FAQs - Brown Spots After Cleaning

Hello Jim -

I'm hoping you can assist me with a problem carpet. I've seen your posts on the various Internet bulletin boards and realize you are amongst the most respected professionals within the carpet cleaning industry.

I cleaned a carpet a week ago Friday and was called back because of an issue which caused brown, elongated spotting on the carpet. I've cleaned it twice since then but the marks continue to return after each cleaning but in different areas. In some places on the carpet, the the marks seem to correspond with the end of wand strokes and/or where a pad moved across the carpet. I've attached several pictures so you can see the problem areas.

Here are the particulars:

1. Carpet fiber is Olefin as determined via the burn test and the fibers floated on water without absorbing.
2. Carpet style is cut pile, perhaps Saxony.
3. Carpet had not been cleaned in four years and was extremely soiled. No kids or pets.
4. Cleaning process: pre-vacuumed using a Proteam commercial with beater brush; applied cleaning solution; agitated with machine pad (initial cleaning only); rinsed and extracted with Prochem Peak; post-padded with white cotton pad (most recent cleaning only); groomed. Ceiling fans in all rooms set on high.
5. Cleaning agents used: 1) Traffic Slam prespray boosted with Prochem Oxy Plus & End Zone rinse; 2) Zone Perfect prespray & Prochem All Fiber Rinse; 3) Zone Perfect & End Zone.

On the second cleaning, I used added dry strokes pushing the wand well beyond normal overlapping. I post-padded before grooming during the most recent cleaning. My plan is to next use a Prochem ProCaps machine with an appropriate cleaning solution.

I've never run into this before so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
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Hello

I am always happy to help someone in need in our industry, and I have an idea of what might help.

1. Do you know the prior cleaning history of the carpet (before the four year interval?)
2. When you clean carpet, do you release the trigger valve on your back stroke, or do you leave the trigger on as you push the wand forward?
3. Do you have available any of the following products? Bridgepoint Encapugard or Pros Choice ARA?

Let me know and I'll give you a step by step process to solve the problem.

Best regards,
Jim Pemberton
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Hello Jim -

Thanks very much for replying.

Cleaning history: I am told by the current home owner that the carpets were cleaned by the previous owner just before she moved into the house about four years ago. She has no idea what cleaning method was used. After the second cleaning resulted in the same issue, I asked if she could get in touch with the previous owners to find out how the carpets were cleaned but she believes they moved out of the area.

Wand strokes: I have the trigger engaged on the upstroke (pushing forward), release it just before completing that stroke, and the back stroke is dry.

ARA/Encapugard: I don't have either on the van - thought I had ARA but it is CSS - but can purchase either (would lean towards ARA) easy enough.

Again, thank you for taking the time to assist. I truly appreciate it.
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Hello

Thank you for your feedback. The answer would be easier if you HAD kept the valve on during your backstroke, as that does render the type of discoloration that is shown in the pictures.

Nevertheless, the problem appears to be wicking, regardless of the cause. Carpets made from olefin fibers have a greater tendency to wick, and the history of an unknown prior cleaning and a long period before professional cleaning reinforce that to me.

I think you've introduced enough chemistry to this carpet. Unless the carpet has become heavily soiled since your last attempt, I'd use End Zone only the next time, with your water pressure set at 250-300 PSI, several vacuum strokes, and then apply the Anti Resoiling Agent.

If you have airmovers of any sort, use them to dry the carpet quickly.

Let me know how this works for you.

Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Get Self Tanner Out of Nylon Carpet

Q - Hey Jim,
What's the best process to get some instant tan, tan lotion off of white nylon carpet?

A
There are several ingredients in self tanning lotions, but the two basic ingredients that will challenge you are oils and pigments.

Break down the oily component with a gelled solvent first. Products such as Bridgepoint Gel Break or Pro's Choice Prosolv Gel will suspend the oils without allowing the pigments to penetrate deeper in the yarns, such as would occur if you use a basic volatile or non volatile solvent.

Next, you should attempt to remove the emulsified oil and suspended pigment with an alkaline spotter, such as Bridgepoint Protein Spotter or Pro's Choice Power Gel.

Follow this step with Hot Water Extraction.

If any stain remains, apply an oxidizing stain remover, such as Bridgepoint Stain Zone or Pro's Choice Stain Magic.

If your customer hasn't tried to do anything first, such as scrubbing the spot with a household spotter, you have a very good chance of removing the stain completely with this process.

- Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Coffee Stain on Wool Rug

Q - Hey Jim,
Can I clean a coffee stain on a wool area rug with Bridgepoint Coffee Stain Remover?

A -
A bit of background is important before answering this question.
The manufacturer's of wool carpets and rugs do not recommend the use of any oxidizing or reducing agents on their products. (Coffee Stain Remover is a mild reducing agent).

That said, there is likely no other way to remove coffee from this rug. Be sure to get a release IN WRITING from the client and advise them that the use of this product is not recommended on wool, but that its your only chance to remove the stain. Once you've gotten permission, mix the product in warm water, apply it, then allow it to work. It does not need to be agitated or blotted, as it is not a spot remover, but a stain remover.

If the stain is removable at all (a 50/50 proposition on wool), it may take hours, so this is best done in plant. Once the stain is gone or lightened, clean the carpet. DO NOT clean the area with very hot water (not a wise practice on area rugs anyway) as the residual reducing agent in Coffee Stain Remover may react with heat and cause color fading.

FAQs - Lingering Odors After Cleaning

(Q) Hey Jim,
I have a clothing store account that I clean on a regular basis. Next door there is a deli that had severe water damage, and the water that intruded into the clothing store contained blood and other liquids from the meat stored at the deli.

We used an enzyme cleaner to break down the blood, and the carpet cleaned well. However there is an odor still detectable in the carpet when the manager puts his nose down into the carpet. There also appears to be some odor coming through the wall.

What products do you have for treating the carpet, as well as something to control the infiltrated odor until the deli can be cleaned and put back into business?

(A)
The following are my recommendations for treatment of the odor problem that has occurred in the clothing store you are maintaining.

First, as I understand the problem, there was water intrusion from a deli located next door, and that the water contained blood and other organic materials that have created a decomposition odor.

Secondly, the drying and cleaning process that you outlined, including the use of enzyme cleaners to break down the protein in the affected area was completely appropriate.

The remaining odor that exists likely comes from two places:

1. There may be residual organic material in the carpet that has become a growth media for bacteria. This bacteria is notoriously difficult to remove, but has been successfully treated in similar situations with Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer. If you use the product through a truck mount machine, add 6 ounces of concentrate to 1 gallon of water, then meter through the machine at a flow meter setting of 3 GPH. Follow label directions for use in portable equipment.


2. The more difficult challenge that likely exists here is infiltrated odor. This odor is likely coming from the neighboring store, as there is no vapor barrier in the wall between each building. Until any odor problems in the adjoining store are rectified, there will be some odor that could be detected in the clothing store.

An economical solution to this problem would be to place a few small Bad Odor Blocks near the area where the water originally came through the wall.

I recommend that you use the "Rain Forest" scent to best combat this odor of bacterial growth that is coming through the wall.

A better result, if your budget allows, would come with using a Vaportek Restorator unit and a Vaportek Cartridge. The natural oils used by Vaportek are completely safe to the employees and customers in the store, and the fragrance is not offensive. We have been successful in using the Vaportec product in the treatment of both smoke and decomposition odors in the past. This does not, of course, eliminate the need to clean the carpet with the Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer.

If you need any further assistance, do not hesitate to call or email me.

Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Upholstery Advice

Q - Hey Jim,

I'm about to start messing around with upholstery, but before I go ruining my family's furniture I was hoping you can help me out a little.

Procyon, Hot Water and a Hair Brush will ruin which of these fabrics? Thanks in advance for the responses – (hopefully there are responses

• Natural Fabrics
  * Cotton, Cotton Blends, Leather, Linen, Silk, & Wools
  


• Synthetics
  * Acetate, Acrylic, Microfibre, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Rayon, & Vinyl
  

 - From a Potential New Diversifier

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A- Thanks for your interesting request!

I'm not comfortable offering advice on a branded product; those are answers better given by the manufacturer, but I hope these thoughts help:

1. Very few cleaning agents of any sort harm FIBERS (such as you listed).What they may do is cause dye instability (bleeding or fading) or contribute to cellulose browning in cotton, linen, and rayon. Highly buffered alkaline materials may harm wool and silk fibers themselves. Fibers that are weaker when wet, such as rayon and acetate, may not be damaged by a cleaning agent, but by brush or tool agitation.


2. Identifying specific fibers on upholstery can be challenging.
   Upholstery fabric manufacturers often blend two or more fibers together, and sometimes coat the back of the fabric with coatings to stabilize the fabric. This creates a condition where the conventional burn test charts become nearly useless.
   
   Since most problems with upholstery come from fabrics that contain fibers that are protein (wool/silk) or cellulose (cotton/linen/rayon), you can identify these by the fact that they crumble or smear in your finger tips after they are ignited. Any synthetic materials blended in will melt to a hard bead, but the protein/cellulose will still show up.


