advice on cleaning fabric

[martinwoolwich]

I've some directors type chairs from Onward Trading (only mention the brand 'cause they're quite well known and people who know them will understand this question better).

To fit the cushions you first slide a piece of white canvas along grooves which then acts as the base for the main foam cushion seat. After one season, most of these have a really ingrained stain which looks very much like mold - but isn't. Not sure where it came from because although the canvas sometimes got wet, I thought we were pretty good at making sure it was dry before putting it away. Any road up... we've tried everything to get the stain out including hot wash in the washing machine but the marks won't budge at all. Equally on the main Navy blue cushions themselves we seem to have developed a deep green stain (which looks like moss). Again even the washing machine doesn't make the slightest impression. Anyone had this problem before and know the cure?

 

[Gunfleet]

Mildew. There are proprietary sprays for removing it but I believe they all contain bleach.

 

[Cantata]

There's a review of stuff called 'Renovo' in ST this month, seems to work quite well for them.

 

[Oldhand]

Try rubbing in a little Milton on a small area, leave for a couple of days and watch. If staining fades with no detremental effects, then Milton is probably the low cost solution to the probelm.

 

[tcm]

yeah, i've got the cure having got the same sortof chairs. You take the white canvas things out and tekm to a decent fabric maker person or upholstery type bod and tellem to make some dark navy blue ones in plastic! or of course, try the same with Onward. It'll be sortof metal oxide stain, so the canvas is doomed cos terl need an accid or summink to get the stain out, and if you do try it all your trousers will get wrecked like that time i tried a bit of bleach on the seats in our old boat but the bleach soaked into the cushion and wrecked loads of trousers/shorts as well...

Sepretly, if any fabrics have gone a bit mildewy, i am afriad it's your fault for not taking heed of my overwinterposts about the fabrics in a boat which should all come home in dry house for a while if poss, or at least if definitely dry then scuinched up in a tight tight ball and then plastic bag and tape and then lean on it some more to make it solid as poss with no air coming out, and then put it on a cupboard as high up on shelf as poss in the boat, cos the damp is like morning mist. Matreesses too need to be lifted vertical so damp air slides offem - and onto the floor. And of course the boat should be sealed and then dehumidified - and forget that "airing the boat" rubbish - that's sumink that feels nice for humans and lifeforms - not if you want dead fabric to stay dry and mold-free

Have a look at hinges on your boat in the same area - bet there is a bit of damp effects (rust, mould,. mildew) arnd there as well.

A severe dry cleaning is one option. Otherwise, use it as template to get new ones made, which will result in no problems at all.