Why Does The Dye In My Rug Bleed?
May 18, 2016 12:49:49pm
One of the greatest debacles that can befall a fine rug is dye migration, or the bleeding or running of dye colors. In order to protect your beautiful wool rug, you’ll want to first understand what makes the dye run:
– Excess dye – If your rug is brand new, it will have a high risk of bleeding because of the excess dye in the fibers. This excess dye will inevitably wash out in the rug bath, but the key is to make sure the dyes wash out in the water itself, rather than spread onto the other color fields of the rug. Entrust your wool rug to only the best professional rug cleaning company. Trained cleaning technicians will know how to apply dye stabilizing solutions to protect your rug and make sure no dyes migrate during any step of the cleaning process.
– Intense heat – Even if the dye in a rug has been tested and proven to be colorfast, the dyes may still run if the rug is exposed to high heat during the cleaning process. Again, to make sure your rug is cleaned in a completely safe way, do your research and find the rug cleaning service that cleans wool rugs carefully and according to the proper methods. Also, keep your rug away from direct sunlight. Even the heat from the sun can break down the dyes, causing them to run when the rug is washed.
– Urine stains from pets – Pet urine is highly acidic, but as it sits in the fibers of your rug, it becomes alkaline. This alkalinity will cause dyes to run where the rug has been soiled with urine, even if the rug is colorfast overall. The key here is to clean up pet stains as soon as they occur, whether you clean them up yourself, or schedule an appointment with a great professional rug cleaner as soon as the pet accident occurs.
– Incorrect cleaning – If you have ever rented one of those DIY carpet cleaning machines, or hired a rug cleaner who was not correctly trained, your rug might have residual chemicals in its fibers. Likewise, if your rug was cleaned by carpet cleaners instead of one of the best professional rug cleaners in your area, the carpet cleaning solution may still be stuck to your rug’s fibers. In any case, if your rug was cleaned using the wrong cleaning solutions or methods, there may be residue left behind that has affected the acidity of the dye, causing it to run or bleed.
So, how do you avoid having your rug ruined by bleeding dyes? Research the highly rated rug cleaners in your area until you find the best rug cleaning service, and then trust your rug to the care of its technicians. The best professional rug cleaning company will hire only the most skilled technicians, and will make sure each one is highly trained in every step of the rug cleaning process, beginning with the proper way to test the dye for colorfastness.
If you live in Northeast Florida, RugPro Oriental Rug Cleaning is the company to trust with your rug! We are passionate about rugs and have devoted ourselves to understanding how to clean them in the gentlest yet most thorough way. We test for colorfastness, extract dust and dry soils, and then submerge your rug in a rug bath – the time honored and most effective rug cleaning method known. Rug lovers and collectors throughout Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, and St. Augustine call us, knowing we will care for their rugs the way we could clean and care for our own. Call today to set up your appointment with the rug cleaning pros!
