want to start encapping upholstery....what should i buy?

[dafivefooter]

Hi guys! Im new to the forum but ive been using  HOST product(sponges) and machine(crb) along with Releasit DS with pretty good results. But now I get asked about cleaning upholstery alot. I hear u can use Releasit.....so i want to know everything (equipment) i need to get started. Im on a small budget but your advice  & process would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

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[Cleantech]

quite a few options out there 

personally i would say go with either

Gem-heavy duty orbital polisher
http://www.gem-industries.com/orbital.php
or
Cyclo polisher- with appropriate brushes
http://www.cyclotoolmakers.com/brushes.php
or ( if you plan to clean stairs as well get the cyclo through Hos with the extension handles)
http://hos-usa.com/products/orbot-micro.html

either of these 3 look much more professional than a standard  " car buffer"

 releaseit will work, that brand doesn't seem to be too popular on this board

If you watch ebay some of this stuff can be found cheap!

in a nut shell, basically hot you clean carpets, just minus the host.
if using the gem you " pad cap" the upholstery so the soil transfers onto the pads, what remains encaps and gets vacuumed out.
with the cyclo/hos you aggitate the chemical mainly and i like to follow up with a white towel. 

some of us have excellent results with low moisture cleaning upholstery and others dont seem to.
also depends on what type of fabric your cleaning.

and welcome to the board!!

[Big O]

I'd recommend a portable extractor for your upholstery.  You can still use an encap product  to pre-spray and brush clean with than use the porty to extract the dirt.  Get one with a high flow upholstery tool if you can so you don't need to worry about overwetting.

I have a Kwik Steam from Cross American http://cross-american.com and I use it for uph, stairs, and carpets.  It might be a bit much when your starting out, they have a smaller unit, The Mighty One that's a bit cheaper but would work well.  Eventually you'll need a porty for urine and other nasty things they have smaller units for half the price if you check the different distributors. 

[Bill Martins]

I agree with Scott(sorry Dustin)    ...that works too.

I started out with the horse hair brush, than the orbitals, than vapor steamer, than finally the porty with a good uph tool. 

[Mike M]

Many great suggestions above.

You can get started with a horsehair brush and some towels. This used to be called shampoo method but using today's encap products its encapsulation or using the towels its like padcapping. Apply the product of choice with a small hand sprayer and scrub. You can also just dip the brush in a bucket and apply that way if you want. Follow up with a towel which will remove moisture and soil.

You can change out the brush for a drill brush, cyclo or similar electric powered scrubber. You can still use a towel.

Sprayer can be upgraded to handheld pumpup or electric sprayer at some point.

You could upgrade to a Vonschrader upholstery machine which applies a foam, scrubs and sucks. You can still follow with a towel.

The above methods would be considered low moisture which is similar to what you're used to using for carpet.

Hot water extraction is popular but the equipment will cost more. Used will cost less. A small portable like the Cross American Quicksteam or Mitey One should do the trick. You can still scrub then follow up with hot water. You can still us a towel.

Notice the towel part? 

Follow with an application of protector if the customer is happy with the cleaning. This can be applied with a hand sprayer or electric.

Next you could add a fan to speed dry everything.

Products?...........There are numerous quality product lines available. Vacaway, CCS,  Fabpro, Releasit, Cross American are just a few great sources. We have links to most in our LINKS section. The tab is at the top of every page. 

Are there any distributors near you? They can be a great source of info when you're starting out too.

Another thing you will want to learn is fabric identification. If you stick with a neutral or acidic side (ph less than 7) you should be good to go with most upholstery. There are exceptions. That's why its good to know what you are dealing with.

By the way..........Welcome to the board! Looking forward to reading your posts. 

[dafivefooter]

wow...guys thanks for that much needed info....i think im gon get the horse hair brush, power brush or a orbital. I cant afford a spotter rite now. any recommendations on the power brush or orbital? Thanks again guys!

[Big O]

Mike, Do you still have one of those used spotters?

Might be just the right thing here.

[Cleantech]

He's all out, I asked yesterday

No worries bill, like I said we all have sucess with different methods

Excellent info to start with!

Regarding which orbitals refer back to the 2nd post:)

Any other recomended options you guys would add to that list?

[dafivefooter]

do i need a wt/dry vac...if so what kind.specs,hp,etc...thanks again!

[Mike M]

You do need something to vacuum with.

I've used a small Dirt Devil, Proteam 1500XP with a Turbo tool attachment or a portable/truckmount with turbo tool attachment for dry vacuuming.

Used the above tools to prevac then cleaned.

A beater bar type vac is good for upholstery work. Helps get the hair out. You don't need an ultra large vac to accomplish your task. Do you have an attachment for your carpet vacuum? The Proteam 1500XP has onboard tools. All you would need is a turbo tool . Its simply a small hand held beater bar that is driven by the suction from your vacuum.

[Bill Martins]

I use my proteam 15xp to pre vac uph too, my only problem with it is that the cord is way too small, wish it would be slightly longer so I could leave the vac on it's own instead of having to carry it every 3-4 feet. 

[dafivefooter]

i have a Sanitaire upright with no tools.....so i was thinking would one of those shop vacs work? If so what kind of HP would i need?

[Bill Martins]

All this info can be found using the search feature, we don't mind helping ya but just about every question can be answered, spend some time on the boards and you'll find that out.