Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions that we receive at Chem Max Corp.
If you don’t see the answer to your question below, please contact us at 231.798.7980.
How Do I Clean Composite Rugs?
How do I clean composite rugs? Cautions: Always inspect and pretest. Complete pre-inspection form and photograph rug. Note all pre-Existing conditions, including: Susceptible to dimensional distortion. Susceptible to shrinkage. Seams may become more noticeable or even...
How Do I Clean Silk Rugs?
How Do I Clean Silk Rugs? Cautions: 1. Always inspect and pretest. Note all pre-existing damage including: A. Texture change issues B. Color migration issues C. Yarn slippage issues (avoid aggressive over grooming or brushing) 2. Air dusting at high-pressure can carve...
How Do I Clean Moisture Sensitive Rugs
How Do I Clean Moisture Sensitive Rugs Some rugs can be damaged with over wetting. Lower moisture methods can avoid problems with cellulosic rugs that are likely to brown, composite rugs that may have differential shrinkage, latex backed rugs or hand tufted...
How Do I Clean Cotton Fringes?
Always pre-inspect for this damage by pulling on the fringe in several areas. Also look for signs of bleeding, browning, physical damage, old tea dye, mold and dry rot. Some cleaners charge an additional (i.e. $2.00 to $7.00 per foot) fee for fringe cleaning. Remember that many believe, the finer the fringe, the finer the rug. So, the finer the fringe cleaning, the finer the cleaner. Clean the rug first. Often, good cleaning on the entire rug will result in nice clean fringes. To improve your odds of getting clean fringes with your first cleaning, pretreat the fringes with Fringe Cleaner. To prevent browning, immediately after cleaning spray with diluted Rug Soure, comb out fringes with a fringe brush and speed dry.
Sometimes fringes will need more attention after normal rug cleaning. Use a product designed specifically for cotton fringe cleaning. Avoid products using oxidation, the majority of products out there have oxygen producing chemicals in them – do not use these products – they permanently damage rugs. Proper chemistry for cotton will use reduction, the exact opposite of oxidation. Mix up a small amount of Fringe Cleaner with warm water (100�f to 120� f ) as per label directions. Mix up only what you will use as unused solution should be discarded after four hours. Label directions are as follows:
INSTRUCTIONS
- After inspecting fringes, dust, brush vacuum or blow-out with compressed air.
- Pretest in small inconspicuous area.
- Pretreat oily, greasy, or heavily soiled fringes with Sublime or other anhydrous solvent prespray to break oily bonds.
- Dilute Fringe Cleaner at 4 to 1 (32oz./gal) with warm water.
- Carefully apply to fringe, knots, and kilim strip only – avoid face fibers. Use paint brush, sponge, upholstery brush, or other application device. Agitate by tamping or brushing as construction allows.
- Hot water extract with clear, clean, hot water using a fringe cleaning tool or other extraction device. Use extra vacuum only, passes.
- Treat clean fringe with diluted Rug Soure to prevent browning and to accelerate the cleaning action of Fringe Cleaner.
- Comb out fringe and dry as fast as possible.
How Do I Clean Silk Rugs?
Cautions:
1. Always inspect and pretest. Note all pre-existing damage including:
A. Texture change issues
B. Color migration issues
C. Yarn slippage issues (avoid aggressive over grooming or brushing)
2. Air dusting at high-pressure can carve or streak the pile. Lower the air
pressure of dusting tools.
3. Avoid alkalinity. Do not use high pH. Use only acid pH solutions. The isoionic point for silk
is 4.5 therefore the pH of 4.5 is your goal when cleaning silk.
4. Do not use acid rinses or cleaners that contain phosphoric acid as this
specifically damages silk.
5. Work quickly. Wash silk rugs fast and efficiently.
Wet cleaning procedures:
1. Dust rug, avoiding high pressure when air dusting.
2. Spray the entire rug, including fringes, with Fringe Pretreatment or pre-wet with cold clear
water. If colors are crocking, pre-wet with AntiDye Solution. If colors/dyes are
bleeding, consider dry cleaning instead of wet cleaning.
