[Paul Redden Countryfresh]

thx Paul

[peter maybury]

no hang up about using anything in particular, just the best for the situation. I am jusy offering advice from 20 years of experince and training.
I Have never been on a course where I have been told there is anything better, than acetone.
Chemist have spent time formulating nail varnish to be broken up specifically with acetone, so it seems pretty pointless to me to look for an alternative. Only motive of post was to educate others.
Peter
[url]www.carpetcleanercardiff.com]
Peter
http://www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Why would you want to use a solvent which is less effective than another one.

It is worth carrying acetone, isopropanol, white spirit, Chemspec pog, toluene, meths and then you can work out which works better and then you have added knowledge.

I remember an old lecturer of mine being a big advocate of solubility parameters, something that doesn't seem to come up much now.
Essentially it is a way of predicting which solvent will work best on which substance.

Blends can only ever be a compromise, single malt sir!

Cheers

Doug

[Simon Gerrard]

Why not  buy proprietary products that are made by suppliers to do the job AND have been tested to be safe for both the tech and the carpet, rather than driving about with a van full of raw chemicals, which is probably illegal anyway.
I try as hard as anyone to get stains out of carpets, but it is always by using proprietary products designed to remove that particular stain - if it comes out fine - if not - tough. Usually it is improved but only a fool would guarantee any stain 100% removed. If you use proprietary products and apply them in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer then you have a fallback, but if you apply one of Doug's remedies you are out on a limb and if you apply a raw chemical and it goes wrong, you've bought the carpet, hardly worth it for something you didn't even put there in the first place.

Simon

[Doug Holloway]

Simon

It's really not that complicated if you take a little time to understand it.

We are only talking about applying solvents, not constructing a viable nucleur bomb!

In any case proprietary products will have a 'test on an inconspicuos place' disclaimer so you are on your own whichever way.

Cheers

Doug

[Simon Gerrard]

Douglas,
You're just showboating - again.
You know as well as I do that the vast majority of stains come out during the pre-spray / cleaning process and those that don't are easily dealt with by proprietary products. So why are you recommending people carry raw chemicals which are unknown quantities in certain applications and their success is based on trial an error, which give the diversity of skills on here teeters on the edge of being irresponsible?

Simon

[peter maybury]

I have over the years built up a reputation for stain removal and will always go for the one that is most effective.
Why even bother with something that is no where near as effective as something else?
Once you have attempted removal with a product that does nt work you already have the fibres saturated which will make removal more dificult even with the right product. As explained in the earlier post chemists have formulated nail varnish to break down specifacally with acetone, the work in deciding what is best to use has already been done. Why waste time looking for alternatives?
When products are brought to a market place they have to be formulated with a solution for their removal and for cleaning vessels and equipment used in that line of work it is common sense to use the product that, the product has been formulated for in the first place.
isopropanol for inks, celllose thinners for the majority of paints and acetone for nail varnish to name but a few.
To ignore the research and formulating that has been done in laboritry conditions seems to me be a little senseless.



Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com  

[Doug Holloway]

Hi guys

As Peter says, it really is a no brainer to use the best solvent for the job and it is the easiest of the stain removal techniques to learn, certainly a lot easier than bleaching.

Knowledge is the key, combined with pratical experience.

Carpet cleaners are often looking to stand out from the crowd and being a stain removal expert is certainly a good way.

Cheers

Doug

[Peter Sweeney]

I agree, it's only a small box to step outside of 

[Simon Gerrard]

You guy's must live in a parallel universe to me because I can't remember the last time I had a problem with a stain that would require an 'expert,' to deal with it.
I think in this case the term 'Expert' is a title awarded to ourselves and not necessarily by our customers.

Simon

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

It really does depend on how good you want to be at the more technical apects of CC.

Many are happy to spray and suck and what is left is' tough' as Simon has said.

'I try as hard as anyone to get stains out of carpets, but it is always by using proprietary products designed to remove that particular stain - if it comes out fine - if not - tough. '

Others are keen to try to remove every stain and take a permanent one almost personally.

From my perspective it's one of  the more interesting parts of the job and something I enjoy although I don't know if it makes me any more money!

Cheers

Doug

[Simon Gerrard]

Agree it is very frustrating when a stain doesn't come out, especially when it is a prominent position. Most of the time this is down to the customer not knowing what it is, or as a result of them tampering with it which is a real game changer when it comes to removing them.

We never suggest we can remove 100% of stains  and only undertake to do what we can with all the best stain removal agents available. This, I believe blunts the expectation that all stains will be gone and thereby heads off any disappointment that comes from over-promising.

Simon