Oriental Rug washing in Iran

Sergio

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Hi,
my iranian friend told me some informatin about oriental rugs washing in Iran. He told me that sodium hydrosulfite and chlorine are usually used in the washing process.

What do you know about it?

Thanks
 

Sergio

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They are used both in the finishing washing of new rugs to tone down color and to control/correct dye migration during a normal wash. It is normal practice throughout the industry to use both sodium hydrosulfite and chlorine bleach.

-This person told me that chlorine is used to give brightness to the colors.It's correct?
-Do they have to be used together?
-Dwell time?
-Diluition of sodium hydrosulfite and chlorine bleach?

Thanks
 

cleanking

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Hydrosulfite can be used alone however chlorine bleach is neutralized by the hydrosulfite (among other possible neutralizers). So if you are using chlorine bleach you can follow up with hydrosulfite once desired results are reached to stop the chlorine bleaching effect. Hydrosulfite is neutralized by cold water and rinsing.

Hydrosulfite can be mixed at many dilutions however a good starting point is roughly .5oz to 1 gallon of hot water. Baking soda can be added to lessen the strong odor, usually 1/3 of how much hydrosulfite was used will do the trick. Working with hydrosulfite without baking soda is almost unbearable, be sure to have plenty of ventilation during and after use.

For bleach generally a starting point is a cup of 6% available chlorine bleach to 5 gallons of warm water, followed by a dilution of hydrosulfite to stop the reaction.

We find that a light hydrosulfite strip can brighten colors, we do not use very much chlorine bleach so I cannot speak to it's uses in this way.

Others may chime in to fill in the gaps in my explanations here, this is just as I understand it.
 
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cleanking

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It should be stated that the dilutions and chemicals mentioned here only apply to most wool on cotton rugs.

Dye used for synthetic, viscose, and silk fibers will respond very differently to these treatments, many times in undesirable/irreversible ways.
 

Sergio

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Hydrosulfite can be used alone however chlorine bleach is neutralized by the hydrosulfite (among other possible neutralizers). So if you are using chlorine bleach you can follow up with hydrosulfite once desired results are reached to stop the chlorine bleaching effect. Hydrosulfite is neutralized by cold water and rinsing.

Hydrosulfite can be mixed at many dilutions however a good starting point is roughly .5oz to 1 gallon of hot water. Baking soda can be added to lessen the strong odor, usually 1/3 of how much hydrosulfite was used will do the trick. Working with hydrosulfite without baking soda is almost unbearable, be sure to have plenty of ventilation during and after use.

For bleach generally a starting point is a cup of 6% available chlorine bleach to 5 gallons of warm water, followed by a dilution of hydrosulfite to stop the reaction.

We find that a light hydrosulfite strip can brighten colors, we do not use very much chlorine bleach so I cannot speak to it's uses in this way.

Others may chime in to fill in the gaps in my explanations here, this is just as I understand it.
Fantastic!
2 questions:
Dwell time chlorine?
Dwell time hydrosulfite?

THANKS
 

cleanking

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Dwell time depends how much color you have to remove vs how much adverse effects you're ok with. This is less science and more art at this point. Try it out on some scraps you own first. It can take a while to get the hang of how these chemicals work.
 
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Sergio

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Dwell time depends how much color you have to remove vs how much adverse effects you're ok with. This is less science and more art at this point. Try it out on some scraps you own first. It can take a while to get the hang of how these chemicals work.

GREAT!:biggrin:
approximately between 1 and 5 minutes per chemical product?

Can you post a link on chlorine 6%? (to be sure that we are talking about the same chemical product :hopeless:)
 

Tom Forsythe

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They would learn the process from experienced rug washers not on their own. Knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. I am not sure how many rugs you would ruin before you had learned the proper procedures along with the chemistry. Be wary of trying this on your own!!
 
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cleanking

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They would learn the process from experienced rug washers not on their own. Knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. I am not sure how many rugs you would ruin before you had learned the proper procedures along with the chemistry. Be wary of trying this on your own!!
There's nothing mystical about trial and error, how do you think it was learned originally? Buy some crappy rugs and play with it, find the limits and take notes along the way. I'd be weary of a rug washer that isn't willing to figure out how to use these chemicals, there's a much higher chance they're the ones ruining the rugs.
 
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Tom Forsythe

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If this was a forum for experienced rug washers, then I might agree with details of this discussion. We purposely put on some product labels not recommended for wool as we are talking to a mass audience. In certain rugs and certain situations I will use what is not recommended for wool. Mikeysboards audience is much more than those who post here. I shudder thinking about the masses (many lurk here) that I have talked with over the years experimenting with 12% hydrogen peroxide let alone chlorine bleach and hydrosulfite (one nasty chemical that I have used with success) on wool rugs. Some knowledge should be held closer to the vest and shared with those who can apply it safely and effectively.
 

Sergio

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Friends, I have been doing this job for about 4 years. I wash about 300 carpets in a year (90% oriental rugs - 10% syntethic carpets). My knowledge grows year by year . Thanks to the advice of the friends of this forum, the result of the washing has been constantly improved, so the usefulness of this forum is undoubted.
This forum is a starting point, not a point of arrival, in the middle there are many practical tests on cavy carpets.
I need details as a starting point for testing




thank you all for the advice

sorry for my bad english
 

Sergio

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Hi,
chlorine bleach for oriental rug washing is sodium hypochlorite ?

During the washing process,
after washing with detergent, I can pour chlorine bleach on the carpet, dwell time some minutes, i can pour sodium hydrosulphite on the carpet, dwell time some minutes, rinse the carpet.
It's correct?
 

Nomad74

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Can someone please help this guy? I would like to see the clarification on the use of chlorine bleach.
 

The Great Oz

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In the manufacturing process strong chlorine is used to mute colors and give a rug a patina of age. In these high concentrations chlorine bleach will remove dyes but also raise the cuticle of the wool fiber while turning it yellow. This step is typically followed by an acid rinse to reduce the yellowing and lay the cuticle back down. With repetition, the cuticles will break off and give the wool a silky look and feel, but the damaged wool then becomes extremely prone to staining when in use.

The place for dye stripping is in reviving rugs that have dye bleed from mishaps - rugs that otherwise would be ruined - not as a part of your cleaning process. If you see a high percentage of rugs that would otherwise be thrown away, you have a reason to learn how to strip dyes, and a ready supply of training material. It takes a little training and a great deal of trial and error observation to be good at this.

Good luck!
 

Tom Forsythe

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There are a lot of things that you can use on rugs with expert guidance, training and experience. Answers in a public forum should be more definitive to prevent experimenting by those who do not have guidance, training and experience. I have seen issues from playing with chlorine bleach that I would not want to wish on anybody especially a cleaner learning to clean oriental rugs.
 
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The Great Oz

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I wonder if rug washers on the other side of the pond have to deal with as much pet pee as we do?
Probably not. I don't think they're silly enough to believe that as "pet parents" their pets should be treated like pampered children.

I don't think they have emotional support pigs/alligators/emus either.
 
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