Most carpet detergents leave sticky residues that actually attract and capture the dirt brought inside with normal foot traffic.

Scot's TUFF™ Professional Carpet Care products are formulated to clean carpet and also keep it from re-soiling. Our encapsulating formulas utilize a unique balance of surfactants, detergents and crystalline polymers that are designed to eliminate re-soiling associated with sticky residues that other carpet cleaners leave behind.

Scot Laboratories has successfully used crystallinity in bonnet and shampoo applications for many years. We now have the industry’s first fully adjustable Extraction Cleaner. That means that even when extracting with stronger dilutions for heavy soil, there is no risk of attracting new soil with sticky soap residue.

•  Polymers continue to encapsulate residues as carpet dries.
   Spots do not wick back.

•  Residue dries as crystals that are vacuumed away.
   Carpets get cleaner.

•  Residue is not sticky so does not attract new soil.
   Carpets stay cleaner longer.

•  Cleaners and shampoos resist re-soiling at all dilution ratios.
   Tough jobs get clean with no risk of rapid re-soiling.

Encapsulation provides thorough cleaning which removes not only the dirt but also any remaining sticky residue from the carpet. As the liquid cleaning chemical dries, the encapsulating technology captures, or “encapsulates,” any residue as crystals. The crystals are then vacuumed away leaving only behind a clean carpet. Because encapsulation removes sticky residue, large dirty areas will no longer appear where there was once a small spot, and carpets will stay clean longer.

Yes! Unencapsulated detergent molecules bind to water molecules tightly, slowing down the drying process. When encapsulating polymers are used in the formula, the detergent molecules bind to the polymer rather than to water, and the water molecules are able to evaporate more quickly, decreasing overall dry time.

No. It is not necessary to vacuum the carpet as soon as it dries. Whenever the carpet is vacuumed, the crystallized residue will be swept away. And more residue is removed with each successive vacuuming.

Yes. However, as the cleaner continues to dry, crystallized residue will continue to form in the carpet.

We have never measured the size of the crystal particle but it is typically not visible in the carpet.

The encapsulating material is an acrylic polymer. These molecules are not readily aerosolized, and therefore not likely to affect indoor air quality.

Carpets cleaned with Scot’s TUFF encapsulating products will stay cleaner longer than those cleaned with traditional detergents that leave sticky, dirt-attracting residue. Actual time between cleanings will vary depending on traffic levels, type of carpet, etc.

Yes, our encapsulation products can be used with post treatments, such as carpet protectors, sanitizers and disinfectants, without any decreased efficiency of those products. The encapsulation process works very well in conjunction with carpet protector systems, which we recommend after cleaning. Sanitizers and disinfectants with a lot of sticky residue could counteract the crystallizing nature of our system because there may not be enough encapsulating polymers to completely encapsulate the additional sticky residue. If you are unsure as to whether the post treatment you are using will negatively affect encapsulation, contact technical support at Scot Labs for recommendations.

We have a group of field testers around the country testing our products and providing feedback. Only when they agree that we have an exceptional product do we bring it to market.

Fragrance and deodorizer are not the same. Fragrance is a chemical created to cover up a scent. A true deodorizer chemically alters an odor so that it cannot be smelled.

UltiMax Plus Encapsulating Acid Rinse is our answer to an acid rinse in the encapsulating world. After prespraying the carpet with PowerMax or any other prespray, use UltiMax Plus to rinse the carpet as you extract the prespray. Because its purpose is to rinse out the detergent as well as complete the encapsulation of the prespray residue left behind, UltiMax Plus contains primarily crystalline encapsulating polymers.

PrimeTime is an extraction cleaner, designed for truckmounts or portable extraction equipment. PrimeTime has a balanced formula of surfactants for cleaning and crystalline polymers for encapsulating so that with any dilution ratio, all remaining residue will crystallize as it dries. It can be used alone or as a rinse following a prespray.

We offer products to fit the most common methods of carpet cleaning.

If you use a portable extractor or truckmount, use PowerMax Encapsulating Prespray, and UltiMax Plus Encapsulating Acid Rinse to prespray and rinse or use PrimeTime Encapsulating Extraction Cleaner for a one-step extraction.

If you are using a low moisture machine with bonnets, rotary brushes, cylindrical brushes, or a mist and brush machine, use one of our FoamDry Encapsulating Brush and Bonnet Cleaners.

We have the right product for any carpet cleaning task. Encapsulation chemistry has significant advantages in commercial environments such as offices, stores, medical buildings, etc. And homeowners like the fresh fragrance, faster drying times, and carpet that stay cleaner longer.

A detergent is any synthetic water-soluble or liquid organic preparations that are able to emulsify oils, hold dirt in suspension, and act as wetting agents. A.K.A. Surfactants. An emulsion is a uniform mixture of oil and water.

There are 3 types of surfactants: non-ionic, anionic, and cationic. Non-ionic surfactants are great for greasy soils and examples include Alcohol Ethoxylate and Nonylphenol. Anionic surfactants are foamy, dry cleaners such as Ammonium Laurel Sulfate. Cationic surfactants are not used in carpet care. They have Antistatic properties and typically used in roadfilm remover and fabric softener.

Other components of carpet cleaning chemistry include solvents, pH builders, hydrotropes, chelators, polymer, preservatives, and fragrance. Solvents aid surfactants in emulsifying soils and examples include Glycol Ethers, d-Limonene, and odorless mineral spirits. pH Builders are inorganic salts such as Sodium Metasilicate, Caustic Soda, and Borax. High pH leads to better grease cutting and improved cleaning. However, there are limitations. A pH greater than 10 is not good for 5th generation carpets. Also, salts and solvents don’t mix! A hydrotrope is a chemical substance which causes other organic substances that are only slightly soluble to become more easily dissolved. An example of a hydrotrope is Sodium Xylene Sulfonate. Chelators sequester metal ions from tap water that would normally affect surfactant performance and usually only a small amount needed. EDTA and NTA are the most common chelators. Polymer serves to “encapsulate” residues, making them non-sticky, and are chemically inert. The amount of polymer needed depends on type/amount of surfactant used. Preservatives are biocides that prevent bacterial growth.

Dilution ratios are important to look at when using a chemical. Good chemicals are formulated for maximum efficiency, therefore using extra should not greatly improve cleaning! Also, the RTU (Ready-To-Use) pH will be different than the concentrated pH. The RTU pH should be less than 10 for nylon carpet. In addition, look for some harmful ingredients in carpet chemicals. A couple to keep in mind: N-Methyl Pyrrolidinone and NTA (Trisodium Nitrilotriacetate) which are carcinogenic.