Do Dry Tools Rinse Well?

There should be no doubt among those who follow this blog that I highly recommend the use of low wetting “dry tools”, such as the Sapphire Scientific Upholstery Pro.

However, I got an email this week where a cleaner used a clear extraction tool after rinsing a fabric with his dry tool, and notice a sudsy residue.

I explained that if a fabric is heavily soiled, and requires several applications of upholstery preconditioner, especially foaming shampoo products, it is nearly impossible to rinse this detergent from the fabric.

If the preconditioner is acidic and the fabric dries quickly, there is little chance that such residues will cause bleeding and browning, but there could be a stiff hand to the fabric, and fabric protector likely will not work well.

As a fine fabric specialist, you need to encourage your clients to have their valued belongings cleaned while there is yet the opportunity to lightly precondition and rinse thoroughly.

If you would like guidelines on how to communicate the need for cleaning before fabrics become abusively soiled, read the reverse side of our Upholstery Inspection Guide.

Preventing Texture Damage with the Right Tools

In a previous Clean Tip (called in while driving in “Wild and Wonderful West Virginia”), I talked about the damage claims I’m seeing from using metal tools on some upholstery fabrics. As promised, I’m now going to give more detail about the causes of these problems.

Not all metal tools cause distortion, but EVERY damage claim I’ve seen was caused by a metal tool, therefore you have to consider that issue as a primary cause.

Most upholstery tools are designed like a small stair cleaning tool, with a stainless steel cleaning head that either has the spray nozzle right behind the vacuum orifice, or actually within it. These types of cleaning tools work fine on most durable weaves, and have some benefit for their ability to reach into crevices and to do detail work.

However, it appears that the air turbulence at the edges of these tools, especially when coupled with high vacuum, can create lines in the fabric that may be nearly impossible to remove.

Another issue with some internal jet designs on upholstery tools is the way that cleaning solution heat may be conducted through the metal spray nozzle or cleaning head and cause heat damage to synthetic fiber fabrics, such as velvet.

Tools that have rounded edges, especially those made of plastic, do not seem to create this damage.

Such plastic tools are also lightweight and easy to use, but their primary benefit to fine fabric specialists is the are constructed from materials that do not conduct heat, and the part of the cleaning head that contacts the fabric is shaped in such a way to minimize distortion to delicate textured fabrics.

If you would like a list of the tools that I feel are safest to use on delicate texture fine fabrics, such as chenille and velvet, email me at: jimscleanchat@gmail.com

What You Need To Know Right Now About Metal Upholstery tools!

MEMO from Jim Pemberton from beautiful West Virginia:

I didn’t get a chance to write my weekly blog post before I left on this trip, but I’ve received so many calls and emails in the past few weeks about serious texture damage caused by metal upholstery cleaning tools that I simply could not wait another week to share this caution with you.

I will be preparing a report detailing which tools and techniques are safe to use on delicate textures such as microfibers and chenille as well as other problem fabrics next week.

I will also share the corrective procedures that we are currently using successfully. But, corrective procedures are simply a band-aid for use when absolutely necessary, they are in no way the solution!

Until next week, STOP using metal tools on delicate textures.

More to come…Jim

21st Century Texture Distortion Epidemic!

Over the last year and the beginning of this year I have received more emails and phone calls about texture distortion problems in upholstery than I have in decades.

This increase in texture related claims exists primarily because consumers are purchasing fabrics with delicate textures that “don’t look like a problem”, such as chenille. Combine the practice of using high heat and improper tools to clean synthetic fiber velvets and you have the formula for some serious problems.

A Tool Every Fine Fabric Specialist Must Have!
For years we have restored the appearance and the “hand” (how the fabric feels) of fabric by rinsing and then careful grooming during the drying process. However, some fabrics cannot be restored by such techniques. For these fabrics, we need to take a lesson from the “old pros” who cleaned upholstery in plant many years ago and begin to once again use steam to restore distorted fabrics.

The two places where I have found steam to be helpful include:

1. Natural Fiber Velvet and Chenille. These fabrics can often be restored with rinsing and grooming, but some designs are such that the marks from the cleaning tool remain, and often the grooming brush marks remain as well. For these fabrics, the use of a steamer and a rectangular horsehair brush is an ideal combination to use to restore the nap to as close to its original texture as possible.
2. Synthetic Fiber Velvet and Other Textures: High heat can be helpful in removing hair and body oil from heavily soiled synthetic fabrics, but it often leads to texture distortion, some of which may not be correctable by any method.

