Encapsulation

This whole encapsulation method is old but new. Maybe this is where Lee can shed some light on this question. I have had demos of this process and was impressed. But, I find it hard to accept that most of the actuall soil is removed when the customer vacuums after you leave. Knowing that, most don't vacuum frequently or have a poor vacuum. Leads me to believe the soil remains hiding amongst the fibers.

You say CRI is now recommending this process. Is that not interesting that I had only today a Servicemaster customer indicate to me that he was told he can no longer put a bonnet on a carpet.

Look out PadMan.

I use to love bell bottom pants especially when I walked up the stairs and tripped all over myself.

Encapsulating is still a mystery to me. I will have to get Lee to demonstrate that product so I can understand better.

Encapsulation sounds to me like a space age product or the method of putting your head back on after getting decapitated.

Gross where is my head at.

Spoke with Jim Darling of Chemspec  a day or so ago. He hinted that Chemspec is working feverishly on an Encapsulation formulation soon to be released.

Hope I am not letting the cat out of the bag Jim. It's better to wait for the best.

The test and DO test for yourself is:

Does it clean great?

Does it smell great?

Does it ACTUALLY release from the carpet.... <--- Many DON"T

Great post Don,

Encap products do need your points one and two, plus in order to CLEAN a carpet the encap product has to not only crystallize but it also has to shatter and remove easily or you gain nothing but a build up as time goes on.

As to the teflon comment, well that doesn't work quite that way, first off many have NO teflon, what they have is copolymers that harden and crystallize. EVERYTHING that is agitated into the "soup" (incliding teflon) will be encapsulated, nothing remains if the product is crystallizing right. Thus leaving a CLEAN carpet.

I agree, TEST, TEST, TEST and do it for yourself, do not believe ANYONE and especially don't go by the NAME of the product, they are VERY misleading.

Make it CLEANS well.

The odor is not offensive or strong.

It dries quickly.

Some need NO cure time others do.

Be sure it releases from the fibers, CHECK YOUR VACUUM, do you SEE the crystals? Are they dirty? If not you will only make more of a soup each time you clean.

PadMan

Encapsulation Technology

"Encapsulated soil particles are held in suspension within the crystallized detergent until they can be extracted through normal routine post-vacuuming."


How Soil Affects Carpet:
According to a well documented study, dry soil comprises 79% of the total soil in a carpet. Most dry soil can be readily removed by routine dry vacuuming. It's the oily and sticky soils (the other 21%) that attract and hold dry soil to the surface. The result is a dull, gray, and ugly appearance.

Releasit® Carpet Maintenance Helps Carpet Stay Clean Longer:
The key to effective carpet cleaning is to counteract sticky soils. The Releasit® polymer chemistry surrounds soil particles in the carpet and forms a crystal* that can't attract other soil. While Releasit's crystallizing polymer is curing it is also absorbing the sticky soils that hold dry soil in place. With these oily soils out of the way the carpet looks cleaner. And since there's no dirt attracting residue left behind the carpet continues to look good long after the cleaning..

Releasit® also benefits from using advanced fluorochemical technology. As the carpet is scrubbed the loosened soil and the fiber are both coated with the fluorochemical. The fluorochemical significantly facilitates the extraction of the encapsulated soil particles through routine vacuuming. Additionally, the fluorochemical lowers the surface tension which increases the wetting / cleaning ability.  It also helps to increase the carpet's soil resistance. And  it has terrific anti-wicking properties. So carpets maintained with  Releasit® can stay clean longer.

Why is crystallization so important?
Releasit® brand products employ an innovative polymer technology to form a distinct crystal when it dries. The crystal is the vehicle that enables a good encapsulator to capture soil so it can be removed through post-vacuuming. Although some products may claim to "encapsulate" on the label and they may get the carpet to look good initially, (it's easy to get a carpet to look cleaner) the real concern should be whether or not the encapsulated soil can be removed with post-vacuuming.

Here's a simple test that you can perform to establish what an "encapsulation" product does when it dries. It's very easy. Just take a few drops of the product and dry it in a glass dish overnight. Check the content the next day. Did it form a true crystal? Does it readily release from the dish? Or did it dry sticky, gooey? Was it not completely dried? Or was it possibly stuck like a barnacle to the dish?

This simple dish-drying test will reveal the products soil releasing ability. A good encapsulation product should form a distinct crystal that will break up and release from the dish. Keep in mind that crystallization is the medium that holds the soil in suspension until it can be extracted with post-vacuuming. The soil can't be vacuumed from the carpet if poor crystallizing or no crystallizing occurs.