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using nothing but finishing towels and FAE. It was a white olefin berber with heavy traffic lanes. I tried the first room with 101 and it didn’t do anything to it. I mixed some FAE and hit it with a finishing towel and it came right up. I mixed more FAE and cleaned the whole house that way. Aside from the additional cost of FAE, does anyone know if there is any risk in doing what I did? I may start doing this with all olefin berbers, as they can be a huge pain sometimes.
Neil,
I applaud your faith in FAE!Even though the carpets looked fine, I see some potential problems:
1. PH level. FAE has a high PH level. Even if it has loosened all dirt, filth, etc. and the 101 isn’t necessary for actual cleaning, applying the 101 will help lower the PH level back down. I believe the PH level shouldn’t be left at a high level for a variety of reasons.
2. Friction. With FAE needing some dwell time, some areas may not have enough remaining moisture to allow safe buffing. You need to be sure there is enough moisture to avoid too much heat. This would be a concern on all carpets, but especially with olefin as it has a lower melting point. It is fairly easy to scorch berber made of olefin. A light application of 101 prior to buffing will ensure enough moisture.
3. Finishing towels only – just a minor note. It would seem that the limited absorbing capacity (cotton absorbs very well, but the towels are thin) of finishing towels would require you go over the areas a lot with multiple towels for drying purposes or you may leave the carpets a bit wetter than preferred. I would recommend you use one of the pads first and then finish up with a towel. However, you were there and saw the results – I didn’t. I am mostly speculating on this note.
In spite of my cautions, I think your approach was interesting.
Thanks,
Mike
Thanks for the response, Mike.
I was also wondering about the PH being higher. While I have heard it can be bad, I don’t know why. I did keep a close eye on the heat issue, and there were no problems with it.
As far as the absorption issue, this has been a concern of mine for a couple of months now. I find the synthetic bonnets to have a very poor absorption rate. If I clean a room with a green stripe bonnet the room looks good, but there is little soil in the bonnet. If I go back over it with a finishing towel it comes out filthy. I am now to the point of using finishing towels on just about everything I bonnet. On a cut pile carpet the bonnets work well at removing the spots, but the residual dirt is better removed by the towel- I would be curious to know your thoughts on this. On a berber I see no reason at all to use anything but finishing towels, since it’s a flat carpet. You are right though, I have to use a lot of them.
Due to the dry climate and current heat where I live, dry times are never an issue. Actually, they are usually about 30 minutes with regular cleaning, and still coming in under an hour if I add FAE, or any extra prespray to heavily soiled areas.
My 2 cents worth . . . FAE is specifically meant to be an aid to our 101 cleaner. It is not designed to be our primary cleaner. It’s great for moderate to heavy soil to be used as a prespray and in conjunction with HB 101. The PH is definitely an issue . . . could cause ‘brown out’ as I understand it, but let’s not forget that our entire system is based upon, and grows from our patented main cleaner (HB 101). Maybe this would be one for Cody to comment on.
Anyone else . . . let me have it if you dissagree.
Neil,
I have varied my pad sequence over time. Also, I was using the dirt napper quite a bit, but I use it less nowadays. I feel I can get as good results without it most of the time.Lately, I start with a regular buffing pad. I agree with your observations that it seems to make the carpets look better, however, the pad doesn’t look very dirty and hasn’t absorbed very much. Therefore, I follow the regular buffing pad with a woven turf pad. I usually go over the areas once or twice with the woven turf pad, sometimes more if the carpets are very dirty. I sometimes finish up with one of the thin pads or a towel, depending on the type of carpet and how dirty it was. A woven turf pad absorbs very well and you can feel the weight from how much it has absorbed after using it.
I figure that the regular (synthetic) buffing pad is probably a bit more aggressive than the woven turf pad, so it should loosen up most dirt even if it doesn’t absorb it very well. Then the dirt and grime are ready to be picked up by the much more absorbent woven turf pad. You can really see the dirt on the woven turf pads easily.
My first pass is usually with the standard drive plate. I use the dirt napper if required for the first pass (with the regular buffing pad), however, I still follow up with the woven turf pad and the standard drive plate.
I think it is good that you are trying various pad combinations. You will find what you like best.
Brian, I too would like to see Cody chime in on this concerning the PH levels if he has some time. I suspect there are more reasons that the FAE needs to be followed with 101 applied.
Mike
Brian I agree. The FAE is a great product to be used in conjunction with our normal cleaning process. The FAE has a pH of 13. This is the highest ph we have in our product line. This is one of the reasons that it works so well on those nasty dirty greasy carpets. If used to clean as a sole cleaner the pH is going to be way to high. When cleaning with 101 after you might want to add some orange deodorizer to the mix it has a pH of 5. This is referred to as an acid rinse to the steam cleaners. It will neutralize the carpet and keep it cleaner longer. This is the same reason that the home owner using a rug doctor can leave the carpet worse than before they started. If they don’t follow the directions to the exact amounts the ph gets to far out and the carpet gets really dirty and then they call us. Always follow the Manual when mixing chemicals.
Our fast acting enzyme has been developed for certain problems. It is not to be used as your main cleaner. It does have some great cleaning action when used as a pre-spray letting it dwell for at least 10 minutes followed with our 101 cleaner. Using only fast acting enzyme will cause brown out and other problems. Our 101 cleaner produces the kind of results that will have your customer calling you year after year. Using our full product line will produce great results. Fast acting enzyme is used as a pre-spray not the main cleaner.
Neil:
We have been in business for approximately 10 years now and have seem some light carpets and upholstery turn yellow, brown-color after another cc has used a cleaner with high pH levels. The carpet and/or upholstery might look clean initially, however, stands a high risk of turning yellow/brown once completely dry. I personally worked on a large white sectional a previous cc had distroyed and turned to a tan/brown color. It took me 2-3 hours to restore the couch to its original color (or at least pretty close) and my only consolation was the invoice amount and the experience I took away. I always tell our guys “High pH = Problem Here.”
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