john

Pete and Tanya hard at work once again. We restore that old dingy carpet back to life!

give us a call 209-668-2727

Homepage – http://www.kleenkuip.com

Used Carpet Cleaning Equipment – http://www.kleenkuip.com/used_equipment/used_equipment.htm

Carpet Cleaning Discussion Forum – http://www.kleenkuip.com/forum

Carpet Cleaning Blog – http://kleenkuip.wordpress.com/

Like Us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/KleenKuip

Follow Us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/kleenkuip

Encapsulation Evolution
Encapsulation technology is not new; it has been around for a good 15 to 20 years. However, advances in the polymer field have enabled manufacturers to create a product that performs vastly better than its predecessors.

“It was mainly on the back burner because nobody really understood it,” says Gelinas. “The fact that polymer technology has changed pretty drastically has given us the ability to encapsulate better.”

Encapsulation evolved from carpet soaps that were notorious for causing resoiling of carpets, says Mark Warner, national sales manager for The Bullen Cos., Inc., and brand manager for Clausen Carpet Solutions, Folcroft, Pa.

There have been several modifications to the technology that have served as the basis for today’s encapsulator. Warner says these advancements include:

• The addition of a compound known as Ludox. This filled the grooves within fibers to prevent soiling. While that was an improvement, it caused other problems, such as interfering with the carpet’s ability to refract light, resulting in unattractive carpets.

• The development of detergent encapsulation that used butyl as an active solvent, in order to enhance the rinsability of the cleaning chemical. It was an improvement, but still led to resoiling.

• In the 1980s, chemists began addressing the resoiling problem by adding acrylic co-polymers — similar to those in floor finish. This allowed the solutions to dry to a crystalline material for easier vacuuming. It was a vast improvement over previous products, but it also led to problems such as residue, and the inability to remove product without using a stripper.

• About 10 years ago, fluorocarbon chemistry was introduced, which left a “Teflon-like” substance on the fiber which allowed dirt and soil to slide off of the fiber.

This “second generation” of encapsulation concerned the government because of the long-term health effects of fluorocarbons. It also attracted moisture from the atmosphere, which made the carpet feel slimy or greasy.

• Over the past couple of years, a “third generation” of encapsulation has emerged that uses entirely new solvents and surfactants that dry down into a powder on their own, without the need for other additives such as acrylic copolymer embrittlement agents.

Video courtesy of www.bonnetpro.com