3. Always conduct a color bleeding test.


4. Be careful not to overwet the fabric during the cleaning process, and dry the material as quickly as possible afterward. Fabrics that dry quickly rarely have bleeding or browning problems.


5. You'll get better results on your natural (cellulose/protein) fibers with a neutral detergent and gentle agitation than with an alkaline, "detergent free" product like you are using. A few good upholstery preconditioning agents are: Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo, Bridgepoint Fabric Shampoo, Masterblend Upholstery Shampoo.


6. Get to a training class as soon as you can. I've given you a few hints here, but going to a class where you can learn to do the tests and try out various methods and products will help you far more than my few thoughts here will.

Feel free to email or call me at 800-342-2297, ext 107 if I can help you further.
Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Encapuguard

Q - Jim,

Looking at the EncapuGuard directions. It says to simply spray it on after HWE to help control wicking and resoiling. Jim, that just sounds too easy to me!

Any first hand experience or actual use testimonials on this product?

I have been pondering carrying a buffer to encap all berbers, especially light colored ones. Of course space and one man lugging a heavy piece of equipment around in case he encounters a white berber are also considerations.

Berbers have been a more frequent nuisance of late, and encapping has been our "go to" for correction; but it would be nice to head these things off without the nuisance and embarrassment of a phone call and reservice.

Any thoughts?
John

A - Hi John

No testimonials come to mind, but there have been no complaints from anyone I've recommended it to.

EncapuGuard is ideal for the situations you describe. It also contains some organic acid to prevent yellowing, and it also acts as a soil retardant.

The product has been routinely used since it was introduced as a post spray on all olefin berbers, especially heavily soiled ones, and on stairs.

Some cleaners charge for "soil retardant" when they apply it, others, such as yourself, simply build it into the cost of cleaning those carpets.

Its great to have a product that not only prevents an annoying and costly re-service, but also enhances the performance of your customer's carpet afterward.

Response to Last Weeks FAQ

A comment on last weeks CleanTip:
From: Mark Violand
Subject: Re: Pembertons CleanTip - Customers Asking for Price Cuts?

"Some of my commercial & residential customers are starting to ask for price cuts". So, as you suggested in your CleanTip article about reducing the service offered is excellent advice.

However if the cleaner truly does follow the S100 Standard for cleaning and truly does dry soil removal prior to cleaning and suggests to his customer that to save money -- why don't you do the pre-vacuuming?

HAHAHAHAHAHA, have you seen the vacuums people use in their homes? I can guarantee you 50% of the vacuums in our customers home do not work, ask me how I know?

I know because I inspect them every time I go into a home inspecting a carpet for shedding or loss of texture.

People don't vacuum as they should, they are too busy. You know the rule of thumb, one time per week per occupant in the home (and that includes dogs and cats).

Either the filter is ready to blow, the brush is worn, the belt is broken or the vacuum is simply not suitable for deep, thorough dry soil removal like a good commercial vacuum that is meant to handle the heavy soil.
can do.

One idea that I would suggest (as I have done), is that the more furniture you have removed from the areas we are cleaning means the faster we can clean, and the less it will it cost you.

Mark Violand
IICRC Certified Senior Carpet Inspector
IICRC Approved Instructor
CFI Inspector/Technical Certification
ITS HardSurface Inspector (wood, laminate and resilient)
CTEF Ceramic Tile Inspector

FAQs - My Customers are Asking for Price Cuts, What Can I Do?

Q - Hey Jim,
Some of my commercial & residential customers are starting to ask for price cuts because of the current financial situation. I only factor in a modest profit margin to start with & really can't afford to cut my price.

What can I do?

A - Trust me, you are not the only one facing the same situation. With the recession, and budgets being tight, customers, including yourself, want to find a way to get a better deal.

In this current economic climate, many of us would find to find a way to knock off a few dollars, go the extra mile and hope this would translate into more work down the line.

But this would be a serious business mistake.

Here is something I learned from surviving years in business. If you are asked to reduce your price, you need to make a corresponding reduction in the value you provide.

It is that simple! Reducing service hours will translate into cost reduction. However, cost very carefully to make sure you are reducing cost areas that are labor intensive rather than product intensive.

Only the reduction of labor costs will allow realistic price reductions.

FAQs - Wicking After Spot Treatment

Q - Hi Jim

I treated my customer's carpet for urine, and even used the Spot Lifter, but she just called and said there was a big brown spot where I treated for the odor, and it wasn't there before.

Any ideas on how this might have happened?

Josh

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A - Hi Josh

Whether you use an injection syringe or the Spot Lifter Water Claw, both can leave enough moisture to cause wicking.

This brown spot might simply be wicked soil, or it may also include urine residues that were not completely flushed out.

You can avoid this problem by applying an absorbent spotting compound to the area immediately after you treat with either of the above mentioned methods. Both Bridgepoint's Stain Absorb and Masterblend's Absorbent Powder work well for this problem. Simply apply the product 1/8" deep and in an area that covers both the treated area and about 2" additional inches onto the dry carpet.

There is an added benefit to applying either of these products:

As they absorb any excess moisture, soil, or urine, they are also creating an odor barrier and odor absorbent process that controls any remaining odor while the enzymatic action of your deodorizing solution takes effect.

All you need to do when you are finished is then to advise your customer to wait for a day, then sweep up the powder with a broom and dustpan, and vacuum away any remaining powder that is still in the carpet pile.

To handle this specific problem, just flush again with your Spot Lifter Water Claw, and then apply the powder.

Jim

FAQs - Dry Cleaning Equipment

Jim,

We are looking to do on-site drapery cleaning and looking for a portable machine that will accommodate water and solvent (depending on the material) and a low moisture tool like the DryMaster. Can you offer any suggestions? Thanks a lot.

- Eric
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Hello Eric,

Thank you for your interest in our cleaning equipment. The machine that we offer for dry cleaning of draperies, as well as "wet" and "dry" cleaning of upholstery is the Kleenrite 204.

You can find information about this machine on our on line catalog at:
http://pembertonstore.com/portable-kleenrite-c-1_9_48.html

Regarding Your Question About The Drimaster Tool:
The Kleenrite machine (as well as other wet/dry cleaning machines) is designed to use water or solvent at low liquid pressure and volume. This design was the safest way to clean upholstery until the advent of "dry" tools, such as the Drimaster.

Unfortunately, the Drimaster tool requires more solution pressure and more vacuum to function properly, so while technically advanced in nature, it does not suit the Kleenrite system of cleaning upholstery.

Cleaners who want the advantages in safely and performance of the Drimaster Tool will purchase the Kleenrite Sphere, which does not dry clean, but can produce solution pressure up to 200 PSI, and has a large, 3 stage vacuum motor so that the machine best suits the Drimaster Tool.

You can find information on the Sphere on the same page with the Kleenrite 204.

Whichever machine you purchase from us, we are also prepared to train you on how to test and identify what you are cleaning, and also how to clean all fabrics and get results that you can be proud of.

- Jim Pemberton
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Portable with Solvent (continued)

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the info. I was given your info by Gary Funari at Unsmoke. He was in So. Cal last week teaching a IICRC class on smoke/fire/odors and he gave you high marks as a pro in our industry.

We are a textile restoration company that has traditionally removed drapes and cleaned them in-house. Drapes and upholstery only account for about 5% of our volume but i wanted to get a portable to do some of the work on-site. The info on the KleenRite machines is great. Thanks for sending me the link. Is there an advantage to "Recirculating Solution" feature offered by the 214Hx? What tools come with the unit, or what are the recommended low moisture tools compatible with these units?

Next big question...What about solutions and solvents? Given our niche do you have recommendations?

What is the shipping turn around on the unit and chemicals? We have jobs we would like to take to coming up. Thanks for your help.

- Eric
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Eric,

I believe the systems you've looked at will help you toward your goals. I met with Gary Funari at an instructors conference in Washington last weekend, and he told me that you would be contacting us. I'm sure you enjoyed what you learned from him.

He likely told you that we train those who invest in our cleaning systems; I'm not sure how your time demands and the distance will allow for that service, but it is here for you to take advantage of.

To your specific question:
The recirculating feature does not give you enough advantages to pay the extra money for the feature. It is especially difficult to switch your system from water based solutions to solvent based solutions and back again with ANY system. The recirculation system makes that task even more tedious.

Thus for someone who likely wants to use this system for dual purposes, I feel you are better to use the Kleenrite 204 than the Kleenrite 214.

Regarding tools:
While dry tools are rarely suitable for units such as the 204, I have found that you can use the following tool found at the same link as you observed the machines:

Hydry Deluxe - 4.5" Upholstery Cleaning Tool
This improved version of our former HyDry tool will revolutionize the way upholstery is cleaned! With the new internal valve...

There is a vacuum adjustment on the tool that will allow you to balance the vacuum and pressure and get some of the benefits that most want from such a tool. The Drimaster Tool on the same page would not be useful in this application.

