Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: spickandspan on June 21, 2006, 09:26:27 pm
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I have been testing many different protectors from many companys this week, and non I have tested would I like to stand by.
Would like to hear your comments and results on your testing, or do you have one that I have not tried.
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try the solvent based ones
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the problem with the solvent based ones is the stink, years ago I used Gardsman it was a brilliant product and made the 'bead' perfectly but I had a customer that felt very ill when she inhaled the smell (she said she liked the smell of it ???) although there are no side effects that I know of I prefered to stay away from it.
Shaun
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true it does smell.
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Spick and span
You have made a Scientific statement that you have tested various products.
Could you publish your research data a methodology for apraisal please?
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Ian the tests that I did was to apply the four chemicals that I am testing to a identical piece of sample carpet.
They were then left for 24hrs to cure. I then poured a measured amount of cold water on to the said samples and watched and recorded the results. I then tried a same measured amount of hot tea and watched the results.
With the cold water they did all beaded but some longer then others before they soaked into the sample carpet.
With hot tea the results were not the same as it just soaked into the sample carpet much faster.
If you want me to name them i will, some were water based some solvent.
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Beading up means little.
You should apply protection exactly as the instructions state.
Protection wont always stop a substance from finding its way into the bottom of the pile, rather it should help stop the substance from penetrating the actual fibre allowing you more time to mop up and stop the stain becoming permanent.
The trouble is many retailers give it a bad name because they don't apply it when they say they have, they then tell the custy once applied its bomb proof just get a sale. The problem is not the product, it is what people are led to believe that protection does and what it actually does do.
If its applied and sold correctly the customer knows what to expect, and if shown what to do when a spill happens the selling of protection becomes easy. Imo ;)
Solugard, guardsman and Enviroshield do what they say, but there are many more.
Mark
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Just a quick story about a carpet cleaner who cleaned custys lounge carpet and told her all about Extractas Stainguard. Sold & applied the product as per label instructions.
He was that confident he told the custy to go and get black currant and spill it on the newly cleaned carpet there and then. :o No drying time just straight over carpet.
Of course it stained the carpet (which was a beige colour) and in front of the custy (who was getting understandably annoyed) tried everything to remove said stain, but to no avail.
Custy told him to pack up and get out. He told me later that he was sent an invoice from another cleaning firm that she had called to remove stain. He never got paid for the original clean.
The moral of the story is, know your products, what they can and cannot do, how they work and how to apply them propaly before attempting to impress the customer!
Regards, Andy :)
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This friend wasn't you was it andy ;) ;D ;D ;D
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Na would I do something like that! ;D
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I agree all those were applied as directions.
But surely if it has had protection on the carpet it SHOULD work all the ones I have tried and tested have not......... I am open to your comments and suggestions.
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Just to note, just because a solution doesnt beed up doesnt meen it is not working!! Best, Dave.
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spic and span,
was there a big difference on ease of removing a stain (HWE) from same carpet protected to non-protected,?
also which works better than others?
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If it does not beed up surely it will just soak straight through??? if it beed then the liquid just sits on top of the carpet.
The best one i have tested is one from Craftex CR31 and the worst one is also from Craftex CR30.
If there are others please let me know because I want to find the best one and use it, i do not feel confident to apply the ones I have at the moment.
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try prochems flouroseal, thats what i use,
one good thing about it hardly any smell at all being water based, and theres no change in shade, in fact u could believe it is just water applying it, lol.
no idea how good it is really, i have been back to clean one carpet i applied it to, but not sure what carpet would hav cleaned like if i never applied it, need to test on same carpet, like for like.
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Ok I will buy some and try it, I will not just apply a protector if its no good i need to know what is the best one.
I have many of you guys reading this but not many letting me know what you use, so come on guys lets find a good one and make the protection work.
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Spickandspan you have to be careful about mentioning specific products which may not have been tested properly. A lot depends on the actual fibres used, pre-treatments etc. The Craftex product you mention CR31 is actually an upholstery protectant for dry cleanable fabrics.
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You say that hot drinks did not bead. I have always been told, on training courses, that hot drinks will not bead and I make that quite clear to customers. I also state that protector will help when spills occur. i.e. give more time to grab the kitchen roll. It will then make it easier to clean if they need a stain remover or need to get yourself back.
It is not a product that protects against all things thrown at it.
Explain where it can help, what it may do and let the customer decide.
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I wonder how many cleaners would give the custy a written guarantee when applying 'stainguard' protector if asked?
Answers on a post card please!
Regards, Andy
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CR30 is a water based protector as i said, I asked Craftex what is better and it was them who suggested CR31 on carpets.........
It still baffles me why other C/C have not suggested what they use or are they like me not sure what to use.
I know nothing is bomb proof but surely we must have something better????. Other than cover the carpet or suite with cling film there must be a good product out there, what do all the guys use that have been in the trade for years use.or is that a secret.......... ??? ???
