[Steve. Taylor]

Had a call from a company asking if it is possible to remove chewing gum from carpets.

they have just had the carpets cleaned in a bar area and the cleaning firm said they could not remove them. As i pass the place most days i offered to pop in and take a look the carpet looked clean but the black chewing gum spots really let the job down the carpet was nylon. told the manager that it would be no problem to remove he looked at me with raised eyebrows, did a quick demo on one piece with steam gun & citrus gel and as expected off it came

Did a quick PH test on the carpet paper went dark blue indicating PH around 11
So no rinse there.

On top of this there is a large amount of Altro contrax mid blue cx2007 flooring that they said could not be cleaned I told him this was nonsense as the seams are welded fine and i have cleaned miles of the stuff.
 Sorry to waffle on but i cant get my head round this company they are not a small firm either
The manager called them and they have offered to come back to discuss the high ph but they do not see this as a problem

My question is they have asked me to clean off the gum about 20 to 30 bits how much would you charge per piece as i normally price a whole job on what needs to be done i am thinking £1.50 a piece 

[Dave Whittaker]

I'd tell the landlord to put the other firm on his sh*t list and have nothing more to do with them.

Then I would offer to de-gum and neutralise for £80 odd quid - Misting with a rinse.

Dave

[derek west]

i'd only clean the gum if he let me clean the whole carpet properly, that carpet will be filthy in weeks, full price including extra for gum.

trouble with this game is big firms get away with this cos managers no nothing, all they do is get the cheapest price and then show proof to the top dog the carpets been cleaned, very frustrating.

[Steve. Taylor]

 I think your right Derek the carpet will be as sticky as the gum. I didnt measure the size but i would guess 85 to 90 sqm

Now heres the best bit he told me they used a walk behind machine i wonder if it was theres or a supermarket rental no names mentioned R*G DOC*** 

Iwould still like to help this client. With a 4 figure cleaning bill on that Altro in the balance.

[Peter Sweeney]

This is possibly one of the biggest issues affecting the industry. "old school techniques" that are ultimately damaging to the custy, to us to the industry as a whole.

Hey. I've got an idea, why does'nt someone try to educate 

[Steve. Taylor]

PETE EDUCATE WHAT A CRAZY IDEA IF YOU AND A GROUP OF LIKE MINDED PEOPLE WERE TO START SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP WE WOULD NOT HERE THE LAST OF IT ON THIS FORUM IMAGINE PEOPLE TRYING TO DIG FOR DIRT AND SLATE IT BEFORE IT GOT OF THE GROUND YOU WOULD BE CRAZY

[Colin Day]

PETE EDUCATE WHAT A CRAZY IDEA IF YOU AND A GROUP OF LIKE MINDED PEOPLE WERE TO START SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP WE WOULD NOT HERE THE LAST OF IT ON THIS FORUM IMAGINE PEOPLE TRYING TO DIG FOR DIRT AND SLATE IT BEFORE IT GOT OF THE GROUND YOU WOULD BE CRAZY

I agree.... Sounds like a ridiculous idea

[Mike Halliday]

just remind me again why there is a problem with the carpet when wetted has a Ph of 11. or why it will be filthy in a couple of weeks or as sticky as the gum : :

are we still regurgitating the myth of PH & resoiling : : 

mike

PS; it actually doesnt have a Ph when dry.

[Peter Sweeney]

Your absolutely correct with the ph element Mike but rinsing with powerbusrt or Crystal Green has other issues as you know.

Pete

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I would get a porti and put plain water in it and rinse the carpet and look for foam in the dump tank, the cost for cleaning should sound cheap but the gum removal more expensive as that is what they are buying from you.

That's the way I would sell it so they don't feel hey are getting ripped off.

Shaun

[Steve. Taylor]

Mike yes i would agree with you on the ph when dry but how many carpets in a bar area stay dry

example people walking in with wet feet when it rains drinks being spilt on carpet ect

As for the damage to fibre when leaving high Alkline chemicals on carpet that can not be ignored.

your right in the proof theory but my practice of work is always to rinse and try to leave neutral or near as.
Intresting as many house wifes have said to me over the years there carpets seem to get dirtier quicker after they have cleaned them did they rinse or is it that they notice the carpets getting dirtier as they are now clean. your thoughts

[robert meldrum]

So.............how much / little were the owners of the carpet prepared to pay for the " service " received and would they have paid another £100 to have the gum removed ?

Problem with gum is.......when the carpets are cleaned what was previously little dark spots suddenly jump out at you as huge white blobs.

[wayne zabel]

Just to digress on this..........as a newbie to CC this is an area I find perplexing,on all the courses we are told to acidic rinse,but I see products on the market that are sold as rinse agents that are highly alkaline ie Double Clean and Crystal Green.I understand from previous threads that these are often used when the carpets are mingers as an extra boost to get them clean but could these theoretically be used as pre sprays as well as rinsing agents?

[Dave Whittaker]

I wouldn't put either of those in my tank Wayne. I use my rinse to do exactly that.......rinse.

The residue would be too harsh to leave behind,
I wouldnt fancy breathing in the vapours while wanding,
They fook your pumps up.

[markpowell]

How do they break pumps
If the carpets Nylon and heavily soiled then to rinse with something at high PH is acceptable.
If the carpets gonna get walked on in wet shoes and drinks spilled on it then why does it need to be left in a neutrel state? Is it not gonna be soiled in a month regardless what its cleaned with.
I have been cleaning synthetics with high ph rinse agents for years without any complaints of quick re-soiling.
Mark

[markpowell]

Mike yes i would agree with you on the ph when dry but how many carpets in a bar area stay dry

example people walking in with wet feet when it rains drinks being spilt on carpet ect

As for the damage to fibre when leaving high Alkline chemicals on carpet that can not be ignored.

your right in the proof theory but my practice of work is always to rinse and try to leave neutral or near as.
Intresting as many house wifes have said to me over the years there carpets seem to get dirtier quicker after they have cleaned them did they rinse or is it that they notice the carpets getting dirtier as they are now clean. your thoughts

What damage will a high PH rinse do to a nylon fibre??

[Shaun_Ashmore]

In theory (it may have been proven) that higher ph can take colour from nylons also antron stainmaster will be stripped of stain resistance.

I would use the right product to suit the item I was cleaning and that's why I have a full range of products (even my favourite Ultra pac)

Shaun

[Steve. Taylor]

Mark good post and to be honest if i was called first to clean this carpet i would have used powerburst which of course is high ph but i would have rinsed it after just my way of working right or wrong that is my way it is said that Alkline can fade nylon i have not seen this to date but try to stay in betwen the lines so to speak in the above post i was speaking more general if you like. on a range of fibres which could include wool. having said this if it was a trashed wool then here we go again :

Anyway going to quote £100 to rinse and remove the gum.

And go for the Altro flooring which is a far better ticket in my eyes.

Right or wrong on the above i would hope to get the work for any future cleans by doing a good job