Residues

What economical acidic rinses are you guys using? I've used Master Blends but I'm wondering if their is a good cheap powder out there as well that I could mix into my 5 gallon chemical jug?

The reason for a rinse is to restore the ph of the carpet and that will in simple terms keep the carpet cleaner longer.  Some guys put extractor detergent in their water when prespraying is the recommended procedure for applying cleaning chemicals.  Vacuum, Prespray, Agitate, Dwell, Rinse, Groom.  Let me know when the IICRC changes their recommended steps and after I examine the change if I find it an improvement I will use it.

prespray high ph

ok-hope this is ok along with this post. Going to sound super noobish asking this. Normally I run my chemical in my portable-I never do any rinsing with regular clean water. Do some people just prespray all of their chem down and just do a rinse with clean water in their portable? Which way would work better-at this point I don't pre-spray excepting stains/rough areas.

I would offer a choice.  The standard economy cleaner means you can go x months before cleaning again.  But the newest technology formula means you can double that time to X*2 months.  We believe in it so much we are willing to offer you a guarantee in writing of the super cleaning powers of Quantum X technology.  And because you get twice as long between jobs I guess you can see why so many of our customers say the cost savings at only 50% for twice the cleaning performance more than makes this the deal of the century.  So, would you rather have our economy package, the Quantum X package or purchase 2 cleanings now to avoid the annual price increases at a discount today of 25% off the second cleaning? 

Be honest, let them choose.  You can be back next year at full pop at that time, be back next year when they call but at only 75% of todays price or not be back next year and get 50% of the money you don't earn as a consolation prize?

Silver lining :)

Go back to the residue creators. We are in business to make money, not be pushed out of it by our cleaning products. For most cleaners, unit cleaning prices have been driven too low for you to wait 2X as long to get called back again. If the customer wants carpets that stay clean longer, let them pay for that by selling them Scotchgard or something simulair. At least that way, you get to have the increased profit that keeps you in business till it is time to clean the carpets again.

Residues

Since it is impossible to remove all of the detergent residue, it is important that what is left does not contribute to re-soiling. This means it should dry to a form that is easily vacuumed after the carpet has dried. Think of a powdered laundry detergent vs. a liquid dishwashing detergent. The residues left once a carpet dries is an important point in any carpet cleaning detergent. Shampoo solutions should dry to a crystalline powder. Steam extraction detergent should be free rinsing and have a minimal amount of crystalline residue. Bonnet cleaners should be completely non-residual, or have a soil retardant included.