Suggestions for Mobile Heated Extractor?
- Thread starter joburnet
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JasonD
New member
Same here. As far as the high flow sprayer, all you would need are two of those pressurized sprayers that you would use for lawn and garden type things. One for the cleaner mix and another with plain hot water. Just pump it, spray some cleaner, agitate, suck it out, spray clean water rinse, suck it out, and repeat as necessary. Done deal, right?
Surely, the real heated extractors are the way to go, but will they really produce results that rationalize the $1,000+?
Surely, the real heated extractors are the way to go, but will they really produce results that rationalize the $1,000+?
JasonD
New member
Something funny. I emailed Aztec last night to get some detailed info on the mini, and it was returned undeliverable, user unknown. Hmmm. Strike 1
Century 400's email was returned too but just because the mailbox was over quota. Not good either, but at least they are a known user, just not good with their emails. :nono
Century 400's email was returned too but just because the mailbox was over quota. Not good either, but at least they are a known user, just not good with their emails. :nono
I think Wifehates car just purchased the aztec direct from them. He seems to like it so far. I
I have the Century 400 spotter and I love the machine. It does in fact extract more dirt/crud faster than a wetvac. I have used it on headliners and it works great without oversoaking them. A heated unit may break the glue down faster. For a weekend warrior the century is a great machine for extraction without the high price tag. You do have to rely on more chemicals though to break through the dirt vs. heat speeds up the process greatly.
I have heard of people using a "bucket heater" to heat the water then use it in the spotter for better results. It is a cheap way to go. Although my instructions state to not use water over 140 deg. in the machine.
I have the Century 400 spotter and I love the machine. It does in fact extract more dirt/crud faster than a wetvac. I have used it on headliners and it works great without oversoaking them. A heated unit may break the glue down faster. For a weekend warrior the century is a great machine for extraction without the high price tag. You do have to rely on more chemicals though to break through the dirt vs. heat speeds up the process greatly.
I have heard of people using a "bucket heater" to heat the water then use it in the spotter for better results. It is a cheap way to go. Although my instructions state to not use water over 140 deg. in the machine.
wifehatescar
My L5-S1 is killing me!
Yep I have one, I have not used it much but for the price and I size I like it. Buy from Aztec direct for about $600 + $17 shipping.
Their service seems pretty good so far and buying direct cuts out the middle man.
There are 2 versions, the spotter and a detailer version. I decided on the spotter. The detailer just has longer hoses/cords and a different head.
Let me know if you have any questions....
Their service seems pretty good so far and buying direct cuts out the middle man.
There are 2 versions, the spotter and a detailer version. I decided on the spotter. The detailer just has longer hoses/cords and a different head.
Let me know if you have any questions....
JasonD
New member
Well, after you get it, do us a huge favor and write up a review. I'm looking forward to it.
Ed Hartman
New member
Heat is a critical element to cleaning carpet. It cleans twice as fast as cold water, the carpet will dry much faster and less chance stains will re-appear. To me if I did this for a living, spending a grand on quality equipment is nothing. Right it off on your taxes. The other down side to using small spotter extractors is you will be dumping and refilling your water constantly. A pain in my opinion.
Ed Hartman
New member
I used to own the Mitey One. Excellent unit. It does not come standard with heat. What I used to do is fill up the solution tank with hottest water I had and use that. However if I had something really trashed I would put my bucket heater in the tank too boost the heat piping hot http://www.jon-doninc.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=235...
Ed Hartman
New member
I posted this before, here it is again
Since I have seen and read several threads on carpet cleaning, thought I would chime in. Ive been in the carpet cleaning business for years. Im also certified by the International Institute of Carpet Cleaning and Restoration. Can't say Im a real big fan of cleaning carpets with Oxy clean. I don't use it and know for a fact none of my friends in the biz use it either. Many reasons why, the most prominent one is the amount of calls I get from ladies who spray it on a stain, walk away and a week later her carpet has discolored. She sees the ad on television when the guy pours it on and it "disappears". I see this all the time. Not trying to bash anyone using it but if you guys are using this stuff, better make sure you get it rinsed out completely. While I do not clean cars (only my own), here is how I would do it. These principle are the same for cleaning home carpets and the principles taught to me by the IICRC.
#1 Vacuum thorougly. Getting loose dirt is critical to the end result
#2 You need to apply a good prespray. What is a prespray? In our business its called a Traffic Lane Cleaner. You spray it on the carpet to dissolve dirt and stains. That simple. There are many good ones out there. Ones I would look at are: Prochems Ultrapac, Chemspecs Express Lane or Matrix Grand Slam. Most of these run about $25.00 a gallon, but the dillution rations are usually 4 oz per gallon or 1 oz for a 32 oz spray bottle. There are many places on the web to find these presprays, one that comes to mind is www.jondon.com. Ive used them, they have good customer service. A gallon would last a long time. I use a cordless sprayer but for cars a trigger sprayer would work, although a pump up sprayer from Sears or Home Depot would be quicker. Always apply your prespray with HOT water. Hot water breaks down grease and grime twice as fast as cold water.
