Q: I need a good spotting kit but there are so many on the market I don't know where to start. What do you recommend?

— Jackson, Mobile, AL

A: You are right; there are a lot of good spotting kits on the market. Figuring out which is best can be quite a challenge.

The main thing is to find one that is best for you. A spotting kit that is best for commercial use will be different from residential use, due to the different substances you will be cleaning from the carpet. You will go through a lot more tannin stain remover if you do commercial cleaning compared to residential, and you will go through a lot more reducing agent with residential than you will with commercial.

Many cleaners choose a spotting kit that has the best selection of spotting solutions, and then they add to it if they find they need additional products.

So try that: Pick out a spotting kit that has most of what you need and then purchase additional specialty products you think you may need on the truck.

Q: I do a lot of work on move-out rentals, and yellow stains are everywhere; looks like urine stains. I use a strong alkaline preconditioner and hot water rinse. Nothing seems to work that well. Any suggestions?

— Terry, Baltimore, MD

A: Many cleaners attack every job the traditional way: Alkaline preconditioner and hot water rinse, sometimes using an acid rinse.

And that could be your problem. Remember that urine will change from an acid to an alkaline in a process that could take just a few short days, and using neutral to alkaline chemistry will limit your results.

What you want to do is prespray with a urine preconditioner (an acid) and rinse with an acid rinse.

That way, you counteract the contamination properly, by using pH balancing.

Of course, you may still need to do some spot and stain removal. To do this, you may decide to use a strong liquid or powdered oxidizer, which often removes any remaining urine-based spots or stains.

Q: I was thinking of reworking my website and giving up my Yellow Page ad. Is this a smart idea?

— Lee, Oak Park, IL

A: It could be. Most cleaners are seeing limited results from their Yellow Page ads and are changing their marketing strategy accordingly.

The main thing is to track what drives customers to your business. Track the return on investment.

If you find that you are receiving a decent return on your Yellow Page ad, then stick with it. But if not, spend some of that money elsewhere. It may be important to keep somewhat of a presence in the Yellow Pages for those occasional customers that are "off-line".

Nearly all carpet cleaning business owners are finding most of their new customer leads (those besides referrals) are coming from Internet searches.

So spend your money and time where you find the best results. That's what really counts.

Have a question for us? Ask at Cleanfax.com/experts or jcross@ntpmedia.com.