Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Pristine Clean on August 11, 2009, 10:25:00 am
-
Hi Guys,
Can I have your opinions on the Cimex 3 brush scrubber. Its used mainly for encapsulation.
I would use it for carpet agitation and cleaning.
Just wondered what the difference would be in using one of these to an envirodri? Is there much in it?
Even with an Envirodri you still need to vac the dri sponges up. I think. As it does not have a built in vac does it.
Dave
-
So no thoughts on the Cimex system then?
I only found this link http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/public/185.cfm
Copy of letter from the link above
Letter About Cimex Commercial Carpet Care System
Jeff Helmer -- Owner
Hi Jim,
I wanted to give you some feedback on the productivity of the Cimex.
I was recently asked to inspect a 22 story assisted living senior complex. Before my purchase of the Cimex I would not have even considered the contract. Upon inspection of the complex I learned that the previous company was using truck mounted units. They would drag hundreds of feet of hose up the back stairwell at each end of the building. I asked why. The manager replied, "truck mounts are the only way to get the carpets clean." I told the manager that I would not use my truck as it was too time consuming and dangerous to drag that kind of hose up stairwells. I told him we would use encapsulation cleaning and portable units. He was not sure, but granted us a demonstration.
We scheduled the demonstration on the third floor. I was going to clean half with the Cimex and the other half with my truck mount for comparison. My technician and I took 20 minutes to drag 200 feet of hose to the third floor. We coiled the hoses and my technician began to pre spray the carpet. I went down to the truck and brought the Cimex up the elevator. I began to clean the second half of the hallway. I noticed that my technician was already cleaning towards me.
I cleaned the small sitting room and my half of the hall while I watched my technician pulling and fighting with hoses. I finished my sections well before my technician. I also noticed that I was not tired or sweating. My technician however, was soaked with sweat and quite tired of fighting with hoses.
We removed the Cimex and the truck mount hoses to inspect the job. The carpet was blue and had the typical gray dingy discoloration in the walk areas. The area cleaned by the truck mount looked very good. But, you guessed it; the section cleaned with the Cimex was noticeably cleaner.
The agitation of the Cimex removed noticeably more of the dingy look. We sprayed a test area to see if the truck could do any better. The area lightened a bit more, but not enough to match the Cimex. We then finished the hall with the Cimex and everything blended.
The manager called me the next day. He stated that the carpets looked excellent. He wanted us to submit a bid and create a maintenance schedule. I wanted to establish an approximate rate of time per hallway so I asked the manager to find us another hall. He sent us to the 11th floor. This floor was prone to re-soiling. I started to clean with the Cimex. The change in appearance was dramatic. Upon completion of the job the floor went from black to blue. The hall took me 20 minutes to clean. An additional 5 minutes was spent waiting for an elevator.
Three days later, I went back to inspect the 11th floor for re-soiling or wicking. The carpet still looked clean. The maintenance crew commented on how nice the job was and how much easier it was for them to vacuum. We secured the contract. My hourly income should be between $150 and $175 per hour depending on the elevator availability.
Our second great adventure was in the local police station. They have a light beige nylon level loop commercial carpet. The traffic areas were very dingy and worn looking. I was told that the previous cleaning company came in quarterly, but could not significantly improve the appearance. They told me if I could not fix the problem they were going to replace the entire carpet.
I pre conditioned the carpet and gave it about 10 minutes of dwell time. When I started to hot water extract the carpet it was improving, but not enough. I cleaned the entire station to remove old residues and debris. The secretary told me that the carpet looked just as it did when the other company finished. That cut me to the bone. I knew I could do better. The Cimex was in the back of the truck, so I decided to see if its agitation could improve the appearance. As I walked the Cimex over the carpet, the dark path seemed to melt away. I would not have believed it if I was not seeing it myself. The secretary and the supervisor were almost as amazed as I was at the improvement.
I now clean the station 4 times per year. Three with the Cimex and once after winter with the truck mount followed by the Cimex. I average $200 per hour, and they are happy they do not have to replace the carpet.
