Spot Treating an Oriental Rug – Better Know What you’re Doing!
Dye Migration Due To Improper Spotting
This embellishment is on a beautiful family heirloom rug that was “spot treated” by a carpet cleaning company in a client’s home. Unfortunately, we see our fair share of rugs that have been damaged by non-certified or inexperienced carpet cleaners and it becomes our job to reverse the damage if at all possible.
The carpet cleaning company in this instance used a non-approved spotter in an attempt to remove coffee stains and ended up “bleeding” the colors of the rug. As you can see, several of the fields surrounding the embellishments show dye migration due to improper spotting. This is a good example of what can happen when you hire an inexperienced cleaning company or try to spot clean in your home.
This rug is hand-knotted with wool fibers and a cotton warp and weft. Our colorfastness tests indicated that the dyes were stable throughout the rug and if spotted properly, should not have bled. So why do we see dye migration?
The first mistake was the carpet cleaning company used a spotter that contained a harsh alkaline that de-stabilized the dye sites of this area rug. Many consumers also make this same mistake by purchasing spotters from the local big box stores. The second mistake was that the dyes of the rug were not tested prior to using a spotting agent.
The dye migration in this particular instance occurred during the drying phase after the carpet cleaning company used an inappropriate cleaner to address the spots on this rug. Natural fibers like wool need to be in an acidic environment so avoid alkaline products when spot cleaning.
Oriental Rug Salon is a full-service Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning and repair facility serving all of SW Florida. We are a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the international Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). In addition, we are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List and our technicians are experienced and certified by the world’s most respected certification body for textile professionals.
NEVER allow your Oriental rug to be cleaned in your home and always check out the credentials of the company you trust your rug too. Also, make sure the Oriental rug cleaning company has a shop that you can visit and is staffed by certified professionals. We’ve all heard the horror stories of carpet cleaning companies picking up area rugs and taking them to their “shop” only to discover their shop is a parking lot or concrete floor in a warehouse.
You can always visit our facilities and pull up a chair. We’ll provide the coffee and let’s talk shop.
For more information about Oriental Rug Salon please visit us online at www.OrientalRugSalon.com or call us anytime at 239-424-8171.
Please LIKE US on Facebook to receive tips and money-saving coupons on cleaning services and repairs. Our Facebook address is: https://www.facebook.com/OrientalRugSalon/
——————————
Services Offered: Oriental Rug Cleaning | Wool Area Rug Cleaning | Silk Area Rug Cleaning | Synthetic Area Rug Cleaning | Cotton Area Rug Cleaning | Fringe Repair | Oriental Rug Repairs | Oriental Rug Appraisals
Our Service Area: Oriental Rug Cleaning Naples | Cape Coral | Bonita Springs| Estero | Fort Myers | Sanibel | Marco Island | North Fort Myers | Fort Myers Beach | Lehigh Acres | Punta Gorda | Port Charlotte | Pine Island | Matlacha | St. James City | Alva | Buckingham | Useppa | Captiva |
