I got a bleeder

[steve_64]

Went and looked at some furniture to clean this weekend and tested a spot. Sure enough the red bled fairly easily. I'm going to clean it in a month or so and thought I'd see how others are handling it.

It appears to be a cotton or linen blend

 

[SamIam]

No pics????? DOAHHHHHH!

 

[SamIam]

Is it all red or multicolor???

 

[SamIam]

Did you test with acid, alkaline, and neutral cleaner? Did it bleed with all three?

 

[Desk Jockey]

The risk is not worth the reward. If its truly a bleeder we might dry clean it with OMS. If its beyond dry cleaning, we would refuse it.

I personally tried to be the hero many times only to end up the goat. Once you ruin their furniture few remember "I'll do my best but no guarantees"

If its truly a bleeder, they have few choices.

 

[steve_64]

Ughhh no pics. Red stripes on beige. I'm color deficient.

Used about a 9 pH, prozyme plus is what I had mixed so that's what I tried.


I want to be the hero, I hate being defeated.

 

[EDS]

Old people drive scary cars ( Crown Victoria) and have scary furniture...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Ughhh no pics. Red stripes on beige. I'm color deficient.

Used about a 9 pH, prozyme plus is what I had mixed so that's what I tried.


I want to be the hero, I hate being defeated.

Go for it, I hear pink is in this year.

If you must be stubborn then use a neutral precondition and rinse with an acid. Dry type tool, terry towel dry and get an airmover on it.

 

[SamIam]

Honestly use fine fabric prespray from Prochem test first. Rinse with last step.

Mist and vac don't flood.

If your tool has a water control put it to the minimum.

 

[SamIam]

You could use prozyme on herculon and microfiber not cotton.

 

[Cleanworks]

If you don't know how to do it, leave it alone. Refer to one of your competitors that you don't like very much. Take one of Jim P's classes

 

[Desk Jockey]

I wouldn't use a 9 ph on a bleeder. While a 9 appears to be but two steps from neutral, we are talking powers of ten. 100 times more powers of hydrogen.

Prochem's Fine Fabric Shampoo mixed 2-4oz per gallon depending on soiling, rinsed with All Fiber Rinse would be less aggressive of a choice.

 

[Nate The Great]

Honestly use fine fabric prespray from Prochem test first. Rinse with last step.

Mist and vac don't flood.

If your tool has a water control put it to the minimum.

"London fog" it.. Spray and pray... lol..

 

[Papa John]

I agree with everything Sam and Richard said.

 

[Old Coastie]

I agree with everything Papa John said!

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Give me a call after 8 and I will walk you through what you can do. 800-342-2297, ext 107. Everything suggested above is good advice

 

[steve_64]

Thanks Jim, I was thinking of calling.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I don't want anyone to think I'm just giving Steve "top secret information" and being mysterious here.

Bleeding issues have so many variables involved that its easier for me to talk to Steve about what he's going to be facing.

Here are some thoughts regarding the issue:

1. Steve did the most important thing already: He tested the colors. No matter how he cleans it, or if he refuses to clean it, he kept himself from paying a claim because he tested it.

2. Bleeding can be caused by the pH of the product, whether or not it was buffered, solvent additives in the product, the type of surfactant that was used, or a pre existing residue on the fabric. I have fabrics here that bleed to alkaline materials, some that bleed to acids, others that bleed to solvents. On one that has red flowers and green leaves, the red bleeds to alkaline material, and the green bleeds to acid products.

3. The choices of how to clean a bleeder once you have determined what products are safe (if any) also has many variables depending on the tools and equipment you own,your level of experience,how soiled the fabric has become, and what types of soils (including spots and stains) are on the fabric.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

If you must do it, get a signed "release".

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Whenever I feel the need for a signed release the red "walk" light comes on.

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[Jim Pemberton]

View attachment 70275

Is that your own idea Richard? I'd love to add it to my class!

 

[Willy P]

 

[Jimmy L]

Many ways I WOULD HAVE approached it years ago. But now I prefer to WALK. Rather spend my day looking into the sun.

 

[SamIam]

I had a guy years ago cleaning a Haitian cotton chair with

Pastel color stripes red and blue he said he cleaned chemspec Haitian powder.

They still popped and bled.

Took me weeks of dicking around, in the office I would re wet with ultra PAC, resteam with Haitian powder and pack it with absorb a stain.

It minimized the bleed some what probably destroyed the fabric.

I took them back to the customer and apologized, she said thank you for doing your best.

I never heard back from her.

That was in 1990-91.

That's why I say test with everything, don't assume.

Do I test hardly ever, why? Because I only see microfiber up the butt these days.

 

[steve_64]

Yes Sam I don't get to many of these neither. I went to look at it because he said it was cotton. He never mentioned the red so I wasn't prepared mentally nor did I have any products ready.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Is that your own idea Richard? I'd love to add it to my class!

Yes I was goofing. I left off the most important one. Being a hero!

 

[Cleanworks]

So if you bought furniture according to the carpet cleaners recommendations, what would you buy?

 

[steve_64]

So if you bought furniture according to the carpet cleaners recommendations, what would you buy?

Milk crates