Engineering vs residue

Some carpet cleaning equipment claiming 95% recovery of dirty water may use 300 gallons or more in a typical day's cleaning. (95% of 300 = 15 gallons left in the carpet.) But most equipment has no way to actually monitor recovery since the recovered water is either pumped out onto the ground or directly into a drain. Some hook up to a faucet for water supply so there isn't even a way to measure the amount of water used.

Engineering carpet cleaning systems to recover more than 95%* of the water used in the hot water extraction process means less residual matter, too. Even clean water will leave trace elements on the tip of the carpet fiber of any mineral or chemical content as it evaporates. Bane-Clene Systems use only 0.5 ounces of cleaning agent to a gallon of water.

Bane-Clene's exclusive positive moisture control system means recovery can be monitored by an operator. The exact amount of water used and the exact amount recovered is measured and can be compared. (95% of 100 = 5 gallons left in the carpet) and that's a full day's production of up to 8,000 Square Feet of carpet.

*Actual tests of Bane-Clene equipment have recovered as much as 97.3%.

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Food For Thought

A young man being interviewed for a job as a service technician was asked why he wanted to work for the company. He answered, "I thought about going into business but don't like being owed or borrowing money. I'd have to advertise and put money back into the company. I'll get my share of the profit every week if I work for you. Besides, it's like all those people in the office work for me, and I won't have to worry about them like I would if I was their employer."

This young man summed up in a few words what business schools take semesters to teach. He knew he didn't like to take monetary risks. Being in business isn't for everyone, and it's a good thing, too. If everyone wanted to be in business, there wouldn't be any employees.

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Truth squad

Advertising aimed at cleaners is often used by them in consumer ads. The consumer is confused by the claims and counter-claims of carpet manufacturers, chemical companies and cleaning equipment suppliers mingled together in an advertisement about carpet cleaning. Carpet sales are no doubt suffering as a result.

Consumers look to the person closest to them to give them straight answers. Cleaners have the final word on whether they are satisfied with their carpet and furniture. In the interest of future generations of cleaners, consumers had better like the products you clean and buy more of them in years to come. Give them straight answers and do a good job.

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Recipe for a slow economy .... more sales!

Want more sales during these slow economic times which some economists are predicting will last for several more years? Sta-Clene® Formula 940 will help you increase your sales of carpet and furniture cleaning service. Offer an application of this wonderful new protector at a reduced price or better yet, offer it free with a pre-determined amount of cleaning service.

Sta-Clene Formula® 940 is inexpensive compared to water-based fluorocarbon brands and is not watered down like so many private labeled products. It is ready to use, does a superb job of protecting carpet and furniture from both water and oil-based spills, and makes cleaning easier the next time. You'll like it and especially what it can do for your business and your bottom line.

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Residue

There are claims and counter claims in the cleaning industry about the amount of residual matter left in a carpet after it's cleaned. Some have elaborate graphics to demonstrate the fact that their product leaves little or no residue while others merely make statements to this effect and leave it up to the imagination of the individual reading the advertisement.

Bane-Clene accepted the challenge set forth at our 1975 convention by Benjamin M. Burr of the Hercules Company. Ben said we should try to eliminate the use of chemicals as much as possible, since it's mainly chemical residue that causes rapid resoiling. He went on to say the chemicals we use should be as pure as possible and not contain fillers that also cause residue.

Since that time, we have continuously been striving for purity in our products and decreasing the amount of chemical used in our systems. Today the dilution ratio is only 48 ounces of PCA™ and 16 ounces of Booster™ to 120 gallons of clean, softened water. The result of these efforts are many thousands of satisfied customers, thanks to Mr. Burr's advice.

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Interesting carpet stats

Carpet sales have been in decline for two or three years. Carpet mills have laid people off and cut budgets. The last time I was in a Dalton restaurant it had all of the ambience of a wake. But in 2008 carpet makers still managed to top a billion dollars in sales at wholesale which translates into more billions in sales at the retail level.

For carpet cleaners this means work. On top of that, the mills have been cranking out about two billion square yards of carpet every year for the past ten years and all of that carpet has a life expectancy of 8 to 12 years. And the fact that consumers clean rather than replace carpet during tough economic times means the cleaning profession has the makings of a boom.

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Independent testing

In 1993, a carpet mill was concerned about bonnet cleaning and how it compared to HWE methods regarding residue. A technical lab person called me to ask about it, pronounced it "Bonay" and asked if it was a French cleaning process. Not knowing if the question was tongue-in-cheek and before offering an opinion, I paid an independent laboratory $1,000.00 for the results of a test they had done on the extraction method compared to the bonnet cleaning method. Following are excerpts from the report they sent me:

"Tests were done using routine techniques. Each carpet was soiled and cleaned twelve times. The results: Appearance change was virtually the same for fibers cleaned by either method. Microphotography showed the fibers cleaned with extraction contained very few solid soil particles. The fibers cleaned by the bonnet method had substantially more solid soil particles. A 2" x 3" specimen was cut from "extraction" and "bonnet" specimens and placed in jars of distilled deionized water. When the two jars were agitated, the "bonnet" water appeared cloudy. The "extraction" water appeared virtually clean."

I could have told them that from my own experience but after all an independent laboratory must be good, mustn't it? At least that impresses the folks in Dalton. And speaking of wasted money, that same lab charges exorbitant fees to test carpet cleaning equipment for the CRI. By the way, they find that a cheap little rental machine cleans carpet as good or better than truck-mounted equipment. As the old accountant says, "Go figure!"

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Formula for a slow-down

A. J. Foyt, won four times and is one of the most successful race drivers ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. He gave a memorable answer when asked by a reporter how he reacts to a problem like a wreck on the track. Foyt's reply was, "I speed up because I know everyone else is slowing down."

Most of our competitors in the carpet cleaning business are making the mistake of cutting back in advertising. Stanley Steemer is the notable exception and they run great ads, especially the one with the dog scooting along the carpet on its rear. Opportunities are there for those who take positive steps to promote their business. Times may be tough, but they don't have to be bad.

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One man's answer

In almost helpless fashion, many are saying, "What is happening to our country?" Click on this link, http://www.thedailywar.net/ to see what one man is doing instead of asking that question.

Chet Jelinski, of Bloomfield, New Jersey has started a web site that is definitely worth seeing.

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Sunday, August 2 2009

This was a very special day. Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, a weekly medical advisor on television, was talking about the old five second rule. You know, the one that says if something drops on the floor and is there for less than five seconds it's OK to eat it. Much to my surprise, the good doctor said that carpet is less infected with bacteria than a tile floor. How refreshing!

For several years carpet has taken a beating (no pun intended) from all directions. Even Dr. Michael Berry, supposedly a friend of the carpet industry, described carpet as a "sink" which is sort of disgusting. In fact there seems to be a concerted effort to make carpet look bad even from the CRI, which has a program that actually makes carpet seem very hard to care for.

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