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The first thing you should understand about carpet constructed of synthetic yarns-nylon, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene (Olefin)-is that they are solidified chemicals.  In other words, when you apply cleaning agent to such carpeting, you are literally applying a chemical to a chemical.  If a chemical reaction occurs, permanent yarn discoloration may result, which gives us our first rule in safe spot removal:  Never use hard surface cleaners or laundry cleaners on carpeting.  Use only cleaners designed for carpet.  However, if your carpeting is “stain-resist†nylon, even more restrictions apply.  What makes “stain-resist†nylon an exception?

 

Nylon is superior to all other synthetic yarns, save for one respect:  It’s more susceptible to permanent stains from fugitive, acid dyes.  Since most food dyes are acidic, this single weakness can become significant, especially in homes where people consume foodstuffs over carpeting.  So, to help control nylon’s affinity for acid dyes, some fiber mills apply dye blocker to their nylon goods.  Nylon carpeting, so treated, is called “stain-resist†nylon.

 

What is dye blocker? Dye blocker is a colorless dye applied to nylon for the sole purpose of ‘plugging’ the dye sites-not unlike putting a cork in a bottle-rendering the yarn far less susceptible to discoloration from foreign, acidic dyes.  However, dye blocker is prone to yellow when high pH cleaners are applied. 

 

What is pH?  pH is a symbol for percent hydrogen.  And, the pH scale is a rating system for measuring acid and alkaline strength:  The pH scale is numbered from zero to fourteen and is divided in the middle.  Seven, the center point, is neutral-neither acid nor alkaline-and is the equivalent of distilled water.  A rating that falls below 7 is an acid; above, an alkaline.  As the rating descends from neutral 7-6, 5, 4-the stronger the acid becomes, with ‘zero’ being the strongest acid possible.  As the rating ascends-8, 9, 10-the stronger the alkaline becomes, with ‘fourteen’ being the strongest alkaline possible.

 

Because of dye blocker’s inclination to yellow when a strong, alkaline cleaner is applied, carpet and fiber mills do not recommend cleaners with a higher pH alkaline rating than 10.  Some restrict the pH to 9.5.

 

How can I know what the pH is?  Sometimes the pH is indicated on the container, but often, not.  There are no laws requiring cleaning chemical manufacturers to indicate it.  Avoid cleaners that don’t specify pH strength.  They could exceed the limitations.

 

While there are a few acid cleaners around, most, by far, are alkaline, because alkaline cuts soil more efficiently.  Further, when one considers the very wide variety of soils that accumulate in carpeting (to say nothing of quantity) one can well imagine that chemical strength can influence soil cutting efficiency.  Some cleaning chemical manufacturers will boost pH to increase efficiency, making the product unsafe for stain-resist nylon. 

 

Can cleaning-agent yellowing be corrected? 

Maybe; but there are too many variables to say for sure, for example, some people-even some professional cleaners-use carpet cleaning chemicals irresponsibly, operating in the belief that, if a little is good, a bunch is great!  Consequently, they apply an excessive quantity that becomes virtually impossible to retrieve.  (Add water, you get suds.  Add more water, you get more suds.)  When the cause is un-removable, the problem is unsolvable.  In this instance, the discoloration is permanent.  When a minimal quantity of a strong cleaner has been applied, it may be possible to restore the carpet color.  Call a qualified, professional carpet cleaner.

 

How can I know whether a professional cleaner is qualified or not? 

 

Ask questions, such as what makes stain-resist nylon different from other nylon? What is pH? What is the pH limit for cleaning agents used on stain-resist nylon?  Or, you can explain that yellow spots appeared after removing spots from your carpeting, then, ask him why the carpeting turned yellow.  You now have the answers to all these questions.  If he can supply the answers, the probability is, he’s qualified.

 

Also ask if he/she is IICRC certified, (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification), there are many degrees of certification, the highest being Master Cleaner and Master Restoration Tech.

 

The bottom line: 

 

There are many carpet cleaning products on the market, but there are no panaceas.  Different spotting problems call for different solutions.  Some cleaning agents are safe.  Some are not.  And, the user instructions for most are deficient. When you have a spotting problem, you would be wise to seek solution advice from a qualified, professional cleaner before taking any action.  Otherwise, regrets become probable. 

 

When you find a qualified professional, keep his name and phone number handy. For lack of governmental regulation, professional competence in the carpet cleaning industry is hard to find.

 

 

About the Author:

Dan Burk opened Dan’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning in Edmonton Alberta on February 4th 1994, on the premise that only extraordinary service would be available to its clients. The primary outlook was to be different than all other carpet cleaning companies, by paying attention to what the clients needs are, and fulfilling or exceeding those needs consistently. To date Dan’s Carpet Cleaning business has been thriving and meeting its service goals. Visit http://www.danscarpet.com for more information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – “The spots were just soft drink drippings. Why did my carpeting turn yellow when I removed them?â€