Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care on March 01, 2006, 10:56:17 pm
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On some trashed carpets I find that Microsplitting doesn't always cut the mustard and I end up extracting with a carpet shampoo (let's say Prochem Doubleclean or Fibresafe gold for arguments sake). I know that Microsplitting works on the basis that it causes the dirt to repel itself from the fibre (not by breaking the dirt particle down) and the shampoo works by Emulsifying the dirt particle. Am I wasting money and time in these instances?
???
Alan
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I personally find M/S a waste of time I have used different companies M/S and still end up using my trusted shampoo.
Its not that I haven't tried different mixtures and blending but I still get useless results.
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Alan,
I too am trying to get a positive answer in this area.
living and working near Gatwick airport I am not too sure that MS cleans traffic film grease as well as a detergent. I am still experimenting.
However I got stunning results using MS in the extraction water( low dilution rates using Stapro Single pass 9.8pH)
presumably the high pressure action acts as the agitation factor. This was on synthetic carpets. I need to raid my local carpet retailer's skip to get some wool carpet pieces to dirty up and try and test a 'woolsafe 'ms at presumably 6.8ph
I will watch this topic with interest
Eddie
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eddie , i suggest you raid other skips for used carpets that have been thrown out, off cuts from a carpet shop wont really give you a true evaluatin as from what i am guessing!, you will be soiling and stainyourself, then cleaning , as you know new soiling and stains tend to remove easier than older.
i often look around for discarded carpet peices, i wouldnt clean on new.
geoff
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i thought microsplitters were ment to be used with machine aggatation like a host for best results ! are you using this method or are they just a waste of time ?
Tom
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Yup, pre-vac with a Kirby, aggitate with a Host and CFR/ Ninja rinse extract at 400psi. I've found that the quicker you rinse extract - the better the results. Sometimes amazing and I think why did I ever doubt this product and then other times for no apparent reason it just doesn't seem to be man enough for the job! WHY?! ???
Confused
Alan
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do you recon could be the cold has effected them in the van overnight ? i have been told if they frezze they have had it but wondering if anything below 3 has some effect !
Tom
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You have to make sure that the area you have pre-sprayed is still damp. If you allow it to dry the Microsplitter won't work. Therefore only pre-spray small areas at a time. Anyone using Microspllitters with detergent products is just wasting money in my opinion. The whole ethos of using Microsplitters is that they contain no harmfull detergents.
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Hi Guys,
Microsplitters have been massively hyped and the science has become blurred along the way.
A typical cleaning detergent for carpets will contain among other things surfactants , which wet out the substrate and reduce the surface tension of the water and phosphates which 'shear' the dirt from the fibres.
Microsplitters which is a marketing , not technical term are basically the phosphates without the surfactants , predominantly sodium tripolyphosphate STPP.As there is no surfactant to wet out the fibre and allow the phosphate to work this step is replaced by agitation.
So back to the original question why don't MS work sometimes.
I believe the answer is that some fibres will wet out better than others, MS will probably contain a wetting agent , but some fibres and particularly if they are heavily soiled will require a surfactant to wet out.
If we are using an inline detergent rather than a prespray this will be at temperatures of 50- 90C which will be very effective , MS just cannot do this .
As for enviromental facors this is an incredibly complex subject as all chemicals have enviromental impacts and there are all the other considerations such as energy consumption etc.
Privately almost all CC's I have spoken say they use detergent based chemicals and MS depending on level of soiling, type of carpet and how much time they can spend on a particular carpet.
I have tried to keep it simplish , but there are lots of conflicting arguments which people who are selling products will use the arguments which best suit them.However you cannot beat what you see with your eyes.
I persoanally only use MS on some upholstery and lightly soiled carpets . If a customer is chemical concious , I will prespray and extract with hot water . This prespray may be detergent or MS .
Cheers
Doug
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Doug,
As it appears you have a certain knowledge of chemicals would adding a de-odouriser to a MS make the cleaning less effective.
Kind regards Tony
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either i have been ill informed in the past, or misunderstood,
micro-splitters are as efficant aftwr they have dried, providing aggitation has taked place, correct me if i am wrong Nick, if the case of drying out is a factor, i wont be taking any tea breaks after pre spraying
Geoff
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Tony,
A deodouriser should'nt affect the cleaning.
Geoff
It is claimed that providing the phosphate has sheared the bond by agitation then drying should not be a problem.However as it dries I would expect some rebonding to take place , so no tea for you :'(
Cheers
doug
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Geoff
Regards drying out.
I'm not an expert on Microsplitters, however that was my understanding. I stand to be corrected.
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MMMMMMMMMMm well that clears that then.....????????
now where did i put my chemistry set...........
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do you recon could be the cold has effected them in the van overnight ? i have been told if they frezze they have had it but wondering if anything below 3 has some effect !
Tom
I would have thought that this would simply mean that an almost saturated solution as it is would start to sediment as the water reached freezing? Would shaking the can do any good in this instance? I don't know. Fact is I've got an Eberspacher diesel fed heating system plumbed into the van so this wont affect me ;D. It's great, all the other cars are covered in snow, ice frost, roadkill (last one was made up) and I walk out to a frost free warm van every day ;D ;D ;D
Alan