3. Apply Silk Rug Shampoo solution to the entire rug, including fringes, front and back.
4. Hand shampoo or use rotary, Cimex or other method to work solution into the rug, front
and back.
5. Rinse with cold, clear water or run through flatbed washer or other system.
6. Squeegee, roll, ring out, extract or centrifuge to remove all possible excess water.
7. Groom pile with the primary lay of pile yarns.
8. If needed, lightly apply Silky Soft solution and groom in, going with the primary lay of the
pile.
9. If colors/dyes can possibly migrate during drying, flat dry in dry room on cotton towels or
quilts. place upside down, with airflow over the rugs backing. Use heat,
dehumidification or other method to speed dry.
10. After drying, groom again with a silk carding brush. Apply Silky Soft if needed. Groom in
with the primary and secondary lay of the pile. If yarn slippage is an issue, use a hand
wash brush for silk, or other appropriate grooming brush.
Dry cleaning procedures:
1. Dust rug. Avoid high pressure when air dusting.
2. Spray entire rug, including fringes, with Fringe Pretreatment. Allow a 3 to 5 minute dwell
time.
3. Spin Ultra Clean pads over entire rug.
4. Spray entire rug with Dry Side cleaner heavily. Allow a 3 to 5 minute dwell time.
5. Spin Ultra Clean pads over entire rug. Or extract with solvent proof dry cleaning machine. Exhaust the vapors to the outdoors.
6. Flat dry. Absolutely NO heat or open flame, for fire safety reasons.
7. Groom pile with the primary and secondary lay of the pile.
Microscopic photo of natural silk fibers.
How Do I Clean Other Types Of Fringes?
For wool and silk use Ultra Dry Neutral pH, simply spray on fringe and groom in. Allow five minutes of dwell time. Then clean as normal. For synthetic fringes, use a pre-spray solutions appropriate for the fiber. Often cleaners find Ultra Dry Original to be a great fringe cleaner for synthetic fibers.
How Do I Clean Heavy Soiled Fringes?
Fringe Whitener covers over discolorations without damaging the cotton fibers. Some rugs have fringes that are henna, antique or tea dyed.
Sometimes this color is removed during cleaning. You can replace this color loss with Tea Dye, or use it when white fringes are not wanted by your customer
How Do I Clean Fragile, Problem or Weak Rugs?
Dry Cleaning can be a great tool in your arsenal of cleaning methods, allowing you to clean rugs that others turn down or worse, damage. Some complain that dry cleaning does not remove water based spots and soils, but tricks of the trade come into play here. Pre-treating with Sublime helps to remove water based soils, and improves cleaning results. Experienced dry cleaners know that water based soils often wick up during dry cleaning just like they do in wet cleaning. Upon post cleaning inspection, spots and soils will often wipe off easily with a damp cotton towel. For best results use diluted LST (8oz per gallon) solution on a wrung out towel to wipe off wicked spots and soils, some cleaners, damp wipe the entire rug pile with LST Solution. DO NOT OVER WET! Towel dry to finish, avoid over aggresive agitation. Fringes may require more cleaning attention. See ” How Do I Clean Fringes.”
Even the most fragile textiles can respond well to dry cleaning. Silks do not lose their hand and bleeders behave and hold onto their colors, fragile rugs survive cleaning and old rugs live on. Dry cleaning is more expensive, and customers are accustomed to paying more for it. Many cleaners charge in the $10.00 to $20.00 per square foot rate for custom dry cleaning. Note also that applying a moisture barrier like Flurosolve is a good idea on those moisture sensitive rugs. Flurosolve will help protect the rug from water based soils and spills. Make sure to offer Flurosolve on every “Dry Clean Only” rugs as clients will appreciate the added protection.
