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