So you are ready to start your very own cleaning business, looking to expand you current business, or just want a machine for backup in case your truckmount is out of service. In this week’s blog, we will discuss details of cleaning with portable hot water extraction (HWE) machines. We will go through all the variable specs of the machines and what they mean, efficient ways to set up and break down a job, some tips and tricks to improve performance, efficiency, and make the job easier. We will also discuss various tools and other equipment that pairs well with portable extraction machines.

Portable machines have two primary functions, spray the rinse water down, and vacuum it up. Most of the time, the machine is not actually doing the cleaning, but rather just rinsing the surface being cleaned after vacuuming, pre-spraying, and agitation. The only exception to this is when the user has a detergent rinse in the fresh water tank and is skipping the above mentioned steps. Some refer to this method as “spray-n-suck” since it is just a quick maintenance rinsing method of cleaning.

The core components in portable machines are the vacuum(s), solution pump, auto fill, auto pump out, internal heater, fresh tank, waste tank, and sometimes a chemical metering system.

There are a wide variety of vacuum motor setups, but the key factors to consider are the vacuum lift in inches or Hg, CFM (cubic feet per minute), and orientation of plumbing. When there are two vac motors plumbed in parallel, this means the air gets sucked into the machine and then splits into two parallel paths through the vacuums and then out 2 separate exhaust ports. The other configuration would be when the motors are plumbed in series. This means the air comes into the machine, then through the first motor, then through the second motor, then out a single exhaust port. So what is the benefit of one over the other? When plumbed in series, the lift dramatically increases but the CFM stays the same as if it were one vac motor. Think of this like playing tug of war. The rope won’t move any faster, but there is more force pulling that rope when more people gather to pull on one side. And when the motors are plumbed parallel, the lift is the same as one motor, but the CFM doubles. Think of this like sucking on a straw. If you have a small straw and suck really hard, you will get X amount of your drink. Now “double” the width of the straw and suck just as hard, you will fill your mouth 2x faster. So generally speaking, the result of this is if your machine has vac motors in series, you will have better lift. While vac motors in parallel will have better cfm. The stronger lift will help pull moisture and water from deeper within the carpet, and will also lift higher volumes of water towards the machine. The stronger cfm will simply move that water faster into the machine. So what’s better? That is a debate among many cleaners. Some say the lift is better for carpet cleaning to get a deeper “suck” into the base of the carpet and cfm is better for tile cleaning because there is more water being used and the cfm pulls it to the machine faster. On the other hand, some say cfm is better for carpet because there is twice as much air coming through the fibers to help it dry faster, while lift is better for tile because it needs to pull heavier volumes of water to the machine and doesn’t matter how fast it gets there. Regardless of your opinion, one thing that will certainly help is the length and diameter of the hose. On short runs under 25 feet, it really does not make much difference what diameter you have. Beyond 50 feet, we strongly suggest using 2” hose if possible, and only up to 75 feet max. If you want to go further than 75 feet, we strongly suggest using a vac booster. From personal experience, we have found the most ideal configuration is dual three stage vacs with 50 feet of 2” hose.

Next we have the solution pump. Most machines have a variable pressure regulator for various applications. Pumps typically start at 150 psi, and go up to 1200 psi. If you are looking for an economical machine for commercial use, 150-250 may be a good fit for you. For faster cleaning and better flushing in commercial and residential, we suggest 300-500 psi. When cleaning upholstery, keep the pressure dialed down, since you are only cleaning the surface fabric and do not want to over wet the inside. Follow the pressure suggestions in the user manual to match with the vacuum motors. It is essential that the vacuums have enough lift and cfm to recover as much water as possible that is being sprayed down. If they can’t keep up, you will have to do additional dry strokes with the wand to recover more water and have faster drying times. Tile and grout cleaning (excluding stone) can be done at 500 psi with a 4-jet hard surface wand, or 650-1200 psi with a tile spinner. If you need help choosing what size pump to get in your machine feel free to email or call us to discuss your goals and cleaning needs and we will help match the best machine for you.

Most higher pressure machines (over 500psi) will come standard with auto fill and auto pump out. The reason for this is because tile cleaning with higher pressure will also increase the flow of water, so you will use a lot more water than you do with carpet cleaning. Some lower pressure machines will also have this feature for convenience on larger jobs so you do not have to keep running back and forth with buckets. Some machines also have internal heaters. These are great for carpet cleaning, but unfortunately will not keep up with the higher flow during tile cleaning. Due to power constraints, most high pressure machines do not come with internal heaters, but you can add an external heater for use while carpet cleaning. The chemical metering systems are great when using auto fill, because as your machine fills with fresh water, it will draw in your pre-selected amount of acid rinse, detergent, etc. Otherwise, you will have to measure out the desired amount of rinse chemical to pour into your fresh water tank as you fill manually.

