If you are planning to go after large-scale commercial accounts using hot water extraction as a stand-alone method, you will likely encounter many frustrations.

Can you use a truckmount in large buildings? It may be difficult to run long hoses from the parking lot through corridors all the way to the cleaning area. And it may not be feasible to leave doors open during the cleaning.

If you are planning to clean larger buildings with hot water extraction, you will likely need to use portable extractors.

Due to the nature of olefin commercial glue down carpet's propensity to create wicking problems, you may end up spending the majority of your time dealing with customer complaints related to wicking and recurring spill stains.

The “morning after” call is all too common when commercial carpet is cleaned with hot water extraction. The carpet may look great when it's initially cleaned, but the soil that's deeper under the tuft bundles can emerge as soil that has “wicked” up during the drying process.

It's a source of frustration for many cleaners who have endeavored to expand into the commercial market.

By comparison, low moisture methods render clean looking carpet with little chance of wicking and recurring spill stains. Good encapsulation chemistry can effectively put an end to wicking and recurring spill stains. And low moisture methods can often be achieved at higher production rates, with consistent results, so higher profits can be achieved.

Encapsulation goes with commercial carpet, like jelly goes with peanut butter. Encapsulation and commercial fit together perfectly. For commercial carpet maintenance, encapsulation cleaning is becoming an industry staple.

Let's consider five reasons to use encapsulation cleaning for commercial carpet.

Reason 1: Profitability

Production is a significant issue in the world of commercial carpet care. Today's commercial carpet cleaner is often forced to bid work at lower rates than just a few years ago.

Economic constraints are making it harder to bid commercial work at the rates we'd all like to achieve. Low moisture methods such as encapsulation cleaning can make it possible to work faster and make a higher profit in today's tight commercial market.

And at the end of the day, maintaining profitability is what a business must do to survive.

A common way to perform encapsulation cleaning is with an efficient three-headed scrubbing machine. These machines have become popular because they produce safe and consistent agitation to the carpet fiber. A good encapsulation system using an efficient scrubbing machine can regularly achieve cleaning rates of 2,000 to 3,000 square feet per hour. This changes the economics of cleaning.

If you charged a moderately low rate of 10 cents per square foot for commercial carpet care, cleaning at an average speed of 2,500 square feet per hour, you would generate $250 per hour. If you were to clean at that rate for just 10 hours each week, you would generate $130,000 per year. And if you ran this scenario for 40 hours each week, you would add over $500,000 of revenue to your company. Not bad!

Reason 2: Problem solving

A common concern with commercial carpet is that they often “ugly out” long before they wear out. Traffic lanes become dingy and dull.

Wicking, high-traffic, insufficient vacuuming and a host of other issues can exacerbate the lack luster appearance in a commercial setting. Business owners become frustrated with recurring spills and unappealing appearance levels that make them want to rip up the carpet.

A good encapsulation cleaning program can ease their pain by providing carpets that look brighter and cleaner on a consistent basis.

Reason 3: Cleaning performance

Where the rubber meets the road, it's all about performance. We can talk numbers and such all day long, but if we can't see results, it all amounts to a lot of nothing.

This is where a good encapsulation cleaning program shines.

Cleaners around the world are seeing that encapsulation cleaning can successfully address their commercial cleaning needs. Carpet is cleaning up faster, going from drab to bright. And they're finding that well-maintained carpet is now easier to keep clean on an ongoing basis.

Reason 4: The environment

With hot water extraction, a large quantity of clean water is consumed and discharged into the sewage treatment plant. By comparison, encapsulation cleaning uses a more modest quantity of water.

A diluted gallon of encapsulation detergent can clean an average of 300 square feet of carpet. And there is no waste water produced.

The encapsulated soil is vacuumed from the carpet and gets disposed of as dry soil. With encapsulation cleaning, the building's electricity is being used rather than burning a truckmount's fuel. And, many encapsulation cleaning products contain safe ingredients that impart a minimal impact on the environment.

Reason 5: Building owner satisfaction

Encapsulation can also provide a win for the building owner. They can now afford sufficient cleaning intervals to keep their building's carpet looking cleaner on a day-in, day-out basis.

Added to that, they won't experience recurring spill stains, they can have their buildings put back into service faster after the carpet has been cleaned, and they will enjoy carpet that stays clean longer due to the soil-resistant properties of a good encapsulation detergent.

Rick Gelinas is the president and owner of Excellent Supply and the Releasit line of encapsulation products. Gelinas' experience in the field of commercial carpet care began 29 years ago when he started his commercial cleaning business in the Tampa Bay, FL area. His experience in the industry has led him to pioneer new cleaning methods. He also served as a founding member of the Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning Association (LMCCA).