[suffolkclean]

I know a lot of you on here don't agree with them - my husband is having back problems & thought one may help make the job slightly easier on his back
We have a Prochem Steampro - do prochem do them ? Is there a make better than others? How long do they usually last?
Sorry so many questions I've only learned about them on here so don't know much about them.
Thank you all
Barbara

[Joe H]

Yes - glides do help. They made of a substance so it does what it says - glide.
Some say there is not as much suction, others disagree and say no noticeable difference.
What is certain is if the wand is not being used because the operator has back problems then there is definitely no suction - fact.

They cost about £120 inc vat for a good one.
There are cheaper glides but not as good or as long life.

Life will be affected by what you do with it.
The edges of the glide tend to wear more then the middle section and thats because of carpet grippers etc.

They will be available for a Prochem, if not sell the wand and buy one that a glide does fit - they are that beneficial.

Its ok for the younger ones to say glides are for girls (sorry to use your quote Derek) but they will feel the pain in later carpet cleaning years.  There are a number of us oldies who are still managing very well and a lot to do with that, but not all, is because of using a glide.

[derek west]

its okay joe, ive ditched that old saying, there called gayblades now

allthough i do have a confession to make.

derek

[daysdeepclean]

Gayblades

[benny d]

I had to have a back operation last Mar ch 2008.
It was extreme sciatica pain. I could hardly walk for longer than 10 minutes without being, for me in agony and have to stop for 5 mins to let the pain subside.
Obviously I had to work though this, using the un glided wand. we do use a TM with sooooo much suction, it was pulling at the bottom of by back with extreme force.
I honestly thought I coulndt do this carpet cleaning anymore, just as things were going really well.

BUT, a few weeks after I could work again, I bought a Green Glide from Hydramaster I believe. It was £ 126-00. Possibly the best £ 126-00 I have ever spent as it has allowed me to continue working with (touch wood), no problems at all.

It still has massive suction, but its airflow that does the vcleaning, not the amaount of suction.
In short I cant live without it.

If it saves your back, and you can continue to work, the abouve amount of money is a drop in the ocean.
GET ONE!

[suffolkclean]

Thanks for all your positive advice - Derek are you saying you got one!

[chrisjohn]

I bought mine from Cleansmart,I think they are about £120.Good thing to have, but with the bottom of the wand not in direct contact with the Carpet,you do loose a bit a suction power.Still worth it though!!

[derek west]

barbara, yes ive got a gayblade.

but in my defence i only use it on low profile sealed backed carpets, mainly commercial. they actually leave these types of carpets dryer than without.

normal carpets, you can draw air through the backing which creates the suction you need to recover the water,
low profile sealed backed carpets have no airflow, the gayblade draws air from the sides which works well in getting these types as dry as possible.
well thats my excuse anyhoo.

joe's gonna give it me big style now innie.

derek

[Joe H]

You make a good politician Derek.

Do a massive U turn and then try to waffle out of it.  :

[derek west]

 

think you let me off lightly there joe

derek

[Joe H]

At least you now have a good reason for using the glide.

before you didnt have a good reason for not using it.

[Jim_77]

I'm gonna get all boring and technical here for a minute.  Those with low attention spans go make a cuppa

Just picking up on the point of "less suction" that some people refer to, I think it's funny how nearly all of us use extraction systems, but how many actually understand the physics of what's going on at the end of the wand

When using a glide (on most carpets) it feels like there's "less suction" because the glide is stopping lock-down - the thing that gives the ILLUSION of "good suction".  When you've got lock-down you're not achieving much, simple as that.

No matter whether you're using a 3 wand-capable truckmount or a twin-vac portable, a glide helps it work more efficiently by maintaining the air flow.

More air flow = more moisture removal = cleaner carpet = shorter drying time.

Another common myth is that glides somehow "increase" airflow.  You can't get 500cfm out of a 400cfm blower, that's stupid, but what you can do with a glide is make the system work much closer to its potential maximum.  After an hour of cleaning with a glide, you've moved much more air through your system than suffering lock-down without a glide, so it stands to reason that you'll have removed more from the carpet.

When you first use a glide it feels VERY weird because there's so little resistance you think something's wrong.  But then after you've cleaned a few carpets and noticed they all end up spankingly clean, dry in record time and your back doesn't hurt any more.... suddenly it all makes sense

[Jim_77]

p.s. barbara you need to know the make/model of your wand so you can fit the correct glide to it.

If it's a cheapie, kill 2 birds with one stone and buy a better quality wand and glide to match, the rewards are a million times the cost

For reference look at http://morecfm.com/store/ but you can get them over here without buying direct from the US.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Jim

I just had my greenglide delivered - do you really have to boil it for 10 minutes to get it on and then seal it both sides ?


Steve

[Jim_77]

I'd try it without first, might save a lot of bother!  I wouldn't say boil it immediately, immerse in hot water for a couple of minutes maybe and try a little silicone grease if you have some to help it slip on.  Increase temp if struggling.

My last glide wasn't exactly the right one for the wand so I had to trim it a little bit and then fixed it on permanently with gripfix

I had it completely airtight for use with my portable setup but not sure about sealing the ends with a TM, might be best to leave it and test.  Gaffa tape should do short-term so you can try with/without the ends sealed to see which way's best.

[colin thomas]

this time of year try leaving it on a radiator for an hour    , i would still seal it all around even with a truck-mount, i just use clear bath silicon, works for me!!!

colin

[Tony Gill Carpet Smart]

Get some GOOP thats what greenglide'S tell you is the best think HM stock it now.
www.amazinggoop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF-ymRJok_A
CHEERS TONY

[colin thomas]

tony, yes, that's a good product if you're flush with cash!!

[elliott cleaning]

Jims above post is pretty much on the button.  But airflow alone does not make the difference.  You need a combination of airflow & lift to produce drier carpets.

Check this out for some night-time reading
www.hydramaster.com/inside/articles/article2.asp - 22k

[Simon@arenaclean]

Jim

I just had my greenglide delivered - do you really have to boil it for 10 minutes to get it on and then seal it both sides ?


Steve

I've just got a Westpac and glide, £250 + vat Cleansmart, boiled it for 10 mins in a roasting tin on the hob. Positioned as suggested on the rear lip at an angle. Pushed hands down and forward and voila! Snaps into place & fits perfect. BTW one should use tongs to remove from water Oh.... and a towel to fit. I didn't seal it fit was that good.

Jim's right it does feel odd to start with, but with use you become accustomed and after only a few jobs I would not be without it. Bravado stops at 40

Simon