Correcting Browning

In the last Clean Tip, I shared the question of a cleaner who had an article of furniture turn brown after cleaning, and how that problem might be better prevented in the future.

Today I'll share the potential remedies for browning in the unlikely (we are hopeful!) event that you encounter browning yourself.

1. In some cases, rinsing the fabric with an acidic rinse agent, such as Upholstery Rinse or Fabset, will remove the browning. I prefer rinsing with Dye Stabilizer and Rinse, as it is a pure organic acid that contains no surfactant. This distinction is important, as you should leave as little residue as possible when correcting browning to prevent texture problems.
   
   Even if an acidic rinse does not completely solve the problem, it likely will remove detergent residues that contributed to the browning in the first place, and make subsequent removal procedures more effective.
   
   
2. The next treatment to apply is a reducing agent, such as Coffee Stain Remover or a liquid browning treatment that contain sodium bisulfite. Such products are effective at removing the brown discoloration and few contain surfactants either.
   
   
3. If reducing agents do not work, rinse the fabric again, dry it quickly, then use an oxidizing agent, such as Boost All. This type of product should be mixed with an upholstery cleaning detergent or shampoo, then rinsed from the fabric with an acidic rinse (Upholstery Rinse/Fabset), and dried rapidly.
   
   Products such as Stain Zone and Stain Magic may also work, but caution should be used, as these products may weaken cellulose fabrics, such as cotton, linen, and rayon.

All browning causes some degree of destruction to the fabric, so it is always undesirable to allow this to happen. The methods that remove browning also cause a degree of damage, though steps one and two (acid rinses and reducers) cause little noticeable damage. Use oxidizing agents only as a last resort, and as said before, avoid browning at all costs.

I Browned a White Sofa!

Q: Hey Jim:
I recently cleaned a white cotton sofa and had a browning problem!
I preconditioned with a neutral prespray and a neutral shampoo, rinsed with an acid rinse, and then applied a water based protector that is made for upholstery. I also used a "dry tool" to do the cleaning ... why did it brown?

A: You used all the "right stuff".
However, the problem was likely caused by the fact that (#1) you used dual preconditioning steps, (2nd) you added the rinse, (3rd) then you added the water based protector! All this resulted in just too much moisture. Running additional fans, or using only one preconditioning step might have helped.

However, consider this . . .
The key to preventing browning in heavily soiled white natural fiber fabrics starts with pre-qualification: Anything highly soiled that might require extra preconditioning can brown, so the customer needs to be advised of this, as well as reaching an understanding that the necessary additional steps to correct browning will result in a higher price or charged for as an additional service if browning does occur, (rather than have you fix it for free later) as well as resulting in an unhappy customer.

You also should consider cleaning heavily soiled white natural fiber fabrics in plant.
In a controlled environment, you can precondition, rinse, dry, then start over again rather than try to "do it all at once", which contributes to over wetting and the risk of browning.

Likewise, you can wait for the fabric to completely dry and then apply the protector, when you work in a controlled, in plant environment.

I will present the correction process for a fabric browned in this fashion in our next Clean Tip.

Mystery Upholstery Color Change

Hey Jim:

Q:
I cleaned a tan sofa and it turned pink after it dried! I rinsed it with an acid rinse and thought it was always safe. What happened?

A:
What you experienced is known as an "indicator dye change". This rare occurrence is caused when the fabric's dye reacts with a cleaning solution in the same way that the dye used in litmus (pH) paper turns various colors depending on the pH of the solution that it is exposed to.

When a fabric that has such a dye used in it is rinsed with an acid rinse, it may turn pink or red just as pH paper would when dipped into an acidic solution.

Here Is A Possible Solution:
Ammonia as you purchase it in the grocery store is the best solution for this problem. Avoid "sudsy ammonia" or cleaners that simply have ammonia as an ingredient, as such products contain detergent that may leave a sticky residue.

Unfortunately even "straight ammonia" can be of variable strength, so to be on the safe side, dilute the ammonia 50/50 with water before using it. If the discoloration remains, re-apply it at full strength.

NOTE:
If the fabric contains dyes that might bleed, even this brief exposure of ammonia could potentially cause color bleeding! Unfortunately, if you are already in the position of correcting this problem, you have little choice but to assume this risk. That said, ammonia rapidly self neutralizes and is very unlikely to cause color loss when used in this fashion.