#3 Agitation. Once the prespray is applied, you need to agitate it into the carpet. Its like shampooing your hair. You wouldn't dump shampoo on your head and not scrub it in your hair. Same principle applies to carpet cleaning. I prefer a horseshoe brush for this. I would not take a scrub brush to someones car seats.
#4 Dwell time. Need to let preprays dwell on the carpet for a minimum of 10 minutes maybe longer depending on how dirty the carpet is.
#5 Extract. This is when good equipment is essential for a quality job. You have all heard the term "Steam Cleaning". Well, all that is is water going into the carpet and extracting at the same time. We use water at 210 degrees to accomplish this. However, I realize most of you probobly cant extract like this. If it were me and I was detailing alot of carpets, and wanted to be a cut above my competion I would invest in a good portable extractor. No, the are not cheap. A good one will run $650-$1000. However you do it, you must rinse these cleaning agents out of the carpet. If I were using a shop vac, I would mist hot water on top of the prespray (after it dwells) and rinse it out.HOTTEST water you can find. Whatever you can find that gives you the most suction, use it.
Another idea. Since most of you guys own the PC7424, you could use this to clean carpet as well and do it very effectively.
Heres how
Get some terry cloth bonnets to go on your PC. Granted, you will need quite a few. Probobly atleast 15. Apply a good prespray. NOT the ones I listed above. You can get a good one at bbs.ccsop.com, click on "home page". Take your PC with cotton bonnets and start running your PC over the carpet. All the dirt will scrub right into the cotton pad. Rake the carpet fibers back to there original state. It works. I know many guys who clean this way and the results are awesome. Throw your dirty pads in the washer on hot water with Tide, let em soak for 2 hours and they will come clean.
Im sure I missed some points here or there but you get the idea. Hope this helps you to Carpet Cleaning Success!
12-10-2004 01:23 AM IP: Logged
Since I have seen and read several threads on carpet cleaning, thought I would chime in. Ive been in the carpet cleaning business for years. Im also certified by the International Institute of Carpet Cleaning and Restoration. Can't say Im a real big fan of cleaning carpets with Oxy clean. I don't use it and know for a fact none of my friends in the biz use it either. Many reasons why, the most prominent one is the amount of calls I get from ladies who spray it on a stain, walk away and a week later her carpet has discolored. She sees the ad on television when the guy pours it on and it "disappears". I see this all the time. Not trying to bash anyone using it but if you guys are using this stuff, better make sure you get it rinsed out completely. While I do not clean cars (only my own), here is how I would do it. These principle are the same for cleaning home carpets and the principles taught to me by the IICRC.
#1 Vacuum thorougly. Getting loose dirt is critical to the end result
#2 You need to apply a good prespray. What is a prespray? In our business its called a Traffic Lane Cleaner. You spray it on the carpet to dissolve dirt and stains. That simple. There are many good ones out there. Ones I would look at are: Prochems Ultrapac, Chemspecs Express Lane or Matrix Grand Slam. Most of these run about $25.00 a gallon, but the dillution rations are usually 4 oz per gallon or 1 oz for a 32 oz spray bottle. There are many places on the web to find these presprays, one that comes to mind is www.jondon.com. Ive used them, they have good customer service. A gallon would last a long time. I use a cordless sprayer but for cars a trigger sprayer would work, although a pump up sprayer from Sears or Home Depot would be quicker. Always apply your prespray with HOT water. Hot water breaks down grease and grime twice as fast as cold water.
#3 Agitation. Once the prespray is applied, you need to agitate it into the carpet. Its like shampooing your hair. You wouldn't dump shampoo on your head and not scrub it in your hair. Same principle applies to carpet cleaning. I prefer a horseshoe brush for this. I would not take a scrub brush to someones car seats.
#4 Dwell time. Need to let preprays dwell on the carpet for a minimum of 10 minutes maybe longer depending on how dirty the carpet is.
#5 Extract. This is when good equipment is essential for a quality job. You have all heard the term "Steam Cleaning". Well, all that is is water going into the carpet and extracting at the same time. We use water at 210 degrees to accomplish this. However, I realize most of you probobly cant extract like this. If it were me and I was detailing alot of carpets, and wanted to be a cut above my competion I would invest in a good portable extractor. No, the are not cheap. A good one will run $650-$1000. However you do it, you must rinse these cleaning agents out of the carpet. If I were using a shop vac, I would mist hot water on top of the prespray (after it dwells) and rinse it out.HOTTEST water you can find. Whatever you can find that gives you the most suction, use it.
