Carpet Care: Improving Security And Increasing Productivity With One Machine

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Many things have changed in the American way of life since 9/11. All across the United States, facility security is a significant consideration. It affects not only government offices and schools but also many businesses in public and private sectors. Building service managers in the Minneapolis area routinely address this concern. Timothy O’Neil of Facilicare says that for some of his clients, security is a massive issue:

“Some buildings have an alarm system that will not allow a door to stay open more than 30 seconds after 5 o’clock. They don’t want to shut down those alarms.”

Scenarios like this limit the use of hot water extraction, especially with 300-foot hoses running back out to the truck. If he could not offer a security-conscious solution, O’Neil would not even get an opportunity to bid. What does he offer these clients?

“Whittaker. The LOMAC® has so many benefits wrapped up in one system, it is answering questions before people have a chance to ask them.”

Besides appreciating quiet machines that allow work during business hours, O’Neil likes the production numbers, which are generally two times higher than other methods, sometimes even up to 80 percent faster.

“Compared to a hot water extraction that can do 1200-1300 square feet per hour, a single operator using a LOMAC® can do probably 2500-2700 square feet an hour, even more in open spaces,” he says

O’Neil theorizes that hot water extraction users would have to skip steps to get high production numbers like that.

“If they don’t pre-vacuum and inject water, then it would turn to mud.” Even if the suction power of a truck- mount could be sufficient, he believes his customers deserve carpet care the way it should be done.

While there may be situations, such as flooding, where he uses Whittaker’s system in combination with another method, O’Neil leads with Whittaker as the solution for 90 percent of his business. Some of the advantages he experiences using Whittaker products include:
∑ Almost non-existent facility down time
∑ Dependable results
∑ Remarkably inexpensive to run
∑ No risk of over-wetting or carpet shrinkage
∑ No mold or indoor air quality issues
∑ Easy training
∑ Color coding that ensures proper use
∑ As easy to use as a vacuum cleaner and just as fast

When O’Neil presents a holistic plan to prospective clients, he educates them about interim maintenance. He stresses how a proactive approach with scheduled minimum frequencies maintains appearance levels and lengthens the time between intrusive extraction methods. He wants them to understand how easily they can protect their capital investment to make it a better overall value and extend the carpet life cycle substantially.

“You can go down the list of Fortune 1000 companies with roughly the same amount of space, all sorts of companies. They spend $1.5 million on carpet a year nationally. If they don’t have a proper maintenance program in place, they get maybe 7 years out of it; if maintained properly they get 15 years out of it.”

The plan O’Neil will implement is Whittaker’s SmartCare® Carpet System, which maintains appearance levels and extends carpet life cycles, achieving significant cost savings. Low-moisture soil encapsulation is as easy as vacuuming. For clients who have strong environmental policies, he uses Whittaker’s Green Seal certified Crystal Dry® Extra as an added “green component” to go along with Whittaker’s environmentally-friendly process, an option he says he cannot be without.

O’Neil explains why his profit margins stay high using Whittaker’s SmartCare® Carpet System.

“I have spent zero dollars on any type of equipment failure or breakdown issues in 2 plus years,” he says. “Conversely, if you were to ask about truck mount extraction systems that require $70 per hour mechanics, it is not atypical to spend more than $1,000 a year on routine maintenance on that system.”

He credits the LOMAC® with solid engineering. “It’s a machine that never quits.”

He notes how effectively Whittaker’s low-moisture encapsulation process tackles wick-back, even when end users do not know the cause of the stain, how it got there, or what it has already been treated with. “What I notice most is that Whittaker’s system uses so much less moisture, wick-back stains are not really a problem.”

This busy contractor has no doubts.

“To put it bluntly — I think it’s a no-brainer. For an end user who is interested in extending the life and appearance of their carpet and their investment, Whittaker’s SmartCare® Carpet System is without a doubt the easiest system to learn how to use. It is less expensive to purchase and maintain and is more profitable. Whittaker is a very, very clear choice.”

By Maryjo Faith Morgan