Help with silk sofa

[keithk]

Hello all, I haven't been here for a while. Glad to see your all still here.
House keeper calls me that I do work for. Her clients were out of town and she accidently left the cat in the master bedroom. Cat puked up 2 hair balls on silk sofa. She used a damp rag to get up hair balls but for what she is describing she now has two watermarks. I am going to look at it tomorrow and was hoping for suggestions.

I know some will say run the other way because it's going to be my problem. But she sends me a ton of work so I would love to help her out if I can. She's not bad lookin either.

I was hoping I could just mist and vac the whole piece and speed dry, otherwise I am not sure what to do.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Keith

 

[Josh Adler]

take a look at it first but i would recommend cleaning the entire sofa uniformly using a low moisture method. I have had alot of success dry foam cleaning silk and speed drying it with an airmover. The key is to wet it evenly so it drys evenly

 

[Jose Smith]

Normally, wet cleaning silk is fine. Just being sure to use care in getting it evenly wet and evenly dry as mentioned above. However....

"Normally" doesn't always happen. If there is a water soluble sizing, you are gonna be in trouble.

If the silk has been weighted using metallic salts (I'm running into more of this in the past year than ever before), you are gonna be in trouble.

If you think you have evenly wet and dried but really haven't, you are gonna be in trouble.

Sorry to scare you, but these are a reality is wet cleaning silk. I service a very high end area so I see silk ALL THE TIME. Just be careful.

Jose Smith

PS. You would be surprised how many people think they have silk just because it's a shiny fabric. You may luck out and get a polyester.

 

[keithk]

Thanks for the help. Heading their soon.

 

[ACE]

How do you know it’s silk and not rayon? If it is silk I would not touch it with a 10 foot pole without written waiver by owner.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Keith;

I have cleaning lots of 100% silk items for the last month in my Silk cleaning project.

Even wetting is a must.

Jet streaks can be a problem.

pH should be kept @ 5.5 .

NO oxidizing agents.

Sponge cleaning would probably be the best for a novice.

DC Natural Fiber extraction cleaner is our best current product.

Larry

 

[juniorc82]

clean entire panel wet evenly. clean with an acid rinse. if your not feeling ballzy dry foam cleanwith a natural sponge

 

[Walt]

I'll throw my two cents in here.

Get disclaimer and Of course test first.

The maid probably doesn't want to pay you to clean a silk couch. And I'm going to guess that it's not very dirty. If this is the case. Lightly and evenly spray edge to edge with Bac-Out. Gently agitate the spots. Wipe down with towel. Get check.

 

[Mikey P]

Was that the first time Larry actually referred to one of his product by name?


wow, I'm impressed.

 

[GRHeacock]

The above posters have it right- I just want to emphasize it- EVENLY wet edge to edge, is the key.

Use a neutral pH product.

Remember how long silk has been around- at least a thousand years- and before there were modern cleaning techniques, people would take silk clothes down to the river or lake and pound them on a flat rock to wash.

And do not forget the most important point- charge them PLENTY!!

Gary

 

[harryhides]

For those of you who are terrified of cleaning silk, have you practiced on easily obtainable swatches from any uphosterer ?
They do toss out old fabrics and they do recycle samples.
Old silk ( or any fabric ) from furniture that is being re-upholstered is pure gold for learning and practicing.

Also consider this, absorbency of a fiber is a big part of why some are easier to clean then others:

Synthetic have little or no absorbency (although, several of them do absorb oil). - from most absorbent: wool, flax, hemp, silk, cotton, ramie, nylon, acrylic, polyester.

Compared to ANY other fiber, the price you can charge for little to no extra work is huge.

 

[GRHeacock]

Tony's suggestion is a good one- get a connection to an upholsterer anyway- they are usually good for referrals to their customers.

Another way to get good on silk and other unusual fabrics is to get some loose throw pillows from Goodwill or Salvation Army stores. Practice on these, see what damages them, and what works on them.

For a couple of bucks, you can have a big variety of fabrics that you will run across in your cleaning business.

So, when a customer wants most anything cleaned- you say- "No problem, Ma'am. I know how do do this fabric right."

gary