[derek west]

i'm doing a quote tomorrow for a whole house and she wants her curtains doing aswell.
i only use the truckmount for cleaning.
i have a drimaster hand tool.
worried about shrinkage, dye transfer etc...
should i be?
and if so what do i need to look out for (material wise) for a safe clean.

derek

[carpet_care]

Think it depends if you have full control over spray pressure and vaccum.

 I put a post the other day about hot water extraction cleaning curtains because I have cleaned them this way for at least 5 years ,I certainly wouldnt clean them this way though if I didnt have my cfr upholstery tool and couldnt control the spray pressure down to 100 psi.

 Also depends on the thickness of curtains if there really flimsy material I wouldnt do them especially if the lining is close to the same level as the front material chance of slight shrinkage and the lining showing below the curtain .

 I can normally tell now just on first glance and feel wether they can be extraction cleaned most can .


 Regards Andy Locke.

[derek west]

i know she doesnt want thecurtains taken down, will the dri-master hand tool do the job.
what materials are more susceptible to shrinkage and which aren't. i can doo the colour rum test, not a problem, not sure aboutidentifying what material it is as i'm not sure where to nick a sample for the burn test from.
but its the shrinkage question i desperatly need answering before i go, so i can have an educated guess as to whether i do them or not.

[John Gregory]

derek get 4 needles  measure a 2 inch square with the needles , wet the curtain and dry with a hair dryer, if the 2 inch square is smaller than 2 inches the curtains will shrink , curtains are mither , take em to the dry cleaners , explain to the customer that in this day and age it is not good to use solvents in there house Heath and safety  etc


John

[clinton]

I agree with john on this one derek...I would go down that road.Even after all the years am still reluctant to do them on site..

[derek west]

when you say solvents, excuse me for being a bit thick but i was probably going to use an upholstery pre spray say fibre shampoo with a sponge agitation then extract with fib fab then blast a snail at it.
i'm guessing from your responces that thats a no no.

[stevegunn]

Speak to Shaun Ashmore he has been doing loads lately using m/s I believe

[Jim_77]

What sort of condition are the curtains in?  Are they mucky?  Does the customer just want  "freshen up" ?

Don't try to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, they may just want a very thorough vacuum and then wiping down with dry clean solution.

[gwrightson]

I use the drimaster tool on curtains, acceptable results every time,
the method I use personaly is to thouroughly prevac,  mist with m/s aggitate with m/f cloth then simply extract with tool.
 what I do find to be effective is place terry towel over hand tool and simply run down the curtains ,adjusting the toweling as dirt is transfered on to towel.
 A good tip told to be my JK was to hold behind the curtain a plastic builders float " thanks John, very effective"  .
this method prevents over wetting although the flow willl be continuos because you are using the drymaster, and adjusting the main water flow control on the tool will help.

curtains do seem to find their own originol form when cleaned whilst hanging but they can be simply dressed by using this method.

The last curtains I cleaned for a custy would never take to cleaners , the last time she did they shrank them 4 inches, so not happy even as routine the cleaners insisted on her signing a disclaimer before cleaning she did not expect that!!!.
most curtains will be prone to a minimal amount of shrinkage, and their is I believe an acceptable  loss%   standard  somewhere, not sure what it is , but somebody may enlighten us

Geoff

[Jim_77]

5% on the first clean I think.

[murky]

I have been cleaning curtains on and off site for years.

Bigger and more soiled I had a deal with a local dry cleaner who would do me a deal and wrap them up in plain plastic so it didnt have his name on the bags.
Most can be cleaned at the window and I have found that most of the dust, wildlife etc can be got out with a good vaccing, followed with solvent cleaning, you have to put a lot on, dont just mist it that wont do, then wipe down with clean terry towels, leave open for a while at an open window and dress them before you leave, advise them to keep kids out because of the solvent and they are usually ok with that.

Allways have some spare curtain hooks in the van as they get brittle in sunshine and a few broken hooks can ruin the look of newly cleaned curtains and you can guarantee when you break them its miles to the nearest shop.

ALLWAYS watch out for the curtains with the thick thermo insulated linings, dont put any water based products etc near them, thats when you get the 4" shrinkage, believe me I know!!!!!!!!!!  Guy I had working for me in a stately home thought he'd just freshen them up as a favour while he was doing something in the room, next day they had shrunk by 4", cost me a fortune to restore and a regular contract was lost.

Dont be put off by curtains, they wont bite you.

Murky.

[derek west]

thanks guys, did the quote, talked her out of havng the curtains done as they weren't even slightly dirty and hit her with a £300 quote for the carpets, 18th of august, my first big pay day. things just keep getting better.
chheers again
ps
murky
ive never used solvents, what would work best and i'm guessing you dont need to rinse out?

[Mike Osbourne]

That's a long way off in CC. Did you get a deposit?

Make sure you write to her with the details and put in a cancellation policy.

[derek west]

no deposit, no cancellation thingy, just good old fashioned trust between cc and custy. and thats the way its gonna stay until i get stung to many times, think i'd rather learn the hard way on this one. but fingers crossed my charm, my benefits and my pricing will always win the day, but what do i know, you'll probably be right mike.
i'll let ya know on that one.

[clinton]

There was a thread a month ot two ago on those lines.Someone booked a job in and the client cancelled..It does hapen and always when your needing the cash

[derek west]

i dont do it for the cash clinton, i do it for the love of carpet cleaning, just to see my clients faces when they see the results is priceless. for everything else theres mastercard.

[Mike Osbourne]

I'm sure it will be fine, but it will happen and the longer between job and booking the odds go up.

 

[gwrightson]

Derick,

I have already replied , regarding what to use,

You do not need solvents, M/S do a perfectly good job  ..... oh , and why did you think they did not need cleaning?  or was that  away out

Geoff

[derek west]

ok geoff ya rumbled me. it was a cop out, they were about 10 foot long, and with a truckmount in my van an all the other bits i have no room for step ladders so i copped out, curtains scare me, not beef ones though, and any way, £300's enough for one day.

[derek west]

i'll have to earn it though clinton, 5 bedrooms 2 with ensuite, 2 sets of stairs and a massive living room, oh and a bathroom, most wool with a couple of polys, thats the bad news, the good news is all but 1 of the rooms are empty, think i'll talk the wife into doing the pre vac and prespray. do ya think £50 spending money would sway her?