Check out this cool Word Cloud created from the Hepler Bros blog.
The size of the words reflect the number of times they are used. Looks pretty accurate to me! I guess I say “leather” and Fibrenew a lot.
You can see others and make your own at Wordle.net
A fun and functional blog post from our Franchisor – Fibrenew.
On Super Bowl Sunday, it’s not just the players who take a beating. During our Super Bowl parties, our furniture gets ran-SACKED more than a quarterback with food and drink spills. It’s all got to be cleaned up, but where do you start?
The local leather expert from Fibrenew, a leather and plastics refurbishing specialist, warns consumers of the Top Five Super Bowl Party Spills and arms them with The Do’s and Don’ts of Super Bowl Party Clean Up.
“We see a big increase in the damage of leather furniture this time of year with all the Super Bowl parties” says Michael Wilson, CEO of Fibrenew. “Clumsy guests cause damage, but the worst disasters are caused by homeowners who don’t know the best ways to clean up a mess and repair a problem.”
TOP FIVE SUPERBOWL SPILLS (and how to clean them!)*
1) FOOD OR WINE STAIN: Your brother-in-law eats an entire pizza and drops a slice and his fifth glass of wine on your leather loveseat.
2) INK : The spoiled rotten … we mean darling … neighbor’s kid, is keeping score on your leather couch with his new marker set.
3) NAIL POLISH: You try out OPI’s Affair in Red Square red to sexy up those toenails pre-game, but you end up polishing a couch cushion instead.
4) ANIMAL SCRATCHES AND PICKS: Your new dog gets all excited when Big Ben or Aaron Rodgers throws a touchdown and scratches the heck out of your couch.
5) BURNS AND DISCOLORATION: Those candles, strategically placed to keep the house smelling fresh, get knocked over when your father-in-law high-fives your nephew because his favorite team won. You lose with a dried out heat spot and a cracked couch cushion.
“We hate to see people damaging their leather furniture further by trying to fix minor problems,” says Wilson. “Part of our job as leather and plastics experts is to serve as a resource, helping people understand what problems they can handle on their own and when they need to call a professional.”
*There are several types of leather, and the following tips apply to all fully-finished leather, which makes up 85 percent of the leather market.
Tell this story with a Fibrenew Leather Expert in your town who can damage leather and demonstrate the different DOs and DON’Ts of proper cleanup.
Hi All – Here’s a nice post from one of our fellow Fibrenew franchisees, Rick and Lynn Halpin in South Carolina.
Fibrenew Upstate has already serviced two customers this week where pets
did some business on their upholstered furniture. So, it seemed timely to remind everyone that we not only repair, re-dye and restore leather furniture, but we professionally clean upholstered furniture, as well.
Regardless of how quickly you act, bodily fluids – vomit, to be exact, may cause immediate staining. Typically, an oily residual, wet looking spot will remain on the upholstery. This is even more noticeable when there is no protective barrier present.
With our IICRC accreditation, our focus on specific type stain removal is part of our training and expertise. Fibrenew Upstate can ‘spot clean’ your stained area, or as is recommended yearly, professionally clean the entire piece. Additionally, we can apply a fresh protective barrier to further protect the furniture.
So, if you live in Upstate South Carolina, give Rick and Lynn a call. But, if you live somewhere around Jacksonville, Florida instead, give Hepler Bros. a call, and we’ll fix you right up!
One of our fellow Fibrenew franchisees from New Zealand recently did some radio spots.
The spots do a good job of highlighting our ability to do leather repair, leather cleaning, and leather re-dye, but the main reason I like them is because of the fabulous Down-Under accent.
Click on the links to check them out.
I know people find my southern accent charming, but I would give up my iPhone to be able to speak like that!
Last thing – isn’t this the cutest New Zealand sheep you ever saw?!
Here’s a shout-out to one of our fellow Fibrenew franchisees, Paul Wittig, in Indianapolis, IN. Paul appeared on a local news-talk show and did a fantastic job giving tips to folks about how to keep their furniture looking its best. There’s a video below and 5 tips on upholstery cleaning and leather repair.
Five ways to fix furniture after the holidays : wishtv.com
INK : The spoiled rotten … we mean darling nephew, tries out his new marker set by drawing Spongebob on your leather couch. You become a crabby Patty and scramble to clean it up.
• DON’T use dish soap or hair spray to remove the marks. The degreasing agent in dish soap can permanently de-gloss and damage the top coating on the leather surface. Hair spray has alcohol in it and will ruin the surface coating on your leather.
• DO use a soft sponge and specialized leather cleaner. Buy it at most leather furniture retailers – but for serious problems your local Fibrenew franchise can help.
NAIL POLISH: You try out OPI’s Affair in Red Square red to sexy up those toenails, but you end up polishing a couch cushion instead.
• DON’T use nail polish remover because it will take all of the color out of your leather and leave a bleached spot bigger than the nail polish spot.
• DO once again, use a soft sponge and leather cleaner.
FOOD OR WINE STAIN: Your brother-in-law eats an entire pizza and drops a greasy cheese and his fifth glass of wine on your leather loveseat.
• DON’T use window/mirror cleaner because it contains alcohol which will dissolve and destroy the surface coating on your leather.
• DO use a damp towel to wipe up the mess and a dry one to finish the job. Fully-finished leather is pretty much water proof, so a little spill isn’t going to hurt as long as you clean up quickly before it soaks through.
