I’ve landed a commercial account with the local sewer and water department, washing their leather gloves. But I am having trouble getting the gloves soft and pliable. I also could use some tips on how to remove all of the dirt, grime and grease on them. I would appreciate any advice you can provide.
First of all, during the washing process, the most favorable product to use is a citrus-based liquid detergent. With that, you can use colder water and achieve higher detergent efficiency. Plus, the citric portion of the detergent will remove most oils and greases.
When using this product be sure to use it with warm water. This product is probably most suitable to water in the 85- to 90-degree range. Don’t use hot water, especially on leather gloves.
If you have a problem with the gloves being stiff and hard after the washing process, purchase some mineral oil and mix 3 percent to 4 percent mineral oil with warm water and soak the gloves in that solution. That will bring some of the life back to those gloves.
Dry on low heat or air-dry if you want to maintain the oil and softness in the gloves.
How can I keep the stainless steel finish on my washers clean and shiny?
One of the most inexpensive ways to keep them clean is to use one of two products – Barkeeper’s Friend or Cameo. Basically, these are cleaners that many restaurants and bars use to keep their stainless steel clean. Either product can be found at most larger supermarkets.
Of course, it is important that you use these cleaners properly. Add about one or two tablespoons of the product to approximately three gallons of warm water. You also need warm rinse water in a five-gallon container.
Wash down the machine. Then, with a clean rag, rinse it. The products should cut the grease and most of the mineral off of the stainless steel. Also, if you have soap spots on your stainless steel, continuous cleanings will break down those spots and return your washers to their natural, shiny finish.
Another way to clean your washers is with a mixture of ammonia and water. Wash the stainless steel with this mixture, then follow up with baby oil. Next, use a dry rag to wipe down the machine until it’s dry. Then, apply a light coat of baby oil and follow up with a dry rag to remove any heavy oil residue.
If you clean your stainless steel washers this way two or three times a week, you’ll keep them looking like new.
A drop-off laundry customer recently came in with 200 pounds of uniforms. These items are red, and he wanted to be sure that the dyes wouldn’t bleed. Therefore, he asked me to set the dyes. How do I do that?
In the dying process, various salts and acids are used to set dyes. However, once the process is completed, it is very difficult to re-set or stabilize the dyes. The process requires using very high water temperatures and special equipment. As a result, most self-service laundries are not equipped for such a task.
You can try using salt or vinegar; soak that garments for 30 to 45 minutes, or tumble-wash for at least a half hour. But there is no guarantee this will be successful.
Remember, dyes are made from different materials. Some are made from vegetable extract. Some are metallic in nature. And others are earth dyes. Each is set with different chemicals and different processes.
However, there is a product on the market called Color Catcher, which will keep most dyes from transposing onto other garments. It works well, especially if you handle drop-off laundry and mix your loads.
One word of caution: If you decide to use this product, watch out for red garments. There is no guarantee that reds won’t bleed.
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