If you see a change of color it can be because of the cleaning agent that you are using or because of what has already been used on the fabric because residue left behind. My guess is on the above furniture the customer has been using some kind of cleaner or spotter that is alkaline so it may actually remove the spot and make it look better temporarily at least. When it dries out in an alkaline state it will begin to brown. That is true fabric browning. Cotton and other naturals need to either be cleaned on the acid side or a self-neutralizing treatment can be used effectively in a lot of cases. If I think there is even a remote chance of bleeding I always clean and rinse with an acid side cleaner and get it as dry as possible. I will towel the piece off a lot of times because cotton especially tends to absorb and hold onto moisture. The above fabric is super likely to brown so that would be my major concern with it. Yesterday I cleaned a couch that was black on white design. I knew for certain that the chances of that black bleeding into the white was VERY, VERY HIGH! I wasn't really concerned about browning, but I was super concerned about bleeding on that one!
As for yellowing, I suspect also a spotter that has some type of hydrogen peroxide could well have caused it. I suppose some other things might cause it, but peroxide would be my closest guess. I don't use H2O2 on any natural if I can help it and only then with extreme caution. A lot of our customers buy stain removers with "oxi" on the label and really have no idea why they shouldn't put it on that wool rug or that expensive cotton sectional. They also don't understand what harm over the counter stain removers can do to these fabrics just by being alkaline ph. Btw, a whole lot of otherwise good cleaning professionals don't either. A lot of us have had to learn the hard way and I'm including myself in that lineup. I remember vividly cleaning a multi-colored couch with a flower design in it years ago. Before I left the house it started to bleed like a slaughtered hog! I was very lucky I was able to correct it. I also used Matrix Finish First one time to attempt to clean a Haitian cotton chair back in the 90's. I had never even heard of Haitian cotton. That sucker turned dark brown on contact with the Finish First detergent with about a ph of 10! Again, I was fortunate enough that I at least did understand what was happening and I was able to correct it.
All that to say this again, Don't make it a habit to use chems made for carpet on upholstery unless you are 100% certain they are safe for what you're working on. Either you may wind up paying for it or your GL insurance is about to go UP! I bet you a dollar that a lot of cleaners have wound up purchasing furniture and rugs they've cleaned, but are ashamed to admit it. Be safe and learn all you can about it. Be especially careful with stain removers on naturals of any kind including naturals blended with synthetics. You simply can't get too crazy with naturals and a lot of vibrant colors and not get BURNED!
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