Upholstery - Chems

[Hoody]

What are you guys using to clean synthetic upholstery ?

What about synthetic/natural blends ?

What about raw cottons ?

How about the dreaded eggshell white LINEN ?

How do you deal with stablizing dyes if the piece is not colorfast ?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Fine Fabric Upholstery Prespray and Fine Fabric Detergent as as rinse for synthetics.

Blends would be treated as more towards the natural side than the synthetic. If colors as stable then Fine Fabric Upholstery Prespray and rinsed with All Fiber Rinse.

More natural fiber then we would go to Fine Fabric Shampoo (low PH) sprayed on at 6-8oz per gallon and rinsed with All Fiber Rinse.

Raw cotton-depends on soiling. Light, maybe OMS and towel.
Moderate, shampoo with sea sponge or horse hair brush.
Heavy, Fine Fabric Shampoo (low PH) mixed with Oxy Plus & Fiber Buff sprayed on and brushed in and lightly rinsed with All Fiber Rinse, toweled and then speed dried. (lightening of color can be a concern if you have tan or oatmeal colored upholstery and you are only doing some pieces of a set.)

Linen depends on soiling. Light, maybe OMS and towel.
Moderate, shampoo with sea sponge or horse hair brush. Heavy maybe mist and vacuum, rinse only where needed.

Dyes that are not color fast-Contact the homeowner, it's their decision. OMS & towel, but you will have limited results. Dye stabilizers sprayed on and then minimal moisture can be used but again that's only with homeowner approval.

I've had to pay for recovery trying to be the hero, I've since turned in my cape and I put the liability back with the owner of the piece. :wink:

 

[Ron Werner]

I've been using the O2 in varying concentrations.
Mostly been cleaning microfibre lately.

 

[KC OHanlon]

We use O2 on virtually everything. Good cleaning ability, safe pH and free rinsing. We even used it on these pieces with excellent results:
http://www.austinspecialtycleaners.com/texaswhitehousework.html

 

[Art Kelley]

I use Chemeister Preaction on any upholstery fabric. Good cleaning acid side prespray. I normally rinse with plain water, but if I'm doing a large number (100's) of chairs in a row, I'll spike the water with an emulsfier to speed up the cleaning. I cleaned a dirty white cotton today with Preaction sprayed on and buffed with a foamy bonnet then steamed off. Came out perfect. If the fabric is a bleeder with an acid side cleaner, I'll just walk away.

 

[sweendogg]

Alot of the following depends on where I am cleaning it.. If its in our shop I might get more aggresive as I can control the drying and use some different products and solvents I may not want to use in the customer's home. Just like Our rug cleaning.

What are you guys using to clean synthetic upholstery ? Trying to get through a case of Outset from Jon Don. Basically its private lable Kleenrite product prespray as I understand it. it works very well.. But I'll probably switch over to Masterblend's Upholstery Prespray. Using the Impression rinse from Jon Don as well. But I've also had great success with using O2 as an upholstery cleaner. I don't like using it as often because while most people don't have an irratation from air borne delimone. Many people find it be a skin irratant who normally wouldn't expect it. So I try to be selective about using it on upholstery.

What about synthetic/natural blends ? Most are poly cotton I run into but occaionally some wool and other more weird fibers? I've had good success with the outset with an all fiber rinse. I also use MB Fine Fabric Prespray with good success as well as an oriental rug shampoo or fine fabric shampoo from PC.

What about raw cottons ? In house I stay on acid side, keep moisture to a minimum and speed dry.. never had a browning problem as long as I'm souring it out afterwards and drying quickly.

How about the dreaded eggshell white LINEN ? .. Again I keep it soured an absolute low moisture. If I'm sensing a problem after testig, I will use a cotton shampoo dry foam method.

How do you deal with stablizing dyes if the piece is not colorfast ? If I think its going to bleed I check my acid and my alkaline and see is one less likely to bleed. Alot of times an acid rinse like glaciel acetic acid will set your dyes. Also using hot water can loosen dyes quicker than cold water so If I have to I'll use cold water extraction instead of hot water. But I make sure to get it dry as quick as possible and again limit the moisture and test test test.

 

[Hoody]

I've never heard of any of these Jon Don chems. :shock:

 

[sweendogg]

Hoodie.. I though everybody memorized all the distributer catalogs: :mrgreen:

Here are what I've been using:
Prespray: Outset and Heavy Duty soilt lifter

http://www.jondon.com/catalog/default.p ... b31d34c97e

I use the Chemspec Heavy duty soil lifter in combination with their Dry fabric cleaner when I need to dry clean a piece.