We have two choices in drapery tools that are not on the site. I can get you more information on them if you like; they essential are "cheap, light, easy to use", versus "technically advanced, heavy, and difficult to use".

I can prepare a list of the cleaning products that you should need if you can give me a clarification on your goals.

1. Are you going to attempt to clean all soft contents with this system, from small area rugs, textile upholstery, as well as draperies and other window coverings?


2. Or are you simply buying this system to clean window coverings that might not be safe to clean in an in-plant process?

Finally, please understand that this system cannot clean soot and smoke damaged draperies as deeply as an in plant system. It does work very well for draperies that have been damaged by infiltrated smoke and dust, but does not remove "hot smoke" residues or oily soot well.

Turn around time can be a few weeks, depending on the manufacturer's inventory. You can receive products from us in one week from our location here in Pennsylvania.

Thank you again for your interest,
Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Sanitizing and Protecting Carpet

Q - Jim,

I have a customer who wants carpet sanitizer and carpet protectant.. how should I go about doing this?

Will the carpet sanitizer ruin the carpet protectant if its applied first?

Thanks,
Scott

A - Hi Scott,

Great question! Most combined applications of deodorizer and sanitizer (or any deodorizer) will end up with compatibility problems between the two products, and a double application of water based products, which can lead to slow drying and problems related to drying, such as microbial growth and/or wicking.

If you just need to deodorize and protect, add your deodorizer (if compatible) to your prespray. In the case of truly sanitizing a carpet, you'll need to use Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer. You can either use it as a prespray followed by a clear water rinse if the carpet is heavily soiled, or you can run the product through your unit as the cleaner if the carpet is only moderately soiled.

As it is an EPA registered sanitizer, you should not use other presprays or boosters, as such products must never be used in a way contrary to label directions, and most other cleaners could interfere with the sanitizing ingredients. However, once the carpet is cleaned with this product (and it is a VERY good cleaner), you can then protect afterward with a good water based fluorochemical protector.

Jim

FAQs - Protection Treatment for Pure Woven Silk

Hi, Jim.

One of my customers, a decorator/decorator supply company,
asked me if I knew of any type of protective treatment that
can be applied to a pure woven silk wall covering, either after
or before installation. Do you have any info on this, and who
might have experience applying it? Thanks.

Jeff
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Hi Jeff

I have a great deal of confidence in Maxim Fine Fabric for
this application. This product is a pure, solvent based product that
was originally designed for the decorator industry before it was
introduced into the cleaning industry.

I will recommend that you apply a small amount (the size of a dime)
and dry it with a hair dryer. Twice in my career I've seen it darken a
fabric slightly.

Any solvent based product can do that.

Jim

FAQs - Removing Blood from Denim Sofa

Q - Greetings, Jim.

Wonder if you would be kind enough to share your insight on this:

I have an appointment this Wednesday to attempt to clean a dime-sized blood stain on the seat cushion of a sofa.

I haven't seen the fabric yet, but the customer states that it is tan colored cotton denim. The warranty company sent her a bottle of Crypton to try, but it didn't remove the stain.

I took a look at the MSDS for Crypton, but the specific ingredients are considered trade secrets and weren't listed.

I was thinking of trying Zoop, and lowering the pH with Fab Set afterward. I'm also considering hydrogen peroxide (3%) after testing in a hidden area.

I'm not too optimistic due to the Crypton and the time lapsed. Do you know what type of agent Crypton is? Also, any suggestions on an approach?

On another note, my colleague told me he was pretty excited with the course – he definitely found it worth the time and expense to travel from NJ.

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A - Hi Jeff

Thank you for passing along that Barry's experience was positive, and for referring him to us.

I worry about denim because of its tendency to fade when exposed to ANY cleaner, yet alone peroxide.

Are you authorized to rinse the fabric from seam to seam?

If so, you should rinse the fabric with clear, cool water first to remove the "Crypton". The enzyme spotter Zoop is relatively neutral, so I'd just warm it up by putting the bottle in a bucket of hot water (since its not to be diluted).

Apply the warmed product to a clean white cloth, and then blot both the blood and the surrounding area to prevent an obvious "clean mark" or fading of the denim.

(Get a waiver from the fabric manufacturer too, by the way)

Give the Zoop half an hour to work, then rinse again with cool, clear water. If that removes the spot, use a hair dryer on a cool setting.

If the blood remains, get a full release before applying 3% peroxide. Even mild 3% peroxide can lighten such a stain. Allow several minutes for the peroxide to work, then rinse the fabric again with clear water. Dry quickly again.

High pH protein spotters, such as Prochem or Bridgepoint Protein Spotter may work, but are usually between 10-11 on the pH scale, and almost always will pull color from natural fiber fabrics. Be VERY wary of such products and never use them without extensive pretesting and a release signed whatever your test results show.

I hope this helped.

Jim

How Do Your Stats Look?

Hi Jim,

I share the following in case it would help your CLEAN TIP, blog, or a workshop. It shows; where my business came from in 2008, that I must do the job right, and what I need to "sell" when at the job.

71% were repeat clients
26% from referrals
3% new clients from the phonebook
Average per customer $306.85 (minimum service charge $150, .40 sf for carpet clng)

52% carpet cleaning
11% upholstery clng
11% carpet repair
11% odor control
11% floor care
4% color repair

I did not use a marketing program last year (and still had a decent year) but plan to go back to the postcards as these have always paid off with one job, (less than $100 to make, print, and stamp my own) AND I will not be in the phonebook this year and from now on. As recent CLEAN TIPS have used the word "trust", in our current world of fruits & nuts, "I" don't know if I can trust most of the strangers calling from the phonebook. Besides, my muscle and bones are getting older and I feel that my clientele is well established. I can survive without the 3% by using the postcards again constantly putting my name in front of my client's face that will remind them to have me and/or refer me.

This decision to discontinue the phonebook is partly from the suggestion made by YOU to keep such statistics as above, the recent CLEAN TIPS, and the YOU TUBE video you sent (thanks). I know that it is the right thing to do.

AGAIN I thank you for your commitment to the industry and helping the "rookies" to make it in this business.

See ya soon,
Ken
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Hi Ken

Thank you so much for the statistics. They parallel the experiences that other cleaners like you have shared with me over the past year.

Of course, there are not a lot of cleaners like you, so it has been a unique minority of owner operators who have built their businesses "a mile deep an inch wide", rather than the majority who have built their businesses a "mile wide and an inch deep".

Those latter types have not done as well as "your type" has.

Jim

FAQs - Flea Control

Q - Jim

Hey Jim, hope you are having a relaxing weekend! Slowly getting the old customers back little by little. (I've had a few calling lately, that I haven't seen in over 10 years) Still plugging away at the marketing, seems what use to work a few years ago, just doesn't pull results like it use too...I think that's always been my biggest struggle is the marketing.

Well enough rambling on, what can you suggest to me for Fleas? One of my brothers long time cats, fell ill...and I think while it was resting outside, a few hopped on her.

Doesn't seem to be to severe of a case yet, but there were 4 or 5 noticeable on the cream living room carpet. Sterifab will work won't it? Only thing I didn't like about that was the alcohol fumes...Maybe you have some other suggestions? The Cat is being treated in the meantime.

Thanks for any suggestions and for the help over the years!

A - Hi Tim

I'm glad your business is recovering. Marketing has changed though; are you a member of eCleanAdvisor and do you get our weekly Clean Tip?

Sterifab will kill fleas but any eggs that have been layed will not be effected; their life cycle is such that spraying again in two weeks will usually do the trick. That said, its a job best left for professional exterminators if the situation worsens.

FAQs - 2 White Rugs

Q - Jim,

I have a customer with a pair of white area rugs. Low profile white rugs. One is nylon with some nasty spots. A couple of beeps occur with moisture sensor.

Kory, my technician says no pets, but they are elderly, and the rug was in the bedroom, sooo I think I know what that might be. Also an extremely dirty area beneath where the bed was. They also are coffee and tea drinkers. (Sounds like Kory was doing his detective work!)

The other rug is 55% wool, 45% Acrylic. It also seems to have a cream colored coating maybe slightly yellowed on the back, kind of reminds me of the stabilized backing on some furniture. Some light yellow places apparently under pieces of furniture, and some assorted light yellow spots (6 or 7) at random places on this one. No foul odors that I can detect, but a noticeable fragrance upon getting down and smelling the carpet. Wonder if they use some kind of powdered stuff?

Any suggestions or warnings?

Thanks,
John
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A - Hey John,

Kory gets an "A +" and Gold Star for detective work!

The white nylon rug can be cleaned aggressively, and either Stain Magic or Stain Zone should clear everything up.

The white wool/acrylic blend is the problem rug. The presence of a fragrance that could be foot powder, lotion, or body oil are all contaminants that should be thoroughly rinsed from the carpet, and that alone can cause potential color problems that cannot be predicted ahead of time. Get a release on this issue.

