For those of you with shops..

Brian H

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Any recommendations on what to try next on these patio cushions with black mold that is not moving. Tried, zep, bleach, and water with Fels Naptha and Oxiclean. This is the only set of cushions that nothing we try gets the mildew off.


View attachment 113093
Use the Zep, let it dwell a bit and then as heavy a brushing as the fabric can take. And of course follow with steam extraction.
 

The Great Oz

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Storing cushions can work if you have the room, but a lot more work goes into the logistics of storing a lot of orders than many people account for, and the labor cost to do it right makes it less profitable than a lot of other services. It mainly works as a way to move money into the slower season and help keep techs busy.

This is the only set of cushions that nothing we try gets the mildew off.
Not all cushions used outdoors are outdoor cushions.

Chinese "outdoor look" fabric, natural fiber fabric, UV sensitive thread... and something we're seeing more and more, the wrong foam that holds water.


Outdoor cushion clean and storage was an idea brought to the cleaning industry by Steve DeMarco (Triple S Connecticut). He just didn't want to broadcast the idea to his competitors, so told few people. They currently have five buildings that are stuffed with cushions in the winter.
Storage_640.jpg

Joe gets credit for kicking me into getting started, and it does work to smooth out the slow season for us.
 

Desk Jockey

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Storing cushions can work if you have the room, but a lot more work goes into the logistics of storing a lot of orders than many people account for, and the labor cost to do it right makes it less profitable than a lot of other services. It mainly works as a way to move money into the slower season and help keep techs busy.


Not all cushions used outdoors are outdoor cushions.

Chinese "outdoor look" fabric, natural fiber fabric, UV sensitive thread... and something we're seeing more and more, the wrong foam that holds water.


Outdoor cushion clean and storage was an idea brought to the cleaning industry by Steve DeMarco (Triple S Connecticut). He just didn't want to broadcast the idea to his competitors, so told few people. They currently have five buildings that are stuffed with cushions in the winter.
Storage_640.jpg

Joe gets credit for kicking me into getting started, and it does work to smooth out the slow season for us.
Wow that's impressive. I never liked cleaning or storing them. However 5-buildings worth might have changed my opinion on them.
 

Brian H

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Storing cushions can work if you have the room, but a lot more work goes into the logistics of storing a lot of orders than many people account for, and the labor cost to do it right makes it less profitable than a lot of other services. It mainly works as a way to move money into the slower season and help keep techs busy.
That is exactly it!! And we have to be very creative with storing them!!
 

roro

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And we have to be very creative with storing them!!
Guess the SOP for that is
Place in plastic bags / Connect truckmount and suck out air / Seal well/ Stack & Store/ Open sealed bag just before arriving at customers home.
 

The Great Oz

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Even small variations in temperature will cause condensation on the inside of the plastic, so it's best to perforate and not risk mildew.
 

Brian H

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how do you keep the mice out?
We don't seem to have any issues with mice, thankfully. We did have problem once though with cushions stacked floor to ceiling in unused office. The office had spotlights for lighting and a cushion melted/burned where it came in contact with the bulb.
 
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Nate W.
We've never tried that, interesting. We'll have to try it.
That is fine to get deodorizer through the cushion.. I wouldn’t Store a cushion in a SpaceBag technique.. The cushion will lose its fluff/shape..

YMMV

You guys ever put a cushion through your MOR rollers to squeeze out after deodorizing?
 

Brian H

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Well, I sent these out. Hope you don’t mind Brian.

View attachment 113162
It's all fair game!! Just be prepared to get creative with storage if it takes off.... Our biggest single order so far was 202 pieces (200 cushions and 2 umbrellas).

You may be a little late in the season rolling that out. With our weather, we receive most of the cushions September through November. We do though still get a trickle through out the entire winter. I saw a 16 piece order come in yesterday as a matter of fact.
 
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The Great Oz

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You guys ever put a cushion through your MOR rollers to squeeze out after deodorizing?
We put some cushions from a sunken sailboat through, but open cell foam holds water so well that even that and weeks in the dry room couldn't get water out of the center of the foam.

Just like the "outdoor cushions" that aren't, saturating the wrong foam will mean replacement.
 
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