ANIMAL SCRATCHES AND PICKS: For the purr-fect gift, Santa brings your kids a kitty. Hello Kitty quickly turns into GOOD BYE Kitty when the fury friend (now foe) decides your leather couch is his new scratching post.
• DON’T touch up the spots with shoe polish because it makes an ugly, sticky mess.
• DO try to reduce the visibility of the problem by snipping off the cotton interior strands that often get pulled out when leather gets picked. DO use a hair dryer and massage minor scratches with leather cleaner to try to rub it out. Call a professional to fix larger scratches and holes – this is not a DIY kind of job.
BURNS AND DISCOLORATION: Those window candles get knocked over on your upholstery and are left on overnight. You wake up Christmas morning to a dried out heat spot and a cracked couch cushion.
• DON’T try to rub it out and blend it with the surrounding area, you’ll only make the problem bigger.
• DO bring in some help. When leather or faux leather gets damaged by heat, the only solution is to call in a professional. Regardless of size, a professional repair can make that burn look brand new and can be done on the spot in your own home.
If you get to this point, give Hepler Bros. a call at 904 707-2326. We’ll make your life beautiful again.
This is a really nice article about Fibrenew colleagues of ours in California. Dick and Rick Bublitz are a Father-Son team in LA, and a local paper did a nice article on them.
“One customer brought me this old ottoman. It wasn’t a fine piece of furniture by any means, but it was something that was in his family home as a child, and he wanted to preserve it,” says Rick, the son, who is the craftsman of the business.
“It’s seeing peoples’ reactions when they get their items back that really makes us realize how appreciated our work is,” says the elder Bublitz.
While the Bublitz’s can restore a variety of items to like-new condition, from car seats to purses, it is the keepsake items that often require the most craftsmanship. It is easier to simply mend, dye and condition old leather items, but it is more challenging to restore items without changing their character, unless of course that is desired.
Some customers will bring items that are worn out and faded, such as an old pair of boots, and rather than have them brought back to their former state, the items can be refurbished to give them a new look, such as a different color.
A lot of the items in the Bublitz’s portfolio fall into the Fibrenew specialty areas of repair in the aviation, automotive, commercial, marine and residential categories, but you can tell by the way Rick lovingly pores over the pages of personal items, like a prized basketball and a favorite armchair, that these are the jobs that bring the most pleasure and pride.
“This one took a long time,” he says looking at the retro turquoise ottoman, “If the customer took this to someone else he wouldn’t have been able to afford what it would really cost to repair it.”
Rick explains that after he heard why the ottoman was so special he didn’t mind putting in the extra time to get it right.
“He was really happy with it, and now he can pass it down to his kids,” he beams.
First, everyone needs to know a qualified cleaning professional to call on when necessary! Hepler Bros. is certified in the cleaning of upholstered furniture, having completed IICRC cleaning courses. The IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification) is a non-profit organization that has been known as the ‘Industry Guardian’ for over 30 years. They approve certified courses that help set industry standards, thus insuring customers have access to trained professionals. That’s why Hepler Bros. wants to be sure you know we are IICRC certified, which also means that Hepler Bros. is trained in the newest techniques and uses the latest products recommended for the cleaning of upholstery.
It’s important that you not wait until severe soiling has occurred before cleaning your upholstery. Otherwise, the likelihood of being able to restore your upholstery fabric to its original color and appearance is greatly decreased. The average person subjects regularly-used upholstery fabrics to daily soiling from food and beverage spills, body oils, lotions, pet hair, etc., making periodic professional upholstery cleaning key to extending the life of the fabric.
This is the time of year that many of us will decide to spruce up for the holidays which may include having our upholstery cleaned. And then there are those of us that would rather wait and organize a thorough cleaning after the holiday decorations are put away. Regardless, it is during the cold winter months, when we tend to spend more time indoors, that we also become more aware of our indoor environment needs. Upholstery cleaning is one of those tasks that can easily be taken care of during the winter months, meaning one less thing to put on your spring cleaning list!
In the meantime, following are a few Upholstery Fabric Cleaning Tidbits to keep in mind:
Just remember, there’s no need to cry over spilled milk!
Call Hepler Bros. today at 904 707-2326.
Check out this dog bite on a leather couch that Brian fixed this week. Here’s the Before pic:
Yow!!!!
I know!
Anyway, Brian fixed it. Check it out:
Maybe we’re not the best photogs, but I’m sure you can see it’s a huge improvement. To be fair, if you look at the repair up close, you’ll see it. But, it’s way better!
And, there is no truth to the rumor that we use bacon-scented dyes in our work. Totally untrue!
: )
Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas!
Some of the best work we do doesn’t involve repairing leather – it only involves cleaining it.
Check out some of these Before and After pictures.
I know! It’s amazing, isn’t it?
Part of the reason it’s amazing is because we’re highly trained on cleaning fine leather. Cleaning leather is not something you want to try on a whim. Over-the-counter products are usually watered down to prevent you from ruining your leather, but they don’t get much dirt off.
We clean other upholstery like vinyl and fabric on car seats, boat seats, and airplane seats as well as furniture.
Make your house beautiful for the holidays. Give Hepler Bros. a call to clean your furniture today! 904 707-2326
Check out our new YouTube video on furniture repair!
OK. It’s not really “our” meaning Hepler Bros. video, but it is a cute, short video from our franchisor, Fibrenew.
I like it because it stars our North Carolina buddy, David Bryant. David does great work, so we hope the fame and fortune doesn’t go to his head.
Keep your life beautiful. If anyone with a knife gets near your couch, give Hepler Bros. a call!
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