I keep the Cimex on my truck and use it almost everyday. On well vacuumed and maintained contracts, I use the Cimex alone. On worn or trashed contracts I either use the Cimex first as agitation or after cleaning to help reduce dingy appearances. The unbeatable agitation makes cleaning the grease from restaurant carpets as easy as cutting butter. Using the Cimex has cut our average clean time of 2 hours to 1.5 or less. We are able to clean better, faster and use almost 30 gallons less water per restaurant.
Incorporating the Cimex into our salt/calcium preventative maintenance program has also has great success. I have created a three step program to prevent those unsightly black traffic areas that appear in the heat of the summer. This program uses less effort and keeps the carpets looking clean all year long. The process costs more, but the customers are happy to pay for the exceptional results.
Thanks for finding the Cimex for me.
Jeff Helmer
Executive Carpet Cleaning
224 Ida Red Lane, Rochester, NY 14626
(716) 225-3430
A few videos and other bits but just wondered if any of you lads have actually used them.
Dave
-
Geoff Wrightson uses this system successfully - I wouldnt mind some more info myself, method, solutions used etc;
Steve
-
Yes Steve I do :D
Just got in from using encap and the cimex r48 all day and not feeling to tired,finished a number of suites at the kc stadium ready for opening game then on to a job for a local company moving premesis on friday , all low profile nylon carpet tiles , came up a treat and £300 better off for that one job alone
started it at 4 pm .
As for aggitation the cimex would do a great job , but to be honest its a bit of an over kill when lighter systems are available especialy if your thinking of aggitation in residential.
Just ordered 10 litres of procap from John k to try , never used it before so thought I would give it a go.
Any body any experiences with procap, would love to know their opinions.
geoff
-
Geoff,
You have the later model - I was looking at the r38 I think it is.
And it comes with 6 months warranty all tested, and I can get it for a wopping good deal - £250 with new brushes - Shampoo ones.
So I think I might go for it. I have spokeb to about 5 people, I dont really know them though. But the feed back has been good.
So I think I will go and get it.
Dave
-
So no thoughts on the Cimex system then?
I only found this link http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/public/185.cfm
Copy of letter from the link above
Letter About Cimex Commercial Carpet Care System
Jeff Helmer -- Owner
Hi Jim,
I wanted to give you some feedback on the productivity of the Cimex.
I was recently asked to inspect a 22 story assisted living senior complex. Before my purchase of the Cimex I would not have even considered the contract. Upon inspection of the complex I learned that the previous company was using truck mounted units. They would drag hundreds of feet of hose up the back stairwell at each end of the building. I asked why. The manager replied, "truck mounts are the only way to get the carpets clean." I told the manager that I would not use my truck as it was too time consuming and dangerous to drag that kind of hose up stairwells. I told him we would use encapsulation cleaning and portable units. He was not sure, but granted us a demonstration.
We scheduled the demonstration on the third floor. I was going to clean half with the Cimex and the other half with my truck mount for comparison. My technician and I took 20 minutes to drag 200 feet of hose to the third floor. We coiled the hoses and my technician began to pre spray the carpet. I went down to the truck and brought the Cimex up the elevator. I began to clean the second half of the hallway. I noticed that my technician was already cleaning towards me.
I cleaned the small sitting room and my half of the hall while I watched my technician pulling and fighting with hoses. I finished my sections well before my technician. I also noticed that I was not tired or sweating. My technician however, was soaked with sweat and quite tired of fighting with hoses.
We removed the Cimex and the truck mount hoses to inspect the job. The carpet was blue and had the typical gray dingy discoloration in the walk areas. The area cleaned by the truck mount looked very good. But, you guessed it; the section cleaned with the Cimex was noticeably cleaner.
The agitation of the Cimex removed noticeably more of the dingy look. We sprayed a test area to see if the truck could do any better. The area lightened a bit more, but not enough to match the Cimex. We then finished the hall with the Cimex and everything blended.
The manager called me the next day. He stated that the carpets looked excellent. He wanted us to submit a bid and create a maintenance schedule. I wanted to establish an approximate rate of time per hallway so I asked the manager to find us another hall. He sent us to the 11th floor. This floor was prone to re-soiling. I started to clean with the Cimex. The change in appearance was dramatic. Upon completion of the job the floor went from black to blue. The hall took me 20 minutes to clean. An additional 5 minutes was spent waiting for an elevator.
