Drying Carpets Faster

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 04:11:05 +0100

Choosing right chemicals, equipment should help cleaners dry carpet more quickly.

After the price question, "How long will it take to dry?" is the question customers ask us the most.

Customers want to be inconvenienced as little as possible. They pretty much want their carpet to dry before you leave. # Humidity
# Atmospheric pressure
It also depends on:
# Chemicals It's the easiest for bonnet cleaning because this uses very little moisture. Dry Foam also is relatively easy.

What about hot water extraction?

Portable and truckmount users both put down pre-spray, then extract and, in some cases, put down protector. Dry run
# Put down only what's needed
# Apply only in traffic areas
# Don't overspray
# Use chemicals that have alcohol as a base. As the need for drying has increased, manufacturers have started producing fast-drying pre-sprays. Aziz says.

In the extraction stage, there are numerous ways to facilitate drying. Dry passes after cleaning almost guarantee drying before you apply protector.
Mean machines
Having higher cubic feet per minute (CFM) is important, but there is only so much CFM you can get out of 1½- to 2-inch hose or wand. Water lift is by far the most important ingredient in drying the carpet. # The ability of your machine to pull more water from a 1½- to 2-inch wand or hose
# Measured in inches of mercury
# The lifting power to lift water molecules out of carpet. "The waterlift is the muscle behind the vacuum," according to John Sales, president of Steam Action, a truckmount manufacturer.

Water lift is measured in inches of mercury. Basically, one inch of mercury lift, as indicated on a vacuum gauge, will lift water 14 inches, Sales says.
Chemical use is key
Using fast drying chemicals in place of what you use now will also decrease drying time. Even adding two to four ounces of rubbing alcohol to your portable extractor or 16 to 32 ounces to your truckmount stock solutions can decrease drying time.

Alcohol keeps your detergent on the surface and evaporates quickly to help you easily accomplish faster drying.

Dr. Aziz warns, however, that alcohol can be a fire hazard and may create liability if used improperly.

Other ways to facilitate drying include turning on fans in all the rooms after you finish cleaning, or using air conditioners on humid days.
Offering faster drying time puts you in another league, but the equipment, extra labor and chemicals will cost you more. Therefore, you need to charge extra for this service.

You can offer it as an option in addition to your steam cleaning or do it for all your customers as a value-added service that your competitors may not be able to offer.

Just build it into the price.

Offering faster drying time puts you in another league.

We charge $100 per hour for a 2-man/woman crew for steam cleaning and $150 per hour for dry cleaning. We use the best truckmounts that get higher water lift from our 1½- to 2-inch wands and vacuum hoses.

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Drying Carpets Faster