Multi Method and Situational Cleaning

[jeffexe]

It is amazing what Solutions and Equipment we have in 2026 vs 1987 when I first started cleaning carpets. I started with Straight hot water extraction for everything. High pH and lots of manual scrubbing. Along the way I was offered a 22 story High rise. I almost walked away from it, but instead, got insight from industry professional, JP. He sold me my first Cimex and Encapuclean. Had no clue how to use it effectively. First, I used it for pre scrubbing all commercial job. Then I realized how well it did as a stand alone machine for encapsulation. After years of testing and learning, I became quite proficient with it and found how much money I was leaving behind passing on jobs like the 22 story High rises. Then along came the CRB and deep agitation action. I found I could use it alone or in conjunction with the cimex or HWE. I never got into the rotatary machines, but the Orbot was another serious game changer. It could pad clean or bonnet clean with little distortion of fiber. Not as aggressive as the cimex, but very versitile. It can scrub almost as well as the cimex and can use bonnets to clean or post bonnet carpets. Other great tools are the battery sprayer, Green Glides, Hoser and wands with better air flow.
I feel our indstry has advanced greatly in the last 30 years. Better options, better solutions, better machines. I am glad I embraced the new technology and grew my business to incorporate many of these options. I feel it has allowed me to privide my customers the most thorough and professional cleaning experience available.

I would like to hear other positive stories of Cleaners who have embraced the multi Method Ideology. Pictures of everyones full arsenel would be great to see too.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

You know my story. I learned about the Cimex here on this board. I'm a Cimex fan like I'm a Jesus fan, maybe not quite that much. Been cleaning my schools with the Cimex and every tool out there almost. Not quite.

 

[Bryce C]

I haven't seen the industry evolve, but starting my operation on a shoe string budget and slowly upgrading has given me the opportunity to see the difference of cleaning with inferior vs superior equipment.

Going from a portable in a trailer to a truckmount in a van has been a huge game changer for me, the difference is legendary. I bought a Cimex and used it to clean 7000 square feet of carpeted hallways in a skyrise building in a metro area earlier this year, and completely understand it having it's place as a comprehensive and multi-faceted cleaning business. I should use it more often, but need to make some custom ramps for my van, and should get on that soon...

I went from a 2 gallon pump up sprayer to a 2 gallon battery powered multi-sprayer and wow that made a big difference. I didn't realize how much I hated pumping! Woody was right about that. It is bulkier than an injection sprayer, and you need to refill it more often, but I do like that it never fails and I can operate it with the truckmount turned off, and a helper can get ahead of me spraying rooms while I am extracting. I may just stick with my battery powered multisprayer for those reasons. But I always keep a couple large and small pump up sprayers on the truck for various reasons.

Recently I switched to using more benign detergents, Procyon Extreme and Plus are working very well for us in residential. Next I just need to figure out the most gentle benign stuff I can utilize in trashed commercial and still get great results. A good challenge that is right up my alley.

Next equipment upgrade for me is probably a Zipper, and I already pre-ordered a JubiLee. I look forward to seeing how those up my game and make my experience of cleaning more enjoyable!

 

[Kenny Hayes]

You upped your game with the Cimex on commercial. A zipper is ok. You can get chems from Excellent Supply and you won't go wrong.

 

[Mike Pailliotet]

Great post… and I think a lot of us who’ve been around a while can relate to that evolution.
From “one method for everything”… to realizing the work actually gets easier—and better—when you stop forcing a system onto every job.
The Cimex, CRB, OP machines, better wands, glides… none of it replaced anything—they just gave us more ways to solve problems.
The he ability to step into a job and let the surface, soil, and situation dictate the approach, and be prepared to handle any reasonable situation is the true sign of professionalism.
That might mean VLM… it might mean HWE… it might mean a combination of both.
The method should never lead—the conditions should.
That’s where the real value is for the customer… and where this industry has quietly improved the most over the last 30 years.

 

[jeffexe]

Great post… and I think a lot of us who’ve been around a while can relate to that evolution.
From “one method for everything”… to realizing the work actually gets easier—and better—when you stop forcing a system onto every job.
The Cimex, CRB, OP machines, better wands, glides… none of it replaced anything—they just gave us more ways to solve problems.
The he ability to step into a job and let the surface, soil, and situation dictate the approach, and be prepared to handle any reasonable situation is the true sign of professionalism.
That might mean VLM… it might mean HWE… it might mean a combination of both.
The method should never lead—the conditions should.
That’s where the real value is for the customer… and where this industry has quietly improved the most over the last 30 years.

I found the more options I had, the more I truly started to enjoy carpet cleanng.