[rioclean]

Hi guys

I have cleaned a Viscose rug today by using HWE, came up beautiful and I tried to dry it with the Hurricane air mover had little effect.

I know that viscose is a very absorbent material and they say it should be cleaned with solvent, but this rug was really filthy.

I said to the customer it will probably take two days to dry out and you have to have an air flow plus heating.

I am a bit worried because viscose material when cleaned with water can leave the material stiff when dry.

But the good news is she bought it for only £80 and at the worst scenario she could only stop the cheque.

Just like to hear of a few words of wisdom from you guys.

Regards Dave.

[Dynafoam]

Dave

There are instances when a dry clean simply will not 'cut the mustard' and  wet clean is the only way to achieve an acceptable result.

The fact that the air mover had no perceptible result suggests that it may have been left a little over wet - you did use a hand tool (?). For wet cleaning of viscose rugs a low- moisture tool with a fine jet would be preferable. Alternatively an upholstery tool, with additional passes to compensate for the fine jet is preferable to a courser-jetted carpet hand tool.

Any stiffness when dry can usually be improved by brushing.

[rioclean]

Hi John

I must say I only used the hand tool for the edges and the fringe, quite a large rug.

Anyway thanks for giving me peace of mind about the stiffness.

Regards Dave.

[Ken Wainwright]

Dave

These viscose or Art(ificial) Silk rugs can be a bit of a pain. I usually decline. The dyes are notoriously unstable and if they bleed it isn't unusual for it to occur just before drying is complete. The biggest problem though is that the pile will usually burst when wet so by loosing that silky smooth texture. If cleaning is a last resort and dry cleaning isn't viable, I would tend to solvent dry-wet-dry prior to a wet rinse as described by John. Towel gently but well and groom well. I'd still promise a damged rug on completion so anything better is a bonus.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken