It's just elegant how easy it is to take the Herman Miller Chiclet sofa apart. Just 16 studs hold it together. And it only took one with a wrench to take it apart. Ah cha cha chaaa... (how cool am I?)
Well....anyway, this stud picked up a Bissel Deep Carpet Cleaner from (where else?) craigslist
a couple weeks ago. I'm sure I'll end up using it for it's intended purpose but for now it's job
centers around using the upholstery cleaning attachment. I picked this up late in the evening
after meeting the seller at a Quicktrip gas station without having the option of testing it out first.
A leap of faith. Good news, it works fine! Or at least the upholstery part does.
Yeah, I got busy tearing down the sofa so I could scratch my head looking at that Bissel Pro
Heat bad boy trying to figure out how to use it. I didn't get no manual with it. A quick web
crawl revealed a PDF file that broke down the science. 1. Mix some soap and hot water. 2. Put
it in the jug. 3. Push the on button. Got it. So I spent about a half hour spraying, scrubbing and
sucking one of the two side "cushions". But the Girlfriend was looking peaked and frail from
lack of nutrition so we had to make our way to a steak house: Stat.
This is what I got out of one cushion. And it could probably use another going over as well. I
didn't really know what I was doing until I had gone over almost the whole thing. I'll probably
hit it again. I ran out of solution (I used a mix of water and Pro Green Kleen, 'cuz I love the
stuff) just after starting the second cushion. Now I have a better idea how much solution to
make ahead of time and how much to spray, etc. I'll have that Chiclet cleaned up and purdy in
no time. Then onto all those other upholstery bits that need some stud action. I'll have some
"after" shots of the pieces as soon as I get them done. The one that I got clean today was still
slightly moist and I didn't think it would make for a good "after" shot like that.
I just borrowed the same machine yesterday to do some of my rugs!
ReplyDeleteHi hannah. Ain't it fun to watch that dirty water get sucked up! Nick told me that Sunday there was lots of large item "trash" out on the south side. Did you score anything good?
DeleteI've been pondering investing in something similar and probably will soon. I take in a lot of stuff that needs some sprucing and I'm sure it would be a great investment!
ReplyDeleteHi A Mod. For some reason I passed on a "Spot Bot" a few years ago for $25 at a thrift store. I don't know if a Spot Bot has an upholstery attachment though. We needed it at the time for the Yack Cat. The Flea Market (if you have one nearby) might be the best place to pick one up. Actually, you'll probably use it alot...might wanna buy new.
DeleteNote to anyone buying older furniture. Def invest in a portable steam cleaner, they do more than just clean baby puke ask any mother. That sofa looks like it has automotive type seat cushion foam, if so that thing will last forever. Even the fabric looks tough as nails.
ReplyDeleteHi David. This is an institutional piece. It's meant for reception areas, but it's going in our living room! The good news is that 35 year old upholstery has lots of "double rubs" left in it! (Thanks Dana!)
DeleteAwe I see, yes thanks Dana.
DeleteI bet it feels good to get years of yuck off of that beauty!!
ReplyDeleteBTW Mr. Modtomic, I sent you an email on Saturday with some questions about a formica kitchen set ... did you get it? I'm going to go out and buy countertop magic and some mineral oil to see what can make it shine.
I also picked up one of those Cosco kitchen step stools, but this one has vinyl on it (and it's definitely original retro), which I haven't seen in the flesh (only the pure painted metal ones), but when I began cleaning with just water and a soft toothbrush and rag (there's some ground in staining), the color/pattern started coming right off! :\ It doesn't look bad from a distance, though, as I stopped short.
Hi Anony. I shot you a reply earlier this evening. Sorry to hear about your Cosco cleaning issue. This is how we gain knowledge though. We don't know if we don't try! Be careful with anything you are trying for the first time...even if you read about it here or anywhere else. Try it on some part that can't be easily seen if possible first. I've ruined lots of stuff with Goof-Off by melting the plastic!
Delete