VLM will change the way you clean

use the youtube icon in the chat feature Charlie

Heck yeah it does a good job.

Video contest is starting early this. That one might win the before and after contest too. Looks great King master of disaster.

Yeah that was some nice before and after. What did you use? Equipment and chems?

Very nice work

I admit to being little slow, but I have to ask. Great before and after footage, but did the vacuum cleaner make all those tool marks? It looks like wand marks to me, which is fine, but the topic was VLM cleaning.

I love seeing footage of quality work, regardless of what method or tools are used, but I would like to see the process as well. Let's see the tools and skills in action so that all can learn from it. After-all, you don't get to the finish line without sweating first.

I can show some good before/after photos, but believe me, I am slower and far more clumsy than most cleaners you will ever find so showing the work might be more educational in the end. At least it would show how not to do the job as much as proving that getting good results are still possible.

1. Pre sprayed with Joe’s inline sprayer @ 500psi with SOE, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Percarbonate, and http://www.walmart.com/ip/OUT-Stain-and-Odor-Remover-64-oz-Dogs-Dogs/14149348 .

2. Run over everything with my 175 and white and green astroturf pads (synthetic). This will break all stains and do some absorption.

3. Run over with 100% cotton spaghetti bonnets that have been run under hot tap water. This will swish the remaining contaminates out of the fibers and do a lot of absorption, while rinsing too.

4. Run over with dry thin bonnet pro cotton or dry spaghetti loop cotton. Aids in absorption and lifts everything that’s left.

5. Post vac with http://www.bissell.com/powerforce-helix-bagless-vacuum/ for groom and extraction.
I did pre vac too…
 

I guess I'm lost too!,,nothing new lol

So you're prespraying at 500 psi for VLM Encap cleaning? If so, what sprayer tip are you using?!

Sorry, but now it even sounds more like HWE cleaning, than VLM cleaning.

I must be missing something!??

In this situation it would have taken me 20 minutes to prepay with a pump up. So I used my inline spray which was designed for hwe.
Low moisture is just means your spraying at lower psi which might be fine for non trashed jobs.
But when they are wasted you gotta get them wet so u can swoosh and get the crap bong water and pee out.  

Every time I read about VLM I want to by a 175 amd some bonnets. What size 175 do you run? Do you have a CRB too? Do you use the CRB in your system? Just courteous? If you PS at 500 you have a TM? Why not just HWE?

Ryan S wrote:Every time I read about VLM I want to by a 175 amd some bonnets. What size 175 do you run? Do you have a CRB too?  Do you use the CRB in your system?  Just courteous?  If you PS at 500 you have a TM?  Why not just HWE?  

No crb.. I have a Rotary Extractor and a modified power brush thats almost done ( I will keep you all posted about that ).

 Instead of a crb just get my above described vacuum (or any vacuum) and disconnect the vacuum hose (so it doesn't suck up anything ) and run it as you would a crb, after you pre spray of course, and thats all the scrubbing you should need.

MyT makes the best 175 for many reasons. 17" 1.5hp.

Pretty simple. Makes since too. I need to get a 175 and some rags. Sounds fun.

If you are adding Sodium Percarbonate isn't this leaving soda ash residue if you don't flush with water ?

Great looking results. I have used similar process on very rare occasions usually as a quick touch-up between regular cleaning and 50% of the time on a commercial wedding reception hall account that we do monthly. It is easier, less expensive, and quicker. However, it is just a surface cleaning and you are leaving a lot of soil in the base of the carpet. The only way I would be comfortable using it on a regular basis is if we explained & offered it to the customers as a reduced price option (which people renting apartments/house might opt for the lower price option). Or, as part of an overall regular interval ongoing maintenance program. It is a great tool to have in your arsenal.

Larry Henson wrote:If you are adding Sodium Percarbonate isn't this leaving soda ash residue if you don't flush with water ?

Soda ash is biodegradable, safe, and will aid in prolonged deodorization and will not leave a sticky residue. Even though most is removed because of the pads and the post vac. Soda ash is also light n fluffy and not going to leave any unwanted residue.

carpetdaddy wrote:Great looking results. I have used similar process on very rare occasions usually as a quick touch-up between regular cleaning and 50% of the time on a commercial wedding reception hall account that we do monthly. It is easier, less expensive, and quicker. However, it is just a surface cleaning and you are leaving a lot of soil in the base of the carpet. The only way I would be comfortable using it on a regular basis is if we explained & offered it to the customers as a reduced price option (which people renting apartments/house might opt for the lower price option). Or, as part of an overall regular interval ongoing maintenance program. It is a great tool to have in your arsenal.