However, the use of steam has been very successful in removing most distortion issues caused by excessive heat or incorrect tool use on such velvets.

I recommend every fine fabric specialist go to:
www.jiffysteamer.com

Purchase both the Travel Steamer and the Professional Steamer. The Travel Steamer is inexpensive and is easy to take on the job. It is great for light touch up work and for use in dye stain removal processes. However, it “spits” a bit and isn’t always useful for extensive texture restoration work. Use the Professional Steamer for extensive texture restoration processes, which are often better done in plant, but can be done in the home if need be.

Both of these tools can be purchased together for less than the cost of a high quality upholstery cleaning tool, and are essential if you wish to be the fine fabric care specialist in your market area

Freeze Warning!

As we move toward the end of October, temperatures in the the northern part of the US and all of Canada will begin to drop below freezing at night, and in the next couple of months perhaps during the day.  Cleaners are aware of the need to protect their equipment during this season, but often overlook the damage that freezing might do to their cleaning products.

While most products will work as well after freezing if they are thawed out, there are a few categories that may be permanently damaged if left out in the cold overnight.  These includes:

• Carpet Protector
• Liquid Enzyme products
• Floor Finishes

Some of these products, especially protectors, are sold as “freeze/thaw stable”, but most are not.  Leaving such products in an unheated vehicle overnight when temperatures go below freezing risks a loss of the product’s performance.

Even though most other cleaning and spotting products do not lose effectiveness when frozen, the fact that you’d start your day trying to pour a frozen bottle of prespray (as an example) into a measuring cup is not likely going to be pleasant or productive for you.

If you cannot store your vehicle in a heated garage overnight, remove all of your cleaning agents and other treatments and bring them inside for the night.  It will protect those very important (and expensive) protectors, deodorizers and floor finishes.  It will also make the use of all of your other products easier and less annoying while you cope with the unavoidable annoyances cold weather brings to us all.

Stryker Cleaning & Extraction Wand

Upholstery Pro Tool

FAQs – Is It Really Possible to Dry Carpet Before Leaving the Job?

Question:
Hey Jim,
Do you have some thoughts on this Dri-Eaz Studebaker AirPath? I heard that the carpet dries when you leave the job.

——————————-

Answer:
Thanks for your interest in the Dri-Eaz AirPath.

The speed of which the Airpath will dry a carpet varies with the cleaning method used, the carpet fiber type, and the atmospheric conditions in the structure.

More simply put:
Heavily soiled carpets that require extensive preconditioning treatments take longer to dry.

Carpets cleaned with portable machines with weak vacuum and high pressure pumps take longer to dry.

Wool carpet takes longer to dry than do synthetic fiber carpets.

Carpet cleaned in a dwelling without air conditioning when there is high humidity outside will take longer to dry.

Homes where the entire carpet as well as the upholstery is cleaned, will generate a great deal more water vapor during the evaporation process, and will take longer to dry than they might when only a living room, dining room, and a hallway or stairs are cleaned.

Carpets that have protector applied will take longer to dry.

With all of the above factors in mind, our experience has been that nylon carpet cleaned in an environment of controlled humidity (A/C in summer, as an example) with a truck mount system in good operating condition and 300 CFM or more airflow will dry in about 15 minutes in the room that the AirPath is running. If you add any of the above factors into the equation, the drying time can extend to a few hours or more even with the AirPath.

Jim Pemberton

——————————-

Question:

My equipment has a vacuum 16″ Hg: 280 CFM with installed SOVC. I always connect my auto pump out for my recovery tank and also a inline aqua filter to reduce debris getting inside the recovery tank. My question is: Will the CFM decrease?

Jim, thank you for your response about the performance of Dri-Eaz Studebaker AirPath.

——————————-

Answer:
Your equipment specifications are such that you should be able to have carpet fairly dry if not dry when you leave the job, although you should still bear in mind the variables of “heavy preconditioning wetting”, wool absorbency, the extra moisture left behind after protector application, and the environmental conditions.

In line filtration devices are a great convenience, and will help to prevent clogging in your automatic pump out. However, they do restrict airflow; the amount of which varies somewhat with design, but mostly with how often you clean the filter.

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
————–
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
—————-
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
————
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