|
Why use a pre-conditioner?
By Donald Beasley
Pre-conditioners or Traffic
Lane cleaners are widely recognized as
being an important part of any cleaner's arsenal, especially in
situations with kids and teenagers running amuck.
As you meander down the aisles of our showroom, you will notice a large
amount of space dedicated to pre-conditioners which are more widely
used than any other specialized product.
These products are applied and allowed to dwell prior to the technician
performing the actual cleaning process. They will normally contain a
couple of different chemical types, at least one of which is designed
to dissolve the greasy, sticky films which bind the soil to the carpet
fiber and prevent the removal of many soils through vacuuming. These
emulsifiers, also known as detergents, may have their effectiveness
boosted by a solvent, which may be a natural material such as
d-limonene or a petroleum byproduct such as glycol ethers or
"butyl" agents. These pretreatments work during the
dwell-time portion of the process to chemically liquefy the films that
bind the soils, surrounding and suspending particle soils so they can
be removed during the rinse or extraction phase of the cleaning
process.
Since detergents don't work instantly, optimal dwell time is 15 to 20
minutes for hot water extraction. When used with very low-moisture
systems, less dwell time may me needed due to the comparatively high
amount of agitation found in systems employing encapsulation, absorbent
bonnet pad, dry compounds such as HOST, foam and cylindrical brush and
our plain old ordinary rotary brush.
Have you decided to cut corners and purchase that low-priced cleaner
from some major warehouse store? You might want to re-think that
strategy.
Chemicals and chemical selection can lead to major problems.
Pre-conditioners should be selected based on factors such as pH
(generally less than 10 at use dilution), free rinse ability and the
nature of any remaining residue. The ideal pre-conditioner will rinse
easily and leave a non-villainous residue that won't contribute to
re-soiling conditions and not on price. Quality equals performance.
Simply put, if you're paying for a quality product, you expect the
performance to be there. It's a predictable, if not infallible,
equation.
Applied correctly, pre-conditioners help in the removal of heavy
soiling, minimizing the grueling effort that otherwise would be
necessary to get the carpet cleaned. But, remember, pre-conditioners
are NOT allowed to dry. Once they dry it will require twice the energy
to clean the carpet!
Finally, to achieve maximum effectiveness with any of the products you
use, it is best to follow the label directions relative to dilution and
applications rates. Over-use or under-use of any of our cleaning
products may compromise the results of the application. Spending $2 on
that measuring cup may be the best and most profitable move you'll ever
make.
|