Another idea. Since most of you guys own the PC7424, you could use this to clean carpet as well and do it very effectively.
Heres how
Get some terry cloth bonnets to go on your PC. Granted, you will need quite a few. Probobly atleast 15. Apply a good prespray. NOT the ones I listed above. You can get a good one at bbs.ccsop.com, click on "home page". Take your PC with cotton bonnets and start running your PC over the carpet. All the dirt will scrub right into the cotton pad. Rake the carpet fibers back to there original state. It works. I know many guys who clean this way and the results are awesome. Throw your dirty pads in the washer on hot water with Tide, let em soak for 2 hours and they will come clean.
Im sure I missed some points here or there but you get the idea. Hope this helps you to Carpet Cleaning Success!
12-10-2004 01:23 AM IP: Logged
wifehatescar
My L5-S1 is killing me!
Eliot Ness
Active member
Ed Hartman said:
Ed, I have a few questions about the system you described above using a PC and terry bonnets. I initially had trouble finding the above site, but did finally locate it. For others here are a couple of links. The first is to their FAQ section, and the second one is to their instructions on carpet cleaning (with their system):
http://ccsop.com/index.php?url_channel_id=24&url_publish_channel_id=23&well_id=2
http://ccsop.com/index.php?url_chan...url_subchannel_id=34&well_id=2&cat_free_id=26
Now here are my questions.
1. They mention the use of a âہ“gliderâ€Â�, could you explain that, or is it not applicable in our case?
2. They mention two chemicals that they use: Abstraction VLM or CLean-N-Vac PBX. Are you familiar with these and which would you recommend for auto use?
3. Last question, both of the above chemicals seem to only come in a case. Do you know if smaller quantities are available anywhere else?
Thanks for all the info and putting up with questions from a novice on carpet cleaning in this manner.
I received the Aztec and posted a review here.
http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49191
http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49191
Ed Hartman
New member
Eliot, for cleaning automobiles a glider isn't necessary.
As far as which cleaning agent, Abstraction is good and he just came out with a new one called "Tsunami". I hear its awesome. You can get them in gallon quanitities at the above site. Call John Guerkink at the phone number. Heck of a nice guy.
As far as which cleaning agent, Abstraction is good and he just came out with a new one called "Tsunami". I hear its awesome. You can get them in gallon quanitities at the above site. Call John Guerkink at the phone number. Heck of a nice guy.
Anthony O.
New member
Heated vs cold water has been an ongoing debate for years now. I always tell people thatif you're dealing with dealers as your main sourse of cars then a heated, top dollar, extractor is perhaps the best way to go.
I persoanlly use the Century 400 and don't have a complaint with it. It holds plenty of water and the suction is all I need because I am not doing too many soccer mom type cars.
Also I run a steamer so if I need heat to break down and emulsify some crud I'll use that first. Works great and the adavantage of a steamer is that I can use it on a variety of surfaces.
The BONUS of having an extractor over a wet/dry vac is in the PSI. After you spray your cleaner, agitate and begin to lift and emulsify the grime it doesn't do much good if you can't get all that crud and cleaner back out of the carpet. This is where the extractors PSI delivery comes in. It injects or forces clean rinse water deep into the fibers, releases the grime and then it gets extracted out right away.
It's also best to have a clear nozzle, over a stainless steel one, because you can then see when you are exracting clear water. Save some of your extracted water, place it in a clear glass jar with a lid and show it to your clients to convince them they should get their carpets deep cleaned :xyxthumbs
Hope that helps,
Anthony
I persoanlly use the Century 400 and don't have a complaint with it. It holds plenty of water and the suction is all I need because I am not doing too many soccer mom type cars.
Also I run a steamer so if I need heat to break down and emulsify some crud I'll use that first. Works great and the adavantage of a steamer is that I can use it on a variety of surfaces.
The BONUS of having an extractor over a wet/dry vac is in the PSI. After you spray your cleaner, agitate and begin to lift and emulsify the grime it doesn't do much good if you can't get all that crud and cleaner back out of the carpet. This is where the extractors PSI delivery comes in. It injects or forces clean rinse water deep into the fibers, releases the grime and then it gets extracted out right away.
It's also best to have a clear nozzle, over a stainless steel one, because you can then see when you are exracting clear water. Save some of your extracted water, place it in a clear glass jar with a lid and show it to your clients to convince them they should get their carpets deep cleaned :xyxthumbs
Hope that helps,
Anthony