Keeping Ink Stains In Their Place!

Removing ink from upholstery fabrics can be a troublesome and somewhat risky procedure. Here are a few tips that should make the job easier, and less risky:

The nature of some types of ink is such that once a spotter is applied, the ink pigment may spread rapidly to adjoining areas of the fabric. That means, ink spots that at first appear just as a few specks, could become large and unsightly from improper spotting.

Because of the risk of the spotting procedure making the ink stains look even worse, you should only proceed

(1) IF your customer is willing to sign a release of responsibility, and
(2) IF they are willing to pay you enough (Two VERY big "if's").

If the stains are on a cushion, you can try to remove them by putting your cleaning tool UNDER the fabric by unzipping the cushion.

You then should apply a few drops of a high quality, solvent based ink remover, such as Sapphire Scientific OGC (Oil, Grease, and Cosmetic remover). As the solvent liquifies the ink, the vacuum will immediately pull the ink into the vacuum flow and keep it from spreading.

Afterward, apply Sapphire Scientific Natural Fiber Cleaner as a preconditioner, and agitate it with a soft horsehair brush. Natural Fiber Cleaner has a special surfactant that suspends pigments and particulates better than most upholstery preconditioners, so you are more likely to suspend and then later be able to rinse out remaining ink residues than if you used other cleaners.

If the ink is in areas other than cushions that can be unzipped, your risks increase. You can apply the ink spotter to a Q tip swab and gently blot the ink, with immediate extraction afterward. This will be EXTREMELY time consuming, and you still have the risk of the ink spreading.

The Mostly Costly Upholstery Cleaning Problem

I’m often asked:

“If I get the right training and have the right products and tools, will I still have to turn down any upholstery cleaning jobs?”

My answer is always . . . . Yes, You Absolutely Will And Must Turn Jobs Down!

“You must turn down any job where your customer’s expectations exceed what you can deliver in the way of a result”

Think About This:

What really is the most costly event that can happen with a customer?
If you damage an individual piece of furniture through color bleeding, fading, or texture distortion, you will have a tangible cost that you will incur (a claim) and then it’s settled. But that’s not your biggest cost! The fact is that the damage claim is your smallest problem!

What happens if you consistently deliver poor results in the eyes of your customers?
You could have dozens of unhappy customers who will never call you back, and never refer you to others, or more likely will trash your reputation at the hair salon at every opportunity!

Unlike carpet, upholstery has so many variables in its fiber content and design, including consumer neglect, that it is impossible to always remove all stains and soils easily, or at least removing them without causing color or texture damage to the neglected fabric.

The Problem Is Communication.
If your customer understands these limitations up front, they are more likely to make the decision to accept a less than perfect result, or they have the option of declining your service. In fact, this may be a situation where you, the professional, makes the decision to decline the job. [Never lose sight of the fact that consumers will deceive themselves regarding acceptance of the finished service, then have a change of heart when questioned by another family member].

These results are far less costly than the typical “complaint” results that occurs to cleaners who spend hours attempting to clean something that will never be able to be restored, and they both lose money and at the same time have an unhappy customer, not to mention their reputation.

The Preinspection And Prequalification Step Is “Good Communication”

A good preinspection and prequalification step is NOT a list of good sounding excuses that is meant to talk the customer into accepting poor results.

On the contrary, if you understand the limitations of a specific fabric, such as the tendency of a rayon chenille to lose its texture from wear or denim to lose color, you can speak to the specific limitations imposed by the fabric and the use your customer has put it through when you explain what level of soil or stain removal that your customer might accept.

The ability to explain these limitations also should allow you to talk to your customer about the care of their furniture before it becomes heavily soiled and stained, and thus allow you to give them results with which they will be pleased.

Learning to follow a consistent and well thought out preinspection and testing protocol on every job you clean will prevent this costly and frustrating problem, and will also enhance your image of professionalism in your customers eyes.

Effective and Inexpensive Upholstery Preconditioning Tool

Most cleaners have applauded the explosion of microfiber upholstery in the marketplace. While microfibers have some challenges that need to be addressed in inspection, such as delaminating, for the most part this product is durable when cleaned with proper upholstery cleaning techniques.

