soiled canvas tarps

[jnoden 15]

I have been throwing them away when they get very soiled with stain but they are not cheap. Does anyone wash them? I thought about taking them to a laundramat but figured it is a fire hazzard to dry them in a dryer. What do you do?

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I think it was Rick Petry who said he throws them over a handrail and washes them....

Beth

[StainlessDeal 16]

Low-pressure-high-volume! I've washed them on a fence, and have thought about hitting them with stripper, but haven't tried it.

If you are ready to throw them out, what have you to lose? Give it a shot and see what happens.

I wouldn't go the dryer route myself, mostly I'll do anything to avoid a laundromat. I do have an old dryer in my shop/garage, but I only use it to dry towels and rags wet with water. (Mostly)

[RPetry 564]

Jim,

Strip them when you are on a wood stripping job. The best method is to lay the canvas tarps out on the floor without folds. Throw on your NaOH mix and let dwell. If the tarps are real bad, turn them over and soak with your NaOH mix again. Hit 'em with a bit of pressure and rinse well. No need to neutralize!

Of course, do not charge the customer for stripper used. Hang the tarps on the deck balustrade overnight to dry. Win - win for both. Your customer gets part of the deck floor stripped for free and you have usable canvas tarps.

[jnoden 15]

Thanks. I think I will try that with stripper. If I can get double the use from them that saves a good amount of money.

[bigchaz 157]

I just throw them out. Its only about 10 bucks per job so I dont bother trying to wash them all

Heavy Duty Canvas Drop Cloth

[RPetry 564]

Good site and bookmarked. Thanks Charlie.

[Mathew Johnson 123]

I take them to the laundrymat. Use 2-3 cups deck stripper as soap. They come out great!

[RPetry 564]

Matt,

You must have bigger cojones than I. Always wanted to try that in a commercial sized washer, but was afraid the NaOH would damage the washer or trash someones next laundry wash.

Jim,

As Beth mentioned, you can also use the balustrade to strip tarps. Hang them as you would when staining, and apply the stripper to both the wood and canvas. This has the added benefit of protecting plants from NaOH overspray. Pressure wash off along with the wood.

The only problem with this is you can only hit 1/4th of the tarp at a time if you use the 9' x 12' size.

[James 624]

I use plastic and card board. That is a good site..

[Mathew Johnson 123]

I just throw them out. Its only about 10 bucks per job so I dont bother trying to wash them all

Heavy Duty Canvas Drop Cloth

If you are looking for a great deal locally, we have a contractors account at Sherwin Williams, go in and dicker with them... we paid less than 18 for a few 9X12 Heavy duty canvas and 8 or 9 for few 4X15 heavy duty canvas