Tom Kraeutler: Making good homes better, welcome to this edition of The Money Pit’s top products podcast with tips on stain removal. I’m Tom Kraeutler-
Leslie Segrete: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
Tom Kraeutler: … coming to you today from the 2018 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. And I tell you what, what a show this is. First of all, it’s a beautiful day, unlike the hundred-plus degree temperature we had yesterday.
Leslie Segrete: It’s still early.
Tom Kraeutler: I know.
Leslie Segrete: It’s going to be hot.
Tom Kraeutler: Things could change. People are out here in droves. We are in the Ultimate Backyard, and we’re here with about, I guess, 300 or more exhibitors that are showing all products related to barbecuing-
Leslie Segrete: The backyard, tailgating-
Tom Kraeutler: … tailgating, furniture. And then inside the Convention Center, another 2,500 exhibitors with every product under the sun. Now, one of the questions we get asked a lot about on this show is cleaning, in all of its forms.
Leslie Segrete: How do I do it? What do I use? Do I really have to do it? How often do I have to do it?
Tom Kraeutler: We’re going to talk to a guy now who has a business making cleaners to tackle stain removal. His name is John Briggs, he’s the principal with Cleaning With a Purpose. Welcome John.
John Briggs: Good morning.
Tom Kraeutler: So John, we do get a ton of questions. It is a question of chemistry, isn’t i? Stain removal is about trying to match the right cleaner with the right stain in the right job?
John Briggs: It is, and that’s what made us develop this product. We were in the contracting business, in the building restoration and applying coatings and sealers. So we do a lot of work in hospitals and schools and municipalities. We couldn’t find a cleaner that would clean the substrate or the surface well enough so we could apply our products. So, we had to develop something that didn’t have any solvents, was non-flammable, didn’t have a smell, and it worked fast and was easy for our people to use.
Tom Kraeutler: Right.
John Briggs: So we developed this product, and it works on a four-part principle. It basically breaks down proteins and organics and emulsifies them. Then it also breaks down oils, which de-greases very well. Then it emulsifies them so you can wash them easily, rinse them away.
Tom Kraeutler: So what kinds of stains or cleaning projects is this particularly effective for?
John Briggs: This product is unique, because it won’t change the integrity of any surface. So you can use it from your carpet-
Tom Kraeutler: So it’s safe for stain removal on any substrate?
John Briggs: Any substrate. It’s amazing how this product … We haven’t found a substrate yet-
Tom Kraeutler: ‘Cause you know, the standard advice is always try it in an inconspicuous area-
Leslie Segrete: Just in case, there’s a reaction.
Tom Kraeutler: … and then sometimes, one doesn’t exist, right?
John Briggs: Right, right, and we get a lot of that feedback from our customers. You know, basically the way that the product … and what everybody [inaudible 00:02:30], we’re a solution-based company, that’s how we started. We solve people’s problems. We solved it for … in our other business. And it kind of carries on the same way here. We find that the product works so well that it’s … and effortlessly is really the biggest thing. We get so many people that call us and say, “Boy, I just tried it on this stain. I’ve had it on the carpet or I’ve had it our shirt or clothing.” You mean, you can use it anywhere.
Tom Kraeutler: What about stain removal of pet stains? They’re particular difficult.
John Briggs: They are. Our product, since it denatures organics-
Tom Kraeutler: Right.
Leslie Segrete: Which is the first step-
John Briggs: … it break it into-
Tom Kraeutler: Yeah, I was thinking about that-
John Briggs: [crosstalk 00:03:05] our first step.
Tom Kraeutler: … when you said proteins, ’cause that’s a key to getting rid of those pet stains.
John Briggs: Well, everything is either made up of a protein or organic.
Tom Kraeutler: Okay.
John Briggs: I mean, dirt is organic.
Tom Kraeutler: Dirt is dirt.
John Briggs: Dirt is dirt. But the neat thing about it, as soon as you put it on any kind of pet waste or any kind … It starts to automatically start breaking it down.
Tom Kraeutler: Right.
John Briggs: What’s interesting about this product, too, is our surfactants or our stain removing cleaners that we use in the chemistry, are basically much wetter than water. So we penetrate very deeply, very quickly. So it lifts and releases from whatever it’s on very fast. Like if you have dirty tile-
Tom Kraeutler: Yeah, now that’s another one, how about mold and mildew on tile?
John Briggs: Well, our mold and mildew cleaner, it does a great job, and it rinses off really easily.