Wool will "fuzz" (as you probably already know) with aggressive agitation, and its no friend of peroxide based cleaners. Try something with a reducing agent, like one of the sodium bisulfite based coffee stain removers, such as Bridgepoint Coffee Stain Remover or Prochem Coffee and Tannin Spotter and just let them work. These products are also surprisingly effective on urine stains.

You can use either Stain Magic or Stain Zone on the wool as well, but only with a release. These particular products exceed all wool care recommendations, and may damage the fiber as well as the color.

Jim

Consumers are Buying More Leather Than Ever

Why aren't professionals getting more requests for cleaning leather?

Just like the hard floor trend, too many consumers think that leather is an "easy care" or worse yet "no care" material. While they are finding this not to be true, they are also NOT contacting cleaners to care for their leather. An evidence of the lack of interest in specialty cleaning is the fact that with all of the available leather cleaning training available, few cleaners are being contacted to perform this needed service.

By the time most consumer's recognize the need for leather care, there is usually permanent damage that cannot be repaired. Another problem that exists is that few cleaners have been proactive in offering consumer affordable "leather conditioning", but instead only offer very high pricing for restoration level services that are usually not needed.

Cleaners who don't understand these practical details regarding their customers' attitude about leather, and the characteristics of leather itself mostly just neglect to make leather cleaning any part of their service mix. Once the decision to "cross leather off their list" is made, the decision not to clean challenging textiles becomes easier as well.

FAQs - Tile & Grout Question

Q: Hey Jim,
I have 300 SQ ft of tile I need to clean and was looking at the Viper Venom. Is one gallon enough and do you sell a sealer too? Is there free shipping if you exceed a certain dollar purchase amount?

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A: Good choice Joe,
Viper Venom has a variety of dilutions according to soil level. At its strongest, a 50/50 dilution, 1 gallon will still be plenty for 300 square feet. By the way, what method of cleaning will you be using for cleaning the tile and grout?
And, yes we do offer sealers as well: just go to . . .
http://pembertonstore.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=grout+sealer

You will find a number of products listed; I recommend the Hydroforce Grout Sealer (despite its name, it seals tile and stone as well).

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Q: Hey Jim,
I have a small tile cleaner machine I bought from Lowes. Will this type of unit be able to handle this type of solution? I have six properties and Coit showed me this product and I thought I would give it a try since all the other solutions I have used so far have been sub-par to date. What sealer would you recommend after using this type of cleaning product?

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A: Joe,
Viper Venom has been formulated to be used with high pressure extraction, which requires equipment that generates 800 pounds of water pressure per square inch at a minimum.

A word of caution regarding your tile cleaner, I have reason to doubt that the system you bought at Lowes can produce the pressure & water volume needed to achieve the results you want.

I'm not convinced that Viper Venom will be able to help to restore your grout with the type of application equipment you presently own.

You are welcome, of course, to try the product, but I cannot guarantee that you will be happy with the result.

Again, the sealer I recommend is Hydroforce Grout Sealer.

FAQs - Browning On Sofa

Jim

I recently cleaned a polyurethane/polyester sofa and it ended up getting some browning spots. Here is what I used: Bridgepoint Fabric Prespray mixed with Citrus Solv. I started to clean the sofa and ended up running out of gas. Left to fill up, came back finished cleaning and the next day the customer called back saying there were brown water stains everywhere. What is your professional opinion on how I should reclean this?

Brent
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Hello Brent

The problem will likely be easy to solve, but I'll need a little bit more information first:

1. How did you determine that the sofa was polyurethane/polyester? A label that described such materials describes the filler material, not the face fibers that you clean. Or did you do a burn test? If you haven't, I'd like you to do a burn test just to determine if it contains natural fibers (cotton/linen/wool/silk/rayon). If you aren't sure how to do this, let me know and I'll coach you through it.


2. Describe the type or appearance of the fabric.
   Is it:
   • Solid white or cream?
   
   
   • Printed?
   
   
   • Does it have a woven pattern with several colors? (such as jacquard)
   
   
   • Shiny?


3. Are the brown stains brown throughout or just at the edges? Do they appear randomly or are they more concentrated in areas that might have gotten wetter than others?

Finally, since you use Bridgepoint products, do you have any of the following products:

1. Fabset


2. Coffee Stain Remover


3. Boost All


4. Buff All


5. Fabric Shampoo


6. Stain Zone

You shouldn't need them all, but depending on the final diagnosis you might need some of them.

Jim
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Thanks Jim,

Maybe you could tell me what I need to look for when doing a burn test. I looked at the tag today and there is a hint of cotton mixed in it. Also it is white, and light brown or tan stripes I believe that it’s where I got the fabric a little too wet, I had to leave for about 25 min. (believe me I did not want to do this, but I had to do what I had to do, so this allowed the soap probably to dry and caused the browning, just my opinion). Yes we carry all of the products you listed.

Thanks Jim let me know what you think,
Brent
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Hi Brent

OK, here's what you need to do for the burn test:
Get a small pair of scissors and snip out a slice of fabric from under the skirt or inside of the zipper (there is always a hem or seam allowance that you can take).

The clipping should be the size of a finger nail clipping.

Light the clipping, blow it out, and press the ash between your thumb and finger. If it feels hard, its synthetic (polyester/nylon/olefin/acrylic). If it's natural, it will crumble and leave a black smudge on your finger (cotton/linen/wool/silk/rayon).

The browning makes me think that it's natural.

I'm a little worried that the brown or tan stripes might have bled (bleeding is usually irregular and looks like brown spots) but that's a rare problem with the formula that you used.

Its more likely that you have browning, which is most safely corrected by rinsing the fabric with FabSet at a rate of 2 ounces per gallon, and drying it rapidly. If you can put it in direct sunlight, all the better.

If that doesn't work, mix the Coffee Stain Remover per label directions with hot water, apply to the stained areas, and also put it in the sunlight.

Should that not work, use the Boost All, Buff All, and Fabric Shampoo by diluting them together at label use directions, applying it overall (not just on the brown spots) in the form of a foam, then putting it in the sun to dry (do not rinse).

I am a bit concerned about the Boost All step, as in some fabrics it may over-whiten the material, which is why I recommended that you apply it overall, not just on the stains.

Jim

Upholstery Cleaning Products: Keep it Simple and Safe

I had a conversation with a cleaner who shared his frustration with all of the different products being recommended for cleaning upholstery, and the confusion he felt in trying to establish a sensible cleaning system for his company to use.

His concerns made me take a hard look at what products are made available for upholstery cleaning, and how a cleaner can narrow down that list to what is truly needed for upholstery cleaning in the 21st century.

Here's my list:

AVENGE FABRIC PRESPRAY (NEUTRAL): I always tell students that if I could only have ONE product with which to clean upholstery, it would be this type. This excellent upholstery preconditioner has a neutral pH (7), and use a surfactant that does not allow for deep penetration through the fabric. Avenge Fabric Prespray will suspend body oil, food spills, and other "common upholstery soils".

If the fabric has been allowed to become "abusively soiled" or has become exposed to smoke damage, and Avenge Fabric Prespray cannot not adequately loosen soil, you may either choose a higher pH preconditioner, or use boosting agents to enhance your neutral upholstery preconditioner.

Which is the better choice? First, review the characteristics of the available products:

AVENGE HEAVY DUTY FABRIC PRESPRAY (ALKALINE): Avenge Heavy Duty is more effective on synthetic fiber fabrics that have strong oil bonding characteristics, such as olefin and polyester. However, Avenge Heavy Duty should only be used on colorfast, synthetic fiber fabrics.

BOOST ALL: Boost All is a powdered, non chlorine bleach additive that will brighten and whiten dull or yellowed colors, remove most protein and tannin stains, and also eliminate yellow/brown discolorations from oily soils that are bonded to olefin and polyester. You should be aware that Boost All will raise the pH of your preconditioning solution, and thus you must test this solution for any potential color related problems on the fabric that you intend to clean. Also, off white cotton fabrics may become snow white after the application of Boost All.

CITRUS SOLV: Citrus Solv is an additive that will increase the grease and oil cutting quality of your preconditioner without altering the pH. When cleaning fabrics that have become exposed to body oil, newsprint, and petroleum, Citrus Solv will greatly improve your results

Using Avenge Fabric Prespray on natural fiber fabrics and Avenge Heavy Duty Fabric Prespray on synthetic fiber fabrics is the easiest system, but with training and experience, the use of boosters with Avenge Fabric Prespray will usually render the best results.

For the vast majority of your cleaning needs, the only other product that you must have is an acidic rinse agent.

FABSET: This acid rinse agent offers the following benefits in upholstery care:

1. Dye Stabilization: Most dye bleeding and color fading may be prevented when FabSet is applied both before and after the cleaning process. Non-acid dye stablizers, such as Dye Loc should be used only if dye is not stable when tested with FabSet.


