Rug dye bleeding during cleaning.

I've been hit with a lot of rug help questions/emails these past few weeks by cleaners bleeding rugs and not knowing why.

I had one person who was given different information from 3 other supply sources before coming to me and discovering what really happened in his case.

There is a lot of misinformation - or just lack of information - on oriental rugs and dyes. So I made pulled together a lot of the reasons why rugs bleed, and warning signs, and what is true and not on the topic.

CLICK HERE => Oriental Rug Dyes. What You Need To Know.

I hope you find value in this, and that it helps some cleaners avoid having to buy their client's rugs.

Lisa

David, mordants are used in the original process of attaching the dye molecules to the wool fibers. I have yet to come across any products that "bulletproof" and "set" dyes after the fact for cleaning - all you can do is to improve the stability of that dye/fiber bond, and protect the fibers from having migrating dye redeposit. Whether it's using acetic acid, citric acid, dye loc, dye stabilizer, salt water, or whatever the product of choice - they all do the same things. Stabilize and preventing redepositing.

When rugs are newer, and depending on how thoroughly they were washed before sent to market, you have "excess" dye that is going to move no matter what you do. It's the same reason why bright clothing can rub off color on you if you do not wash it before you wear it. (This is also why many grandmothers used to add vinegar to the wash to try to prevent the release dye from finding a home on the "wrong" areas of clothing.)

Washing the rugs does help by having water aid is suspending the moving dye and move it OFF the rug. It's another reason washing is a plus for rugs... besides the fact that it's simply a more thorough way of cleaning them.

But no matter what product you choose for stabilizing the dyes, if you use the wrong cleaning solutions (i.e. highly alkaline) or use hot water, you are going to negate any benefit you had by picking a proper stabilizing agent.

Nothing "sets" and bulletproofs dyes on wool rugs or silk. All you can do is create a better environment for stabilizing those dyes to clean it.

Hope that helps,
Lisa

It does NOT help with an over-dye situation. If a rug crocks (dye transfers on a dry towel during your dye test, or a lightly damp one) - then you are out of luck. Acid will not help. Nothing will. So if it's a bad tea-wash application, or the rug has been colored over with ink (especially India Ink) - you will have a mess on your hands if you clean it. The only safe way I see is to clean with a hand tool and try to control the damage as you get the rug somewhat cleaner, because a bath will not be a safe option.

Lisa

It fills in the dye sites, so that it's tougher to find a spot. So if you are flushing the rug when you see migration, you can "push off" the bleed from the rug with a squeegee or roller or pressure washer. It's the same way you can add vinegar to wash bin water, and soak a new fabric, and when the dye gets into the water, it does not attach to the "wrong" areas already absorbing the vinegar.

Ink does not follow this scenario... so if the rug has been over-dyed with ink, it just tends to bleed out too much to "move" off and away from the fibers. India Ink is notoriously used by dealers to cover up damage to help sell a rug - and it bleeds out all over the place when it's washed. I've had some success in removing this type of problem with Fels Naptha, a dry cleaner's soap, but not all of the time.

Hope that helps. I'm not a chemist... this is just what I've seen when working with rugs and all of the different products in our industry, and most big rug plants use acetic acid for stabilizing or a salt water solution. A few I've come across use citric acid also - I have no experience with that though. Fabpro makes a citric acid product - and he has a great line of chemicals - might check those out.

Lisa