I have 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 best remove black, permanent marker stains from a pair of heavy-duty, brown duck fabric coveralls? Any leads you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Admittedly, some black marker stains can be very difficult to remove, especially if the spots have been washed in and then dried repeatedly. The best advice I can offer is to buy one of two products from your local laundry supplies distributor – purchase either TarGo or Laundry Wetspo. Either of these chemicals should be able to remove the marker stains. Of course, it’s very difficult to remove such spots if they have set and re-set into the garment, so several applications may be required to get that stains out.
You can use either product as a spotter, or you can incorporate them into the wash cycle. My recommendation is to simply wet the affected area with hot water and apply either product – work it in with your fingers until you see the ink spreading and then repeat the process until you completely remove the spot.
I am starting a mat rental business. I already have the laundry equipment to clean the mats, and my uncle owns a mat distribution business, so he can sell me vinyl-backed mats relatively inexpensively. My only difficulty is the fact that the heavy-duty mat cleaners I am aware of to remove gum and other residue are only good for rubber-backed mats, because they will erode vinyl-backed mats. Can you suggest a heavy-duty cleaner that will not harm my vinyl mats?
You can use a detergent that is heavily laden with alkalie. This shouldn’t harm your vinyl mats, but it should remove most of the gum residue you mentioned. You might have to wash the items twice. However, a built detergent with alkalie is one method for handling your mats.
Another method is to use a spray-type cleaner with Freon. Such products are available at most carpet-cleaning supply houses. You simply spray the cleaner on the gum or other residue, which would turn hard and powdery; then simply brush it off. Of course, that is a manual process, and you would have to treat each mat individually. However, it’s a quick method and might be the best way for you to go.
How can I keep the ties on restaurant aprons from getting tangled during washing?
I would suggest using zippered, net laundry bags. Place the aprons in these bags and wash them within the bags. That’s the easiest and most effective way to keep the apron strings from getting tangled up.