Detergent/Synthetic Rinse: Impression
http://www.jondon.com/catalog/default.p ... b31d34c97e

Shampoo: I've had good succes for synthetics with the trifoam shampoo also used it on a trashed out apartment once when I couldn't bring my truck in.. ( my sister didn't want to pay.) So I used it with our kirby dry foam process and it did a heck of alot better than the kirby shampoo.

But Upholstery I mostly use either an encap shampoo like Releasit DS, prochem's fine fabric shampoo with extraction or Cotton shampoo. I also have alot of MB's Oriental rug Shampoo that I'll use on occasion as well. Mostly because its handy and we always keep it in stock.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

I used some Bridgepoint fine fabric upholstery prespray today on some wool rugs. It was already mixed up in a bottle so I just grabbed it. One of the rugs was filthy with grease and oil from being in a garage. That stuff cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

On most synthetic I keep a bottle of regular traffic lane cleaner mixed up or I will use powerburst or powerstrike. For delicates I will use the fine fabric or haitian cotton shampoo.

For bleeders I use color stabilizer, haitian cotton shampoo, and rinse with color stabilizer.

For white linen I would probably walk or clean with a signed consent form and use a haitian cotton shampoo and rinse with haitian cotton detergent and speed dry.

Most of the fabrics I clean are synthetics and the traffic lane cleaner does a great job.

I did clean some very delicate fabric that a lady got from Paris France. She made me test some scrap material she had. The fine fabric did a great job.

 

[Hoody]

TLC on upholstery. Seriously ?

 

[sweendogg]

Ask Jim or one of the other instructors how many times people have brought in cotton blends that they browned out or bled because they thought they were synthetic. off to seal a floor!

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Ask Jim or one of the other instructors how many times people have brought in cotton blends that they browned out or bled because they thought they were synthetic.

Using traffic lane cleaner on upholstery is a pretty common practice.

The reasoning, which I understand, is this:

"If its safe for nylon/polyester/olefin carpet, why should it not be for upholstery?"

That makes sense, but be careful of this:

Many traffic lane cleaners have ingredients that enable them to penetrate deeply into the pile of carpet (which is a good thing). On synthetic upholstery that same characteristic can cause the prespray to reach ink marks on the back of the fabric or cushion and contribute to bleed through. A local cleaner nearly had that happen in a large commercial establishment up this way and it almost cost him dearly.

The other issue to be careful of is that unless you're pretty observant in your testing, there are a more than a few blends that can sneak up on you and once you hit the fabric with your heated cleaning solution, you might see some color loss or bleeding.

I'll go into some depth with this at the class at MF6.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

TLC on upholstery. Seriously ?

I have done it hundreds of times. If I don't have a bottle mixed up, I will use my powerstrike or powerburst. The powerburst is great for oily soils. They all work great. If the upholstery is prone to watermarking then the fine fabric would be the way to go. I like the prochem tlc because it is economical and does the job. I also have some prochem upholstery prespray which works as well. It really just depends on the fabric. I wouldn't apply tlc to haitian cotton, but for most lazy boy recliners etc it eats the grease and soil right up.

 

[sweendogg]

TLC on upholstery. Seriously ?

I have done it hundreds of times. If I don't have a bottle mixed up, I will use my powerstrike or powerburst. The powerburst is great for oily soils. They all work great. If the upholstery is prone to watermarking then the fine fabric would be the way to go. I like the prochem tlc because it is economical and does the job. I also have some prochem upholstery prespray which works as well. It really just depends on the fabric. I wouldn't apply tlc to haitian cotton, but for most lazy boy recliners etc it eats the grease and soil right up.

You also realize that there is a hypoallergenic issue to consider here as well. We tend to flush more thoughly on carpet and even if a little product residue is left behind, its a non issue because because most customes don't spend that much time with your full body contacting the floor. Now a piece of upholstery... we are in contact with those pieces alot more so consider that the next time you spray your TLC on a customers upholstery.. if you don't get all the residue off, would you want to have your body resting against the residue for a prolonged period of time.

 

[Ron Werner]

Iused Attack on trailer uph once, the only stuff that would cut the soil!

 

[Hoody]

TLC on upholstery. Seriously ?

I have done it hundreds of times. If I don't have a bottle mixed up, I will use my powerstrike or powerburst. The powerburst is great for oily soils. They all work great. If the upholstery is prone to watermarking then the fine fabric would be the way to go. I like the prochem tlc because it is economical and does the job. I also have some prochem upholstery prespray which works as well. It really just depends on the fabric. I wouldn't apply tlc to haitian cotton, but for most lazy boy recliners etc it eats the grease and soil right up.

