Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: wayne zabel on July 18, 2010, 05:20:50 pm
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One of the most confusing things i find in this game is the identification of fabrics.
I went to look at some sofas today,they were a deep purple colour, very modern,they looked and felt just like velvet.They were bought from a shop called ILVA a kind of IKEA so they weren't that expensive.If they were velvet would they be expensive?
Am I right in thinking that if they are velvet then its not advisable to wet clean.
Can anyone think what the fabric is,It wont be a Dralon type I dont think as I wouldn't have thought that ILVA would sell Dralon type of sofas
I took some photos on my phone but cant get them onto the site.Can I send them to someones mobile?
I normally ask Mark Powell this kind of thing but I cant get hold of him recently.
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should be a swatch on it wayne, do your wet test on it and cut a bit off for your burn test.
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Couldn't find a swatch or a label with any instructions for cleaning that you usually find on sofas.I wet a part at the back and it didnt distort.
Cant remember doing a burn test on fabrics on the NCCA course,just got a load of samples to stick on sheets.
What do you look out for on a burn test on fabrics.Presumably you can only test to see if its a natural or synthetic fabric but some fabrics have bits of everything in them,this is were I get confused.
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burn tests for fabrics are in your manual, (unless i'm getting confused with my prochem or cleansmart manual) get a load of swatches from M&S and practice til you can identify the way each fabric burns smells etc...
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It will probably be a cheap Flock fabric.
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Hi Guys
Wayne, you have hit the nail on the head with burn tests, they are ok on pure fabriccs but if there is nylon, polyester, cotton and acrylic you will not be able to seperate them by burning.
This is where wetting out becomes, in my view much more important.
If it doesn't wet out then it will almost certainly be wet cleanable, subject to dye bleed test.
If it does wet out the you could still be able to clean it but you need to wet an inconspicuos part and dry using a hair dryer, if it dries ok then you can wet clean , if it's all matted etc then probably best to leave until more experienced.
It is always worth studying a suite before cleaning, the customer will probably have used detegents to remove marks in the past, dont be afraid to ask, have they distorted the pile, are there any water marks, has it delaminated(faux suede).
Cheers
Doug
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Thats one of the first questions I ask, if it has been wet cleaned before. some say another company, but a few have confessed to putting cushions into the washing machine or useing a rug doctor/vax etc