I'm not necessarily recommending this process for everyone but it worked well for me.
I have had Simonis 860hr on my table for 4-5 years. Approx 1-2 hrs play daily. I've done the normal cleaning, (probably not as often as I should) once every couple of weeks I would vacuum then wipe down with a microfiber cloth dampened with hot water and a little woolite.
This would work ok, it would keep your bridge hand from turning blue for a couple of days but it never really cleaned the cloth that well.
I recently changed out the foot spot and was kind of shocked at the difference in the untouched cloth under the spot and the rest of the cloth.
I thought about recovering but other than being dirty the cloth was still in good shape. So I decided to try to give it a deep cleaning.
First I vacuumed the cloth then filled a 2 gallon bucket with hot water and a capful of woolite. And a second bucket with just hot water. I wetted a microfiber cloth in the woolite solution, don't wring out all the way, I know, contrary to what many have posted but to get the dirt out you can't just dampen the surface of the cloth.
Next (hold on to your hats) I took a SOFT handheld brush and scrubbed the area I just got wet. Working in about 2ft sections. Then I took a second cloth, dipped in the clean hot water and wiped down the area again. This is to get as much dirt and woolite out of the cloth as possible. Soap attracts dirt so you want to get as much as possible out of the cloth.
I know some will poo poo the use of the brush but how else are you going to loosen up the dirt embedded in the fibers. Just wiping down with a damp cloth doesn't do it.
I used a small fan on the table to facilitate drying.
Also try to work fairly fast and keep a wet edge. If the edge dries it will leave a water/ dirt line that is harder to clean.
Once your done it wouldn't hurt to go over the whole table again with the clean hot water to get more of the soap out. I'm fairly convinced that the use of woolite when wiping down the table was a factor in it getting so dirty. Try to get as much out as possible. Also keep changing your buckets of water as they get dirty.
I looked close and saw no ill effects from using the brush, no fraying, loose fibers etc. I'm sure if you did this on a regular basis it could wear on the cloth, but I would never recommend that.
That's about it. I'm very happy with the results, probably around a 90% improvement. I will and recommend that you keep the cloth cleaner than I did to prevent having to take drastic measures. But if your thinking about replacing the cloth but don't want to go through the expense, it might be worth a try.
I have had Simonis 860hr on my table for 4-5 years. Approx 1-2 hrs play daily. I've done the normal cleaning, (probably not as often as I should) once every couple of weeks I would vacuum then wipe down with a microfiber cloth dampened with hot water and a little woolite.
This would work ok, it would keep your bridge hand from turning blue for a couple of days but it never really cleaned the cloth that well.
I recently changed out the foot spot and was kind of shocked at the difference in the untouched cloth under the spot and the rest of the cloth.
I thought about recovering but other than being dirty the cloth was still in good shape. So I decided to try to give it a deep cleaning.
First I vacuumed the cloth then filled a 2 gallon bucket with hot water and a capful of woolite. And a second bucket with just hot water. I wetted a microfiber cloth in the woolite solution, don't wring out all the way, I know, contrary to what many have posted but to get the dirt out you can't just dampen the surface of the cloth.
Next (hold on to your hats) I took a SOFT handheld brush and scrubbed the area I just got wet. Working in about 2ft sections. Then I took a second cloth, dipped in the clean hot water and wiped down the area again. This is to get as much dirt and woolite out of the cloth as possible. Soap attracts dirt so you want to get as much as possible out of the cloth.
I know some will poo poo the use of the brush but how else are you going to loosen up the dirt embedded in the fibers. Just wiping down with a damp cloth doesn't do it.
I used a small fan on the table to facilitate drying.
Also try to work fairly fast and keep a wet edge. If the edge dries it will leave a water/ dirt line that is harder to clean.
Once your done it wouldn't hurt to go over the whole table again with the clean hot water to get more of the soap out. I'm fairly convinced that the use of woolite when wiping down the table was a factor in it getting so dirty. Try to get as much out as possible. Also keep changing your buckets of water as they get dirty.
I looked close and saw no ill effects from using the brush, no fraying, loose fibers etc. I'm sure if you did this on a regular basis it could wear on the cloth, but I would never recommend that.
That's about it. I'm very happy with the results, probably around a 90% improvement. I will and recommend that you keep the cloth cleaner than I did to prevent having to take drastic measures. But if your thinking about replacing the cloth but don't want to go through the expense, it might be worth a try.