So now that you chose the right machine and hoses for your needs, what tools do you need? A good wand, preferably a low profile wand, is very important. We suggest adding Teflon glides to make it easier to slide back and forth, and they also improve dry times for residential carpet. The low profile is great for getting under beds, dressers, cabinets, etc. For tile cleaning, you can use a 4-jet hard surface wand or a tile spinner. A single jet tool or corner tool will also work great for edges and corners. Then there’s the upholstery tool and stair tool. If you cannot afford both, a larger upholstery tool may also be used for stairs. You can use a rotary wand with a portable for combined agitation and extraction. Don’t forget the corner Duk guards, sticky tabs, foam blocks, vacuum cleaner, and air movers as well. And last but not least, our absolute favorite tool is the CRB. You will use far less spotting chemicals if you have a CRB in your toolbox to scrub your prespray, and it will also lift out even more hair and solid waste that your vacuum could not get. A CRB truly sets you apart from your competition.

Ok, so you have all your tools, now off to your first job. We will discuss a carpet cleaning job using auto fill and auto dump, since this is the most complex setup. You arrive, greet the customer, chat about size, price, customer needs, etc. One very important question: WHERE IS YOUR CIRCUIT PANEL BOX? If you have a helper, they can start vacuuming, otherwise you can do this after the greeting. Don’t forget to use a crevice tool along the corners and edges. While vacuuming stairs, we have found it easier to start at the top and work down, then go back up to hit the edges. Next bring in your machine, set up centrally or just outside the entrance or garage. Ideally where you can reach the whole home with 50 feet of 2” hose. Worst case, got 75 feet. And use extra dry strokes while extracting. Hook up your power cord(s), if multiple, find separate circuits. Some machines even have a circuit identifier that will illuminate when you are plugged into separate circuits. If you have an external heater, find a third circuit. Now connect your auto fill to a sink or garden hose, set your rinse metering, connect a waste hose to auto pump out and stick the other end far down the toilet or clean out hole. Make sure its snug so it doesn’t pop out. Now connect your solution hose and go to the furthest point of the home. Attach your inline sprayer and spray all carpet, getting closer to the machine. A helper comes in handy to pull the hose back as you spray. Another option is to bring your line to the furthest point, then walk back and start spraying at the machine and go away from the machine so the hose just drags behind you. (This can be avoided if using a pump sprayer, but pump sprayers need to be pumped constantly and will not spray an even amount of chemical on the floor as pressure decreases.) Then agitate with brush or CRB. Use spotting kit as needed. Now set up your vacuum hose and bring in your wand. Drag everything to the furthest point, put your shoe covers on (if you have not already done so), and start extracting/rinsing towards the machine. While extracting, be sure to overlap ad run the wand over every fiber that was sprayed on. We have seen many people, even instructors, show how to clean in triangles. This is incorrect. You can do either a dry stroke (no trigger pull) or a wet stroke forward. Then do a wet stroke backward towards you. Now when you go forward again, if you are doing a wet forward stroke, make sure your backward stroke is over the same path. If it is not, you just sprayed the carpet going forward but did not suck it back up. We like to do wet strokes in a straight line forward, then backward over the same path, release the trigger, then pull back another 2-3 inches. Then move the wand over and repeat. Any areas you treated with a spotting chemical may need to be flushed several times. After you do a small area, go back over with just dry strokes to suck up as much water/moisture as possible. This is where you may make those fancy triangles if you like. Your pressure, distance from the machine, hose size, and carpet depth will determine how many dry strokes are needed. You want to shoot for 2-4 hour dry times if possible without using fans. However fans will speed this up even further. Inform the customer to not walk on the damp carpet until it is dry, but if they must, give them some shoe covers to use. The damp carpet acts like a wash cloth and will remove and soil on their feet or their pets feet and will see footprints.

So the job is done, now what? I found the most efficient way to pack up without a helper, leave the vacuums and pump-out on, but turn off the pressure pump. Disconnect the solution line and auto fill hose, coil up and put away. Use the vac hose to suck all the water out of your fresh tank, slowly, to avoid foaming and overflow of the waste tank. Now leave the vacuums on, shake the vac hose to get as much water out as possible, shut down, and coil everything up and put away. Bring everything out of the house, then rake the carpet if desired (be sure your shoe covers are on and clean). Leave the customer a hand full of shoe covers as well.

Tips:
Use a tarp or tray under the machine in case it drips or overflows.
Use cord ties or hose wraps for all hoses and cords.
Use a caddy for spotting chemicals.
Use an alkaline prespray and an acid rinse on synthetic carpet.
If the wet carpet starts to smell like wet dog, it is probably wool, so make sure you are using wool safe chemicals and know how to work with wool.
Take some classes for education, even if you don’t care about certification, you will still learn a lot in the various IICRC seminars. We will have an upcoming schedule for our location posted soon.