How to Use BanFire Fire Retardant Spray

BanFire is very easy to use. Simply spray the product on the fabric and allow to air dry. Most fabrics will require two applications. Make sure the fabric is clean, or the liquid may bring the dirt to the surface. Make sure the item gets damp. Very thick fabrics may require treating both sides of the fabric. One quart should be able to treat about 100 square feet of fabric, with two coats.

Do not dilute. Use at 100%. You can use a simple spray bottle, a pump-up garden sprayer, or a painter’s airless sprayer. For doing tall curtains, like for a theater, using a three-foot extension wand is very handy. A standard 515 airless tip works well. Be sure to flush out the airless with clean water after using.

BanFire can be applied to fabric that is laying flat, although when it dries you may notice small rings of white residue where the solution has collected in low spots. Spraying vertical fabric should not give this result. Also, multiple light coats is better than fewer heavy coats. Most often, any white residue can be wiped off with a damp towel.

You may also dip fabrics in the solution, then wring them out and allow to air dry. When dipping, the fabric may stiffen quite a bit, like when using a heavy starch. Simply work with the material, or put it in a tumble drier to ‘loosen’ the fabric back up.

It is always a good idea to test a small sample of the fabric for color-fastness. BanFire has been known to discolor natural jute burlap, which is quite a bit different from cotton.

Since BanFire is a water-based product, washing the treated fabric or garment will remove the retardant, so re-treatment will be necessary after washing.

BanFire has no discernible odor, so it may applied while other people are present. It is often easiest to leave curtains hanging in place and treat them while still on the rod. You do not want to get the fabric so wet that it drips down in a pool at the bottom. If that happens, you may want to put down a dropcloth or towels underneath the area where you are working. If BanFire dries on a hard surface like tile or concrete, there may be a little white residue, which can be wiped up with a damp towel.

BanFire is a saturant, so it must be applied to an absorbent material. Fabrics and other materials with a high plastic content and certain polyesters will not absorb moisture, so shouldn’t be used with BanFire. For sheer materials like organza, we offer a product called BanFire Poly.