2. Browning prevention or removal: Fabrics that are rinsed or post treated FabSet and dried rapidly are less likely to brown. Unless pre-existing browning is severe, rinsing with FabSet followed by rapid drying often removes browning.


3. Natural fiber velvets dry softer when rinsed or treated with FabSet, followed by grooming and drying with drying fans.
   

With the use of proper tools, cleaning equipment, and training, seldom will a cleaner need more than these few products. Products such as alkaline upholstery emulsifiers, "Haitian Cotton" detergents and shampoos, and dry cleaning solvents are of very little use to cleaners who have the most up to date training and technology available today.

FAQs - Fixing Wicking

Q - I have a customer who spilled a mix vodka tonic and grapefruit juice on a Berber carpet, he had another company clean it, it looked good until it dried, then it wicked up looking brown.

He called us to try and clean it. What treatment could we use to remove the stain?

A - Just by the fact that the spot "wicks" shows that the need for elaborate cleaning chemistry is not as important as controlling the "physics" of drying and wicking.

I would treat the area with a good general purpose spotter, such as Perky or Avenge, rinse it thoroughly, and if possible, use the "Water Claw Spot Lifter" for the most complete extraction possible.

Finally, you should pack the area with an absorbent spotter, such as Bridgepoint Stain Absorb or Masterblend Absorbent spotter. If you have neither of these, absorbent towels with a heavy weight on top might work, but it is a poor substitute for the super absorbency of these "crushed mineral" absorbents.

Apply the powder to a depth of 1/8" on an inch, and an extra 2" around the diameter of the original spot.

FAQs - Cleaning Silk Covering on Sofa

Q - Thank you very much for your detailed instruction. This morning I called you and we had a brief conversation on a few cleaning subjects. Before I enroll and sit down for your certification class, I have a few projects on my hand, which I would like to get your advice as to how to proceed. I am ordering a gallon of your shampoo and I am planning to clean a few sofas with silk covering. Please provide me with some instructions.

As I mentioned I have been in laundry and dry cleaning business for 15 years and have some familiarity with fabrics and their sensitivity against chemicals, especially silk.

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A - I enjoyed our conversation today. It is my belief that your background in textile care and your desire to develop this needed service will help you to create a successful business enterprise.

Hand cleaning of silk fabrics takes patience and care. As with the wall panels, you should test with dry cleaning solvent first, as dry solvents are less likely to cause color or texture distortion. This is especially important on multicolor fabrics or those with velvet or chenille construction.

Should you feel it necessary to use a water based solution, the Bridgepoint Fabric Shampoo is the safest material that you could use. Even considering the products safety, you should still clean a test area near the zipper area of the cushion to assure there will be no texture distortion or color loss.

If you test area looks acceptable, proceed as follows:

Dilute the product per label directions, then dip a clean, white towel into the solution. Wring out the excess moisture, and make a flat pad, just as you did for the wall covering.

Wipe the fabric with the dampened pad, then follow up with a dry towel to remove residual moisture.

FAQs - Oil Stains on Fabric

Please send the fabric sample if you can, but I can give you some idea of the challenges you'll face with this product:

Viscose is another name for rayon. Rayon (as you likely know or remember from class) is a fragile fiber that becomes very weak when wet. Cotton stays strong, which is good in most cases, but in blends with rayon (viscose) this can happen:

The strong cotton swells up as it absorbs water, and as it does, it causes the weaker rayon to stretch around the saturated swollen cotton yarns, which creates shrinkage. This shrinkage may be difficult to correct as the weaker rayon may split either during shrinkage or during attempts to stretch the fabric back into shape.

The second issue is the tanning oil. Oil is always a challenge to remove from textiles, but in this case it will be even more challenging. Most oily stains respond best to preconditioning agents that have a solvent booster added, especially when followed by aggressive hot water extraction techniques using the highest heat possible in the rinse extraction solution.

This technique is great for thermoplastic synthetic fibers (acrylic, nylon, olefin, polyester), but not so great on natural fibers or "synthetic natural fibers" that use regenerated cellulose like rayon and acetate. With these fibers the solvent booster causes the preconditioning solution to "wet out" the fabric, which can contribute to shrinkage. Follow up hot water extraction will have two additional risks:

1. The heated solution required to break the oil bonds that exist in the fabric will also wet out the fabric more readily than lukewarm solutions, which also might contribute to color bleeding.

2. The needed aggressive scrubbing strokes with preconditioning tools and the extraction tool may damage the rayon (viscose) yarns.

With all of that considered, you might want to pass on attempting to clean this fabric unless you have some clear limitations of your liability that have been put into writing.

FAQs - Cleaning Area Rug in Place

Q - I have a customer who would like the traffic area (center) of the rug done. She said the rug was cleaned by another company in place. Would I be able to use a mix of Energy & Extreme Clean, and extract with End Zone? If so, what do you suggest as to the settings for the heat and wand pressure. She does not want the rug removed for cleaning. The rug size is approx 7 ft by 9 ft. I have a copy from your site on Area Rugs, Wool.

A - There are times when it makes sense to clean an area rug in place. Here are my suggestions:

1. Would I be able to use a mix of Energy & Extreme Clean, and extract with End Zone?
   Unless you are certain this rug is made from olefin, do not under any circumstances use Energy and Extreme Clean on this rug. You should precondition the rug with a mild detergent, such as Avenge Fabric Prespray or some other upholstery preconditioning product that is within a safe pH range for natural fibers. You should be safe to rinse it with End Zone, though given the choice I'd prefer you to use Fab Set.


2. If so, what do you suggest as to the settings for the heat and wand pressure.
   I'd recommend that you set your temperature at 180 or lower, and use a hand tool at 150 psi or lower. When cleaning rugs in place, its better to use a hand tool to prevent overspray on the surface on which the rug is resting. A truck mount upholstery cleaning tool is ideal for this purpose.

FAQs - Browning on Wool Rug

Q - Once again your crew came through for me in a very busy week last week. Speaking with Jim B about a couple of troubles with my 200 Max made for a more profitable week. Your guys are great and a class act for all to follow. Please tell them thank you for their help and sorry if I called to often.

I wanted to know if you know of a product that can handle browning on a wool rug. One of the floods I did had a large wool rug in the lobby. I don't know if it was preexisting browning but wanted to have ammunition in case it wasn't. Thanks again!!

Blessings,
Dan H

A - Thank you for this message. Lee and I are proud of our staff here, and it is always good when we see the hard work that they do is recognized. We'll be sure to let JB and the rest of them know of your kind thoughts.

Browning can be very difficult to remove from wool, as it is either staining from a jute backing, staining from minerals and soil that infiltrates with water intrusion, or both. Wool's absorbent nature and resistance to releasing stains makes the prospect of fixing this a 50/50 proposition, at best.

We have a browning treatment in stock from Masterblend called, simply enough: "Browning Treatment". Its only 10.26 per gallon. After you apply the product, you should clean the carpet with products appropriate for wool.

Thanks again for your upbuilding comments this morning Dan.

Jim

FAQs - Maxim Advanced for Carpet & Upholstery

Q - What is the difference between Maxim Advanced for Carpet and Maxim Advanced for Fabric and Upholstery?

A - The differences between "Maxim Advanced" and "Maxim Advanced for Upholstery" are considerable. The name similarity is a marketing decision based on how popular the "Maxim Advanced" names has come to be. A related example would be how back in the 1970's, when Dupont wanted to compete with Scotchgard. Dupont called its first protector "Zepel". No one would buy it.

Then a smart marketing guy figured to use the same name for the product used on pots and pans: "Teflon". Its a different product applied in a different way, but it explains the benefit easily.

So Maxim Advanced for Upholstery has two major differences:

One, it contains a dye stabilizer. It won't keep everything from bleeding, but it will prevent bleeding in 99.999999999999% of the stuff you clean.

Two, its "elastic". Most protectors aren't, and don't need to be. But when sprayed on upholstery that gets sat on, it stretches when the fabric does. So its more appropriate for upholstery, and far more durable.

FAQs - Upholstery Cleaning

Q - When I clean cotton upholstery, I use fine fabric shampoo, sometimes boosted with Boost All (buffered with Buff All)and sometimes Citrus Solv. I mix it in a bucket, work up a foam, apply it with a brush, spray it lightly with Fab Set and vaccuum it off. This works well but is time consuming, also sometimes the brush gets too wet and I get part of the fabric wetter than I wanted. I wondered how Avenge neutral prespray would work as compared to what I'm doing?

A - This low moisture, also known as dry foam, cleaning technique has stood the test of time as a very safe and effective method for cleaning fabrics that might otherwise be susceptible to cellulose browning or color bleeding.

When you boost with Boost All and Buff All, you not only prevent browning, but you also will often remove preexisting browning or tannin stains. I would caution you that this mix might overwhiten natural cotton fabrics, and that you might want to consider boosting the Fine Fabric Shampoo with Coffee Stain Remover, which will prevent/cure browning without overwhitening. The Citrus Solv is very useful for oily soils, but you should note that it does tend to eliminate you foam, and might be responsible for the "wet spots" you are noticing.

