Wine Stain Removal Follow up (or “Part II”)
I just got an email back last night from the cleaner who asked about removing a wine stain from a cotton cushion last week. I shared my recommendations in last weeks Clean Tip, and felt it important...
View Article“Wool Safe” is not “Operator Safe!”
Machine made wool carpet that is installed on the floor cannot be immersion cleaned and dried like an area rug, and it’s face yarns and backing yarns should never be cleaned like a synthetic fiber...
View ArticleRed Discoloration Problems – AGAIN?
Red discoloration problems with furniture fabrics continues to be an ongoing and costly issue to cleaning companies. Fortunately, more and more companies have become aware of this problem, and are...
View ArticleAvoid These Six Cleaning Disasters with Very Low Moisture Cleaning
The following are the six most common and costly disasters that can occur if fine fabrics are improperly cleaned: Bleeding Fading Browning Texture Distortion Shrinkage Discoloration from flame...
View ArticleFive Questions That MUST Be Answered Before You Clean Fine Fabrics
When cleaners ask about how to clean a challenging (or perceived to be challenging) fabric, I usually ask them these five questions… …ALL of these questions will be easy to answer if you know the...
View ArticleThree Challenges Created by Spills with Red Dyes on Fine Fabrics
Children (and some adults) enjoy soft drinks that contain red dyes. However, such products really should be kept away from all carpet and upholstery fabrics. While that sounds good, the lifestyle of...
View ArticleThree Challenges Created by Cosmetics on Fine Fabrics
Lipstick, “make up”, eye liner, etc all contain pigments carried in an oily medium to help them adhere to lips and skin, and to help keep them “in place” in the presence of moisture. These...
View ArticleThree Challenges from Hair and Body Oil
The soil that most visibly contaminates upholstered fabrics is body oil. Oils that come from the skin and hair of humans, as well as their dogs and cats, create unsightly stains to those areas that...
View ArticleWet Detergents and “Dry Tools”: A Bad Mix?
The advent of low wetting upholstery cleaning tools ( “Dry Tools”) has helped upholstery cleaners minimize the risks of bleeding, browning, shrinkage, and water marking so much that few cleaners can...
View ArticleDuring Cleaning, When is Black Not Black?
A cleaner recently contacted me regarding a white cushion that had developed a red stain on one side after drying. During some subsequent discussion, the cleaner revealed that the cushion was placed...
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