Alternative Dry Cleaning method: Absorbent compound As noted above, some rugs will crock or bleed with solvent only cleaning. Absorbent compound may be an option. Animal skin rugs and rugs made with leather may also be good candidtes for absorbent compound, and some people like this method from some unknown reason. Complete a through inspection of the rug(s). Document all pre-existing damage, and consider having a Release Of Liability form signed. Dust or remove dry soil as noted above in paragraphs 3 and 4. After dusting, we would normally pre-treat the rug with a cleaning solution, but this may not be an option on difficult crocking and bleeding dyes. If however water based solutions will not cause problems, as with most animal skins and most leather, pre-treat with your LST solution of 5 ounces per gallon of warm water (100 degrees f to 115 degrees f). Spray apply lightly, Do Not Overwet. Work in solution with gentle agitation. Allow dwell time 3 to 5 minutes, then apply your dry compound (host, drymatic, capture, etc.) follow manufactures directions. After drying, throughly and meticulously vacuum up all dry compound and soil.
How Do I Perform In Plant Rug Cleaning?
Cleaning Oriental Rugs On-location
In rare cases it may be necessary to clean rugs on-location (i.e. customer will not allow you to remove the rug from their site or sight). Keep in mind these additional concerns. Proper dry soil removal is go¬ing to make a mess. You may have to do it outside or cleanup afterwards. The floors must be protected from water and cleaning agents, dyes may bleed during cleaning or drying. You may need to take ex¬tra measures to ensure fast drying. You may have to return the following day to inspect results, make corrections (while explaining why this is nothing to be concerned about) and pick up drying equipment. Floor cleaning or restoration may now be required. We do not recommend on-location cleaning of rugs, as your primary mode of operation.
ON-LOCATION CLEANING
If you have to, first complete a thorough inspection of the rug(s). Test for colorfastness. We do not recom¬mend cleaning bleeders or other “problem” rugs on-location. Next, set up a work area. It needs to be a clean area and it also needs to be protected from any damage from your cleaning activities. Remove dry soils as best as you can on-location.
On-location rug cleaning is best accomplished with dry cleaning. For decades, rug cleaners have found the Ultra Dry System effective and satisfying for their customers. This is also a great system for cleaning rugs which cannot be immersion cleaned (i.e. cloth backed rugs & composite rugs with shrink¬age issues or rugs too large for plant and pit clean¬ing). Pre-spray the face pile and fringe with Ultra Dry Natural & Fine Fibers. Work in with hand groomer or nap brush. Allow a five to ten minute dwell time, but do not allow the rug to dry out. Reapply Ultra Dry if necessary.
Low moisture rinse the rug with Ultra Catalyst Natural & Fine Fibers solution. Mix Ultra Catalyst at 16:1 (8 oz./gal.) with warm (100° to 130°F) water. Submerse Ultra Clean Pads into the Ultra Catalyst solution and wring out excess solution with a pad squeezer. Place wrung out Ultra Clean Pad on the heaviest soiled area of the rug.
Immediately spin Ultra Clean Pad over the entire rug surface and fringe with side-to-side overlapping passes with a low speed (approximately 175 rpm) floor machine. Clean up to about 50 square feet, then flip the pad over and reclean area just covered, put aside spent Ultra Clean Pads and wring out a new pad for further cleaning. Do not reuse soiled pads until laundered. Never place soiled pads back into Ultra Catalyst solution, always use “new” clean pads. Never run pads on dry rugs.
Comb out fringes with a fringe brush, groom the face and speed dry the rug with air movers. If fringes need more attention, use Fringe Cleaner and /or Fringe Whitener.
© 2017 Chem Max Corporation. All rights reserved.
How to break-in a new shampoo brush
Here is the correct way to do it; Mount the new shampoo brush onto your floor machine. Run the brush on rough, unfinished concrete. Run DRY for about 15 minutes, making sure that the brush fill takes on a slight set or lean.
Breaking-in the brush will remove burrs and reduce drag. Rinse off the shampoo brush to remove burrs and soil. If your shampoo brush has a center glide, remove it before breaking-in to prevent damage to the glide.
Your shampoo brush is now ready for use on carpet and rugs.
© 2017 Chem Max Corporation. All rights reserved.