Cleaning tables and felt (1 Viewer)

[RiverAce01]

So it's the usual story...friend spills his mixed drink on his end of the table because he had in the holder too close to his arm.

We cleaned it up well and it didn't stain or anything. But the paper towels left these little white specks all over. Any idea on how to clean that up? It's been months now and I've tried multiple things but it hasn't helped. And it makes the table look weird. Nice and clean everywhere but these white specks at one end.

Also, any general cleaning tips? How do you keep your table clean and dirt/hair free? For those that have animals who either climb on the table or their hair manages to find it's way on to it. No lie I somehow find my dogs hair on the tabke some times.

 

[CraigT78]

I use a little lint roller to get the pet hair off the felt. As for the white specks, I don't have a clue, maybe a razor blade?

 

[RowdyRawhide]

Might try a billiard table brush along with the lint roller

 

[Wils]

I use a lint roller but I'll try a damp cloth instead, as one of my tables is round and it doesn't get into the nooks and crannies (both tables have SSC so slight dampness shouldn't be a problem).

I was thinking of getting one of those little hand-held wet/dry vacuum cleaners for just that kind of spilt-drink mis-hap.

I think you might need to get the felt wet enough so that the kitchen roll can be lifted away (obvs as long as you can get your felt wet, of course).

So you don't get loads of redundant replies, what "multiple things" have you tried already?

 

[Wils]

I'm somewhat disappointed to say that the damp cloth works perfectly for dust and specks of whatnot. Looks like I don't have an excuse to buy a new gadget

 

[RiverAce01]

I use a lint roller but I'll try a damp cloth instead, as one of my tables is round and it doesn't get into the nooks and crannies (both tables have SSC so slight dampness shouldn't be a problem).

I was thinking of getting one of those little hand-held wet/dry vacuum cleaners for just that kind of spilt-drink mis-hap.

I think you might need to get the felt wet enough so that the kitchen roll can be lifted away (obvs as long as you can get your felt wet, of course).

So you don't get loads of redundant replies, what "multiple things" have you tried already?

I've tried lint rollers and hand held vacuum cleaners. I've also tried Clorox wipes to see if they pick up the white specks. No luck.

The hand held vacuum works great and cleans the table off nicely. Anything that's left I can get with the lint roller. It's that one area where the drink was spilled that bothers me.

I may have to try dampening the table and letting it sit for a few minutes then trying to clean up the specks. If that doesn't work I'll try a razorblade and gently try to scrape them up. The table is a few years old and has seen better days so maybe soon I'll just use it as am excuse to get into the market for a new table

 

[Mental Nomad]

But the paper towels left these little white specks all over. Any idea on how to clean that up?

What material is your felt?

Woven speedcloth? Gaming suede? Actual felt?

If it's woven speedcloth (a.k.a, SSC), I'd suggest brushing in a circular fashion with a stiffer brush to loosen the paper flecks, and then a strong vacuum to lift them out. If you can lift out your playing surface or cloth, I suspecting beating it out would help, too. (Insert olde-timey image of rug on a line outdoors, being beaten.)

 

[CraigT78]

I don't understand how a paper towel leaves behind anything that can't be rolled/wiped/vacuumed up. Can you post pictures?

Also - I'd avoid using Clorox wipes on fabric with color. My daughter found out the hard way that it will bleach fabric if left in contact too long.

 

[DJ Mack]

If it's woven speedcloth (a.k.a, SSC), I'd suggest brushing in a circular fashion with a stiffer brush to loosen the paper flecks, and then a strong vacuum to lift them out.

The key will probably be doing these simultaneously. To do it right takes two people but if you can get the fine nozzle of a shop vac right next to where you are brushing you just need to dislodge the pieces a bit and the vacuum will take care of the rest. Without it the brush might just be moving them around ever so slightly.

Something to consider for next time - if this is waterproof SSC then use your favorite wet/dry vac to clean up the spill rather than a paper or cloth towel. Been there done that. I've never had the OP's problem with paper towel residue but I have had drunken idiots try to clean up their mess only to make a bigger one splattering it around the table right into other people's cards and cell phones. As soon as there's a spill I announce "hands up!" and grab the wet vac from the closet.

 

[Mental Nomad]

I don't understand how a paper towel leaves behind anything that can't be rolled/wiped/vacuumed up. Can you post pictures?

