when applying protectant to carpet after a low moisture cleaning, how much should be apllied, and, how long will it take to dry. can you pad it on much inthe same way you can padcap. thanks bill y

it should be applied in the same ammount recomned on the bottle... in which case scotchgard should be about 5 gallons of the stuff for a 1000sq/ft house (you have to dilute it a lot)

there are others out there that don't require dilution to use... fibercop by vacaway is one of them... there was another i saw in the ICS magazine the other day that i'm lookin into... $50 buys 2 gallons... which covers 3000 sq/ft...

also they should be raked or scrubed in... sounds like running the vac over them will do the trick.

mark

Not sure I`d run the vac over just-sprayed-on protectant. You're going to vacuum up some of that quite expensive stuff, and significantly reduce the protecting ability. If you don`t want to do it manually with a groomer type of tool, then scrub it in with a
NON-ABSORBENT pad, such as one you might use to scrub in an encapsulation product. Or possibly you can set up a vac in which the roller brush operates, but the suction part is turned off.

if by chance you have or can get, a power nozzle from a canister vacuum, use that to brush in the protectant (minus the vac) definately speeds up the process and is very easy on the backside. i did it that way for years by using a nozzle from a sears kenmore canister vac.
what i did was remove the electrified hose, but saved the power leads running down the wands to the nozzle. i simply added a 30' power cord and walla, home made power brush!
a power nozzle from an electrolux or rainbow vacuum will be excellent for this!

i REALY like that power nozzle idea...
which ones are self height adjusting?

the older nozzles from electrolux and rainbow were self adjusting however, its better to have an adjustable one for the different types of carpet and pile depth/height!
thats why i used the kenmore nozzle i had, plus, it also had a pistol grip handle with an on/off switch built in.
i believe some hoover power team nozzles are the same as kenmore. matter of fact, i think its hoover that private labels for sears.

So how long do you all tell your customers, it takes for the protectent to dry?

When asked, I tell the customer that the application of protectant on top of the already slightly damp carpet might add another hour of two to the drying time. If you thoroughly scrub it in, thereby spreading the protectant out over a larger total surface area, this probably speeds things up.

mark is that using the heavily wattered up scotchgard or just the undillutited stuff?

To be consistent with my all-natural carpet cleaning, I use a protector manufactured by Bioforce-Envirotech, that is simply labelled "Carpet Protector"
(www.bioforceinc.com). Bioforce is the maker of "Outsolve", one of the natural products I use, along with Challenger`s "Orbit Natural". The Bioforce product is used 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water.

Mark is there a reason why you use 2 different products do you find one works better in certain situations, and the other in different situations?

And with the natural protectaant do you find it works better, about the same or worse then products like scotch gard

I've added using Orbit Natural, since I am involved as a distributor for Challenger Pad Systems, which markets this product. I have nor discerned any difference in cleaning ability between it and Outsolve. Orbit Natural is 10 or 15% cheaper. As far as protectants are concerned, I have only used the Bioforce product. so I can't be a judge in this area.

good info Mark. how does Orbit Natural compare to Punch (which is what i most often use)?

i've used a Thineone pad under my Cimex to really work the protectant in. but you do have to "waste" some of the product because the ThinOne is somewhat absorbant and will draw out some of the protectant. to prevent this you have to apply some of the protectant to the ThinOne before using it.

nothing will owrk the protectant in better than this.

thanx --- Derek.

BTW, hiyas Mick! great to hear from you...was thinking about you a couple weeks back wondering how things are working out in your newer area.?. you going after resi or comm? bought any new equipment?

take care --- Derek.

derek b.
i post when i can now. sometimes every day, other times weeks or months go by. sittin in front of the puter aint my gig, lol

new area? well, i'm back at my old house in florida. been here since april 06 but will be back in jersey for good, hopefully by summer. i came back here for a visit after my floor cleaning contract ended back home, fell in love with the place all over again, and ended up staying sold my house in jersey which was not a good move but what the heck, its only money, right?!
but come summer, i'll sell everything i have here, go back home, this time for good!

no new equipment as of yet other than the monster pressure washer i bought but am waiting to find out the dilly on this new challenger that is supposedly coming out.
thats the scoop dude!
good to hear from ya too derek, and whats up with all that snow up there by you?