Spending the day cleaning up

I had one of those rare days today where it was sunny and 84 with a nice breeze.  I was getting a little stressed out lately and decided to stay home and get some tasks done on the van.  Some of it was just the normal stuff, but I ran into a couple of things that you might find useful.

First off, I cleaned a home yesterday that owned 2 dobermans (not Zeus and Apollo) and this was their first cleaning in about 5 years.  The carpet actually looked pretty good at first glance and it cleaned up really well.  I had left my crb at the house by mistake and ran the Hoss rotary extractor on this one to give my elbow a rest.

Ever wonder how much hair 2 dogs can shed over 5 years??  Not any more.....



I had to pull off all the vacuum slots and jets to get this one cleaned up before tomorrow....good grief what a mess.  You want to talk about sanitizing a carpet...how about removing enough hair to make a cat!  They had no idea how bad things were and neither did I, but I can ensure you that they will be cleaning a lot more in the future.  

After that was resolved, I replaced my water hose with 3/8 air hose like Joe has suggested for years.  I never went that route in the past as I didn't like the idea of cutting the hose in order to install ends that would hook up to a spigot.  Simple enough, but it seemed like it would just invite leaks at the clamp...especially with my skills with clamps.  

That changed today as I found a custom hose shop that carried an adapter fitting with a 1/4 inch threads on one end and the garden hose 3/4 male on the other side.  Now I could connect the air hose to the spigot without having to cut off the ends.  It is simple, but it was a big step for me as I can get rid of my garden hose and coil this air hose onto a reel and out of the way.  It will really be nice in the winter.





The last step of the day was cleaning out the spray jugs.  I have probably 4 jugs in the garage that I have retired because they were used for multiple chemicals and I really didn't like the way that the residual still affects anything that I introduce.   This was a weakness of mine for a long time, not labeling the jugs and keeping chemicals separate that might not be compatible.

Today, I tried something different.  I bought a few packs of a product called "Nutra-Sol" which is used to clean out sprayers for the pesticide crowd.  I figured that although most pesticides are acidic, this might be worth a try.  Followed the directions and rinsed several times....result?  I now have 4 more tanks that are ready to go.

I was impressed, it not only cleaned up the jugs, but it removed the residual odor of the previous chemicals.  I really couldn't smell the previous contents any more, even that booster "Energy" didn't survive.  I would say this is a pretty handy little product for those of us too stupid to keep the jugs separated.  



Now it is time to enjoy a nice run....had a pretty nice day.  I hope you all did as well. 

I'm not sure that's the hair from the dogs, I think it actually may be one of the dogs.  

Thanks for the nutra sol tip. I always wondered how to get rid of odors in spray tanks.

I bet you won't forget your crb next time!
I pulled enough hair out of a place today to to make a cocker spaniel.

nice, I was going to ask someone about what air hose size to replace garden hose. Our goodyear must have got stepped on because the female end was mashed when I got home yesterday.

I think im going to roll with the air hose too. might even connect it to the live reel ive been using as a normal reel to save a few seconds on each job.

Pro Touch wrote:Thanks for the nutra sol tip. I always wondered how to get rid of odors in spray tanks.

I bet you won't forget your crb next time!
I pulled enough hair out of a place today to to make a cocker spaniel.

I actually had the crb, but not the handle...left it next to the van when loaded for the day. Believe me, that was the last time that will happen.  

That nutra sol really worked well, should be able to find it at tractor supply stores or similar types. I picked up those packets for a $1 each on sale....should have bought more. I was really impressed.  

ACpower1 wrote:nice,    I was going to ask someone about what air hose size to replace garden hose.    Our goodyear must have got stepped on because the female end was mashed when I got home yesterday.  

I think im going to roll with the air hose too.   might even connect it to the live reel ive been using as a normal reel to save a few seconds on each job.    

I've been thinking the same thing with the live reel for the air hose. I liked my zilla garden hose, but it takes up too much room hanging off the shelf. A compact reel will be a nice change.

ACpower1 wrote:nice,    I was going to ask someone about what air hose size to replace garden hose.    

3/8"

Get a Hybrid, PVC/Rubber hose......not just one or the other.

I believe Nutra Sol is actually citric acid. I'm sure someone will research it, but I am pretty sure that is what it is.

100' of zilla on a live reel.....I love mine.

Freemind1 wrote:I believe Nutra Sol is actually citric acid. I'm sure someone will research it, but I am pretty sure that is what it is.

Will have to check to see if it was that simple....didn't seem to act that way, but I didn't look for an ingredient list either. Probably should have...

My carpet cleaner wrote:100' of zilla on a live reel.....I love mine.

I love the hose, but I am really fighting for space right now on the van and it just takes up more room than an air hose reel. Still, that Zilla is great stuff and remained flexible down to -24 last winter...no complaints on that.

milspec6 wrote:

Freemind1 wrote:I believe Nutra Sol is actually citric acid. I'm sure someone will research it, but I am pretty sure that is what it is.

Will have to check to see if it was that simple....didn't seem to act that way, but I didn't look for an ingredient list either.  Probably should have...

Found the MSDS and the main ingredient is good old fashioned sodium carbonate (soda ash), no ph listed, but soda ash should create a strong alkaline solution.  It doesn't list the other "secret" trade protected ingredients, but it makes me wonder a little.

One of the best ways to keep a waste tank or grey tank on an RV clean is to add sodium carbonate (acts as a water softening agent) and an anti-bacterial agent.  The softening agent will reduce residue from sticking to the walls of the tank and the anti-bacterial agent will keep the odors from developing.  This works really well on a nearly full tank in my experience.

So, it is no wonder that it did such a good job at removing the residue from the sprayer jugs which I really thought would have been permanently absorbed into the plastic before I cleaned them.  I keep learning something new these days. 

There you go Robert. Now you know how to save more money!

recently, I wanted two towel pockets for my window belt. Instead of laying out 80 bucks for two pouches, I had my wife make me two with a yard of duck canvas. Cost about 5 bucks, and they are made the way I want them.  

You are absolutely correct! A little knowledge can save you some coin every time.  

Good post!! First cleaning in 5 years?? I wonder what made them stay away from cleaning for so long.  And that is just too much of dog hair from a carpet. But since they haven’t cleaned for so long, they can’t really complain.  Sometimes carpets look clean at first but may cause certain bad odors. It is a common thing, especially those with pets and are reluctant to clean regularly.  There are some simple carpet cleaning tips to take care of minor carpet odor problems. But for severe issues people must seek help of a professional cleaner.