[Alan_Harrison]

In my business I clean only oriental rugs. I use a Prochem steameasy 400 and overall get good results using a product called Liquid Woolsafe. (well no complaints at least) There are several recouring problems that crop up. Some rugs are very soiled and require several cleaning cycles to get a good result. Even then, by putting the rug face down and vacuuming with a beater bar cleaner will produce large quantities of grit not removed by the cleaning. I've designed a beating machine that I'm about to have fabricated by a local engineer. this I hope will release even more grit that can be vacuumed from the surface of the rug. Before I go ahead I'd be interested in comments about the equipment that I'm using. The Prochem machine I bought on recommendation of my local supplier but as far as I know he only offered Prochem machines.

[Mike Halliday]

Are you cleaning them in the customers or on your premises?

if you are doing them in your premises then I heard of a company in the States that hangs them up and blast them from the back with compressed air.  but laying them upside down and giving them a good vac will vibrate a lot of dirt out.

As for cleaning them in the customers home I've heard that wool oriental rugs respond very well to acid based shampoos, (Chemspecs oriental rug shampoo is often used) perhaps a 2 stage cleaning process will get them cleaner a good shampoo with a rotory machine and then a woolsafe rinse with your steameasy.

How are you cleaning the fringes?

Mike

[Derek]

Hi Alan

From your post I assume that you clean Orientals in your own workshops.

Plant cleaning operations that I have visited over the years have invested in a 'Vibo-beater' which is a machine that you can insert a rug into and subject it to a vibration/ beating action... this is done front and back, boy does it move the dirt.

Two Company's that use Vibrobeaters are W.E. Franklins (Sheffield) Ltd... in Sheffield obviously and Thames Carpet Cleaners in Henley-on-Thames.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Derek

[Mr._One_Step]

Hi Alan,

I use a Holloway pile lifter vacuum for the purpose of dry soil removal. I place the rug face down on an oversized waterproof plastic sheet and then run the pile lifter across the back. It’s amazing how much dust and particulate matter this will dislodge. I them vacuum the plastic sheet to remove the collected dust and again place the rug facing down on the sheet and repeat the exercise just to be sure.

I then pre-test both the pH of the rug previous cleaning residues, stability for the cleaning system I intend to use and also test for the colourfastness against of my designated cleaning solutions. When I’m happy to start and if wet cleanable I will pre-spray with a acid side WoolSafe approved preconditioner, agitate with a contra rotating twin brush machine either a Sebo Duo P dry powder machine or Duplex depending on the soil level and then extract at 400psi with my portable using a Woolsafe approved acid rinsing agent.  I clean the fringe by hand with an edging brush (brushing away from the rug) and again with the same pre-conditioner. I finally rinse and set up air movers to speed dry the rug laying flat.

If the fringe has browned either through previous ‘professional’ cleaning or the customer’s attempts to brighten the fringe then I will post spray with a 7 % solution of white acetic acid and dry extract as much excess moisture as possible without rinsing. This removes the browning without damaging the cotton.

Regards

Steve Carpenter

[Alan_Harrison]

Thanks for your replies.

A nice man at Chemspec has offered to lend me a Pile Lifter to try out. It sounds a bit agressive but some of the rugs I get to clean havn't been cleaned for 20 years and need a good thrashing. There's another post on fringes that I'm following. I think that browning is a universal problem and I use Prochem fringe whitner. This leaves a powder residue that can irritate some poeple and their pets. I'm going to try some of the suggestions on the fringes post and see how I get on. I think I might go ahead and make a beating machine. An instersting poject for the winter..

Regards

Alan Harrison

[carpetguy]

Having looked at your web site has left me a little confused...................you say you have a six stage cleaning process, which appears to include one of the best known and most aggressive beaters around, also, the machine you say you use does'nt have anywhere near the 400 psi, mentioned on the web site.

Or is it not your own web site ?

Steve

Why have you become a guest ?

[Mike Osbourne]

Take a look at this. Air dusting. Apparently the tool has small holes drilled all the way round the sides. Make one or they sell em too. Yanky Dave uses a very wide spray paint fan jet.


http://www.orientalrugcleaning.com/oriental%20rug%20cleaning%20process.htm

[Chris R]

Having looked at your web site has left me a little confused...................you say you have a six stage cleaning process, which appears to include one of the best known and most aggressive beaters around, also, the machine you say you use does'nt have anywhere near the 400 psi, mentioned on the web site.

Or is it not your own web site ?

Steve

Why have you become a guest ?

Steve
The oringinal topic was posted on 20th sept 2003.
Hes had new equipment since then 

regards

Chris

ps Steve defected to clean talk

[Len Gribble]

Chris

Defect more like lobotomised, but to be fair I was head hunted once, pay was ¾ more plus end of year bonus.

Len

[carpetguy]

It was'nt Steve's post and I think he is now actually part of the organisation, but still a helpfull man who answers questions honestly.......................mind you, I tried some honest comments on there and got banned " forever" although they don't remember why !!!!!!!!!!!Their loss !

[carpetguy]

Not too sure about the " air dusting " with the obvious need for extremely powerful extraction, my wife took a rug outside the other day, put it over a drying rope and whacked it, reminded me of the " normal" technique which everyone used prior to the onset of fitted carpets, probably up to the late fifties / early sixties !

Fitted carpets and Hoover Juniors then took over.................and asthma started to increase !!!!!!

[Len Gribble]

Have considered utilising the vac exhaust for air dusting, any one tried it.

Len

[carpetguy]

Good idea Len but suggest you add a little aromatherapy oil to the return tank, something I've done since a demo, of a water filtration vacuum machine, some years ago.

[Steve Chapman]

after vacing an oriental rug around 6 to 7 times last week , i ended up doing the same and taking it outside and wacking the living daylights out of it, then i had the notion of sticking two airmovers underneath it and letting it blow for a about 10 minutes, the results were amazing, think i will do this again in future !

anyone else tried this? - not sure whether the neighbours were impressed but about a ton of sand seemed to just fly away

It was more the rippling effect that did the trick than the air i think, but certainly did the job!

regards
steve

[Alan_Harrison]

Gosh this is an old post. It's so nice to reminisce about the old days. I loved my old Steameasy. It earned me a (small) fortune and I still got £500 for it when I sold it on Ebay.

I've not been contributing lately much as I've been travelling.

My rug cleaning business expanded now. We take on rug cleaning for other rug shops and department stores. I also offer a trade service to carpet cleaners that are local to me. It's easier for them just to drop the rugs off and collect them a few days later than to have to take them home and start emptying the garage

The Rug Badger has become essential equipment to me now. If it broke tomorrow I'd buy another without question. Air dusting would be out of the question for me. Sometimes I get 1 to 2 kg of dust and grit out of one rug and to have that blowing around my warehouse would cause me real problems. When I looked into possibilities of air dusting I found that the size of compressor needed was going to cost as much as a Badger.

My only problem is how to fix those nasty yellow puppy stains that seem to be in every other rug that comes in. When I find the answer I'll sell the secret to you lot and retire to the Bahamas.

 
Al

Al

[carpetguy]

I came across a product recently for that specific problem, but will have to search to find it.

rob

[AquaMagic]

Peebegone?

[Stephen "Dusty" Roberts]

Good to see your business is healthy Alan!

All is good over here in North America. Rugs are very muchly on the rise. So many homes are being built and renovated with very little or no fitted carpeting, So there are LOTS of rugs to care for!

Lots of rug class's coming up for you guys that want to learn this fine trade.

You can see all the class's coming up at www.therughub.com