To get more even results when you do use low moisture cleaning, squeeze your shampoo solution (with whatever additives you feel are necessary) through a natural sponge or a hydra sponge and create a thick foam on top of the solution.

THEN dip your horsehair brush into the foam only. This will prevent your "wet spots".

The Avenge Neutral Prespray is a very effective prespray that works well on natural fibers. However, I have found that it is more likely to cause color bleeding (even with its neutral pH) than will Fine Fabric Shampoo.

Do you own a "dry tool"? You can use Avenge Neutral Prespray more safely with a Hydrokinetic, Drimaster, or Hy Dry Tool than you can if you are using a "wet tool".

With "dry tools", you'll save time and get the fabrics cleaner than ever. But even with those tools, there are still many times that the original formula you outlined is the best choice for restoring heavily soiled sensitive fabrics.

Just remember, sponge first, then brush.

FAQs - Spotting Products Questions

Q - Hey Jim, I'm going to try that Stain Zone, Boost All and the Avenge. Is the Boost All worth the money?

A - Boost All is one of those products that is considered to be "magic" to those who know how to use it. Many cleaners ask me not to teach everyone how to use it, as they consider it their "secret weapon" that helps them get results their competitors cannot match. As I mentioned previously, it removes many stains during cleaning, and limits "post cleaning spotting" to very few stains.

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Q - The Boost All works great. My toughest carpet is my parent's house and they have 5 dogs and a cat and their carpet gets trashed every 4-5 months and I go and clean it. I used Flex with Citrus Solv with Boost All in it. The carpet is cleaner than I could ever get it before. Do you think that I would need Buff All for anything since I don't clean older area rugs. Would you recommend Buff All for anything other than that?

A - You only need Buff All if you are hand shampooing or dry foam cleaning natural fiber upholstery or rugs.

Remarkable Class at Pembertons on May 29th

We had the opportunity to have a leading expert on water damage restoration, Chuck Dewald, speak to our customers on May 29th.

I had heard that he was an outspoken, somewhat controversial character, and that in some cases suppliers and other industry leaders found his comments and approach to be negative.

We did not find any of those concerns to be valid!

Instead, our customers had the opportunity to hear one of our industry’s most innovative minds share his insights about both the technical and business aspects of the water damage restoration industry.

While the technical information that he shared was very useful, perhaps the best parts of his presentation was his passionate belief that water restorers need to have a better understanding of what they are doing. He also spoke from his heart about the deep regard that he has for those restorers both in the audience and throughout our country.

His passion, his mission, is quite obviously to bring up the level of professionalism and education of the restorers, and for them to best serve the public/the insured, and to help those restorers stand up to insurance companies that truly do not have their interests at heart.

We at Pembertons highly recommend that any restorer who wants to "be their best" take the time to attend a class taught by Chuck’s team at their home base in Morristown, Tennessee.

https://www.americandryinginstitute.com/

American Drying Institute
5740 West Andrew Johnson Highway
Morristown, TN 37814

Chuck Dewald III
Phone: (423) 312-6777
Fax: (423) 318-0672

FAQs - Pet Stain & Odor

(Several of our Blog participants have asked for ideas for consumer type articles, and a recent interview I participated in seems to be just what might be needed!)

CHECK THIS OUT:

Q - WHAT ARE THE FIRST STEPS A PET OWNER SHOULD TAKE TO MITIGATE ANY POTENTIAL DAMAGE FROM A PET STAIN TO CARPET OR UPHOLSTERY?

A - GREAT FIRST QUESTION!
Unlike most household spills, body discharges from pets can permanently discolor carpet or upholstery, especially if the fabric contains wool, silk, cotton, or rayon. Even nylon, a more durable fiber, can be stained or bleached by urine or vomit.

By picking up any solid material and using absorbent materials such as paper or cloth towels or diapers, penetration of the liquid into the backing of the carpet or upholstery can be prevented, which is where most of the odor develops later, and which can be very difficult to treat, even by a professional.

WHAT CAN HOMEOWNERS DO THEMSELVES?
After picking up and absorbing, fresh body discharges are best removed with clear, cool water alone. As long as the urine or other material is fresh, it doesn’t necessarily need a household spotter to remove it. If you own your own cleaning or spotting machine, just rinse the area with water.

WHAT PRODUCTS?
There are some products available in stores and pet shops that are specifically designed for pet spills. These products are usually safe to use, but not often necessary if the above recommended methods are used. If there is a residual odor, look for a product that claims to contain an enzyme deodorant.

WHAT MISTAKES?
The two most common mistakes are neglect and misuse of products.

If an animal continues to contaminate a carpet, rug, or article of upholstery, urine often will damage the dye. Continued saturation of urine will also create a severe odor that penetrates to areas of the upholstery or carpet that are not readily accessible to be treated by the consumer. For a cleaning professional to treat such areas may require time consuming procedures that may become very expensive.

The other problem is misuse or improper choice of cleaning products. As mentioned before, absorbent material and clear water are the safest things to use. Avoid the use of disinfectants, strong chemicals, powdered deodorizing products, and bleaches. Such products are not only likely to be ineffective, but they may also damage your carpet, rugs, and furniture. They are also likely to interfere with the products a cleaning professional would use, and therefore make the odor or stain more difficult for even the most highly skilled professional to solve.

IF THE ODOR CONTINUES:
The problem may exist in multiple areas. Also be aware that the animal may have also contaminated ductwork, baseboards, draperies, and other contents of the home. Ultimately, you should contact a trained professional. You can get a list of such individuals at www.certifiedcleaners.org

FAQs - Leather Question

Q - I have a question about leather...I was ill advised (or so I believe) on a nubuck cleaner...my beautiful dansko amethyst spinnabucks look oiled from a conditioner (I should have gone with my gut) and I was hoping the degreaser would save them. Do you have any suggestions? Professional cleaning? Or am I just out of luck? Thanks you.

A - I'm afraid the application of a conditioner to Nubuck makes the oiled look fairly permanent, and our products will likely not be able to fix it.

Here's a hint that the "pros" use: Get some fine sandpaper and gentle sand the area; if your conditioner didn't penetrate too deeply, you might be able to move down to "new leather" and restore your soft surface texture. The leather might lighten, but it would get you back to the texture and look you want.

Let me know if you still want the products, but I'd say they don't give you a 10% chance at any restoration.

FAQs - Deodorization

Q – Hey Jim, what would I use a "fogger" for?
A - If you offer fire damage restoration, its a good way to distribute smoke deodorizing treatments. Actually, a fogger is great for duct sealing, deodorizing and disinfecting in many situations. They are usually suitable for applying water or solvent based formulations. A fogger with the highly recommended ULV feature means that extremely small particle sizes can be produced for very effective disinfection and odor control. The coarse setting is generally used for duct sealing.

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Q - Is the apple air worth the impression of clean to the customers?
A - I believe that it is; however, during the winter months, the Cinnamon fragrance of Spice Air is even more popular with clients.

FAQs - Upholstery Question

Q - What is the best chemical and most versatile to use on upholstery? Fiber Plus?

A - Rather than consider a different detergent, although Fiber Plus does have a safe pH range for most upholstery, consider instead a different prespray. My favorite prespray for all furniture is Avenge Fabric Prespray. If you are certain that the material is synthetic and colorfast, you might want to have some Avenge Heavy Duty Fabric Prespray for the "tough ones".

You can extract with Fiber Plus, but my preference is to use Fab Set instead. With Fab Set you'll be able to rinse out all of the prespray's residues, which leaves the fabric soft, and also bring the pH down to the acidic side of the pH scale, which stabilizes colors and prevents most browning issues as well.

Just be sure to spray either Avenge product evenly onto all body contact areas, brush it in with a soft, horsehair brush, and then allow ten to fifteen minutes of dwell time. The Avenge products are both such complete products that you'll not need any "cleaning power" in your extraction solution, just the softening, dye setting, browning preventative benefits that Fab Set can bring.

FAQs - Pros and Cons of a Truckmount

Q - I want a truck mount because they are faster and can do a lot more without all the setup. are there any downers about having a truck mount besides the cost and maintenance?

A- You're correct that the main reason to use a truck mount is labor savings both in "set up and tear down", as well as during the cleaning process itself. The analogy that I like to use regarding the difference of a truck mount and a portable is the difference between a chainsaw and an axe. Both will cut down a tree. But the chainsaw will do it quicker, and you won't be nearly as tired when you are done.

Cost is relative, of course. You will spend 5 - 10 times as much for a truck mounted unit as you will a portable machine, but your ability to produce more work in a day, and to clean more square feet per hour more than pays for the difference of that cost.

Maintenance is an issue that you must consider. Just as a chain saw requires more care than an axe, or a car than a bicycle, a truck mount needs more care as well. As with the labor savings issue, you'll spend less time maintaining your truck mount each month than you'd spend carrying, filling, and dumping your portable each day.

