The Connection Bernards-Ridge Edition April/May 2018

www.theconnectionsnj.com CALL FOR ESTIMATE (908) 722-2345 WWW.DRAPERYCARE.COM Bedminster ON-SITE Drapery Care We dry clean window treatments right in your home, right where they hang – Work usually completed in one day. Fully insured. Fully bonded. WE RESTORE LEATHER UPHOLSTERY FINE ORIENTAL RUGS WE CLEAN DRAPERY & UPHOLSTERY HUNTER DOUGLAS SHADES WE GUARANTEE NO DAMAGE OR SHRINKAGE Narendra Bhardwaj 908.604.9759 – Local Stirling Resident– Cell: 917.497.3618 Fax: 908.604.2363 www.starpaintingservices.com NJ LICENSE #13VH05681800 Quality Workmanship WHEN QUALITY MATTERS Quality Paints • Reliable Work • Reasonable Rates Professional & Courteous Crew FULLY INSURED FREE ESTIMATES More than 15 Years Experience Many Satisfied Customers References Upon Request Specializing in: Interior & Exterior Painting Residential & Commercial Wallpaper Removal & Installation Interior & Exterior Staining $ 550 OFF Any Complete Exterior Painting Job With the coupon. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 5-31-18. 908.604.9759 10% OFF Any Job Regardless of Size With the coupon. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires 5-31-18. 908.604.9759 LLC Power Washing Deck Sealing & Staining New Construction Basement Waterproofing Aluminum & Vinyl Siding Re-painting We often get inquiries from customers about brown stains on fabric upholstery, which seem to have come out of nowhere. Of course brown stains can be caused by many things, such as spilling coffee or a chocolate drink, a pet rubbing up against the furniture leaving body oils, subsurface soil wicking to the sur- face, brown shoe polish and even hair dye. There is one cause, however, which seems to defy typical cleaning methods called “cellu- losic browning.“ It is similar to when we bite into an apple and it turns brown. As we all remember from high school chemistry class, acidity and alkalinity are opposites. Most detergent cleaners are on the alkaline side, which attracts dirt and helps clean. This same alkalinity, however, can cause cellulosic brown- ing in certain fabrics. The item can be cleaned over and over using the same cleaning method and the browning will never come out. Fabrics, which are made of materials, which have cellulose in them such as cotton, linen or rayon are prone to cellulosic browning caused usually by cleaning with an alkaline cleaner. Therefore, whenever cleaning fabric, which could have a cellulosic browning problem, the professional should either pretreat or post treat with an “acid rinse” in order to neutral- ize the alkalinity and prevent cellulosic brown- ing. Alternately, an “acid side” upholstery cleaning detergent can be used. But what about when the upholstery already has cellulosic browning due to a previous improper cleaning? Since stain removal for cellulosic browning is different than other types of stains, it is important to first ascertain that we actually have cellulosic browning. If the customer mentions the piece was cleaned just before the brown stains appeared, that is a tell-tale sign. A more scientific approach is to apply litmus paper to the stain. If the litmus paper turns green or blue, it indicates alkalin- ity and the stain is most probably cellulosic browning. The cure is to neutralize out the alkalinity with an acid based cleaner or spotter. Tannin spot- ters and/or commercial grade hydrogen per- oxide can be used on stubborn areas. We also use commercial “anti-browning spotters” intended just for correcting cellulosic brown- ing. Any fabric, which has suffered cellulosic browning, will be slightly weakened so great care must be taken during stain removal not to abrade the fabric. It is important to note that we do not advise bleaching as this can cause other irreversible problems such as over- whitening and is also toxic. The before and after pictures are of a dining room chair, which had been previously cleaned using a homeowner, carpet cleaning machine. While fine for carpet, delicate upholstery fabrics simply cannot withstand the aggressive cleaning of a carpet machine. In the “Before” picture, we can see severe browning. Also, lack of brushing after clean- ing caused the nap to become matted as it dried further detracting from the appearance. To correct the cellulosic browning and mat- ting, each dining room chair was treated to a dose of anti-browning, spotting solution. Some reluctant areas were worked on with a tannin spotter and hydrogen peroxide. Each chair was then wiped down with a mild, 7% solution of hydrogen peroxide and distilled water. The cushions were then carefully combed with a horse hair brush and left out- side in the sun for about an hour to activate the hydrogen peroxide. The “After” picture shows the chair after drying with a substantial amount of browning gone and the nap restored. In addition to the dining room chairs, we worked on a couch, a cushion and several upholstered chairs at the same home, all vic- tims of cellulosic browning. Since each item was composed of different fabrics (some were dry clean only), we had to make certain adjustments to the approach but the concept of neutralizing alkalinity was the same. In each case, the cellulosic browning was reversed almost completely and to our Customer’s full satisfaction. CORRECTING CELLULOSIC BROWNING ON FABRIC UPHOLSTERY By: Mitch Frieber, Bedminster ON-SITE Drapery Care Before After PAGE 74 home & design