Upholstery Gurus

[Willy P]

I have 2 chairs to clean tomorrow, both a Persian silk. The elderly lady that owns them had managed to get vasoline and some form of white skin cream on it. My plan was to lightly spray with Prochem fine fabric, agitate with the horsehair, maybe a blast from my steamer and finish with a terry bonnet on my orbital car polisher. (Hmmm- new thread)

Any other hints or suggestions welcome. I've explained clearly that I can give no guarantees and the fabric may not be salvageable. This little old sweetie and her husband are some of my favourite customers and I want to do the best I can for her.

 

[Jay D]

NOT a guru but car buffer on silk does not sound like a good idea.

 

[Desk Jockey]

No guru but I've cleaned my fair share of upholstery, what's the piece look like Willie?

You've got me a bit nervous with the skin cream. A lot of those are fade creams, they not only work by fading age spots, but can damage the color in carpet and upholstery.

Here is the scary part, it maybe already on the fabric and is only awaiting moisture to combine with and discolor the fabric.

Worse, since it was fine before you touched it and not is discolored, but is now discolored after you cleaned it, it's your fault. :shock:

Silk is a difficult fabric to work with any way, but you could opt for a simple dry cleaning using OMS with a sprayer and towel???

Either way I'd qualify the work, informing her of the possibility of color damage and why.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I'm a bit worried about using your buffer on silk, too. There's a lot of "weighted silk" out there (should be called WEAKENED SILK) that might not like the mechanical action.

The chemistry required for breaking those oil bonds isn't likely to be friendly to the silk either. You might be able to gently wipe the oily areas with a volatile solvent on a towel (don't spray it directly on the fabric) before you use the Fine Fabric Shampoo, which I do find to be safe for most silk as long as you apply it evenly so that you don't get watermarks.

The "white skin cream" scares me too Richard. Make sure you have yourself covered for any post cleaning discoloration from the use of that stuff. Maybe she can tell you the brand and name of the product so that you can do some research.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Point of clarification:

Its ok to spray OMS on the fabric for dry cleaning purposes, just don't spray a volatile solvent directly onto the silk, as this type of solvent can cause rings or the poorly named "water marks" (that don't really need water to be present to occur).

 

[Jose Smith]

I think all the things you mentioned are better removed on the "dry" side first. The use of a dry solvent like Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) can go along way, especially on silk. Dwell time and patience are important here.

Jose Smith

 

[Willy P]

It was beyond my capabilities. I tried a few things, but ultimately it was one of "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold em" jobs. The only thing that had any effect was the steamer and that wasn't the ticket.
Geez, I hate to admit defeat, but sometimes its better to walk than to open a can of worms.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Upholstery can be unforgiving, you can easily do more damage than good on delicate fabrics. I've had to throw in the towel on upholstery more than anything else, it's tough on the ego, but the right call.
:wink:

 

[steve r]

refer them to some one who does uhpolstery work. they can be a great source of referals for you also.