So it rained pretty hard last night and then it snowed. There was a small leak in the roof that turned in to a bigger leak. Anyways, I closed the traveler and saw a huge water stain. So I used the shop vac to suck up the excess water. I noticed a white outline. I imagine it is the flame retardant. Someone suggested steaming. It kind of helped but not great. I also tried blow drying to get it to dry faster. Anyone have any tips to get the stain out??
Stain on velour traveler
- Thread starterEch725
- Start date
DuckJordan
Touring IATSE Member
Get the curtain professionally re treated most fire code requires it.
MPowers
Well-Known Member
First, (You probably already figured this out) Don't try anything that involves using water on the stain..
Second, avoid using heat. Heat can shrink the fabric and set the stain. If you need to hasten the drying process, use only cool or room temperature air but in high volume. Your goods are cotton and flame treated and yes, it is the chemicals leaching out.
Next, find the label, check your (the companies) files, who made the curtain? Call them immediately and give them the info from the label, date made, name of facility etc. They will be able to advise you as to any possible steps you can take yourself, (not many) and if there is a company near you that can clean and treat the curtain. I will tell you up front that very few companies will guarantee complete removal of the stain and may need to clean/treat both halves of the traveler at the same time to keep the color consistent and treatment dates consistent for the entire piece of goods.
If tprewitt does not post to this thread PM him to see if he has any advice.
Check treatment costs vs: new curtain costs, balance with the age of your goods and current condition other than the stain to determine is treatment or new is a better choice. Also check with you insurance company and or the building owner to see what, if any, insurance coverage you have. Some insurance companies may require treatment first, even if it is unsuccessful or counter intuitive in regards to new vs: treatment and the costs thereof.
Hope this helps.
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Been out for a while and just saw this. Mpowers is correct - no water, no heat. By now I suspect it's dry anyway. You can use a soft brush to brush off the white chalk marks. You have to be careful if it's a woven velour (Magic, Memorable, Marvel, Majestic, etc) If you brush too vigorously the little tufts will come out. This is especially true if the fabric is damp.
The white chalk looking stuff is the flame retardant salts. In all likelihood the drape will not pass an NFPA 705 test if there is much residue or if it got completely saturated. All the same, I'd perform one as soon as it's good and dry. You may get lucky. If you need help with the NFPA 705 procedure feel free to PM me or give me a call.
If it fails the 705 about all you can do is replace it. It can be professionally cleaned and retreated. There are several companies that offer this service - Us, Reynolds Drapery in New York, I think there's another in Chicago and folks here can probably name more. Typically refurbishment costs run about 50% - 75% of replacement by the time the extra packing and shipping is calculated. They also shrink when cleaned; sometimes a lot. If the drape is showing signs of dry rot or deterioration, if the pile is loose anywhere, or it won't work at 3% - 5% smaller, cleaning probably isn't an option.
In my opinion cleaning & retreating cotton drapes is generally not a good value anyway. In cases of super ornate curtains it sometimes makes sense. Occasionally I run into curtains with some sentimental/historical significance and that kind-of makes sense. But most of the time it's just better to put the cost towards a new synthetic curtain and be done with it.
The spry on flame treatments don't work very well. If you spray it on heavy enough to work, the drape will be covered with white chalky residue - the FR salts. No salts, no FR treatment.
Hope there is something of use in my ramblings. Good luck.
The white chalk looking stuff is the flame retardant salts. In all likelihood the drape will not pass an NFPA 705 test if there is much residue or if it got completely saturated. All the same, I'd perform one as soon as it's good and dry. You may get lucky. If you need help with the NFPA 705 procedure feel free to PM me or give me a call.
If it fails the 705 about all you can do is replace it. It can be professionally cleaned and retreated. There are several companies that offer this service - Us, Reynolds Drapery in New York, I think there's another in Chicago and folks here can probably name more. Typically refurbishment costs run about 50% - 75% of replacement by the time the extra packing and shipping is calculated. They also shrink when cleaned; sometimes a lot. If the drape is showing signs of dry rot or deterioration, if the pile is loose anywhere, or it won't work at 3% - 5% smaller, cleaning probably isn't an option.
In my opinion cleaning & retreating cotton drapes is generally not a good value anyway. In cases of super ornate curtains it sometimes makes sense. Occasionally I run into curtains with some sentimental/historical significance and that kind-of makes sense. But most of the time it's just better to put the cost towards a new synthetic curtain and be done with it.
The spry on flame treatments don't work very well. If you spray it on heavy enough to work, the drape will be covered with white chalky residue - the FR salts. No salts, no FR treatment.
Hope there is something of use in my ramblings. Good luck.