Straight outta carpet cleaning school...

1. The whole fibers and the base of the carpet are cleaned with my method.
2. HWE also leaves soil and residue at the base of the carpet, and on the carpet fibers.
3. Just like HWE there are ways to get more out the base and ways to just surface clean.

If you were using a light machine with un ribbed, synthetic, pads (OP) pads then I can understand the fight. But the second you start using ribbed pads with 100% cotton, with a heavy machine, your eyes will explode (  ) with disbelief as you are blown away with the difference. Every misconception is proved wrong with the EXACT method I described above. Just the same as HWEing with 100 psi and a 1 jet wand is only cleaning the surface of the carpet, a light 175 with synthetic pads is doing almost as bad a job.

Remember " steam cleaning " has a huge amount of variables to get great results, just as VLM has a huge amount of variable's to get great results. Fact, most vlm, and steam cleaners, are horrible at cleaning carpet and make both systems look unsuperior to the other with the wrong operator behind the machine's.

Charlie, your passion is admirable, and I agree 100% with you that you can make a carpet look great with that process - that's basically the original Chem-Dry process which put them on the map. However from my experience and perspective (cleaning East Coast beach towns daily), I respectfully disagree with you that the process you described is as effective as HWE when it comes to removing heavier debris. It is impossible to remove anywhere as much dirt, debris, salt, and sand from the carpet if you are not using the proper amount of agitation (to loosen), solution (to flush and suspend), and vac power (to remove). Even after a carpet has been pre-vacuumed we are extracting anywhere from .5 to as much as 3 pounds of salt and sand on a typical four or five room job.

Interesting discussion and I support the Mytee 175, it is a very well balanced machine.

carpetdaddy wrote:Charlie, your passion is admirable, and I agree 100% with you that you can make a carpet look great with that process - that's basically the original Chem-Dry process which put them on the map. However from my experience and perspective (cleaning East Coast beach towns daily), I respectfully disagree with you that the process you described is as effective as HWE when it comes to removing heavier debris. It is impossible to remove anywhere as much dirt, debris, salt, and sand from the carpet if you are not using the proper amount of agitation (to loosen), solution (to flush and suspend), and vac power (to remove). Even after a carpet has been pre-vacuumed we are extracting anywhere from .5 to as much as 3 pounds of salt and sand on a typical four or five room job.

Makes sense, I will agree that HWE definitely has its advantages. I guess I just want it to be known that it is possible to get sometimes better and sometimes not as good but darn close results. I actually really enjoy both methods especially using a HWE w/ rotarty extractor. I just really like knowing there are ways to get amazing results without busting out both methods.. though sometimes using both methods will bring out that last pop when you want to really show em what ya can do. It's also good for turning folks into cheerleaders. 

I will say 2 major game changers that (Chim dri never used) for LM cleaning for me was
1. Bonnet Pro's 100% ribbed cotton, thin pads. They really do get you down at the base of the stem and always impress me.
2. Post Vacing with an adjustable level vac, set to "bare floor". This is where that sand you are talking about loves to really surface. Always blows my mind how much sandy sludge is sucked/brushed out. Ends up looking kinda like an inline filter sock from HWE filter's... but usually way more sludge while using an upright vac is pulled out.
Another note is that because you have already gone through the whole LM process by the time the post vac happens there is usually 2-3 times the amount of debris removed in the post vac vs the pre vac.

Ryan S wrote:Every time I read about VLM I want to by a 175 amd some bonnets. What size 175 do you run? Do you have a CRB too?  Do you use the CRB in your system?  Just courteous?  If you PS at 500 you have a TM?  Why not just HWE?  

Buy yourself a 175 used or new their pretty cheap trust me you will be glad you did, It took years for me to give it a try now I can kick myself in the ass for not doing it a lot sooner, you don't need a CRB the have all kinds of different brushes you can get for the 175, that being said the CBR would go great with the 175 combo you will have carpets looking amazing, Man I am telling you do it you will fall in love with it