Cleaning Klipsch Forte II grills

S

steelglam

Super Member
Hello,

I have a pair of Klipsch Forte II's, which have the dark-colored grills and the rectangular copper badge at the top. There is some embedded white gunk in the fabric of the grills, and I'd like to clean it out. Compressed air doesn't work...it needs to be sprayed or soaked with something. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've seen folks recommend Oxi Clean, but usually I see that recommended for white/cane grills. And I think that Oxi Clean has a bleaching agent; if so, I was thinking that using that on the dark grill may change its color. Maybe I'm wrong about this though.

Thanks for any insight!
 
Register to hide this ad
I've had luck with simply soaking grills with a hose, lathering them by hand with a few drops of dish detergent, and then rinsing and hanging to dry.

What is the nature of the white gunk? If it is gum or paint then soap won't cut it. The good news is that Crites sells the factory replacement cloth.

http://www.critesspeakers.com/speaker_fabric.html

No affiliation.
 
I recently worked on grilles for a pair of Infinity speakers that are black. The stains appeared to be from pets (smelled awful too). Anyway, I started with a Woolite Carpet/Upholstery stain foam spray cleaner and used a very soft bristled brush. Two apps removed about 75% of the stain. Then I tried a product from the Auto section at a local store. It's called Lifter 1 for carpet and upholstery stains. This sprays on as a liquid. I followed the directions and all the remaining stain came out with the exception of what appears to be a small spill of some sort of adhesive or glue that was used to repair the cracked wooden frame. All the pet stains are gone. I can live with the glue stain as it's small and low on the grille. I would recommend starting with the Woolite product and then use the Lifter 1 if the Woolite is not totally effective. Also, from a precautionary standpoint, it may be worthwhile to test both products on an inconspicuous area in case the chemicals can cause a color change. I would also strongly recommend following the directions for drying and use of a soft brush. You don't want to discolor or fray the speaker grille fabric. Just my experience-- be gentle how you proceed. If the grilles' frames are wood, don't allow them to become soaked as they will swell and that can't be undone. I put the grilles in front of a fan immediately after blotting the excess foam or moisture. Hope this helps.
 
GoRNR,

Was your white pet stain similar to mold?

I have some stubborn white stains on Polk grills. The stains looks like they are made of superfine spider webs and that is why I think it is mold. Stubborn crap whatever it is. I'm wondering if the Woolite/Lifter 1 products will knock it out of the fabric.
 
Thanks, folks.

I really don't know what the gunk is. It's definitely not gum. It's in streaks and is faint.

The frames are plastic, so no worries there about getting them wet.

Maybe I'll try soaking them in the tub with water and dish soap first, akin to what ebacon recommended.

If that doesn't work, I'll try the Woolite that GoRNR recommends. Now that I think of it, I've also heard of folks using this stuff from Bissell: http://www.amazon.com/BISSELL-Fabric-Upholstery-Shampoo-9351/dp/B00006IV1V. I bet it works similarly to the Woolite.

And then if that fails, I'll look for the Lifter 1.

And yeah, I plan to test whatever I use on the back part of the fabric that's underneath the plastic frame first, just to be sure it doesn't change the color.
 
ebacon--

The stains were a light brown to beige in color. There was some sort of residue that looked like small particles. I would not call it web like. It does sort of sound like you have a mildew/mold type situation. That may also mean the material could be starting to decompose or break down.

You could try the cleaning agent(s) and see if that knocks out mold or mildew. If nothing else the organic material that is allowing the mold or mildew to flourish would be eliminated. Then after cleaning, maybe a day or two in bright sunshine outside?? Sunlight frequently burns up mold or mildew. Then maybe it can be washed out?? I'm speculating here.

If you want to be more aggressive if you think it's mold or mildew, there's a product I've used on HARD surfaces called Mold Off. There are other products that may work for cloth material. Someone else with more experience with your sort of problem may be able to reply with better methods. Sorry I can't comment further on your specific situation. Good Luck. GoRNR
 
If you ever get pet urine on your grills (or anything else for that matter) try spraying it with either Odor-out or Odo-ban. Odor-out is available at Home Depot. Sam’s Club carries both depending on just what they have in stock.

I have used them on everything without any damage or staining whatsoever. They are the only products that I’ve found that will eliminate cat urine. Needless to say it will kill any other odor as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom