Does A Carpet Cleaning Business Need A Truckmount? 

500 psi is plenty. I use 300-350 on a butler. The truth is to do a good job,as I always tell my helpers “it’s just repetition and giving a damn”

I have been in the cleaning business for many years. My thoughts.... Firstly it may depend on weather conditions. Ask your self... what is a truck mounted vacuum/pressure washer. Lets face it, say what it is. The longer/fatter your hoses are the more CFM needed. From what i see very few people will CRB. I have found the best combination is the orbot sprayborg and a very good extractor. For extraction i use a walk behind extractor that goes forward/backwards. The cost is similar to set up if you buy different machines.... lardge/small. The good news is there is no restriction on type of job. You will need a good size van. The key is chemistry...

I used to clean carpet with Ninja 500. And now sometime I still use it to clean some apartments with good result. The reason I use TM is people here pay for the equipment. They think TM clean much better than portable. But that's not 100% right. And if you do some water extraction portable would be more effective. After all I love my TM, but TM is not all.

I worked steam cleaning carpets for almost 5 years. The sad reality is that steam CLEANS really well, BUT steam also WARPS CARPETS. After 3 to 5 steam cleanings, carpets will start getting bumps and ripples. Then the customer will have to hire a carpet guy to come and restretch the carpet to get out the bumps and ripples. You do NOT need a truck mounted steam cleaner to effectively clean carpets. Hot tap water will work just fine for cleaning, and won't warp carpets.... 😉👌

Totally! As nice and powerful truckmounts are, I just cant afford the 20k + for a machine and its maintenance right now. So what Iv done is kinda like turning a portable into a truckmount! I use an Eclipse (4vac - 2heat model) mounted in my van. And I got the auto dump and fill kits piped into tanks, hose reels, etc. And Im powering it with a generator. This way I don’t have to drag the machine in and out of a customers house, at the same time it makes the job faster and there is no heavy or loud machines in the home, Just run my hoses and Im set!

Lol,I just purchased an older van with a cleanco unit in it. I first ran a truck mount in about 1985,then continued with it for a little while as it complimented the janitorial service well that I took over in 1986.Looking back though I should have promoted the carpet cleaning more,as it was a pretty decent money maker in terms of an hourly rate.Then I tried using rental portables to address the carpets of my clients and even ended up leasing a ninja when they were fairly new on the market. I had a second truck mount in my career at some point as well, but never developed it's potential either as I had a vac truck service I was focused on. I am located now in northern Alberta and am curious to apply everything I have experienced into making a go of carpet cleaning and vehicle detailing, if you keep an eye out, an individual can pick up a truck mount for well under 10g,to your listeners that are interested in this type of business, but perhaps have never done it, I would suggest taking a course from an accredited professional or at the least ,work for a reputable company and see if it's something you want to do before buying your own equipment, you might even end up buying your employer's company, lol. As for the debate over which unit is better, there are determining factors, with little experience, the portable may be better suited,it will probably target a certain sector of the available market, especially the harder to reach higher floors. For me the truckmount is much preferred, firstly, it gives me transportation as a vehicle, but a vehicle that can potentially earn me a living. Secondly, the volume of water and suction I can bring to rinse the carpet is well worth the extra hoses I need to handle and equipment that I need to maintain. Then there's the unbeatable versatility of being able to operate even if there is no electric available or perhaps detailing a vehicle in the middle of a parking lot or campsite. Pressure washing is another probable service that a truck mount can be tuned up to do. There may be more that I have missed, but another undeniable thing is the presence that is part of the truck mount experience that many customers have a lot of respect for, there's something about just the two clean hoses coming in the house,and all the dirt heading out to the street. Anyway, just a few thoughts to ponder. God bless and happy cleaning.

Thank u mr clean for the beyond helpful information

I use a Hydramaster PEX 500 portable 500psi pump and dual 3 stage vacs plus heat I generally set pressure at 175/200 psi More importantly I changed the jets out to 01 on all my wands I’ve done nasty CGD and greasy filthy restaurant carpets with this setup with AWESOME results The heat is key as is good chemistry and agitation - I use a NAMCO 5000 crb with amazing results Not a speedy process - lots of dry passes and fans down asap as I go along I use a multi step process that in the end has me at about 400/600 sq ft per hour complete If I just pre spray and extract I’m closer to 800/1000 sq ft per hr I charge a flat rate that generally works out to between $50/$75 per hour I leave clean and dry carpets for my clients This is not easy work but it is satisfying Thanks for showing portables in a positive and realistic light

First comment! I enjoyed the comparison and explanation. I noticed with the portable there is also a 500 PSI option for a little more money, but it is heavier. You mentioned more PSI is better for commercial commercial. So do you recommend getting the 200 PSI version and then later getting the 500 PSI version if you end up doing a lot of commercial jobs to get them done slightly faster?

I've had tm and went back to portable only. I have heaters but I still take the time and steps to make up for less than steaming hot water that tm has, and as you said more dry passes.

Hi, Thank you for this video! Really makes things easier to understand. Now, I run my own business of carpet cleaning. Just started actually. I currently have a Five Star F01TR for the carpets and tile and grout. Can you please share your opinion about this particular machine and if you have any suggestions or recommendations? Please I will appreciate it.

You can do a ETM set up with the vortex lite,it has auto fill and auto dump for about $3800

Hi What brand portable do you recommend ?

Two air hogs and a water otter and a generator for 1 air hog and the pump then plug other air hog in the house you can just run extension cords and keep everything in the van. Then you have 400cfm and if you hook to a sink you have hot water. Eventually you can get a propane heater. But that set up is better than most truckmounts. You can really just run one airhog for short runs.

Great video imo ! .. but many are turning to tiles.. so enough psi to run a spinner or a wand is maybe worth contemplating

Well my friend back surgery is expensive.

im confused are the portables carpet cleaners call vacums, steamers or extractors cause im leasining in other videos to all of this names

Can you attach the Zipper to a portable machine?

How can I contact you ??!

A rage truckmount is worse than a Ninja.

Use VLM or a truckmount. Using a portable on every job is a joke lol

No! Just find a good portable.