Is anyone using encap as a prespray?

I was wondering after reading Milspec's post about poly where he mixed some encap in his prespray if anyone is using encap as a stand alone prespray. I know S/O/E is labeled as a prespray for HWE but don't know if other products are. I already use S/O/E as a rinse and am curious if anyone has tried it or another encap as a prespray. Are there any problems with a prespray encap and rinse? Any thoughts?

I don't know if all encaps work well with hwe, but I think that as long as there is agitation involved (CRB, Orbital, Rotary, etc.) it should net good results as you are using a similar technique as if you were straight encapping. Instead of bonnets removing the soil, your are using flush / vac to remove it. At least that was what I was thinking when I tried it on the poly.

Think about this another way. Joe told me recently that S/O really comes alive with the addition of heat and we know that S/O/E contains S/O, so it made me think that the encap version would benefit from the introduction of the hot water just as well as the prespray did.

I don't know if other encaps benefit from heat as well (I have doubts), but I think this method works very well with S/O/E. I simply combined it with S/O to ensure that there was enough active ingredients to gain full benefit of both products.

I plan to continue this experiment, but I sense that this will become my favorite method for all fabrics going forward.

I have always used S/O/E as a pre spray for hwe since I started using Wanders products a couple of years ago and get great results
I boost it with H2O2 as desired.

Thank you Fred, what do you use as a rinse?
I asked this question because I love S/O and S/O/E and wondered if I could just go with one product (S/O/E) and enjoy the same great results.

the soils and oils is pretty much the swiss army knife of products

I even used it in the laundry when out of detergent

Pros of pre treating with encap
1. No need to worry if pre spray dries
2. eliminates wicking potential
3. no need of rinse chems
4. rinse at lower psi for faster dry time
5. encap residue is better for longer lasting clean
6. if the tm breaks, no worries. encap is still going to get the carpet clean (if using crb or such)
7. less chems needed on truck
8. encap can be used as sole vlm
9. encap is used as pre treatment before dry compound
10. using water only to rinse can be better for your breathing. steam with chems do get into your lungs
11. encap can be used as uph pre treatment

cons:
1. Crunchy or stiff
2. de foamer is needed

You find encaps leaving carpet "crunchy or stiff"?

Anyone else experiencing that? The extra foam is sure true.

milspec6 wrote:You find encaps leaving carpet "crunchy or stiff"?

Anyone else experiencing that?  The extra foam is sure true.

I have not noticed either of these conditions

Correct S/O/E does not leave that stiff crunchy feeling. Its most common in other brands we have tried. So you guys have also thought out of the box and use this same method. I thought I was the only one for a while. Good to see other cleaners having success with this method.

If used as a prespray, no encap should leave a crunchy feeling. Something is wrong with the rinse or equipment if that happens.

Hey EcoPro, I see you are using water as a rinse. How has that been working out for you? I would guess well if that is your method. That was one of my questions to begin with. If you are using encap as your prespray are there any problems with an encap rinse or is water all that is needed? I like the points you made and those were my considerations and or questions as well. As far as crunchy or stiff or foamy, the products I've tried have not done that and I'm glad for it. I will note though that S/O/E does leave the carpet noticeably softer and has a better appearance than the other products I tested without any post vacuuming. With post vacuuming the other products appearance was as good, but the S/O/E still felt softer to the touch.

I am convinced now that using a good encap solution as a prespray for hwe is the way to go. I still prefer a 50/50 mix of S/O + S/O/E, but that just boosts the encap a little.

As long as you have an agitation step (rotary, crb, orbital, broom), you get the best of both worlds and without wicking issues. Even on the nasties, it has worked very well and leaves the carpet soft with no odors....I also avoid the runny nose and irritated eyes that came with the standard presprays.

Joe lists great reasons and I discovered the same things. If you haven't tried the combination yet, you really should give it a test and combine the best of hwe with encap cleaning. You will not regret it.