CM/Spotlight: Carpet Care Bleach DISCOLORATION Technical procedures for repairing color loss in carpet. There are many reasons why a carpet may lose color, from chemical spills, cleaning solutions inap-propriately used, sun fading, fume fading, old urine stains, cleaning products that contain chlorine bleach, medications — and more. All of these create unsightly discolorations that cleaning will not affect. But, a general rule of thumb is that, if color can be removed, it can be repaired. Color repair can be a lucrative add-on service for contract cleaners and a skill that in-house facility cleaning technicians can use to keep their buildings in top condition. By: Jeff Cross T Jeff Cross is the senior editor of Cleanfax magazine and an indus-try trainer and consultant. Cross offers Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) techni-cal training seminars for carpet and furniture cleaning, spot and stain removal and carpet color repair. He also offers carpet cleaning, disaster restoration and contract cleaning market-ing seminars through Totally Booked University (www. TotallyBookedUniversity.com). He can be reached at [email protected]. While there are several dye methods used for dyeing fibers and carpet during production, acid dye treatments are typical for wool and nylon fibers. It is wool and nylon that experience color loss from a variety of scenarios presented above. This article will outline practical steps for repair-ing color loss for wool and nylon, specifically from sodium hypochlorite, commonly referred to as chlorine bleach. But, despite the cause of color loss, the prin-ciples of color repair — temperature of dye bath, pH, etc. — are basically the same. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Carpet Care . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Carpet Dye . On this gray nylon carpet, the color had faded to yellow, which means blue and red is the correct choice because gray has a combination of the three primary colors: Blue, yellow and red. 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • June 2012
CMM – Archives June 2012: 18
