again resoiling was terrible but it did not foam up at all, i was surprised some of the cleaning products on the market for the public are not high foaming unlike 1001/vanish spotters which are awful or the dreaded washing up liquid
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Steve. Taylor on October 04, 2010, 05:54:32 pm
James what d said would do ya i would just  check whats been left before adding more mate.

pureclean = microsplitter so you could use what ever you got on the van
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 06:07:37 pm
I have Cleansmarts "Split X microsplitter" is that ok  thats the only microsplitter i have, then rinse with plain water.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: JandS on October 04, 2010, 06:09:34 pm
£25 to hire 'em round here, sounds steep at £75.

John
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: james roffey on October 04, 2010, 06:13:01 pm
She had it for the weekend and what reallt p...ed her off was the extra chemicals she must have think it cost £50 for machine and the rest on the chemicals she was not happy ;D
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Steve. Taylor on October 04, 2010, 06:21:22 pm
John could have been a weekend hire or 2 day £35 + chems round here for 24 hours not that i hire them you understand ;D ;D

James you will know in the first few strokes if your getting a result if not pb or up it
i have not used splitx but its all the same to me

it can get like a load of old housewifes on here with chemicals
i use persil no ariel no daz no bold  ;D ;D there that should stoke the fire :o
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Steve. Taylor on October 04, 2010, 06:25:46 pm
Lady in homebase said to me we got to be carefull when the travelers turn up we never get them back ::) makes you wonder where they get the id from
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on October 04, 2010, 06:33:50 pm
If the carpet has gone black or dark it may will be just full of shampoo residue, I would apply defoamer in a pump up spray and brush it in then HWE and turbo dry, you'll not get it all out so let dry out a bit and clean again, the carpeting will clean itself they'll be that much soap in it, but I WOULD leave a turbo drier there all day and it will prevent wick back.

Shaun
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: calmore on October 04, 2010, 08:01:53 pm
Lady in homebase said to me we got to be carefull when the travelers turn up we never get them back ::) makes you wonder where they get the id from

Just noticed an advert on ebay from Rug Doctor themselves advising people not to buy the red ones!
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: calmore on October 04, 2010, 08:03:11 pm
Booked a job in today to do next week the customer hired a Rug Doctor a month ago and she called me today to give her a quote.

I wonder if most of the problems are down to technique?

If a Rug Dr was given to a professional, would he do a decent job?

Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: garyfindlay on October 04, 2010, 08:50:14 pm
I cleaned one a while ago and it was rippled, and totaly mated with soap. We decided it would be easier to put down a rug on top of the carpet to hide the damaged. She was selling the house, and was stunned at the cost to put it right.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Joe H on October 05, 2010, 04:31:42 pm

I wonder if most of the problems are down to technique?

If a Rug Dr was given to a professional, would he do a decent job?

If I were to use one I would Not use their detergent.
I would use M-Power/Nemesis,give it a good agitation, then go over with the RD using as little water as possible.

Thing is with them, they make money, probably more selling detergent, anti foam, urine treatment, spot treatment, etc then they do on the hire.  Customer then thinks they have to use it all in one go.

Also, not an easy machine to push if you want to go over with a dry pass - not that is something a customer would think of.

Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Ian Gourlay on October 06, 2010, 10:36:38 am
Joe

Rug Doctor is easy to pull you do not push it

To do dry passes tip it on wheel go to start position and repeat working your way across carpet
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Joe H on October 06, 2010, 10:53:46 am
Ian
I know that are a pull machine but
I was referring to the fact if you want to go over with a dry pass.
One of the problems with clients using the RD is that they leave the carpets too wet, we do dry passes, they dont know you have to but the machine doesnt help.
I suppose you would tip it back on its wheels and go back to the where you want to start a dry pass.
Just a pain
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Ian Gourlay on October 06, 2010, 01:32:34 pm
thats what you do but does customer of hire machine realise that ??? ???
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Joe H on October 06, 2010, 05:51:01 pm
No, thats partly the reason carpets are wet for days.

Remember what I said earlier - I would use Nemesis/M-Power, give a good agitation, then go over with the RD using as little water as possible.

They just might do a half decent job IF used properly, but in the hands of the untrained public there is no chance of that.
Title: Re: Rug Doctor disaster
Post by: Ian Gourlay on October 07, 2010, 11:06:05 am
I met the MD of Rug Doctor UK in Tesco about  6 months  one of these positive I am right sort of people No Doubt what so ever. Convinced he has revolutionised Carpet Cleaning


Anyway the fact remains after throwing a lot of money promoting the brand he has got it out of DIY sheds and into Major Supermarkets.
And into Small Hotels and Nursing Homes

Good News he has gone Down Under to Australia