Tips

Wool is a natural fiber that comes from the fleece of sheep or lambs. It is typically found in higher end carpet in homes or commercial properties and can be in tufted or woven style construction. Wool is a very strong and durable fiber but has some limitations in cleaning. That's why you need to hire a professional to do so. You must be able to control your moisture, pH and dring time to avoid problems such as bleeding, browning, wicking and shrinkage. All of these issues can still happen when professional cleaners wash your rug but most can be identified before cleaning and controlled or elimiated to get your rug or carpet as clean as possible with mild detergents and proper testing and rinsing of all the fibers.
Fibers that bleed need to be identified in the home and the customer should have an understanding of the possibilities of dyes running into each other. Steps are taken at  the shop to prevent permanent staining from dye migration but in some cases, rugs are painted over and over dyed to make the rug look brilliant at the market. Most rugs are chemically washed in chlorine before going to market. This strip's most fugitive dyes but still does not guarantee that the rug will not bleed. Dusting the rug is just as important as the washing since 80% of all soil in Rugs is dry. Getting a rug wet before dusting will result in "mudding up" the rug and the end result will be a less clean rug.

Steve D'Aquila
Action Cleaning Systems Inc.
630-654-2084
www.actioncleaningsystems.com

Yes, there are chemical compounds that are added to fibers to give them color. Sometimes these dyes react with chemicals or gases and changes in the color occur.. Fume fading is a reaction to gaseous pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen or sulfur in the air. It is a gradual change, accelerated by sunlight, heat, high humidity and the presence of acid on the fiber. The most common color changes are blues to pink,greens to yellow and browns to red. The color change usually starts at the tips of the tufts and progressed toward the backing.
     Ozone fading is caused by ozone gas in the atmosphere. It is also accelerated by high humidity and heat. Ozone is more prevalent around electrical motors,fluorescent lights and during lightning storms. It is also formed by a reaction between light and other pollutants in the air. Fibers subjected to ozone fading my lighten, turn white, or change form one color to another as in fume fading above.
     Some carpet fibers are dyed with Indicator Dyes. These dyes are sensitive to either acid or alkaline chemicals. An alkaline sensitive dye will change color if exposed to ammonia or a high alkaline detergent. the color can be changed back with dilute acetic acid. An acid sensitive dye will change color when exposed to vinegar or other mild acids used in cleaning. The original color can be restored with dilute ammonia. These color changes may not be permanent and can often be reversed. However, other color changes due to strong chemicals are not a result of this indicator effect and may not be reversible.
     Color changes that may become apparent after cleaning are sometimes incorrectly blamed on the cleaner or cleaning process. However, In many cases the color change is due to the aging of the dyes, and the cleaning simply reveals the true color.

Cheers!
Steve D'Aquila
Action Cleaning Systems Inc.
630-654-2084
www.actioncleaningsystems.com