Tom Kraeutler: The grout never looks as good as it does the day you put it down, ever.
John Briggs: It doesn’t, we just-
Leslie Segrete: And it only looks that good for five minutes.
Tom Kraeutler: Even if you seal it, you know, you buy yourself a little bit of time, but eventually that stain sets in and you can’t lift it out.
John Briggs: Right. Dirt is in gravity-
Tom Kraeutler: Yeah, yeah.
John Briggs: … I mean, your dirt’s going to gather no matter where you are.
Tom Kraeutler: Right, right.
John Briggs: So with us, like we had a customer of ours in a hotel business, terrible, they allow pets in their motel. They have all tile floors. The grout looked black. She called up and ordered it and now the tile’s back to that nice gray grout color.
Tom Kraeutler: So how many different products do you have?
John Briggs: We basically right now have nine different products.
Tom Kraeutler: Okay.
John Briggs: Everything is based off of our concentrate product that we had originally started with in our formulation. Then we’ve just kind of tweaked all the other … the Ultimate Cleaner and then the Mold & Algae and then the Marine & Auto.
Tom Kraeutler: What about garage floors?
John Briggs: That’s where we started, trying to get the oil and grease out of concrete. ‘Cause any … and prep is everything.
Tom Kraeutler: ‘Cause also you got driveways, you got people with beautiful brick paver patios and driveways-
John Briggs: Yep.
Tom Kraeutler: … and they get stains on them.
Leslie Segrete: Well, and you’re dealing with stains that really penetrate that surface and sort of spread through, because they’re so oily.
Tom Kraeutler: So absorbent, too.
Leslie Segrete: And they’re so absorbent surface.
John Briggs: Right, and that’s what’s nice about our stain removal product, is that it penetrates stains so deeply into that substrate. So automatically it’ll start lifting. Like if you have an oil stain in your driveway and you spray it on, if you have a vehicle that’s been sitting there for a while, it might take more than one treatment, but boy the second time, it almost looks like white lithium grease coming out of your concrete.
Leslie Segrete: That’s amazing-
Tom Kraeutler: Wow.
Leslie Segrete: … and do I have to be fairly reactive to the stain. Like what if it’s been sitting there for a little while.
John Briggs: No, no.
Tom Kraeutler: Really?
Leslie Segrete: It can … we’re effective regardless of the amount of time.
John Briggs: Yeah.
Tom Kraeutler: For years we’ve been telling folks to make a paste of the TSP and soak the stain. But we’re going to have to give this … next time I get a tough grease stain, I’m going to give this a shot, ’cause I like this.
Leslie Segrete: Yeah.
John Briggs: And you know, restaurants love it, too, because it breaks down those oils so quickly.
Tom Kraeutler: Right.
John Briggs: So, we were at a hospital kitchen, and the health department was coming and they wanted to do a real quick cleaning, so they grabbed us and said, “Hey, we want to try your product. We heard how well it worked.” They went in there and boy, without-
Tom Kraeutler: Wow.
John Briggs: She was so impressed that-
Tom Kraeutler: And you got a customer.
John Briggs: Yeah.
Leslie Segrete: And that says something about your stain removal formulation. If you’re looking at places that are like hospitals and schools, and you’re allowed to use them there-
John Briggs: Right.
Leslie Segrete: … that says a lot about what you’re doing with the formula itself.
Tom Kraeutler: Safety of it, too.
John Briggs: We do a lot with stain removal in nursing homes, because they have a lot of soil on the carpet. And that works really well there also.
Tom Kraeutler: So, tell us where your product can be purchased.
John Briggs: Our product can be purchased on Amazon and all of the [Menard’s 00:06:16] locations throughout the Midwest. Since we are a new company, just starting, we’re certainly actively trying to gain more of a retail presence.
Tom Kraeutler: All right, your website?
John Briggs: Best place to go is the cwpproseries.com.
Tom Kraeutler: All right.
John Briggs: So that’s really the best way, and we have a lot of before and afters, a lot of information on how to, and you should find everything you need.
Tom Kraeutler: Good.
Leslie Segrete: Thanks.
Tom Kraeutler: John Briggs, principal with CWP Pro Series, makers of stain removal Coatings With A Purpose. Thanks so much for stopping by The Money Pit.
John Briggs: Thank you very much for having me.
Tom Kraeutler: To learn more, check out their website at cwpproseries.com, that’s cwpproseries.com.
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