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I think if you research this topic everything has already been said on the subject hence the possible reluctance to go over it all yet again
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it is important to qualify what you are doing to the client before and after the protection. i always tell them that stainguarding is NOT foolproof. Though it will help the spot to come out easier , though this depends on how quickly you act. by the way when i tested the protectors i tested i used wine the ones protected DID come out easier
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theres alltec one 'promite protecter' which also kills dustmites, but thats a flourochemical, water based one too,
so problaly much the same as prochems flouroseal anyway.
i also think theres one called 'sologuard' by solutions ltd?
i for am interested in what you find out spick and span, and not to bothered about 'test conditions' lol
not sure you need a labortory and scientist tell you which works better than others ;D
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Thank you Craig I am not a scientist, as some think but all the tests have been the same.
I will let you know how i get on with the other samples i get.
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WELL WHAT DO YOU GUYS USE???????????????? THOUGHT THIS WAS A FORUM
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Well very dissapointed looks like what you all use is a secret????????????
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Everyone has there own hidden agenda! 8)
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True true but at the moment i would not like to shell out hard earned cash for protection if it does not WORK i feel as though we are conning the general public and i fell ashamed.......... unless you can proof otherwise ??? ??? ???
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Flouroseal is what im using at the moment was using another companies (no names) had a complaint 6 months later, well sort of, applied flouroseal next time i visited her, third time i went back she was convinced her stair carpet kept cleaner and was easier to maintane.
Conrad
p.s going to give solutions solugard ago.
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Blimey, can someone let me know which protection is favoured before I end up going through all the different ones on the market! ???
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as i said basically most protectors do a similar job regard;ess which leading brand you buy if they teflon
Discovered in 1938 at our Jackson Research Laboratory in New Jersey, Dr. Roy Plunkett was experimenting when he realized that a chemical sample surprisingly changed its properties into a white, waxy solid with unbelievable characteristics. This innovation was the product we now know as Teflon®.
Teflon® is best known for its slipperiness, which is useful where non-stick features are important. DuPont revolutionized the cookware industry with the introduction of Teflon® non-stick coatings for cookware, making cleanup a breeze. High-rise buildings that use DuPont™ Certified Limited Combustible Cable are safer from smoke damage. And, Teflon® used in fabric protection keeps clothing and carpets looking newer, longer.
But it is not foolprrof but will allow you to get a spot out more easily and it will not attract dirt as quickly.
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Thank you Peter at last getting somewhere.
You have just made me realise something one protector that i used was Teflon based but as you say it wont help with the protection but will make it easier to remove stain.
Which particular one do you use????
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depends what supplier i am at at the time i use prochems and craftex. this morning i did a new carpeted 5 bed roomed house in solvent from carpex. i had a test piece i took from her a week ago and showed her what it did she was over the moon but i still told her that it is not fool proof and not to try and get a spot out with any retail stuff but to call me if she feels she cant get it out with a towel and water. i showed her the wine trick where i spilled a glass of red wine [ on the sample] and got it out with a dry cloth and then a damp cloth with no visible marks left. bearing in mind i tried this at home first to make sure i could
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I like Stainshield Professional.
It has the highest solids content on the market and can be diluted to suit the carpet or upholstery you are protecting e.g. Less water on low profile/synthetics, more water on wool/longer pile. Works out at around 50p/square metre so cheap too.
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I favour either Enviro-shield or Prochems Floroseal. I have tested both these protectors and both have given good results however, these tests were done on samples that had not been walked on over. I have had over the years applied the Prochem product and when returned to the customers 12-18 months later the carpets have cleaned very easily and customers have said that spills are easy to remove.
Richie.
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I think Stainshield Professional and Enviroshield are the same thing with different labels
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Nice one Richie I must admit i do like Prochem and like most guys we apply the protector but when the protection is needed we will not be there to see it what feedback have you had guys???
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I use flourseal and solutions soluguard, flourseal you have to brush in soluguard you don't :o
Makes it that little bit eaiser :P
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Who makes Solugaurd.
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solutions uk
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Thanks Peter.
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Hi guys,
This a good topic and a credit to you newbies asking searching questions.
I currently use Prochem Floroseal on carpets and Fabric Seal on suites.
However I have never been convinced on protectors and have always sold them on the it helps remove stains/spillages rather than protection angle.
It makes sense that the solvent based products will give better protection.
The flourocarbon polymer is dissolved in the solvent whereas it is an emulsion in water.
This means it will wet out the fibres better.
The polymer is in a purer form so it will join together and film form better.
The emulsifier will inhibit the film formation.
What Teflon does is change the surface tension so that water based spillages in particular will not wet out as easily, thereby allowing more time for removal.
The application trick is to get as uniform a film as possible so in my view it's important to brush in the water based protector, wheras the solvent based product will not require this.
Obviously there are health issues with using solvents in the home, hence why I use water based even though I know the solvent based will give a better protection.
Cheers
Doug
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spickandspan,
When i have returned to customers houses 18-24 months later i always reccommend that they have just the walways TOPPED UP. I explain to the customer that the traffic on the walkways wear. I explain this when before i apply the protector in the first instance. Remember, even though some protectors can offer a 5 year warranty, this does not mean that the protector will last 5 years.
Richie.
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Thanks Richie and nicely explained Doug.
So does that mean if you apply water based protector once you clean it with say water extraction it will need re-applying???
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No, a good protector (prchem or enviro-shield) will carry on protecting for 2-3 deep cleans however, some cleaning chemicals will strip the guard from the carpet/upholstery. I now use either Prochems Pure Clean or Micr-splitters.
Richie.