My first Mattress cleaning job on Friday

[gimmeagig]

Hi guys,
I got my first Mattress cleaning job coming up on Friday.According to the client nothing gross but a little dog blood from a clipped nail ( I hope they are telling me the truth).
I'm planning to use my upholstery tool and fine fabric pre spray followed by a rinse. Will be trying not to get it too wet.Stick dryers on it right away etc...I've read about people who wanted mattresses cleaned that people have taken a dump on and some other really gross stuff.I'm not terribly squeamish but I'm a little apprehensive about it. I suppose I'll give it a try.
Do you guys have any advice for me? Like a crash course on how to do them correctly and also when to walk away from the job?
Thanks

 

[Mikey P]

I had one a couple months ago where the Hispanic sounding lady said it looked fine but smelled a little like sour milk and wanted to freshen it up before giving it to a family member..


:shock:



fuckin thing had enough cum stains on it to grow an army that would take over California once and for all, the water rings (piss) would make the Olympics logo feel as inadequate as I do around Ken Snow and the mold spots were rival on with Vawter's lungs.



sic bastards.


Told them to burn it.

 

[gimmeagig]

LOL It's stuff like that that I'm afraid of.

 

[sam miller]

A little citrus spotter for any edges rinse with all fiber rinse or low ph a little brightner could be added like energizer

dryer is good idea. Clean it like upholstery you'll be fine, blood remover prochem makes protien stain spotter it works well

Hydrogen peroxide good too but becareful usually mattresses are synthetic. if you do use rinse well.

 

[J Scott W]

Many mattress fabrics (called ticking) will easily leave a water ring. A key to avoiding this is get the fabric all damp evenly with the prespray and then clean and dry evenly. Avoid boundaries or interface between wet and dry areas and the rings won't form.

When drying, have air movement across the fabric not directly toward the fabric.

Wear some gloves and goggles, just in case.

There is a recent video from an Atlanta television station where they find a store selling "new" mattresses that really are old mattresses with a new fabric sewn over all the old mess. My friend Jeremy Reets opens one up to show what is under the new cover.

 

[Royal Man]

Blood can be very hard to impossible to remove from some mattress fabric. Along with the other suggestions sometimes rust remover can be helpful.

Fabset /de-brown or cotton shampoo can help prevent water lines.

 

[Ron Werner]

Also need to be careful of the fabric. Usually its very fine and will catch easily on the tool.
Treat it like a fine fabric uph
Qualify all the spots as well. I wouldn't give any guarantee about getting any of them out, other than you will do your best. Just tell her if they come out, they come out. If they don't, throw a sheet over them. They'll be clean stains.

Be willing to walk.
Not all mattresses should be cleaned.

 

[rwcarpet]

Don't sell them on a "spotless" cleaning. I find most mattress stains are just that.....stains. Most will not come out or will not come out completely. We do alot on fire resto jobs.

 

[gimmeagig]

The job was rescheduled and I just did it.
It was a pillowtop mattress with several blood stains. The client told me it was from her dog when she clipped his nails. There were all kinds of brown rings around the spots. Looked like someone had peed on the bed. The customer told me it was from a bleach solution the she had used to get rid of the blood.
She was a very attractive young woman and the house was high end and immaculate, so I didn't get grossed out doing the job.
So I told her the only thing I could guarantee is that I would do my best, but that in all likelihood there might be some staining that I won't be able to remove.
I got the OK and I started with the job.
First I vaccuumed, then I presprayed with Masterblend fine fabric spray. I brushed that in with a horsehair brush because the fabric was indeed very delicate. Rinse with Prochem All Fiber deep clean.
Very little difference on the rings and the spots.
Next spotting. "Unbelievable"that is a nice all around but gentle spotter ( supposed to do blood)that I carry on my truck.So I started with that. Dwell, rinse, nothing. Next ... Pro's Choice Stain One. The blood started to foam up kind of like peroxide on a wound. I figured that was a good start. I misted the whole area, brushed it in, let it dwell, rinse,....better,but not gone.
The Stain One label says to use Stain Magic on really difficult stains. It's a two part deal and I don't have it on my truck yet.
So I tried a little Red Relief on an area but that did nothing. I ended up using the Stain One a couple more times followed by the Masterblend pre spray ( for the smell) and the Prochem rinse ( at 5 GPH) followed by lots of dry passes with my tool. Lastly I leaned the mattress off the edge of the bed (maybe 25 degree angle) and stuck two dryers on it side by side, blowing across the surface.
The customer was very happy with the results and I was relieved. I'm so tapping in the dark with mattresses it was scary, but I suppose I did a pretty good job.
I left the dryers on the mattress until I was all packed up and by that time the mattress was pretty dry. and no rings and no browning .
Could you guys please coach me a little more and help me with these new questions:
What should I do first.... attempt to remove the spots with a spotter or pre spray and rinse to see what might be left to treat?
Do you towel off a mattress or do you just rinse?
The Prochem All Fiber Deep Clean rinse claims to prevent browning and wicking. Is that good enough, or is it a good idea to mist the mattress with another type of spray after the final rinse? If so, what should I use?
My pre spray was just the Masterblend. Would it have been a good idea to add some Oxy Plus and some Citrus Pro to it?
Is it possible that the two component Stain Magic might have done a better job that the Stain One?
What is the best product for old blood stains that have already been hit with something by the customer?
Is it possible that some of my chemicals might break down the foam underneath the fabric. What should I stay away from?
Thanks for your help!

 

[Ron Werner]

SOunds like you did a good job.
Just need to find a good spray for blood/coffee. Go to your suppliers and ask what they have.

I was called to clean a mattress, had some little brown spots on it. I tried some Oxysrpray from Zep, took the spots right off, that was it. I think she gave me $20 cash. They just wanted the spots gone so they could return it.