The only other drawback that you must consider is winter weather. You're unit will need to be kept in a garage, have an electric heater put in over night, or need to be antifreezed when not in use.

FAQs - Difficult Red Dye Spots

Q - Jim what would get out mocha-latte? The customer that asked me already used Oxy-Clean on it. Got any ideas?

A - Mocha-Latte probably has some artificial red dye to enhance the brown "chocolate/coffee" color, as well as some other dyes. The problem is that the red dye might require the use of a reducing agent spotter, such as Red One or Red Relief. The Oxy-Clean residue will inhibit the activity of either of the "Red" products, as it works in the opposite fashion (oxidizers add oxygen, reducers remove oxygen).

Remind the customer that the Oxy-Clean has likely made the stain permanent , but you can try this:

1. Rinse the area thoroughly with clear water. Any rinsing agents might create another residue problem. Rinse until any foaming and the "musty" smell that comes from Oxy Clean is gone.


2. Use either Red Relief or Red One according to directions.


3. If there is a remaining yellow stain, rinse thoroughly. After you have removed the "Red" residue, the remaining yellow stain should come out with Stain Zone or Stain Magic, which are left to work over time, but are not to be heated.

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Q - Jim I had a customer call me and tell me that they have a Kool-Aid stain on their carpet what would be best to get that out. Guess its been there and dry for about a week.

A - First, ask them what brand of spotters that they tried already, and in what sequence. The reason you must ask in this way is that if you simply ask: "Did you try anything before you called me?", they'll lie and say "no".

If you ask brands and sequences, they'll often forget to lie and tell you. If they used anything with a bleach, such as Oxy-Clean, you might not be able to get the stain out.

Assuming they only blotted with water or mild detergents, you should clean the area first; olefin and polyester will usually release red dyes during the cleaning process; high quality stain resistant nylon that hasn't been abused should also release most, if not all, of the stain.

If there is any remaining dye, treat with Pros Choice "Red One" or "Red Relief". After treating the area, clean other rooms (if available to clean), so that you can give the treatment time to work. In some cases, the dye will fade out while you are doing something else.

If it hasn't, apply damp heat with a hand steamer or iron according to the products label directions.

You have a good chance of completely removing the stain.

FAQs - Dry Clean Only?

A quick question? What is your experience with dry clean only upholstery using the Drimaster
? I have a customer with a 2-3 year Clayton Marcus, microfiber cloth, chair and ottoman, no tags, but if his memory serves him dry clean only. I personally have done a number of dry clean only with the Drimaster no problem. We cleaned the ottoman with Prochem Upholstery Cleaner, lightened but nothing impressive. Any suggestions?

Microfibers are usually polyester, sometimes nylon, and possibly (but very unlikely to be) rayon. A burn test will confirm which it is. Don't worry about specific fibers; just make sure its synthetic, not regenerated cellulose (rayon).

Because of the very fine denier that gives them their name, they can adsorb (as opposed to absorb) several times their weight in water, so you'll likely be surprised, and perhaps frightened, at how dark and "wet" it will become when you clean it.

Don't let that bother you. Simply precondition it with materials suitable for synthetic upholstery (either Prochem Upholstery Prespray or Bridgepoint Avenge Heavy Duty), and if it appears to be heavily soiled, boost the prespray with Bridgepoint Citrus Solv and Boost All or Prochem Citrus Pro and Oxy Plus. Rinse with Bridgepoint Fab Set or Prochem All Fiber Rinse, and be very sure that you open any vacuum relief valves that you have on the tool and/or machine, as your only real risk is damaging the fibers themselves with excessive vacuum.

The fabric doesn't have a predetermined "nap lay", so instead just use a clean white towel to absorb left over moisture, and to "fluff up" the nap so that it dries soft.

Use a solvent based protector, as a water based protector might leave it feeling a bit stiff. Remember, people buy this product because they like it to feel soft.

FAQ's - Silk Walls

Q - I have a wall panel which is made of silk material and has a few greasy stains which have come from oily hair or oily hands. Please advise what technique and what chemical to use.

A - Fabric covered walls, panels, and partitions are usually cleaned with hot water extraction using a low wetting or "dry" upholstery tool.

In your case, silk can have issues that the more commonly used synthetic materials will not. Silk may watermark, fade, or stretch if not cleaned very carefully. While there are times that it is safe and makes sense to clean silk furniture fabrics with hot water extraction, I do not recommend you attempt to clean silk wall or partition materials in this fashion.

Its recommended that you clean as much of the surface as possible with dry cleaning sponges. The areas that have the greasy hand prints can be cleaned by applying a dry cleaning solvent with a towel, then carefully wiping the more heavily soiled areas. Further soil may be extracted with dry towels afterward.

Be very careful not to spray apply the solvent, especially if it is a volatile solvent. Volatile solvents that are applied by means of spraying may evaporate quickly, leaving circles or "watermarks" wherever residual soil exists. By carefully apply the solvent by means of blotting, such rings should not exist after cleaning.
If the body oil is not removed by dry cleaning solvent, you can try a neutral detergent, such as Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo or Bridgepoint Fabric Shampoo. Mix either of these shampoos in a bucket of water, dip a clean white towel in the bucket, wring it out "dry", then fold the towel into a flat pad and carefully wipe the area in one direction.

CAUTION: The cleaning ability of these products is such that they might create areas that look cleaner when you are done. Be prepared to lightly wipe the entire panel to blend in the appearance, or the result may look worse when you are done.

Business Retainer FAQs

Q - Homepro spotter, is it good stuff?
A - Homepro is an excellent spotter for your customers, as is Groom Industries' Perky Spotter, and frankly both are good professional products as well.

Q - Does it help get business?
A - It doesn't help to "get business" as much as it helps you to "keep business" by reinforcing customer loyalty, and reminding them you are their cleaner.

Q - I see that the warranty cards for the Maxim Carpet Protector have some stuff on them about that. Do you teach about carpet protectors in your carpet cleaning classes?
A - Our carpet cleaning class teaches how protector is applied at the "mill", how it works chemically, and how to apply it properly.

Simple Email Question

Its interesting how a simple question is fraught with so many complexities:

1. Let's start with the first part of your question: "Can you add a deodorizer to your prespray or rinse water...."

The answer is a qualified "Yes".
Many deodorizing products work well as additives, and are compatible with presprays, cleaning detergents, and acidic rinse agents. Some products are not compatible as additives, though, so you should consult label directions of any product that you'd like to use in this fashion.

If I'm going to add a deodorizer to a cleaning product, I prefer to add it to prespray. This will help deodorize not just the carpet, but the prespray which may have an offensive odor. It also prevents the possibility of leaving behind a soil attracting residue or lingering fragrance that may not remain pleasant days after the cleaning job.

2. The second part of your question was: ".........and then say you deodorized the carpet?"
You can say you applied or added a deodorizer, but whether or not you actually deodorized the carpet is a matter of inspection after the job. If the source of the odor was confined to the face yarns of the carpet, the act of applying a deodorizer with your prespray, then rinsing away soil as well as the residue that caused the offensive odor might effectively deodorize the carpet.

If, however, the odor has penetrated through the carpet and perhaps the cushion, then odor causing residues (such as urine or vomit) would remain after cleaning, and odor would still exist. In such a case you could not fairly say that you "deodorized the carpet".

Subsurface treatments, either through injection or the use of the Spot Lifter Water Claw (tm) would be required to deodorize the carpet. In cases of severe contamination you might not be able to deodorize the carpet at all, and replacement of the carpet and cushion, as well as sealing of the floor and baseboard, would be necessary.

FAQs - Tile & Grout Questions

Q – Listen Jim, is the SX-12 a good machine?
A - Yes, the SX-12 HARD SURFACE TOOL can be an excellent accessory to a heavy duty, high pressure portable or a truckmounted system. In fact it is the latest technology for cleaning tile and grout!
It works with an easy front-to-back and side-to-side motion, it even works on uneven stone, tile surfaces & smooth concrete. It is light-weight and I find it non-fatiguing: as it glides so easily over the floor.

Q – Jim, what kind of pressure do you need to operate it?
A - 800 psi. The SX-12 blasts soil and dirt from tile, grout, and smooth or rough hard surfaces. The rotary arm spins to create amazing soil blasting power working from 700 to 2,000 psi while the vacuum ports pick up all the waste. The SX-12 is ready to work with truckmount or heavy duty, high pressure portable carpet machines, pressure washers and vac systems.

Q - I am just wondering because I am starting to do work for a local company who installs tile and I might want that in the near future.
A - Tile and grout cleaning is very profitable. You'd be better to use a truck mounted unit, or a portable designed for the purpose. The portable units are very heavy, though.

Doing More with Less

In today's times, finding products that serve multiple purposes not only can save a cleaning and restoration company money, but it also reduces stress by bringing more simplicity into the workplace and minimizing complexity.

Over the past decades, product manufacturers often put multiple labels on the same or similar products to make training easier and to minimize label copy and sales support time. With a little time and attention, you can reverse that trend and begin to learn how to get more out of less.

