Carpet Presprays
The prespray does the chemical work in a carpet clean, but it is only one of four things acting on the soil. Agitation, dwell time and water temperature carry the rest. Most of what is in a commercial carpet is dry particulate soil that will not dissolve in water or in solvent, so no prespray removes it on its own — it has to be loosened mechanically and then carried away by the extraction. A prespray chosen well and worked properly is the difference between a carpet that looks clean and one that stays clean.
The common failure is not a weak product. It is a strong product applied to the wrong fibre, or a correct product given no time to work before the wand goes down.
The range here covers concentrates, powders and ready-to-use liquids from Actichem, Bridgepoint, HydraMaster, Razorback, ReleasIt and Sampson — including Actichem Performance Plus, Performance Gold, Clean Force and PolyProp Plus, Bridgepoint Traffic Slam, Flex and Bio Break, HydraMaster SoilBreak, and the Razorback PowerShot and HotShot UHT presprays in sizes from 4 litres to 200.
How to choose a carpet prespray
Start with the fibre, not the soil. Fibre sets the pH ceiling and it is the one limit you cannot negotiate. Wool needs a neutral or weakly buffered product and is damaged by sustained alkalinity. Fifth and sixth generation stain-resist nylon needs a prespray below pH 10 that is not cationic, or the stain-resist treatment is compromised. Polypropylene and older nylon tolerate the high-alkaline products that would ruin either of the above. If you are not certain what you are standing on, test before you spray.
Then let the soil choose the booster, not the base. A well-built range uses the same prespray across most soil types and changes what you add to it — an enzyme for protein and food soils, an oxidiser for organic staining, a solvent for oil and grease. This is cheaper to stock and far harder to get wrong than carrying a separate prespray for every situation.
Give it dwell time. Nearly every prespray on this page needs several minutes of contact before agitation, and the product cannot work while it is drying. On a hot or windy job you may need to re-mist rather than push on. Spray a working area you can finish, not the whole room.
Match the concentrate to how you actually work. Powders are the cheapest per litre of working solution and travel well, but need proper dissolving and are usually the most alkaline option in a range. Liquid concentrates dose faster and suit in-line metering. Ready-to-use products cost more per job and earn it on small work and touch-ups.
Plan the rinse before you spray. An alkaline prespray leaves alkaline residue, and residue is what causes rapid resoiling and dulling. Pair it with a carpet acid rinse to bring the fibre back to neutral. If you are working with an alkaline rinse instead, the prespray choice and the dilution both change.
For low-moisture work the chemistry is different again — see encapsulation and bonnet cleaning. For pre-treating individual marks before a general prespray, see spotting, and on wool or natural-fibre rugs start with wool and rug care.
Technician's note
Nine times out of ten it's not the prespray. It's the wrong chemical for the fibre, not enough dwell time, or they rushed the agitation. A lot of operators buy one prespray and expect it to handle every carpet they walk onto — it doesn't work like that.
