Beth n Rod

Don't forget to vote folks... Beth

How do you feel about the new organization, United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners, forming? Will you join? Will you seek information? Will this be good for the industry?

I agree. Personally, I believe 2006 is going to be a very dynamic year, with many positive changes. Should be a very interesting winter! Beth

This is a big part of what we all are up against. I find that looking at things from a customers perspective helps me to approach them in a way they are looking for. I have been a customer of other specialize contractors such as plumbers and HVAC companies. How do you affect a postive perception in your customers? (besides vehicles, clothes and equipment) Rod~

Correct. Ethylene glycol itself is an ingredient in antifreeze. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate aka butoxyethanol acetate is found in most degreasers. I think the latter is what was being referred to. Rod~

We have used it on occasion when doing post construction cleanup. It is ok for a degreaser. We have turned toward a product that sunbrite sells called power house. We buy it in a 55/gal kit. Its a heavy duty degreaser that fills our need for a cleaner/degreaser/stripper/emulsifier and tool soak. Rod~

I only have them repaired when a blowout occurs within 10-15 feet of the end. I take them to a repair shop where they refit them with hydraulic fittings and a swivel. If my hose blows more than once, in the trash it goes and I buy a new one. I cant see having the problems associated with a worn out hose on a clients property where even more damage can come about as a result of a blow out. Responsibility for care and maintenance of equipment before bringing any of it to a job is one that the client trusts us to do. Otherwise, if damage does occur, we are liable for negligence. Rod~

There is a threshold for many chemicals that varies according to composition. Mixing them in warm water before application helps. Rod~

JMBrowne, I can understand your investment and belief in your product but your defensiveness to a person who is providing feedback based upon what was their experience is disturbing from a consumers standpoint. I personally have reread this thread numerous times and have come to the conclusion that you feel quite strongly about your product and are perhaps being publicly detrimental to it in your reply. If I were in your place, taking the opportunity here to learn from this feedback and perhaps make some changes to avoid this kind of feedback in the future would be a better use of my time. I would think you surely could appreciate the information and use it constructively. Understand this; No one has attacked you personally. A fair review was given according to the accounts of a poster in this thread and they are quite open to express their views and opinions based upon what they feel is or is not right for them. All is being conducted professionally and with respect to the fact that there is limited information on one side and you should respect that that information was enough for that person to make a choice for their business. Just a little advice, public chastising of anyone who has an opinion whether pro or con about your product does not look good to those who would have otherwise considered looking into it for themselves...dont shoot yourself in the foot over one persons choice to not use your product...as you said...it is not for everyone and you have a select group of people you are looking to market to. I will of course edit my post to conform to any positive changes you would wish to make to yours. Good luck to you in your business endeavors. Rod~

There is also a spray on water repellent you can use but the problem is you will need to reapply after exposure to any chemicals. These I have found are sold in shops for hunters and fisherman. I bought a set of PVC boots and added a set of Dr. Shoals cushion insoles to them to give added arch support and they help tremendously. @ $18.00 a pair they are expensive but with the syndromes imposed by falling arches and Plantar Fasciitis that can put you out of work for days is worth the cost of prevention. Just a thought... Rod~

A recent response to this thread that was off topic, has been moved to here: http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5239 This thread's topic is: Started a new company 6 months ago now I have some ?s for the real professionals! Please review the forum rules before responding to this post. Thank you.:lgangel: Beth

Jim, There were a bunch of new posts that were deleted. You might not see them, but they were there. Beth

Please read before posting here - Product review forum http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=69 We're pleased to announce a new forum here on TGS, designed for our manufacturer's and distributors to speak about their products specifically. Users with questions about a specific product should ask here if they would like to hear specifically from the vendor. Only the vendor who is addressed should respond. Anyone who wishes to give a testimonial about a product should do it here, and post any photos they wish to use to demonstrate their opinion. Users should be respectful of the manufactuer's, distributors, and users who are corresponding in the thread. Please do not hijack threads. If users wish to debate two or more products, they may do so in the main forums. Beth & Rod

I dont think you have read the topic in which bleach use it queried... Many Wood Restoration companies are adverse to its use and others use it quite to the contrary. Your response sounds like one referring to indoor situations...am I correct? Rod~

As a general reminder, all users and BBS staff are expected to refrain from: bashing flaming personal attacks using profanity taking pot shots and jabs or little inuendos. :lgangry:Any of the above behavior will not be tolerated and may result in a loss of forum priviledges. Thank you for your professional participation. Beth & Rod Administrators

Mathew, The announcement thread has an update from Michael Hinderliter. Don't know if you saw it, it does offer a little more vision than the press release. Enjoy. Beth

JMBrowne, Please edit your post. Keep it clean and professional w/o any derogatory remarks. Rod~

Michael, Thank you so much for checking in here. On behalf of TGS, welcome back. Many folks are very excited about this news. Between phone calls, email, private messages and so forth the last few days have been quite active. Please feel free to keep us all updated here as the org is ready to announce new things. Congratulations on your new venture! Beth

3:1 (water:bleach) 4:1 will work well to if the job calls for less. Rod~

www.f5hosting.com Tell them Beth from The Grime Scene sent you.... Beth

To me the article was a bit of chest thumping but it is nothing new compared to everything else I have seen, heard or experienced in my years in this industry. There are those who are like in the Harry Potter story books...that discriminate pure bloods from mudbloods if this is any example, it boils down to the us -vs- them attitude which is wholly unproductive and arrives at drawing a line creating sides and thus the imminence of battle ensues. Personally I think it is time for people to stop taking sides and look at it in a different way. It is supposed to be the effort of these organizations to make everything cohesive, coming together into a group of like-minded business owners who can benefit omni-laterally from the association. Not becoming separated into peer groups and rebel rouser's. As adults, I would think we could learn from the issues of the past and take the care not to repeat the mistakes. I am not a fan of who is -vs- who isn't whatever practices. It is only destructive and inconsiderate. We cannot know all the ends and the philosophy of perceptions (instant judgment) is a political maneuver taken by those who fear loss. We have all faced loss in our business ventures and still we move on doing our best. Some of us learning while others have yet to gain the understanding. Either way, we are all in business and pointing out legit, reputable, legal, et al only keeps us from being a unified industry. I suggest we approach relations with an open mind, less judgment and more willingness to be friends first. Rod~

Scott, I don't see anything wrong with the article. (December issue) I see nothing demeaning. To me it read as "don't try this at home" followed by where a consumer might look for contractors to do the work the article just talked them out of doing. My sense is, you might that this article withyou to help close a sale or leave copies with your bid... perhaps it makes a good tool. Beth

If you are having any problem with the tip clogging, use a paint screen to pour through. This filters out the larger nozzle clogging debris that causes the porblems. It is a extra step but it saves down time to repeatedly clean a clogged tip and potentially a clogged lance too. We use the Wolman pump ups and clean them after each use with a heavy duty degreaser to keep them in good working order. I only throw them away when the bottom billows out under pressure making the bottle more of a weeble that wobbles and falls down. :-) These sprayers typically cost aroung 25-30 bucks and are part of the seal equipment in the event one of the airless sprayers has a problem. Merely a backup tool but there are some jobs that are just too small to break out the airless unit for. Rod~

Scott, The article appeared in the "PWNA Today" section of Cleaner TImes. This section is set aside for PWNA by Cleaner Times, and has been for years. Just wanted to point that out in case you were not aware of it. They also have an area for CETA to post articles. Beth

Did you get him back? Beth