Red Discoloration After Cleaning Upholstery

[Jim Pemberton]

This used to be a once a year thing. Now I don't go a month without calls or emails about cleaners who have fabrics turn pink or red after cleaning.

It's been brought up here before, but if you have seen it, this is what I'd like to know now:

Fiber type? If you aren't sure, at least tell me if it's been on natural fiber family fabrics

Fabric Type?

Were down feathers present, and what were they wrapped in?

Did you notice any discoloration before you started?

How did you clean the fabric?

Did the discoloration occur in places other than the cushions?

Did the discoloration occur in any areas not affected by sunlight?

Were you forced to replace the furniture fabric?

Did you have any contact with the furniture retailer or manufacturer?

If you don't want to answer here, please email me at

jimscleanchat@gmail.com

 

[GeneMiller]

i had it happen only once and it was to the seat part of the frame. the cotton battening was red and bled through. luckily the cushions covered all of it. i hope that is the only time i ever see it. it was an older all cotton sofa.

gene

 

[Jim Pemberton]

OK, maybe I've asked too many questions.

Let me just do this:

If something bad happened after you cleaned upholstery that involved a color change, contact me.

If it hasn't YET, start to be VERY careful in your upholstery inspections.

Two people I know just paid out claims that exceed ten thousand dollars because of this issue.

Now do I have your attention?

 

[Ron K]

Hello Jim. So what are some common conditions to these situations? Or are there Couches to "Run From" now. It sounds to me that there may be a new cleaning code called WTF.

 

[Walt]

OK, maybe I've asked too many questions.

Let me just do this:

If something bad happened after you cleaned upholstery that involved a color change, contact me.

If it hasn't YET, start to be VERY careful in your upholstery inspections.

Two people I know just paid out claims that exceed ten thousand dollars because of this issue.

Now do I have your attention?

Jim,

How do you inspect for this?

BTW - I forgot to send you the fabric sample. I'll send it today.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Still trying to get more data.

So far down filled pillows wrapped with fabric treated with non durable flame retardant is one factor, but some are occurring in areas of the fabric that are not down filled.

Look for a pink cast to the fabric before you clean it, and look inside cushions when possible. Discoloration shows up inside the cushion first. Look for pink, red, orange, even brown spots inside the cushion.

It's been seen happening in the store before anyone even buys the stuff.

 

[The Great Oz]

We've seen this mostly on cotton chennille fabric over a down wrapped seat cushion. We've had furniture stores bring cushions to us to see if we could remove it - the discoloration began within a few months of delivery - no cleaning. In some cases we can improve it and in some cases we can't.

Mostly. We just had a white cotton canvas loveseat with a cotton casing inner wrap over the foam. No down. The cotton wrap was also lightly discolored pink. The customer just wanted it clean and wanted to ship it to her son's dorm right away so we weren't able to see if we could get it out.

 

[sam miller]

Gotta love how they rap and slap everythingand anything with a good luck cleaning sign or Dry clean only label,

I only clean Microfiber G everyone owns that crap WTHell. Ty for heads up Jim!

 

[leesenter]

Three things pop up in my head immediately on this problem.
Acrylics with a fire retardant are usually called modacrylics. I have seen many modacrylic yarns bleed a variety of colours. They are almost always repairable with an acid rinse.
Colourloss, we see it with "light green spots" , pink or yellow haze from cleaning chemicals the customer used or even fume fading.
Indicator dyes that have been agressively worked at.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Thank you Lee

In this case the flame retardant is highly acidic, and any moisture (including humidity) allows the flame retardant to change the color of the fabric. Acid rinsing makes the problem worse, and alkaline treatments are usually only a temporary fix.

This should be seen like what some call a "latent intruder", as cleaning only reveals or worsens this pre-existing condition.

Bryan, we are seeing this mostly in chenille thus far, as have you.

This problem likely would NOT exist if a durable flame retardant was used, instead of one that is so easily dissolved in water.

 

[Art Kelley]

Is there any way to do a test on the fabric that would be practical, Jim?

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I'm working on that.

You can test the pH of the fabric wrap, but if you have a down filled cushion with a fabric wrap, you should be VERY cautious. Again, look for discoloration inside the cushion and on the wrap.

I'm working with a testing and research organization on this.

 

[The Great Oz]

I think there are over a dozen products approved for use a flame retarding chemicals for upholstery use. Has to be one of them, and if the furniture manufacturer could be pinned down we'd probably find out which one causes the problem. My guess is that they already know and are either refusing to accept the information or trying to evade liability.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

That's where this appears to be heading Bryan.

ANYTHING anyone has to share, especially samples of damaged fabric and the name of the manufacturer can make a huge difference.

 

[Chris A]

so guys that have a hard time seeing some shades of red/pink (me) are basically fooked...

 

[Jim Pemberton]

This is priceless:

Some consumers have contacted me because of my blog post on the subject.

When a light colored chenille gets a light pink haze while in the showroom, the salespeople are calling it a "blush" that gives a "glow" to the fabric.

It makes me want to believe in Hell just so I could wish those sales people to go there.

If YOU see a light (especially tan, beige, or white) chenille that seems to be getting a light "blush" and maybe some "spots" that might be brown but often are red or pink, DON'T clean it!

And when you get the chance, look in some furniture showrooms to see how many "blushing" pieces await the unwary.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

The problem is the flame retardant?

I have had two issues cleaning upholstery in 9 years.

One was a chenille chair that had down stuffing (green feathers) that bleed through the fabric and caused green spots.'

The other was the ink on the tag got wet and transferred dark purple dye to an all white material. I was able to correct the situation and warned the owner to be cautious while the piece was drying.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I don't want to come off as an alarmist.

This is one you may NEVER see. But when a problem is being brought to me now on a weekly basis (note I said monthly when I started this thread), it's scary.

And the fact that it's a progressive, pre-existing condition that would happen even if you never cleaned it makes it even more upsetting.

So everyone "be careful out there" and if you see it, get me facts and pics!

Having a testing lab who is not associated with (and doesn't even like or respect) the furniture manufacturing industry on OUR side is a big plus.

 

[Nate]

Wow, that sounds dangerous for any carpet cleaning company. Yeah I think if the material below the fabric is any color other than white, there is a chance that color can bleed through. Like the one gentleman said, if the cotton underneath is red and the upholstery is white, it may bleed through. Cleaning companies may have to look into this before doing the cleaning. I wonder if any of the angie's list carpet cleaning reviews have touched on this issue. Has anyone checked that out?

 

[monica]

In my opinion, it would be better to decline the cleaning of such furniture, as you likely cannot correct the problem, and you are more likely to make it worse...

 

[FredC]

In my opinion, it would be better to decline the cleaning of such furniture, as you likely cannot correct the problem, and you are more likely to make it worse...

Dear spammer.

You have wasted too much time here. Multiple links from a single domain with low page rank aren't going to do much. Even if contextual and niche related. You'd be better off with a hit and run ..........also less likely to get your shit deleted

 

[Joe Appleby]

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