Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Roger Koh on May 10, 2012, 08:43:38 pm
-
Is wool stinking during the drying process a concern to the customer, especially to on-location wall-to-wall carpeting?
How about in-plants wool rug cleaning – is wool stinking an issue?
How do you eliminate such stink?
Roger Koh
info@leatherdoctor.com
-
well wool does smell when it's cleaned. wash a wooly jumper and it smells like an old dog....yea?.
Aparently it emits a gas of which I cant remember.
In my experience some wools can emit a smell like strong cat pee. I tell the custy it will eventually go, not much point in trying to hide the natural odour.
-
It is the sulphur in the wool that smells when it is wet, the smell goes when the wool is dry again.
If it's mentioned I say that it's normal, a wet animal hair smell. You could mask it I guess,
but it'll be gone soon as you get blowers on it.
Richard.
-
If it's commented on I just tell them it's the smell of quality ;D
-
Often the smell is worse infront of big windows where the carpet has been subject to sun bleaching
-
Let me guess, sales pitch coming in 5, 4, 3....
-
Is wool stinking during the drying process a concern to the customer, especially to on-location wall-to-wall carpeting?
How about in-plants wool rug cleaning – is wool stinking an issue?
How do you eliminate such stink?
Roger Koh
info@leatherdoctor.com
I've never known anyone complain. Always tell them in advance and offer to include a free deodorisor to reduce the smell whilst wet.
-
I've had a few comments...
Customer: "Why does it smell like wet dog?"
Me: "It doesn't... it's wet sheep"
Then we have an awkward laugh together... and I leave
-
Thanks to all that participate so far . . .
The pick of the post is as follows for further discussion . . .
Carpet Guy – “In my experience some wools can emit a smell like strong cat pee.”
Smell of cat pee would be an ammonic smell.
RichardJM – It is the sulphur in the wool that smells when it is wet
So its Sulfuric smell.
Bob Allen – Often the smell is worse infront of big windows where the carpet has been subject to sun bleaching.
Can you please share the smell type of sun bleach wool compared to non sun bleach wool?
Besides the above sulfuric and ammonic smell, what others smell types have you all experience?
Roger Koh
Odor Control Technician - IICRC #942
info@leatherdoctor.com
-
Farm yard (I call it fresh air back to nature)
-
the wet wool smell is an easy problem to solve with customers, i just tell them after i have cleaned their carpet
" I can make your carpet smell like a apple orchard on a summers day or like an orange grove on a tuscan hillside
All I need to do is spray perfume all over the carpet, or we can leave the carpet totally free of any dirt or chemicals.....
but it will have its natural smell of damp wool"
which would you prefer?
how many do you think chose to have me spray perfume all over the carpet?
-
Farm yard (I call it fresh air back to nature)
Ah! Nature Farmyard Freshness!
Do we describe it as “sulfuric”?
Or do we describe it as “ammonic”?
Any other description you think may fit too?
Your contribution please!
Roger Koh
Odor Control Technician - IICRC #942
info@leatherdoctor.com
-
It's pretty common knowledge that there are disulphide bridges in the molecular structure of keratins, courtesy of the amino acid cysteine.
The real question is, what sales pitch are you leading up to?
Jim Neal
Bullsh*t Filterer #45367
getstuffed@stoptryingtosellthingsthroughthebackdoor.com
-
Do we have our "cynical" head on Jim ??
;D ;D
-
Jim - you are 100% right (and funny) on this call
I made a similarly sarcastic aside after one of Mr K's teasing posts on another forum and was shouted down by some ignorant twats who got suckered in and could'nt see the punch coming!
btw how the heck do you remember your email address?
dave
-
Now thats weird: I just looked at my last post and guess what?
If you try to type the word t w a t the system changes it to numpty - that is the most ridiculous censorship I have ever come across - what is the point - who decides on these automatic changes and have they not heard of freedom of speech? Unbelievable... it was not as though I said the numpties were on this forum - what other words are changed automatically - we could be reading completely different posts from those that the posters thought they were posting!!!
Big brother is watching you...
-
Certainly do, Hector, along with my sarcastic head, and my grumpy head ;D
Dave, know what you mean, but I suppose it's a family show so they try to keep it clean (scuse the pun)
I think others do see it coming but maybe aren't as wound up as me, when all someone does on the forums is try to sell sell sell. There are quite a few suppliers on the forums we use but they don't make sales pitches all the time, simply offer help & advice and have a bit of chat and banter... and guess what, they are the more respected ones who probably do lots of trade with the forum users without even pushing for it!
-
Very true Jim, im the same and never buy anything from Restormate ;D
-
Oh except my chemicals
-
Oh and equipment and advice ;)
-
Jim you're turning into a Mr.Man.....Mr.Grumpy ;D
TBH we've had this issue for yonks the smell goes when the wool is dry anyway and with todays machinery and techniques it's not the problem it was years ago and there's also the alternative of perfuming, Roger I wouldn't pay much for a product or solution when it solves itself.
Shaun
-
I don't think there even IS a problem!
Maybe in the US market they're not so used to working with wool, so perceive the smell of it as a problem? Yesterday Dave Liahona was chatting and I think he said something like 80% of the carpets over there are synthetic, it's probably the other way round here
-
Im not too worried about the carpet but I am worried that every one I meet for the rest of that day will wonder what Ive been doing as my trousers stink of wet sheep having been kneeling on a wool stair carpet during cleaning.
Mark
-
Something which I say to the custie when I get a whiff of wet sheep is that the better the quality of the wool the more it niffs. Suddenly they like the smell. ;D
-
A lot of people fall into traps on smells. Most smells come from a build up in bacteria.
New leather has a nice smell that every one associates with it but that is not the smell of leather itbis the smell of the chemicals and finishes used during the tanning.
With wool there are lots of therories but basically with commercaially made carpets the wool has been fully cleaned and treated prior to dying and in that process all bacteria and enzymes will be killed off, the same in the dying process as very high and very low ph chemicals/ Dyes are used along with high heat, and again this will kill off anything in the wool. My own therory is that in woven carpets its the dye that gives the odour off and not the wool. On tufted wool carpets i think it could be the dyes or the backing adhesive.
On wool rugs, well this could be many many things that give off odours. Saying the rug is made of wool doesn't always mean 'sheep'. Often hair and wool of goats and camels are used and they both have an odor. For example Rugs from Turkey that have camel hair in them have an odor.Here's a quote from an article regarding Bokhara rugs: The warp is of brown wool or the coarser hair of the goat. Spinning these filaments is a difficult task. When wet they curl so tightly that they cannot be spun at all; therefore the hair is not always washed, but after the shearing is carefully combed. There sometimes remains in a warp made of this thread a strong odor which it is quite difficult to remove.