Mystery bleach spots on wool hotel carpet.

[KevinL]

We have a fairly new Holiday Inn in town that has bleach spots showing up in banquet rooms and halls. They have tried to recreate these to determine the cause but can't even get straight bleach to lighten carpet. They have dumped every chemical in the building on the carpet in a closet to try and duplicate spots but nothing is working. Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this. No, I don't have pics but they look like bleach spills. Someone told them it could be beef juice spilled from warmers. Is that even possible or the stupidest thing you've ever heard?

 

[Mikey P]

Swimming pool nearby?

Any chance its a nylon olefin blend/ pattern and only the nylon is losing color?

Have you seen it in person?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Have you seen it in person?

That's the big question.

 

[ruff]

5% bleach will dissolve wool in about ten minutes.
Sure it's wool?

 

[KevinL]

Yes, I've seen it. No I'm not sure it's wool. very well could be nylon. It's 3 or 4 colors and the bleaching is consistent across all the colors so I think it's all the same fiber. Probably nylon but the manager says it's wool. So nobody is going with the beef juice?

 

[Mikey P]

only thing I've seen beef juice do is foam up like a mad dog (in front of a carving station) when sprayed with a heavy peroxide boosted pre spray

 

[KevinL]

I'm going in there to dye them and I'm sure I need bleach neutralizer first but the manager and the catering women both swear they poured bleach in a area and it didn't harm carpet. damn liars?

 

[Zee]

Not necessarily liars. Some fabrics will simply not respond to bleach the way we expect them to. I had done the straight up Clorox pour on a carpet that did NOTHING to the carpet nor the colors. 8 years ago.... Still see the same hallway few times a week.... Nothing. it's being cleaned quarterly... Nothing.
Bleach simply did not affect it.

BTW, I haven't tested it yet but it's one of those that feel like wool but it's probably solution dyed nylon.

 

[SamIam]

I've seen a leaky hose joint from a truck mount running really hot bleach a carpet like a dye transfer so something chemically charges with a lot of consistant heat may cause discoloration.

Seems improbable but you should go to said closet take a few strands out and see if its a fiber that will even hold a dye.

Good luck.

 

[Papa John]

We have a fairly new Holiday Inn in town that has bleach spots showing up in banquet rooms and halls. They have tried to recreate these to determine the cause but can't even get straight bleach to lighten carpet. They have dumped every chemical in the building on the carpet in a closet to try and duplicate spots but nothing is working. Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this. No, I don't have pics but they look like bleach spills. Someone told them it could be beef juice spilled from warmers. Is that even possible or the stupidest thing you've ever heard?

They may have Battery powered Vaccumed or similar devises. The battery acid dripped out when worked on the equipment.. employee make have tipped or laid unit on side to clear blockage or work on the unit.. this is what happened at a hotel I was working at.

 

[Papa John]

Or maybe it just a pH shift from your prespray..
Read the post "I can't figure this carpet out" by Dave Gill For solution.

 

[KevinL]

That's a great idea. One of the spots even looks like acid damage but the rest just look bleached.

 

[Brian H]

BTW, I haven't tested it yet but it's one of those that feel like wool but it's probably solution dyed nylon.

Or acrylic.

 

[mirf]

Find out who they call if the carpet is damaged and needs repair or patch. They would know or have a piece.

 

[GeneMiller]

I rarely trust customers to know what kind of carpet they have. I get told its wool constantly. as soon as I mention it increases the cleaning cost suddenly they aren't sure.

Gene

 

[Mikey P]

yep, just got asked to quote tefloning 8000 feet of wool



and I know based on earlier conversations that it's smartstrand silk...

 

[Papa John]

Many hotels are going with a Wool Nylon blend to save money yet still have some flame retardant capabilities.