Three days later, I went back to inspect the 11th floor for re-soiling or wicking. The carpet still looked clean. The maintenance crew commented on how nice the job was and how much easier it was for them to vacuum. We secured the contract. My hourly income should be between $150 and $175 per hour depending on the elevator availability.
Our second great adventure was in the local police station. They have a light beige nylon level loop commercial carpet. The traffic areas were very dingy and worn looking. I was told that the previous cleaning company came in quarterly, but could not significantly improve the appearance. They told me if I could not fix the problem they were going to replace the entire carpet.
I pre conditioned the carpet and gave it about 10 minutes of dwell time. When I started to hot water extract the carpet it was improving, but not enough. I cleaned the entire station to remove old residues and debris. The secretary told me that the carpet looked just as it did when the other company finished. That cut me to the bone. I knew I could do better. The Cimex was in the back of the truck, so I decided to see if its agitation could improve the appearance. As I walked the Cimex over the carpet, the dark path seemed to melt away. I would not have believed it if I was not seeing it myself. The secretary and the supervisor were almost as amazed as I was at the improvement.
I now clean the station 4 times per year. Three with the Cimex and once after winter with the truck mount followed by the Cimex. I average $200 per hour, and they are happy they do not have to replace the carpet.
I keep the Cimex on my truck and use it almost everyday. On well vacuumed and maintained contracts, I use the Cimex alone. On worn or trashed contracts I either use the Cimex first as agitation or after cleaning to help reduce dingy appearances. The unbeatable agitation makes cleaning the grease from restaurant carpets as easy as cutting butter. Using the Cimex has cut our average clean time of 2 hours to 1.5 or less. We are able to clean better, faster and use almost 30 gallons less water per restaurant.
Incorporating the Cimex into our salt/calcium preventative maintenance program has also has great success. I have created a three step program to prevent those unsightly black traffic areas that appear in the heat of the summer. This program uses less effort and keeps the carpets looking clean all year long. The process costs more, but the customers are happy to pay for the exceptional results.
Thanks for finding the Cimex for me.
Jeff Helmer
Executive Carpet Cleaning
224 Ida Red Lane, Rochester, NY 14626
(716) 225-3430
A few videos and other bits but just wondered if any of you lads have actually used them.
Dave
Yours Sincerely
Jims Mother ::)
-
Hi Dave it's not a later model mate, the R48 is a wider machine I also have the same as Geoff.
I have used it for agitation a few times, but I agree with Geoff, its just to heavy for daily domestic use it's a real lump.
Just heading out the door now, will post again later.
Paul
See Pic
-
Dave, the r38 is the smaller model
the r48 is ideal for commercial and heavier work , you can get scarifiers etc for these .
£250 for the r38 well if you dont want it Ill have it , if its in good nick .
Snap his hand off
Geoff
-
Dave
Where did you find one at that price ?
Steve
-
Geof,
What are scarifiers? Can I get one for the r38? They sound good whatever they are.
Well I will be picking it up later in the week.
Steve,
As you are aware I like to find a bargain. Hay at least its from a local supplier lads. I found it by chance mate. At one of the suppliers I use. They had a lot of machines in and wanted to get rid of them. Only one Cimex though. I did not even know what it was until today. But as soon as I saw it had 3 brushes on I thoughts got to be good.
Matt,
Your reply, Err sorry dont get it! I weas just researching - know nothing about this system so forgive my ignorence in this matter. Are you a TM user?
Dave
-
www.clemas.co.uk/html/scarifiers_machines.html
take a look here dave , that is of course "if you arnt taking the P**S
it will explain alot more.
dont think the r38 is capable for heavier use ie. scarifiers etc.
Geoff
-
Encapping is big in America. They rate the Comex highly - hence that review somone posted, and like the guy said in that review - you dont sweat doing it.
Have a look on this site http://www.encapboard.com/
Unfortunately the fluid that is on their - releaseit it not available in the UK, and Paul (Kinder Clean) looked at getting some over but proved too costly.
The R38 is smaller then the R48 so you going to have to do more to cover the same area, but at £250 is a steal.
You can get pads for them, various types of brushes for carpets, tiles etc, then the scarifiers Geoff mentioned for concrete.
