Telford was the venue for the recent NCCA Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Workshop held on 24 April. A special venue, with existing dye bleed problems, was arranged by NCCA members Ray and Jackie Austin.
The event began with a presentation from carpet cleaning expert Derek Bolton on the importance of inspecting and testing carpets and upholstery fabrics prior to any cleaning, a process that is often ignored by many technicians.
The next speaker was Julie Roberts of Chemspec Europe who discussed dry extraction and pre-cleaning treatments, emphasising the importance of these procedures in the overall cleaning process. The various types of dry extraction equipment together with their respective merits were covered.
Derek Bolton then spoke on behalf of Amtech UK, explaining and demonstrating the principles of ‘detergent free’ cleaning by the rinse extraction process that can be highly effective on both carpets and upholstery fabrics.
Later in the day Julie Roberts followed on from her previous presentation by talking about the importance of ‘using the right detergent’. She discussed the extensive range of products supplied by Chemspec Europe and explained the differences with what, on the surface, appear to be similar products.
Derek Bolton then demonstrated how dry-foam/oxidising could be used in combination with rinse extraction for some of those difficult jobs. The emphasis was to clean the fabrics effectively using a low moisture technique followed by a rinse procedure still keeping moisture to a minimum.
Ken Wainwright, on behalf of Amtech UK, demonstrated 'how to maintain light use upholstery' known in some quarters as a 'highlight clean'.
Julie Roberts opened the afternoon session to talk about low moisture systems, when to use them and how effective they can be. Several pieces of equipment were discussed and these were available for trials later in the day.
The final presentation of the day fell to Derek Bolton who demonstrated how to correct colour change on pH sensitive upholstery. A ‘break out’ session followed with opportunities for delegates to try out the various pieces of equipment that were available.