The biggest challenge in cleaning microfibers is the tendency for it to adsorb oily soils, and the time involved in loosening these soils. Horsehair brushes, the mainstay tool of fine fabric specialists, are not always up to the task, and the alkaline preconditioning agents most suitable for oily loving polyester microfibers will felt, matt, and distort the horsehair brush until it is unusable.

Nylon scrub brushes are chemical resistant, but may damage some microfibers.

Try This Instead:

Use a white floor pad, such as is used for polishing VCT, and cut it to fit your hand. The synthetic fiber will resist being damaged by your preconditioner, but is also gentle enough not to damage microfiber fabrics, or any synthetic fiber fabric that you are cleaning. The surface area of the pad actually penetrates the heavy oil residues better than brushes can as well.

Try this out the next time you have microfiber furniture to clean, and you’ll be impressed at the time you’ll save and the results you’ll get.

The New Problem Fabric Challenges For Upholstery Cleaning Professionals!

For decades, the fabrics perceived to be problem fabrics by cleaners, and by those who train them, have been in these four categories:

1. Bleeders, usually fabrics woven on the jacquard loom


2. Raw Cotton, still sometimes called "Haitian Cotton"


3. Velvet, especially those made from natural fibers


4. Nondurable finishes, mostly Chintz and Polished Cotton

Today, those categories have changed. Following is the 21st Century list, in the order of challenges and problems now occurring!

1. Fabrics That Won't Come Clean! Cleaners are facing more issues with abused natural fibers that they cannot restore without damaging them.


2. Natural Whites. The term Haitian Cotton is massively outdated, and even raw cotton isn't correct, as rayon and linen fabrics have the same issues of browning and water stains as cotton does.


3. Textures. Velvet is still "out there", but the new problem fabrics are natural fiber chenille, and even synthetic microfibers. The chenille's can have permanent distortion, and the microfibers have issues in poor manufacturing processes that can cause you big problems if you don't know what they are.


4. Non Colorfast Fabrics. The "old fashioned" floral jacquard weaves still exist, but most color problems today are being encountered in poorly made prints and denim fabrics that easily fade.

If you are still seeing the upholstery cleaning world through "20th Century Eyes", and training your employees the same way, you can expect to get caught by surprise when one of these challenges becomes an unexpected problem for you.

The Number One Upholstery Cleaning Problem Today is…Texture Distortion!

For several years, cleaners have focused their efforts in both testing and cleaning to find ways to prevent color bleeding and browning, (which are still both concerns for fine fabric specialists), but have long been resolved by cleaners who understand the chemistry of cleaning.

In a recent discussion that I had with leading furniture manufacturers, the individuals with whom I spoke did not complain about cleaners damaging dyes or causing browning, they instead spoke about the incredible amount of texture damage done during the cleaning process!

Today’s fine fabric specialist must recognize that delicate textures are not just velvet, which was for years the fabric most concentrated on in cleaning classes, but now also include such varied products as chenille and microfibers. While the difference between a rayon chenille and a polyester microfiber may see to be worlds apart, both can be easily (and perhaps irreparably) damaged by a careless cleaner.

Use this quick checklist to help to prevent damaging the furniture your customer has entrusted you to care for:

1. PreInspect and PreQualify your work: Many of these fabrics have already been damaged by abuse from your customer, their children and/or their pets. Make sure you discuss pre-existing problems before you clean.
   
   Qualify your work: Many of these fabrics have already been damaged by abuse from your customer, their children and/or their pets. Make sure you discuss pre-existing problems before you clean.


2. Precondition using a soft brush, and only brush in the direction of the lay of the tap, if any.


3. Extract using the “Upholstery Pro” upholstery cleaning tool. There are plenty of good “cleaning tools”, but there is no tool I have ever used that creates as little distortion during the cleaning process as this tool. The “Upholstery Pro” cleans and extracts as well as any tool you can use, but most importantly will not leave jet streaks, and creates only an occasional easy to remove “slight edge distortion” at the edges of the tool. Post grooming of fabric is far easier and less time consuming when you use the Upholstery Pro.