Also - I'd avoid using Clorox wipes on fabric with color. My daughter found out the hard way that it will bleach fabric if left in contact too long.

Most paper towels hold together OK when wet, but cheap towels or cheap napkins often fall apart into fine pulp, especially if rubbed against a fabric (instead of blotting.) The fabric acts like a grater, as far a a wet napkin is concerned. Bits of paper pulp got grated into the fabric.

(Paper dust can be super-fine, as anyone who has done laser printer repairs will tell you.)

 

[DJ Mack]

Paper dust can be super-fine, as anyone who has done laser printer repairs will tell you.)

Next time you're at work take a look inside the paper towel dispenser. If it has been in service for any period of time the inside will be covered in dust with a talc like consistency.

 

[RiverAce01]

Not sure if it comes across I'm these as the lighting doesn't pick it up, but it's the one end of the table that has the white specks (I'm assuming, as @Mental Nomad said, the paper towel decomposed as it picked up the spilled drink) that is noticeably dirtier than the rest of the table.

I've tried a vacuum and a roller and it doesn't seem to pick it up. I'm wondering if it stained the material when I cleaned the drink up

It's your run of the mill poker table so I'm not sure exactly what it's considered, but it's not that nice fabric that the custom tables have

 

[TheBigTater]

Hard to tell but looks like felt of similar fabric. That kind of stuff pills & maybe pieces of the wet paper towel are now part of the pilling. Invest in one a Fabric Defuzzer/Shaver ($5-$10 bucks) or use some small scissors and a good eye. Besides you can use the Defuzzer/Shaver on other things like clothing, etc,

 

[K ALL IN 9]

does your vacuum have one of those roller attachments? I used one on my suede rail that had some sawdust stuck in the fibers. lint roller didnt work nor did a brush on their own but the suction and brushing worked.

 

[Poker Zombie]

K all in beat me to it. I use a vacuum attachment that has a little beater-bar in it just like the floor portion of the vacuum. This has worked great for crumbs, sawdust, drywall dust, dander, and hair (both pet and human).

Also, those 1/4 inch deep cupholders are accidents waiting to happen. Get a lint-free towel or two and have them handy every night. They absorb spills quickly and are are less likely to disintegrate when used.

 

[RiverAce01]

does your vacuum have one of those roller attachments? I used one on my suede rail that had some sawdust stuck in the fibers. lint roller didnt work nor did a brush on their own but the suction and brushing worked.

Never thought to use that. Yes my vacuum has it. I'll habe to give it a try.

But Im starting to think the white specks are now stuck in the felt for good due to what thebigtater said. We'll have to see

 

[RiverAce01]

Also, those 1/4 inch deep cupholders are accidents waiting to happen. Get a lint-free towel or two and have them handy every night. They absorb spills quickly and are are less likely to disintegrate when used.

This forum has taught me a lot about poker tables. For sure my next table will have higher rails and deeper cup holders. Or at the bare minimum, deeper cup holders.

I plan on my next table being a good quality table, if not completely customized. And I definitely want the casino style cup holders, if not deeper, to prevent spills from happening. I'd consider rolling trays to eliminate the chance completely, but they can get pricy

 

[RiverAce01]

Question for you all...since I pretty much have no idea what Id be doing.

If I wanted to put new felt on this table, and new cup holders (deeper ones), would that be possible?

How would I go about putting a new layout on the table if say I buy one from Spinettis or something?

If I wanted to buy deeper cup holders amd install them...would you recommend me just cutting into the table to allow for the deeper cup holders to be put in?

Just seeing what my options are with upgrading the table I already have before I consider buying a new table

 

[DJ Mack]

What does the underside look like? If this is one of those $79.99 home poker folding tables you're probably better off building new to your exact specs.

Can you upgrade this table? Of course you can. The question is just how much is it worth to you? It's like that old if you give a mouse a cookie book where one thing leads to another and before you know it you've spent just as much as a brand new table would cost and yet it's still on a light duty platform.

@T_Chan would be the guy to say for sure whether it's worth the trouble to reuse your existing platform or just start new. And he won't try to sell you a table, honest!

 

[Poker Zombie]

Without poking/prodding the table, I'm guessing that you have a "cheap" table on your hands. Upgrading it will be "meh", and a lot of what you are dealing with may be glued not stapled/screwed, making upgrades more difficult.

