Carpet Cleaning Issues - Carpet construction, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, equipment, events, etc.
Bedtime Posted by Les (Les), 18 February 2004
I've had a call today from a lady who apparently wants to get me into her bed.... 
I Can't blame her..... 
Oh sorry, apparently she wants me to 'clean' her bed, (must change our answerphone) 
I did have a blast at someone's mattresses in the past using a 'dry steamer', (not to be confused with a 'steam cleaner') as their little girl suffered with asthma.
Anyone used other methods and what charge ?
I don't want to try HWE as there is so much padding inside a bed.... and the thought of those 'Rusty Springs' 
LesPosted by Nigel_W (Nigel_W), 18 February 2004
Les,
I refer you to our recent recommendation for the cfr tool.
Are you coming to Watford in March. You can see mine in action and buy one at the same time from A & M if you like it.
NigelPosted by lenpg (Len Gribble), 18 February 2004
Thanks Nigel
I can see CFR in action
LenPosted by Les (Les), 18 February 2004
Hi Nigel, Just read the earlier post regarding CFR tool.
thanks re Watford.
In the meantime can I see this CFR tool on the Web ?
LesPosted by Nigel_W (Nigel_W), 18 February 2004
http://www.cfrcorp.com/commercial/hand.html
You also get a hose and trigger set up with it to allow you to connect a conventional hwe sysem to it
NigelPosted by Les (Les), 18 February 2004
Had a quick look Nigel, (thanks),
I do use a Prochem Upholstery Tool, which I appreciate doesn't have the flexibility of the CFR tool. Are you saying that it should be okay for me to use HWE with care on this Mattress ?Posted by Nigel_W (Nigel_W), 18 February 2004
Les,
I am not an experienced mattress cleaner and I do not know much about dust mites etc. I do know though that using the cfr tool you can wet clean the mattress fabric and have it dry in minutes rather than hours. No need to worry about rusty springs, damp fillings etc. I would use the cfr tool (1 or 2 jet)with Ashbys steamate and an air mover. Minimum moisture, high heat and fast drying.
Good luck
NigelPosted by Petersullivan (Petersullivan), 18 February 2004
Hi les have been wet cleaning mattresses for some of the top hotels and always wet clean them, you may need to apply varrious products to achieve the desired results , but mattresses are made of tough stuff and unless your about trying rusty springs dont worry. 
Posted by Dynafoam (Dynafoam), 18 February 2004
Les,
This is my anser to a similar question, posted yesterday on another forum:
A complete answer at my typing speed is out of the question.
The exact methodology will vary depending upon the reason for cleaning and the problems presented. However the basics are not too diferent from other upholstery cleaning except that construction of the mattress almost invariably means that the primary substrate is cotton wadding - highly absorbent and a prime sorce of celulostic browning.
With the two that I cleaned today the main problem was extensive browning caused by perspiration last summer. The proceedure was:
1]Thorough vacuum with a vibrating upholstery vacuum.
2] Mist spray with Solution No.4 and pad clean with terry towels to remove body fats.
3] Rinse with very hot water using CFR Combi tool.
4] Apply Prochem B175 Browning Prescription 1:3 and dwell for 30-40 minutes.
5] Further hot water rinse with CFR tool.
6] Mist spray with Ashbys Supreme Finish (acidic conditioner).
7] After 5 minute dwell to allow some penetration/mixing with absorbed moisture, went over entire mattress with 6-inch curtain tool (vac only)
8] Stand on edge and blow along mattress with air mover.
This is my answer posted yesterday, to a similar question on another forum:
Customer declared both dry after one hour.
Be aware that if the mattress is any more tha damp after stage 7, you are likely to be recalled for water marks.
As to charge, this will vary according to the work involved and the individual cleaners' rates but I would sugest that a double mattess is roughly equivilent to a three-seater sofa.
As a final note I urge that you spend time adjusting the customers' expectations - old urine stains and the residue of ladies 'damp spots', for example, are most unlikely to be completely removed.Posted by Petersullivan (Petersullivan), 18 February 2004
Alot of work and a lot of time for a poorly paid job...... check to see the customers expectations and use an oxibright , after all its under a sheet Posted by Dynafoam (Dynafoam), 18 February 2004
Peter,
A lot of dwell time, not a lot of work.
I was cleaning upholstery during the dwell periods, and who said it was poorly paid? Because I was on-site for the other work, I only charged £100 for the two - actual working time was about an hour.
As to Oxybrite, I use peroxides only as a last resort due to the associated bleaching of the fabric dyes and because to be effective the Oxybrite/Fibrebuff need to be left to dry slowly in the fabric - customer wanted to go to bed that night.
The fact that the mattress is much of the time hidden under a sheet is not an acceptable excuse to me or the customer for a sub-standard job.
John.Posted by Les (Les), 19 February 2004
Well a good and varied response as usual. That's what I love about this group, we quite often have several answers to one problem.
As the saying goes.."There's more than one way to skin a cat" ,(Answers on a Postcard please) 
Thanks for all the ideas.
So who sells the CFR tool on this site ??
LesPosted by Petersullivan (Petersullivan), 19 February 2004
hi john was only making the point if it was a one of clean didnt know you had other work on site, and i do agree there is no place for poor workman ship , but ive cleaned hundreds off matresses and expectations vary greatly, from the smell to the stain it self, on many occasions the customer was not aware of the problem for months. the trouble with email as with txt you only get what you read and not how the phrase was said.
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