Your Last Upholstery Cleaning Problem

[Jim Pemberton]

What was the last problem you had with cleaning upholstery?

Browning?

Bleeding?

Texture Distortion?

Water Marks?

Flame retardant discoloration?

Just took so darn long you wanted to trade in your upholstery tool for a tile and grout tool?

Something else?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Browning of an off white piece, a natural fiber blend.

It was cleaned late in the day and while it was put in the dry room the following day it still had a slight yellowing on the cording trim on the cushions.

We were able to correct it but it took several treatments to do so. The frustrating part is had it been cleaned early in the day and put out in the sun for a few hours it wouldn't have been an issue.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Jim;

My customer had a good one . . .

Piping on the couch turned red from pH indicator dye, final pH was 5 . . .

They post-cleaning applied a pH 9.5 builder, which took away the red . . .

until it dried .

Then they tried a pH 12.5 protein spotter, thinking that would finally eliminate the red . . .

it did . . . until it dried, when the red came back.

Reupholstered at that point.

I hope to get the old fabric to do some further testing,

and inspect the piping.
Larry

 

[Terry]

Larry - did they check inside the piping to see if red color is bleeding out from some sort of filler and not an indicator dye?

 

[Terry]

Jim - the last two that we had were color coming off microfiber. The 1st one my employee used oxybuff (fabric shampoo, boost all and buff all mix) on some cotton pieces and then used it on the microfiber piece. At some point some of the microfiber cushions that had been cleaned came into contact with cotton pieces and when he went to put them in drying position noticed color had transferred onto them. He was able to get the brown color off but it took some time.
In the second case I had cleaned a tan colored microfiber sofa and when using a terry towel to go over arms and piping areas after cleaning, a considerable amount of color was transferring to the towel. In this case I had used a mild upholstery prespray.

We're also noticing more microfiber sofa's that look great when cleaned but when we bring back rugs or have a reason to be back in the house again that some of the big rings that were there originally are still there. We always tell customers to call us if something doesn't look right but we're wondering if they just accept it.

 

[hogjowl]

Testure distortion.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Texture distortion.
flocked microfiber the guys were doing when i happened to walk in checking on them .
I was able to fix much of it, but not all

fortunately, it was a completely trashed piece in a nuthouse (semi supervised boarding house for Thorazine shufflers) ..no one noticed


the one I can personally take credit for was a cotton velvet .
i jacked the back up pretty good ....er bad ...got it figured out and finished the rest of piece without screwing it up
pretty fortunate on that one too, as Dottie was a regular custy that NEVER moved the sofa .
i carded the back as best I could and put the sofa back in place.

Every time I did the carpets (twice a year for over twenty years til she passed away) , I'd move the sofa and saw my handy work on the back



.L.T.A.

 

[hogjowl]

I really don't think he wanted your life history. Your first sentence was enough.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I really don't think he wanted your life history. Your first sentence was enough.

I was bored ...


..L.T.A.

 

[hogjowl]

I was bored too.

So I picked a fight with Satan.

I met the chicken on a raft.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I was bored too.

So I picked a fight with Satan.

I met the chicken on a raft.

prob'ly deserved it

now stop jacking Jim's thread...or I'LL put you on the chicken raft

..L.Y.A.

 

[hogjowl]

Which ones Jim's ?

 

[Desk Jockey]

I was bored too.

So I picked a fight with Satan.

I met the chicken on a raft.

LOL

 

[hogjowl]

I'm hoping next time to see a Mexican on a donkey.

 

[hogjowl]

Oh yeah, this one.

Fiber distortion.

 

[rwcarpet]

Fiber distortion, 30 year old re-upholstered chair. I returned and misted acid rinse on the fabric, brushed in one direction, toweled it down. When custy first called back, it sounded like the worst .....bleeding. Fortuneatly it wasn't.

 

[jcooper]

Got impatient with a blood stain on a cotton chair. Rich guy just bought it for 150.

Started slow, q-tips and 3% peroxide, wasn't doing much. Ended up paying for it to be reupholstered($200) after my stain magic weakened the fiber and the small spot split upon drying. Heck, I think I might have even put some 40 vol on it nothing was happening! Sucked, at least insurance wasn't involved.

 

[rwcarpet]

Got impatient with a blood stain on a cotton chair. Rich guy just bought it for 150.

Started slow, q-tips and 3% peroxide, wasn't doing much. Ended up paying for it to be reupholstered($200) after my stain magic weakened the fiber and the small spot split upon drying. Heck, I think I might have even put some 40 vol on it nothing was happening! Sucked, at least insurance wasn't involved.

That's a problem I've run into at times.....people buy used furniture for next to nothing, and expect you to get it clean. If you screw up, they're wantin' a new piece.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Browning of an off white piece, a natural fiber blend.

It was cleaned late in the day and while it was put in the dry room the following day it still had a slight yellowing on the cording trim on the cushions.

We were able to correct it but it took several treatments to do so. The frustrating part is had it been cleaned early in the day and put out in the sun for a few hours it wouldn't have been an issue.

If you used an oxidizer,

a strong UV light would have done the same acceleration as the sun.

http://www.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69&products_id=5179

Larry

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have your light and your oxidizer but would need several more lights. Its also a big hassle that could have been prevented had they recognized the potential problem.

 

[JS41035]

Cleaned 300 chairs for half price because I'm a doofus.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Nice to meet you doofus I had no idea we were related.

splain yourself Lucy. Why did you do them 1/2 off?

Slow season?

Think you would be more productive?

Did she have nice legs?

 

[JS41035]

Bid bunch a chairs in an auditorium. I couldn't take me shoes off to count so I guesstimated. Quoted. "All" the chairs instead of price per chair. The guy saw the price and was like " all day ya doofus. Where do I sign? "

 

[JS41035]

And decent legs. I think he lifts.

 

[Desk Jockey]

And decent legs. I think he lifts.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Bid bunch a chairs in an auditorium. I couldn't take me shoes off to count so I guesstimated. Quoted. "All" the chairs instead of price per chair. The guy saw the price and was like " all day ya doofus. Where do I sign? "

I've done that with carpet, just guesstimated and got slaughtered.

 

[JS41035]

The old man has hammered that point my entire life. Always measure. Stick to your SF price. 9 times out of ten when I guess, I'm low.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yea I'm always burned when I don't take the time to measure.

I don't mind cleaning cheap if there is a reason (slow and just need busy work) but I hate it when its because of a mistake.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Thanks...keep the stories coming.

This is great research information for training, product development, and troubleshooting.

 

[mike r]

Know a carpet cleaner that told me years ago he cleaned chairs in a movie theater for .50 cents each. Said it was a nightmare and he lost his ass. I would park and go on welfare before working for those rates.......Personally would not touch nasty theater seats for $5 each. We do not need the work that bad.