Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: cleanability on January 26, 2007, 09:34:54 pm
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This is my explanation I give customers. Shoot me down in flames but it seems a logical feasible answer. When customer asks me WONT CARPETS GET DIRTIER QUICKER ONCE YOU HAVE THEM CLEANED ???
I tell them.
YES THEY DO................BECAUSE
You buy a brand new carpet. All the individual fibres are new and therefore havent been walked on and are smooth and take a considerable time to get dirty. As they are walked on and dirtied they are scratched and scraped. The carpet cleaner is called in and cleans the carpet. The dirt etc is removed and the carpet is left clean. But each individual fibre is not smooth any more. There will be fine scrapes and scratches which are permanent. This enables dirt etc to more easily cling to the carpet fibres more readily and so YES the carpet will get dirty quicker as the carpet gets older because the carpet fibres are scratched and scraped even more. As opposed to the early life of the carpet when the carpet fibres are relatively smooth. But, also this situation can be compounded if you get an unprofessional cleaner who uses the wrong chemicals which leaves soapy residues which attract dirt. In the past most chemicals did leave a sticky residue.
Chris
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well i certainly wouldnt say yes they do ;)
I say no they dont :) then go on to explain the benifits of a professional clean , as opposed to a diy clean. which can result in the problems the customer is highlighting
I think , once you agree , and say yes they do, you have already put doubts in there mind
geoff
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I always tell clients, that it's an old wives tale, which originates from wool carpets and early shampoos, which left a residue................
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Most of the customers that I deal with that have told me that their carpets get dirty within a week or two being cleaned, have wool carpets or a wool blend.
In many cases I realised that the previous cleaner was not a professional and used chemicals that are great for nylon etc but have too high a PH for wool.
Look carefully at the carpet. Are they dirty or have they turned brown?
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If you are gonna use that line at least use it as a sales opertunity and follow it up with
"however there is something i can do to help you out here, we have this brilliant carpet protector product we can apply for you which will coat each individual fibre in an invisible shield preventing the dirt from getting into these scratches and scrapes, at this stage of your carpets life is the ideal time to apply it as any factory applied finishes have probably worn away by now and it not only means your carpet will stay clean longer but it will last longer aswell and it only costs £££££££££££ would you like me to apply it for you today maddam?"
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getting better at this Red !
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..... or if the protector option is a no goer at least you can say that (your rinsing agent) Fibre and fabric rinse is a (SOIL RETARDER.) In its self protects the carpet from resoling quickly.
Mark
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What protector do you use Red?
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I always say its becuase the carpets arent rinsed properly, then tell them how my truckmount has ten times the power of the last guy's machine ensuring maximum, Soil, Chemical & Water recovery. This way you are seperating your self from the rest.
Dene
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What do you put through the machine when rinsing Dene?
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we were told to, Traffic pre spray first,then fabric rinse,it was said this would stop the carpet getting dirty quicker :-\, it was also said if you just put powder in and clean,no rinse this would make carpets get dirty quicker,great for repeat work, your thoughts Derek o great one ;D
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basically if you clean with a high alkaline ph cleaner when left to dry it will attract dirt quicker so the idea of using a fabric rinse which is slightly acidic will neutralise the alkaline and restore the carpet to a neutral ph of about 5.5 when this happens the dirt doesnt attract the same.
it doesnt matter what power of machine you are rinsing with but more about at what ph level you are leaving the customers carpets at.
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Terry is that your opinion or is it fact?
is there any scientific proof that PH had anything to do with resoling?
here's a theory,
people believe that carpet get dirty quicker because years ago it was true, cleaning agents used to contain a lot of optical brighteners, so when they carpet was cleaned it looked really bright but it dulled over the coming weeks, so the customers thought it was resoling.
Mike
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We rinse with water only. Unless there is a need to add an acid somewhere along the line.
Dene
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I think its the fact that soap molecules are such that dirt and oil etc stick to the ends of them and when the soap is washed away , be it on a body or in a carpet,the dirt is washed away with it..if its left in the carpet it will carry on doing what its meant to do
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Mike this is what some one said to me,must say I have noticed that using powder and not rinseing made my carpets appear to dirty quicker :-\
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Any soil attracting residue left in the carpet will accelerate resoiling. When people ask the question, they are comparing, to when the carpet was new, which of course they shouldnt be doing. If I am asked the question I also tend to explain along the lines of the worn fibres etc. However, I also add that the biggest cause of any rapid resoiling to a properly professionally cleaned carpet, is the fact that the home owner and family do not treat it like they would a new one. How many times have you cleaned a carpet and before you can stop them someone has walked over it without taking their shoes off. They wouldnt do that if it was brand new. Since I started to leave an advice sheet with clients, which includes, how to treat the carpet, especially during the drying process, I have noticed the carpets are staying clean far longer and when I go to reclean them they are not as bad as the first time.
Dave.
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getting better at this Red !
Bet he went on a Sales Course ;D ;D ;D