Nope. Not talking about the carpets. Customers very pleased.

My problem is the pads. I can't get them clean.
I've tried bleach, OXY clean, reg. detergent - dirt still there (but it's clean dirt now)

Any tips on cleaning?

What I do is;when machine is full w/ water along with detergent boosted by a little powdered oxidizer(dynachem's is great btw.)before closing the lid I let the pads dwell for about 10-15 minutes.If they're really dirty,I don't even take them out of the wash,just run them agin with a dash of oxidizer and no detergent the 2nd. time around.I do this mainly for extra flushing/rinsing.Seems to work for me but you'll never get and keep them bright white forever.Also,if you're doing this at home keep of track of how many loads,how much detergent,ect...for deductions.

The above sounds like good advice. When you use new
pads on seriously soiled carpet, they acquire a dark
look, which after a while kind of mutes to a gray.
Unfortunately, white pads don't stay white forever.
But even when they have acquired a dingy appearance,
the still have all of their original absorbtivity.
Tht is, until they are worn so thin that they should be thrown out.

I use the pre-wash cycle with liquid detergent, color safe bleach, Borateem and Arm & Hammer washing soda. Then On the full wash cycle I use the same combination except I switch the Color safe bleach to chlorine bleach about 1/2 - 3/4 cup and that gets them clean.

i've researched this alot over on the VLM forum.

if you want your cotton pads to last longer, never use bleach.

what i do is (or my wife i should say ):

- after you have used them, NEVER let them dry soiled, this will "set" some of the dirt. keep them damp and if you are not going to be washing them that day, have some small (maybe 13 gallon) trash bags in your van and throw the pads in there then tie the bag. this will keep the moisture in for several days and keep the pads wet.

- come washing time, my wife puts them in the machine with her laundry detergent. most times we will use an oxy booster product (which someone mentioned IS bleach. if this is true i am not aware...i'm not a very good chemist ) and then let the pads soak as someone previously mentioned. except we'll let them sit for a couple hours or overnite if possible (if that's practical), the longer the better.

- if you use liquid bleach i recommend running your pads thru a 2nd rinse cycle, ya don't want any bleach remaining in those pads when you toss them on someones dark colored carpet

- let them "hang" dry, no tossing them in the dryer and NEVER use fabric softener (this will lower the absorbency of the pads).

will they look as good as the day you bought them? nope, but that's the cleanest you'll get them. try it!

just how we do it. thanx --- Derek

Oxy products are bleach, but they are OXYGENATED bleach, not chlorine bleach. They are intended NOT to
remove color, and MAY be easier on pads that the chlorine-type of product. On another note: I have
always dried my pads in a clothes dryer. I've seen
no evidence that this causes them to wear out
prematurely. By the way, Derek, how's that collarbone
coming along?

hiyas Mark :)

it's coming along slowly, thanx for asking it's at about 80-85% now. won't be 100% for another 6-8 months i reckon, but definitely good enough to work now...been back working for 6 weeks. lost a bit of money

but i have a new advertising campaign and the calls are coming in

thanx --- Derek.

BTWl, thanx for the dryer remark. my wife will have to give it a try.