What you might have, is a good set of table legs - one of the more expensive pieces to a home-made table.

 

[RiverAce01]

@DJ Mack

It's not one of those cheap fold in half tables. Don't remember where I got it from by it was about $130-$150 or so when I got it. So I can imagine it's a half decent table. The legs do fold though. But the under side is pretty solid

When I pull the cup holders out I can see down to wood. Could I cut that wood out as a circle to insert deeper cup holders? I really want to do that upgrade to avoid future spills. And if possible, put a new layout on as I've seen a few cool ones online.

For reference here's the best picture of the bottom I could get

 

[RiverAce01]

Without poking/prodding the table, I'm guessing that you have a "cheap" table on your hands. Upgrading it will be "meh", and a lot of what you are dealing with may be glued not stapled/screwed, making upgrades more difficult.

What you might have, is a good set of table legs - one of the more expensive pieces to a home-made table.

The under side has the leather on the rail stapled to the bottom.

Would you recommend cutting into the table just to simply add deeper cup holders? For now that's all I would do, if it seems like something that's possible.

 

[joseywales]

Not sure I'd try that vacuum attachment. Seems aggressive to me. I use a Dyson, but never that attachment.

Have your tried packing tape? I've used that as a lint remover and it works well. I wouldn't push it down too hard though, so as not to pull the fabric.

Ugh...I need a new cloth too. I have speed cloth, but it's time to replace it.

 

[Poker Zombie]

The under side has the leather on the rail stapled to the bottom.

Would you recommend cutting into the table just to simply add deeper cup holders? For now that's all I would do, if it seems like something that's possible.

1. You will need a new cupholder that is the same diameter before you start cutting.
2. The deeper cupholder - make sure there is enough clearance under the table. You would not want someone's leg to bump it kicking the drink out.
3. You will need some method for cutting. Hole-saw or router (though I honestly have no idea how you use a router to cut a circle).
4. When you cut through the bottom of the table, the black covering is going to droop. You will need staples to reattach it near the new holes.

What I'm saying is, you can make the fix, but you are getting really close to making a new table anyway.

 

[RiverAce01]

1. You will need a new cupholder that is the same diameter before you start cutting.
2. The deeper cupholder - make sure there is enough clearance under the table. You would not want someone's leg to bump it kicking the drink out.
3. You will need some method for cutting. Hole-saw or router (though I honestly have no idea how you use a router to cut a circle).
4. When you cut through the bottom of the table, the black covering is going to droop. You will need staples to reattach it near the new holes.

What I'm saying is, you can make the fix, but you are getting really close to making a new table anyway.

Starting to think that throwing money into a table that wasn't much money to begin with may not be be the best idea. Cup holders plus cutting the table plus possible a new felt would pretty much put me at or over what this table cost to purchase.

How much would building a table run me roughly, do you think? Would it make sense to build one or buy one from somewhere? I don't need the fancy things like elevated rails or lights

 

[Poker Zombie]

It's been a while since I priced the items, but if I recall...

• Suede rail $60
• Foam / Automotive headliner $15
• Speedcloth $60
• Plywood $70
• Legs $60 - $180 (or more)
• Cupholders $30

This will get you some high quality stuff. You can go cheaper (thinner plywood), but I like stuff to be solid, and feel nice to the tough (suede vs vinyl or cloth). Options are up to you. Many materials can be found via YourAutoTrim.com, but if I were to build again, I would be looking at a custom T_Chan gaming suede.

 

[joseywales]

Does T_chan sell the cloth, without custom image?

 

[T_Chan]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/basic-tables-for-sale.11759/

I have some stock felts available at lower price. I essentially give the artwork discount, $40 off.

 

[RiverAce01]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/basic-tables-for-sale.11759/

I have some stock felts available at lower price. I essentially give the artwork discount, $40 off.

Do you do just table tops with no legs? Thinking about having a top done to put on top of my current table...then if I ever have a 2 table tourney I can put the topper on another folding leg dinner table I have.

What's amazing is the table I have now was about $160-$180 when I got it a few years ago. Now a days there is nothing like it in that price range. That range now is the cheap folding Amazon tables. So I'm looking for some options where I could still at least keep my current table in use...or at least it's legs

 

[T_Chan]

Yep. Just omit the legs and the table can sit on top of any dining table. A non-slip pad between the tables works perfect.