fiber ID burn test

[Papa John]

I think is wool. Definitely a natural fiber.
what do you think it is?
Its fabric on a down filled sofa from the 1990s and the ticking is "yellowing"
I think it might have the defective fire retardant on it and mightbbe too risky to clean.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

The best information comes from the yellowed ticking. I would say there is a good chance that a water soluble flame retardant is present.

The easy (and safest) course of action is not to clean the piece. If you decide to risk it, or better yet if the customer wants to risk it, you can dry clean it. The results will, of course, be minimal. A very low moisture cleaning with a neutral cleaner might be ok, but under no circumstances should you use hot water extraction and an acid rinse.

These materials often discolor on their own over time, even if they are never cleaned, so even if your method is “safe” ( dry solvent cleaning as an example) you could still be blamed in years to come when the color change occurs.