You also realize that there is a hypoallergenic issue to consider here as well. We tend to flush more thoughly on carpet and even if a little product residue is left behind, its a non issue because because most customes don't spend that much time with your full body contacting the floor. Now a piece of upholstery... we are in contact with those pieces alot more so consider that the next time you spray your TLC on a customers upholstery.. if you don't get all the residue off, would you want to have your body resting against the residue for a prolonged period of time.

Do yourself a favor Daniel. Get yourself a neutral/slightly alkaline upholstery prespray(for your synthetics). Boost it with a citrus product, and a little sodium percarbonate. Watch it cut the body oils on the "touch panels" and it will even brighten up the piece a bit. The oxidizing also helps break down food and soda spills. If you're not into agitating the prespray in on upholstery just give it a little more dwell time. The citrus product will break down the body oils just fine, no need to use such a heavy hitter.

Sweeney brings up an excellent point as well.

 

[sweendogg]

I'm guessing that the bridgepoint fine fabric prespray is just like the MB in that its loaed with Citrus solvent which is why it will cut through grease so readily like Hoodie pointed out.

 

[Hoody]

BP's is just a fine fabric prespray. You'd have to boost it with the citrus(Citra-Solv) and sodium percarb(Boost All).

I'd much rather find a product that has it already built in. No need to be a chemist.

 

[glenboy]

fine fabric pre spray /masterblend is the schnizzle

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Preinspection!!!

I unzip cushion covers, often find grease pen marks on either the padding, or even the back of the fabric. Bleeding deck covers, bad piping. A couple of times found cotton thread used on the bobbin side of seams.

My brother Bill has a big upholstery shop (34 years) and I get to see a lot of naked furniture....you'd be surprised.

Vacuum vacuum vacuum!!!

Yes I'm lazy about this on carpet sometimes, but you can't afford this omission on upholstery.

Chemicals... well most any will work, but I always clear rinse. Nobody mentioned ammonia, one of the most consistent performers. (Yeah I'm a KR junkie) White towels are ALWAYS my final step.

I love cleaning upholstery.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[hogjowl]

I sure miss the real Gary Berg.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

OMG it must have been slow at Super8. He would have filled the page. I'm sorry you were disturbed by my post.

Do you clean upholstery?

 

[Ron Werner]

Chemicals... well most any will work, but I always clear rinse. Nobody mentioned ammonia, one of the most consistent performers. (Yeah I'm a KR junkie) White towels are ALWAYS my final step.

I love cleaning upholstery.

Thanks,
Lee

Gee, I haven't used ammonia since I left the scam and clean company I started with. It cleaned well, cleaned out the sinuses too!
Never even thought about using it since I switched to the lower pH cleaners. Prochem Uph Prespray is what I went to, then Bridgepoints, and now the O2

 

[topnotchman]

Hydramaster's heavy duty upholstery pre-spray works pretty well. Just has the ammonia smell to it.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

There are several sources for "odorless" ammonia.

 

[hogjowl]

Has anyone ever found a source for odorless Canadians?

 

[Ryan]

Has anyone ever found a source for odorless Canadians?

Take a pressure washer with chemical injection, mix odoban or similar product 50/50 and set the injection on the highest setting available. Hose down the yank, repeat as nessary. About a 35% success rate.....

 

[rwcarpet]

[quote="Lee Stockwell":2ss4zq0o]
Chemicals... well most any will work, but I always clear rinse. Nobody mentioned ammonia, one of the most consistent performers. (Yeah I'm a KR junkie) White towels are ALWAYS my final step.

I love cleaning upholstery.

Thanks,
Lee

Gee, I haven't used ammonia since I left the scam and clean company I started with. It cleaned well, cleaned out the sinuses too!
Never even thought about using it since I switched to the lower pH cleaners. Prochem Uph Prespray is what I went to, then Bridgepoints, and now the O2[/quote:2ss4zq0o]

I like the ammonia based cleaners (using KR right now) on most of the upholstery I clean. I hate the ultra-suedes. Custys usually let them get way too bad.

 

[Ron Werner]

Has anyone ever found a source for odorless Canadians?

Hose down the yank, repeat as nessary. About a 35% success rate.....

Guess the smell moves north, thats why we smell so bad. 8)

 

[leesenter]

Using Prekleen For Upholstery never ever fails for me or my employees.
Its a neutral pH prespray that has enzymes to break down protein based body oil soils. When rinsed with an acidic rinse it will never brown anything out. Its a real no brainer for my company's systems.