4. Use as little cleaning or rinsing agent as possible to prevent stiffness from residues. Never use carpet cleaning detergent in your “rinse”, and even many acid rinses may leave sticky residues. Sapphire Scientific Upholstery Rinse is unique for its very low level of surfactant content, and is my preferred rinsing agent for all soft textured fabrics.


5. Groom the fabric. Grooming techniques for velvet, chenille, and microfibers are all somewhat different, but all should be groomed immediately after extraction, then again after drying with fans.

Follow these steps and you’ll have better results and happier customers who will appreciate your efforts as a fine fabric specialist who cares.

FAQs - Tile, Grout & Stone

Q --
Jim,

A customer of mine just asked me to clean some grout for her on her marble floor where her dogs had their way while she was away. I checked my supplies and found that I only have a little Viper Venom.

Did I hear once that Viper Venom is just a glorified stripper?? I have stripper and was wondering if I could use that as well.

Anticipating your response,
Dan

A --
Dan,

I would be careful identifying Viper Venom with stripper, as floor stripper as a pH range that can make it very damaging to many surfaces in the home that Viper Venom does not. However, regardless of that, I wouldn't even want you to get Viper Venom on marble.

Viper Venom (and stripper, and most degreasers) have agents in them that help them attack minerals in the water that interfere with their performance. That also means those agents attack minerals called calcium carbonate, which is the mineral that makes what we call marble.

The grout used in marble is unsanded, and the grout lines should be very narrow. You can't use a grout brush on them, nor should you as marble also scratches easily.

For your customer's sake, and obviously for yours, I'd recommend you wait and get some Stone Perfect, which is the best product I've ever used for cleaning marble and other natural stone.

Dan, I also need to caution you that what sometimes looks like "dirty marble" is really scratched marble. Those small scratches are not always evident as scratches, but when you are done cleaning the marble may look just as dirty.

That said, the Stone Perfect, applied with a clean (not a bit of grit in it) soft brush will clean the grout lines beautifully. Dan, we have some new sales help for you also! Stone Care Solutions from Bridgepoint is has created two short sales videos to help you sell your stone cleaning and polishing services. You can get this DVD for FREE free with the purchase of any set of the Stone Care pads. 5,7,17, or 20”.

Click here to see a short video for some super information you will like!

Jim

Holiday Spots, Spills and Stains

Starting with Thanksgiving, and through the late December holiday observances, your customers will be engaging in that riskiest of activities when it comes to carpet and upholstery textiles:

They will be serving food and drinks with bright red colors, and having their homes overcrowded with guests consuming those items.

While red stains are common throughout the year, there are two that you are more likely to encounter from now until January 2nd:

Cranberry Sauce and Red Wine.

The reason that both of these might create confusion is the uncertainty as to whether the stain is from “natural red colors” or from artificial dyes. The distinction is important to you, as the types of products you use, the order in which you use them, and the time you should predict in their use may vary widely depending on what is in the item spilled.

You should, of course, attempt to learn exactly what was spilled. If the customer still has the bottle or can, you can look right on the label and often determine if there is an artificial dye involved.

In today’s world, the assumption should be that there is a dye unless you know for sure otherwise. Unless your customer made their cranberry sauce from cranberries themselves (a more involved process), the sauce likely has an artificial dye. Even wine, which throughout history has only had natural colors, lately has become another source of artificial dye staining to carpet.

Once you have this information, first clean the carpet. With the amount of “polys” out there (polyester, polypropylene, and triexta…which is essentially polyester) as well as nylon with some of the latest advanced stain resistant treatments, many of these red stains will simply clean out of the carpet, with no further need of specialty stain removal techniques.

If any stain remains, you will then need to decide if the stain has a natural red color or an artificial one. Natural red colors come out most readily with the application of an oxidizing agent, such as Stain Zone or Stain Magic. Artificial red colors should be treated with specialty red dye removal products than contain reducing agents, such as Red Zone, Red Relief, or Red One.

Use each product by following each manufacturer’s direction carefully.

Worrying about red stains should be the last thing that should concern your valued customers. Be sure to approach the treatment of these stains with confidence and concern for their needs, and make such stains a minor inconvenience during these happy times for them.

Allow me to take this occasion to thank all of you for your support and feedback to us over the years.