I bought an Eames wire chair with bikino pad from a friend a while back. It's a newer chair, and the pad is whatever standard issue hopsack they use in red. The seat was full of stains caused by a messy baby. A good bit came out with oxi-clean but it isn't perfect (or even close). What can I use? I hate to buy another pad because they cost more than what I paid for this chair!
oh no!
It's only food spillage.
The link below is tempting. Has anyone used this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Soft-Leather-Bikini-Cover-for-Eames-Herman-Mil...
bleach
Whitespike, sometimes when is sooooo stained/gross that you know it's already ruined and needs to be replaced, you can clean it with the most radical method because, hey, it's already a goner, right? Throw it in the washing machine with some serious detergent and see what happens. Only if, though, you are convinced it's already a goner. Good luck.
Riki, I agree, was going to post something like that too
But what kind of material is this pad?
I recently picked up a chair, tubular metal recliner, and the leather seat/back had a zipper so I took out the foam innerds and threw the leather into the washing machine with my finest organic shampoo (which I read you should use for doing this with leather) and figured eh, if it destroys it, so what. But, it worked perfectly. Oh, and I also had thrown in a black leather jacket that had been caked with mud, it also washed beautifully. Just hang dry and that was it.
So yeah, radical measures should be considered when no options are left - you risk losing it completely, but you also risk it working out just fine.
Is it wool hopsak?
I've had good results cleaning all wool fabric dining chair seats with just detergent foam and water. You make a lotta suds with something like Dawn dishwashing liquid in a small amount of water (use a lidded container and shake violently), then sponge on with a damp sponge. Let it sit a little, then work it in with the sponge or a white cloth. (Some colored sponges bleed dye so be careful).
Blot with dry paper towels and then rinse with clean water and blot with more paper towels or bath towels. Keep going until it's clean.
Wool doesn't hold onto dirt. A lot of stuff that will stain other fibers will not stain wool. That's not to say that wool can't be stained, just that dirt comes out of it more easily than from other fibers.
More to the Heap
I've had success with enzyme base cleaners like "pet-zyme" . Used for pet stains on carpets..in addition to wine, coffee etc. Essentially bacteria eats away organic matter (baby food stains). Not a perfect solition, might take several applications left on overnight then rinsed off.
Hydrogen peroxide is another...but could bleach...
Oooo goodie a Chemistry question!
Try Goo Gone, I've found that googone works wonders with greasy stains. If the stains are food-based they prolly contain oils. So try saturating the stain with googone and waiting 24 hours before washing. Knowing what the stain is helps with the clean up as you can bring chemistry knowledge into the picture. Googone is unique in that its citrus oils will sequester other oils but it's still hydrophilic and will wash out with water and soap.
If googone fails try another oil-based cleanser like the oily stuff mechanics use to get car gunk off their hands. Careful with that one as it's not easy to remove with soap and water. You could try a two-stage approach using the grease cleanser to solublize the stain and then the googone to solubizes the grease cleanser... then wash with soap and water.
It's all about hydrogen bonding, whitespike...if you can create a linked chain that's stronger than the bond to the fabric fibers, you can get the thing clean no matter how long the stain has been there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap
GOJO Hand Cleaner is awesome for cleaning !!
Use the regular formula,NOT the citrus nor the Pumice formula.It is awesome for cleaning the skin on old Nelson Bubble Lamps.(Use a terry towel)Cleans paintings(don't rub hard!),cleans clothing,if you pre-treat with it before you throw clothing in the wash.Just blot some on the bikini chair stains.I woulod hand wash the cover in Woolite after pre-treating with Gojo.
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