[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Rayon/ Modacrylic mix fabric on dining chairs.
I've got Ashby's hot solvent dry cleaning machine so cleaning is no problem.
Rayon is wood pulp, cotton, acid mix.

This is a large drip of blood from a nosebleed, about a month old.
I need to use oxalic acid to break it down but does anyone know if the oxalic acid will react with the acid used in the Rayon construction and will flushing it through with heated solvent instead of water return the fabric to a relatively neutral state?

[woodman]

Hi Alan

Hit it with the softest first rather than all guns blazing.

I would use cool water rinse only, using a low mositure tool such as CFR, then next would be Wine Away and LM, before moving on to anything stronger such as rust remover/oxalic acid.

[Geoff Jewkes]

Chemspecs moisture control tool is also an excellent choice. Leaves fabrics drier than the CFR

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

But it's Rayon. I REEAAAALLY dont want to be using water. Surely. Rayon loses up to 70% of its strength while it's wet. I get your point about starting mild and working my way up though.

[Graeme@Access]

Hi,

I used oxalic acid to remove a ketal in a synthesis of (beta)cedrene.  The only thing i could get it to dissolve in was water or methanol.

Im not sure if you will be able to extract oxalic into a chlorinated dry cleaning solvent.   
Maybe worth a shot, but i dont think it will dissolve.  BTW oxalic isnt a nice reagent, it causes renal failure and attacks your CNS, so be careful with it.

Formic acid is a bit more soluble and migh be a better reagent to hit blood with in this case, but im not certain.

As to acid/acid reaction  .  Chemically speaking i think its unlikely, but dont quote me on that.

Hope this helps

Graeme
Access Cleaning Solutions

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

I'm reading your comments over a bowl of readybrek  (not quite awake yet).
Um, remind me  What is Ketal in a synthesis of beta(cedrene)

Yawn
Alan

[Graeme@Access]

Hi,

A ketal is a protecting group in organic synthesis.  I was using it to mask the reactivity of a carbonyl group during the construction of another part of the cedrene molecule.

Cedrene is a sesquiterpene that can be found in two forms, knows as the alpha and beta form.  They differ only in the spacial arrangement of one group, so are essentially the same.

Heres a link about the alpha form if you want to know more.
http://www.bojensen.net/EssentialOilsEng/EssentialOils06/EssentialOils06.htm
(scroll down to the cedar bit)

This whole thing was part of my PhD chemistry.

Cheers

Graeme Thurston
Access Cleaning Solutions

PS i wrote a paper on this work that will be published soon, so if your really want to know more i can send u a copy 

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

When I saw your wording this morning I looked at it and said to my my wife "I had one of them and the wheels fell off" .
I thought I had forgotten something glaringly obvious. You have an unfair advantage with a phd in chemistry.

I'll check out the site.
Thanks
Alan

[woodman]

While it is always useful to know a little about the chemistry involved in the cleaning process there is no need to go too heavily in to it unless you really feel you have a need to

All the work has been done for you in the solutions you use, so long as you use the correct one for the job at hand which is why we have organisations such as woolsafe.

Otherwise along with all our normal kit we would all have to carry a mobile laboratory on the back of our vans.

With all due respect to Graeme no every day CC will have a clue what he is on about and why should they after all they are CC not chemists.

All you need to know Alan is that yes your dining chair can be wet cleaned with LM, the rayon will not/should not weaken as it has been strengthened with the addition of the modacrylic fibres which are very robust and that in the first instance a gentler approach should be the order of the day

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

I'll stick a note on here to let you know how I got on. What is this LM thats been mentioned a couple of times.

[carpetclean]

thanks woodman ! i thought i had lost my brain for a while all gobbldy gook

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Not just me then :

Still want to know what LM is.

[woodman]

LM = Low Moisture as mentioned above in my first reply

[Doug Holloway]

Graeme,

Excellent stuff but I'll leave your thesis til later if thats o.k

Alan,

I would try cold water first followed by something like prochems Multipro.

I'm sure Graeme is right that oxalic acid will not be rinsed out(Soluble) by a chlorinated hydrocarbon so if you want to get rid of the blood you will have to use water.

Do not be too phased by Rayon's wet strength as long as you dont stress it too much,  it will be O.K

Acrylic has good wet strength so this will hold it together unless you go really mad

Cheers

Doug

[Graeme@Access]

hehehe

well he did ask, so i thought i would explain.

Graeme