-
Well thanks lads,
That clears things up for me.
And no Geoff I was not taking the p.
I had not got a clue on scarifiers. Like I said totaly new machine to me. Never new it existed until today. But we dont do concrete work. So if they dont make them for the r38 that should not be an issue.
So what chemicals do you use for encapsulation for the UK market.
Cheers
Dave
-
Dave
Where did you find one at that price ?
There was one on Ebay for £400 the other day, not sure if its still there.
Steve
-
Truvox are the importers of Cimex and they sell Cimex Encap, as does Simon Collins who has posted very recently on the Re: A&M Cleaning.
John Kelly sells the Chemspec Rotobrite 11
and Prochem do Procaps.
-
cgi.ebay.co.uk/new-cimex-buffer_W0QQitemZ320410914481QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4a99fa8eb1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
here you go only £16.00 at the moment
Geoff
ps Yes I was going to bid !!
-
I saw that one Geoff, but it doesnt come with a tank or any water connections and when I spoke to Truvox they reckon it would cost a fortune to adapt.
Steve
-
how much are they new steve?
derek
-
Not sure mate, I think the one Geoff uses is about £ 1800
Steve
-
well ive emailed them so should find out tomorrow, if thats a package price i might consider it. i certainly need some sort of bonnetting system.
derek
-
New I have seen for £1900 - up to £3000, seen exdemo for £1200
My my little R38 has a tank. Only cost £250a and is in great shape and look new
Dave
-
£1200 for an ex demo would be good, especially if you can get carpet brushes and the pads included, and perhaps some Cimex Encap as well. ;)
-
Hi Joe,
I have sent Steve an email as I know where he can get one for £1200. With brushes I think.
Dave
-
well ive emailed them so should find out tomorrow, if thats a package price i might consider it. i certainly need some sort of bonnetting system.
derek
Derek, the Cimex is not a buffing machine of the style like the DF or Tex etc.
Go on you tube and type in Cimex carpet cleaning and you will see a video.
-
truvox rang today joe, told me all about it. he's gonna come out and demo it for us. think he said £2400 plus
derek
-
Derek,
I know where you can get an exdemo one. £1200 with shampoo brushes. Apparently theres only a slight scratch on it.
I did send the contact details to Steve, but its out of range for him at present.
Dave
-
sounds good
derek@affordablecleaners.co.uk
derek
-
Derek you have email
Dave
-
Guys,
Hope we can help.
Thanks also to Joe Hatton for mentioning that we sell Cimex-Encap product.
We have a Cimex CR48 for sale, ex-dem machine, very good condition and supplied complete with 3 x polyprop scrubbing brushes (for hard floors) and 3 x shampoo brushes (for carpets).
All-in at £1,175 + VAT with 6 month warranty. List price for a new machine is £1,707 plus another £145 for the two sets of brushes.
We can also include a set of pad drives for £120 which can then be used with Cimex-Encap pads or other floor pads for hard floor scrubbing / polishing.
As previously posted, Cimex-Encap chemical is also available at £105 + VAT (4x5 litres), this is 20% off list price. A delivery charge does apply.
Let us know if you're interested.
If it helps, we could arrange a dem of a Cimex CR48 machine at a convenient central location and then any interested parties could come along and have a look for themselves.
Regards,
Simon Collins
Industrial Floorcare Machines (UK)
-
Here are a couple of pics of the machine.
Simon
Tel: 01442 823090
Mob: 07852 352783
-
Hi,
I picked up a CR38 for £250 + VAT also invoice to prove it. with new shampoo brushes and 3 boards for pads.
All tested and all works fine. Bargain.
I will keep my eyes open for a CR48 and although £1175 is a good deal I know I can get alot better.
Dave
-
A definite bargain. But it is a much older version of the machine as can be seen by the switch on the handle (I know as I used to work for Truvox who make the Cimex machines). It is also only the CR38 version which is not as heavy and not as big, although being smaller it is easier to manoeuvre in congested areas.
Still if it works then well done on getting a good deal.
The machine I have available is much newer and has only been used a handful of times, hence why it is supplied with a 6 month warranty.
They are great machines, and I would recommend them and the concept of encap cleaning to anyone.
Simon