Cotton Upholstery Tips to Clean - Cleaner's Depot

Cotton Upholstery

Introduction:

Cotton is one of the most versatile and often used fibers in upholstery manufacturing. It is used in its most unrefined state, Haitian cotton, and in its most refined for on polished cotton or chintz. As a rule of thumb we can say that the less the fabric is refined the more problems you are likely to experience. Possible problems in cleaning cotton upholstery are:

Browning
Shrinking
Fading
Bleeding

By dividing the cotton fabrics into two categories, refined & unrefined, we can offer two procedures that will be successful in almost all cases. These procedures are designed to be easy to follow, very effective and to prevent the problems listed above.

Procedure –

The following preparatory procedures apply to both the refined and unrefined cotton categories.

Step 1

Identify the fiber using the burn test and visual method to determine the category. Unrefined cotton will appear more thick, loose & rough, such as Haitian cotton or canvas. Refined cotton is smoother and is a thinner fabric.

Step 2

Pre-vacuum the upholstery to remove dry soil.

Step 3

Pre-Test the upholstery by cleaning a small area. This is one of the most important procedures in terms of fabric safety and customer satisfaction.

Step 4

Pre-spot the fabric where necessary.

Refined Cotton – Polished Cotton, Chintz,ect.

Pre-Spray 1 part POWer O to 1 part hot water. Prespray may be used full strength for extra heavy soil. Apply the prespray in sufficient amounts to allow for soil suspension. Agitate with a brush and allow to dwell for 5-10 minutes.
Extract Dilute POWer Rinse in your machine.
- - For Truckmounts – 1 quart per 5 gallons of water.
  - For Portables – 1 oz per gallon of hot water.
Extract using an upholstery tool.
Mist Lightly mist fabrics with a dilute solution of POWer Rinse.
Dry Use proper ventilation and air movers to dry the fabrics as quickly as possible.

Unrefined Cotton – Haitian Cotton, Canvas etc

Pre-Spray 1 part POWer O to 1 part hot water. Prespray may be used full strength for extra heavy soil. Apply the prespray in sufficient amounts to allow for soil suspension. Agitate with a brush and allow to dwell for 5-10 minutes.
Extract Dilute POWer Rinse in your machine.
- - For Truckmounts – 1 quart per 5 gallons of water.
  - For Portables – 4 oz per gallon of hot water.Extract using an upholstery tool.
Dry Use proper ventilation and air movers to dry the fabrics as quickly as possible.

Alternative Method – A long time industry standard is the neutral scrub extract formula.

I one gallon of water add 1oz. Boost All and 4oz of Fabric Shampoo.
Work solution into a foam with a natural ocean sponge
Clean with the foam only.
Extract with POWer Rinse

HELPFUL HINTS –

If the fabric shows signs of bleeding (color transfer) other steps may be necessary.
Apply fabric protector after cleaning. This will provide customer satisfaction and additional profit for your company.