One such example came to me just yesterday. A fire restoration contractor was asked to clean a home after a protein fire. He wanted a deodorizer to add to his cleaning solution that would counteract the odor, but had none in stock and had to begin the job that day. I discovered that he had Citrus Solv, which is used primarily to boost the effectiveness of carpet and fabric presprays. In this case, I suggested that he use it to boost the detergents he was using for both the hard surfaces as well as the textiles.

The solvent in Citrus Solv is also used in most protein odor counteractants, and with this knowledge the restorer was able to use a product that he had on hand, and that cost 50% less than would the specialty protein odor counteractant.

Ask you suppliers which of the products that you use have such multiple purposes, and begin to simply your work and save money at the same time.

Slate floors

Within the past few months, I've fielded over a dozen calls or emails about how to clean or (more accurately) restore slate floors. I hadn't had this many request for slate floor restoration in the past several years, so I wondered why I'm having so many now.

I think I know.

Here in the Pittsburgh area, many homes were built with slate foyers in the 60's and early 70's. People cleaned them the best they could, and often put floor finish on them to give the stone some shine. Years of VCT floor finish application (not a recommended practice) eventually leave these floors even more dull, and sometimes yellowed.

The reason people seem to be wanting to have these floors cleaned is likely because they either have decided to stay in their home longer than they expected, or because of falling home values they are trying to "spruce up the house" and know that a dull, discolored entry area creates a negative first impression.

I think this is a good sign for our industry. First, its a service that you should be providing (I'll give you some tips in my next blog entry), and second, even if you don't choose to restore slate, it proves that people are finally moving into the "clean rather than replace" psychology that usually goes with an economy in recession.

What services do you offer that can help to make your customer's home more pleasant in which to live, or will make the home have the most possible value when its up for sale or rent?

Some Spotting FAQ's

Q – Jim, what about T-Rust rust remover? Does it work? Is it worth the money? Is anything better or as good but cheaper.

A - T Rust would be my personal choice. There are cheap mineral acids that might work, but you take risks of pulling dye from nylon and wool with such products.

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Q – Jim, is that spotting kit(CS03A) really worth the money?

A - I like this spotting kit a great deal, but you could probably do better by making your own, less complicated one, based on today's stain removal standards.

Here is what I would have in my kit:
* Stain Zone
* Red One
* All Solv
* PIG
* Gel Break
* T Rust
* Avenge
* Filter Out

All are products I would have in a kit. I would also have a spotting spatula, tamping brush, a steamer or iron to activate the Red One and also a Spot Lifter Water Claw.

More FAQ's

Q – Jim, Can I switch out Power Point liquid concentrate for Point Blue powder concentrate?

A - Yes. Power Point is a great easy to dilute, liquid cleaner. Point Blue, being a powder, is a bit more work to dissolve, but powders are always more aggressive cleaners, work better if the water is hard (such as well water), and can have better degreasing qualities where high amounts of petroleum or fat are present.

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Q – Hey Jim, Could I substitute Power Break pre-spray for Traffic Slam pre-spray? -- or is it too strong for lighter commercial traffic?

A - Power Break is a very aggressive product that is used mostly on restaurant and apartment carpets. Traffic Slam is designed for the fine, oily particulate soils that make commercial carpet so difficult to clean. You can use these products interchangeably, but you'll find with Traffic Slam you'll have less chance of wicking on your commercial glue down carpet. Most of your decision should work around the type of work you do more often: Greasy food service and rental property or commercial carpet subject to normal traffic and spills.

Q – Hey Jim, You recommended the spotter, Stain Zone. What about Avenge?

Stain Zone is a new advanced technology oxidizing (bleaching) stain remover that is safe for all synthetic carpet fibers. You just spray it on a stain that doesn't come out in normal cleaning (especially coffee or urine and other unknown yellow or brown stains) and over minutes or sometimes hours the stain simply fades away. You don't need to rinse afterward.

A - Avenge is an excellent "general purpose spotter", designed to remove spots when a full cleaning is not planned or needed. You'll remove most spots in cleaning because of the efficiency of our superior traffic lane pre-sprays, but if you need to spot without cleaning, or if you have a stubborn spot that contains a lot of sticky sugar, fine particulates (like copier toner), or similar spots, Avenge is definitely a good choice.

Upholstery Tools and Equipment

Here is a question I recently received:

I am getting back into business, but I want to focus on upholstery cleaning. I no longer have a truckmount, so I will be using my portable(a Kleenrite 214).

The Kleenrite tool is comfortable, but very wet. My question is: will the new hydrokinetic tool be effective with a portable, or is its design primarily for truckmounts?

Also, how long is the hose on the Hydrokinetic tool?

If it is not appropriate for use with a portable, do you have a suggestion?

Thank you for your help!


Hello Phillip

Welcome back to the cleaning industry. There are so few Fine Fabricare Specialists available in most market areas that we are actually training furniture retailer employees in the spotting and cleaning of fabrics. I see that market as a very good one for you to explore as an independent specialist.

Unfortunately, none of the dry tools perform well with low pressure/low vacuum units such as the Kleenrite 204. If you need a dryer tool, you might consider a different tool that shears into the fabric at an angle, and is further from the fabric than the jet on the Kleenrite tool is.

The one I would recommend would be the "Easy Reach Tool"
http://pembertonstore.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=9aw45

Ultimately, today's fabric specialist are purchasing small portables with higher pressure and vacuum that better accomodate the Hydrokinetic tool. Kleenrite makes a great machine that suits this purpose called the Sphere:
http://pembertonstore.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=sphere

Please feel free to contact me back at this email address if I can help
you in any further way.

Are There Green Products that Work?

I receive some of the best questions about our industry in email fashion. Starting with this question, I will be posting a series of questions and answers that cleaners and restorers pose to Lee or myself.

What is the best "Green" truck mount detergent you have found. Would like to find a product that cleans as well as Dry Slurry, but is "eco-friendly".

Thanks,
Alex-


Hi Alex

Finding a "green" cleaning product that will perform like your "old reliable carpet cleaning detergent" (Dry Slurry) will be a challenge. The things that cut grease (solvents) and soften water (phosphates) are will not be found in a "green product".

That said, the manufacturers of green cleaning products have done a very good job of getting "nearly as good as" with alternate formulations, and we're getting great feedback on both the Prochem Axiom products and the Bridgepoint Green Balance products.

Of the two, only one makes a powdered emulsifier. The Axiom Clean Powdered Emulsifier is a good cleaner, but will cost about 15% more than Dry Slurry. Other than this product, the liquid presprays and detergents from both Prochem and Bridgepoint actually cost less than the "non green" products that they replace.

Ultimately, in deciding to use products that do not soften water as well, and do not contain grease cutting solvents, you should look to using soft water in your cleaning equipment, and to use equipment that generates as much heat as possible, as heat helps to cut grease with less need for aggressive solvent additives in the formulation.

Jim

Winterfest 2009 News

PEMBERTONS ANNUAL WINTERFEST AGAIN PACKS SPECTRUM CENTER


Now in its eleventh year, Pembertons' annual Winterfest trade show once again posted impressive attendance numbers and earned high marks from guests among the companies who packed the Spectrum Banquet Center for this end-of-January cleaning and restoration industry tradition.

According to Winterfest veterans, this Pembertons' exclusive event continually sets high expectations.

Mark Cermak, a Winterfest regular, agreed that it is a must-see event. "Once again... an absolutely fantastic Winterfest. Enjoyed once again the pleasure of seeing so many friends and making many more. It's already on our calendar for January 2010!"

Attendees began arriving at 7:30 a.m. to enjoy continental breakfast, get early looks at the new exhibits, and find friends to sit with during the presentations and catered lunch. These early birds helped consume dozens of doughnuts & Danish, gallons and gallons of coffee, as well as fresh orange and apple juices.

Lee Pemberton, as has been the tradition, kicked off Winterfest's program with a startling view of today's consumer and how the current "econoclast" coupled with the destruction of trust has shaped current and future consumer attitudes, reshaping the world for cleaners and restorers.

Lee spoked strongly about the need to focus on "Educational Marketing" to rebuild consumer trust in each individual market area. One guest summarized Lee's comments this way. "It never ceases to amaze me how progressive Lee is. Lee firmly stated "Turn off your television sets! Pay attention to the things you can control or change and don't be paralyzed by the media"!

The Winterfest programs always break at noon for a sumptuous catered lunch. This year it featured endless fried chicken, meatball entrees, vegetables, potatoes, salads, and beverages. A perennial favorite, the wine and cheese bar, opened at 2:00 and served wine, beer, cheese and hors d'oeuvres until 4:00.

By 3:30 p.m. the room was packed with cleaners and restorer's anxiously waiting to see if they would be the winner of one of the 3 Grand Prizes. All told, $11,000. worth of prizes were awarded at Winterfest 2009!

You will find Winterfest pictures located here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cleanlee0522/Winterfest2009PrizeWinners#slideshow