Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care on January 13, 2007, 12:37:32 pm
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I use option 5. I wanted to get an idea of the market. I only solvent dry clean curtains if they fail the shrink test, other wise they get the HWE treatment.
I've recently started recycling (re-using) the solvent after filtering of course. Does anyone else do this?
Alan
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vac,
mist with m/s,
steam gun with terry towel over gun, towel at back and run down the fabric
Geoff
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I did that recently and posted the results on here - I watched it shrink by FIVE!!! inches
If it fails the shrink test it gets dry cleaned
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I use a Slightly different method to Geoff
Pre-vac,mist with M/S and brush in, then extract only, using a curtain tool
Mark
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what results are you getting with this method geoff/mark .Do the curtains look like they have just come back from the dry cleaners ?????????
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Hi Des
Cleaning with M/S gives a very acceptable finish but I never promise more than a freshen up ,pre-vac is the most important part of it and can make a huge difference in apperance on its own but customers seemed to be more than happy with results and with the added bonus of cleaning on site takes away the problem of taking down the curtains which is not always possible ,M/S is safer, cheaper and less messy than solvents.Apart from that curtain cleaning is the most boring job in the world(slightly exagerated)
Mark
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You cant clean genuinely 'dry clean only' curtains with MS. The point of the POLL is to find out what you would do when you are confronted with DRY CLEAN ONLY CURTAINS.
Please ;D
Alan
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WITH A LIGHT MISTING OF M/S YOU CAN! ;D
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Hi Alan
I recycle the dry cleaning solution but only use about 1o% added to a fresh solution, the dry cleaning of curtains on site really does seem to be on the increase for me, it's sometimes what sways the customer to book me for carpets and upholstery cleaning when they need a one stop shop to do the curtains too! and they love the thought of not having to take them down and re-hang them! ;D
all the best
john
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if asked by custy to clean curtains, I expain that the results are not always as good as taking them to the dry cleaners, However they accept this as they dont want the inconvienience of taking them all down and rehanging, which some times can be a job in itself
Geoff
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When I first started out in the industry 18 years ago I used to dry clean curtains and suites but could not get the results that I felt were acceptable. Also the health & safety aspect of spraying solvents around the room were in my mind not worth taking the risk over, for myself or the customer.
I hardly ever get a customer asking for curtains to be done but that may be because I do not advertise for it. If there was a better safer way of cleaning these with results to match I would consider doing them again. Taking the curtains to the dry cleaners would not guarantee no shrinkage as I think they have clauses for this. Misting Ms onto the fabrics sounds like a good idea do you get good results from this Mark or Geoff.
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I bought a vertical steam unit to decrease curtain that have been MS / HWE cleaned but I find that HOT solvent extraction cleaning doesn't even leave creases. I think that if done methodically you can produce 'dry cleaners' results on site easily.
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ALAN
WHAT DO YOU DO, WHEN CONFRONTED WITH " DRY CLEAN ONLY " SUITES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ROBBIE
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Hi Derek
Yes i do get good results using this method i described and you can can guarantee no shinkage
Mark
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a good ole vac, spray solvent and wipe down with cloth 8)
Job done - everyones happy!
Happy days ;D
regards
steve
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Mark,
When you say extract only, Do you mean No Water Rinse . Just extract Micro Spliter spayed on.
How long Do you leave Micro Splitter, Do you aggitate before you extract.
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Hi Ian
Yes Ian no rinse, aggitation and extraction only,there is no dwell time with M/S and also because of only a light misting is used ,extraction should be done before dry
Mark
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Maybe I'm wrong but surely these results cannot compare with dry cleaners efforts. You're not flushing anything out, you're just providing a surface clean? Can I ask what your prices are for this service? Please :)
Regards
Alan
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I'd take them to the dry cleaners and get them cleaned.
That way I'm not letting the customer down, which is good for future business. I also know that they are being properly cleaned, with no risk of shrinkeage.
Yes, the profit for me would be minimal but then so is the amount of work I'd put in.
Better to have a happy customer and no profit than an unhappy one at a profit. They are more likely to come back.
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HI
Always get asked about Curtains but tend to push for them to get them dry cleaned.
What do you charge for cleaning curtain as I have to do a quote for a big job on wednesday and want advice on this.
cheers
Neil
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Alan
I was interested in your remark that you had steam cleaned curtains and they had shrunk five inches...at least that's how I read it....maybe I have got it wrong
I have used steam for several years now with absolutely no shrinkage..slightly stretched maybe but not shrunk
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Hello Derek,
I was hoping for your contribution, I know you've taught on this subject.
If you recall, I recently posted about this matter 'curtain cleaning lesson' I think.
Cotton moire curtains vacuum cleaned and misted with MS, I didn't notice until I'd started to rinse extract with Drimaster tool that the cutains were slowly climbing the wall :o :'(. The client was well impressed with the clean and happy to pay the agreed price because a) I'd made such a blindin' job of their suite and b) I held my hand my hand up to the problem straight away and arranged to take the curtains away and be remade. I think the clients bill was around the £180 mark and it cost me £125 to have them remade.
I haven't got a clue why they shrunk like that but I tell you what. I've carried out a shrink test on every pair I've quoted for since ;D
Any idea's?
Alan
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So you didn't steam them you used hwe?
Mark
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MS and HWE to clean and once I'd discovered just how much they'd shrunk I used a prosteam (looks like a henry with an 8' clear hose and a metal vertical steam tool) totry and stretch the fabric out but to no avail.
Derek, how would you 'steam clean' curtains using this piece of equipment?
Alan
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Although I've not done Dereks version of steam cleaning curtains I just have this vision of a wall paper stripper :o
anyway I believe that after rigorous tests!! the method is vac, spray MS, then with maybe a few terry towels wrapped around the triangular head of the steam cleaner like a duplex, swift stroked across the fabric.
The heat and moisture (I'll say that again moisture) is picked up on the towel, and then keep chagong the towels.
Shaun
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I will not now ,under any circumstances use dry cleaning solvents. not even with a respirator. I consider my health to be more important than the amount of money to be made from cleaning a pair of curtains.
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Hi Calmore
Drycleaners usally have a 5% allowance for shrinkage.
Mark