The colour scheme of your home is a big part of the design process, and the carpet is vital to tying your colour scheme together.

It’s worth spending the time to diagnose any potential problems with the carpet you are choosing before it becomes a problem.

When purchasing new carpet for your home, you may want to check if any dyes have been used to colour the carpets.

Different dyes react differently to both environmental factors and cleaning products, which could leave you with a case of blue carpets turning pink and other possibile colour changes.

If not scrutinised properly before buying, there are possibilities that a carpet may need to be replaced due to discolouration, or colour change, way before the life of the material is over.

The factors behind the colour change of a carpet are usually created by environmental reasons rather than manmade or controllable circumstances.

There are two major factors contributing towards carpet colour change.

1. Fume fading: Occurs due to change in the dye chemicals because of environmental factors such as air pollution, excessive amount of nitrogen oxides and sulphur combined with over exposure to sun, heat, acidic materials in the carpet, and high humidity. The change in colour in such cases is usually gradual and starts at the tufts and progresses towards the backing. Some common examples are turning of blue to pink, brown to red and green to yellow.
2. Ozone fading: Usually caused by ozone exposure in the surrounding environment combined with sun exposure and excessive heat. Ozone fading is more common in the urban area where the amount of ozone in the air is increased because of electrical motors, lightning storms and fluorescent lights and the reaction between the polluted air and light. Ozone fading usually results in faded and lightened colour and many times a complete change of colour similar to fume fading.

Before purchasing a carpet, it is important to check the kind of dye material that has been used for colouration.

There are instances wherein an indicator dye is used for colouring of carpet which is highly sensitive to alkaline products and may change colour if washed with ammonia or alkaline detergents.

This is called the ‘Indicator Effect’ and can be reversed with the usage of acidic products.

There are dyes that are sensitive to acid and changes colour if exposed to acidic cleaners and vinegar. In such cases ammonia can be used to restore colour.

It is important to keep in mind that the ageing process also contributes to the change in colour and it is important to take the help of professional carpet cleaners who are well equipped to handle such situations.

Do you sometimes see a stain on your carpet and wonder where that came from? Forgotten spills on carpets can be difficult to remove.

Some stains do not show up immediately. They are usually from spilled liquid containing colourless sugar.

In time and after long exposure to the air, the spilled liquid has changed to an insoluble brown stain.

Other kinds of stains can be caused by water soaking through and absorbing sizings, browning or fugitive dyes from the backs of the material.

Because the fibres act as wicks, moisture will rise to the surface to evaporate, and discoloration will be left.

Consumers who try to remove stains by using wrong cleaning compounds and procedures, may only make the stained areas more noticeable.

To lessen the possibility of stain damage, immediate action should be taken:

• Thoroughly absorb all moisture and, when possible, put a ½ inch thickness of clean white absorbent material over the area, weighing it down
• Call your professional cleaner to learn how to remove the spot safely before it becomes a permanent stain.

Carpet beetles and clothes moths have not been eliminated.

In the past years, textile-eating insects were common due to the large amount of wool fibers in clothing and home furnishings.

The popularity and widespread use of synthetic fibers has led to the incorrect assumption that insect damage is a thing of the past.

Clothes moths and carpet beetles can digest protein fibers such as wool, silk and specialty hairs, but these insects will also attack synthetic fibers if they contain protein substances.

This means that carpet, rugs, draperies and upholstery made from nylon, acrylic, polyester, acetate and other synthetics can be damaged if they contain food or beverage stains, blood, urine, perspiration or other sources of nutritional protein.

Firebrats and silverfish are also textile pests that attack carbohydrates. They eat the paste on the wall paper and book bindings as well as starched clothing.

Termites digest cellulosic materials wood and carpet backings in addition to yarns made of jute, cotton and kraftcord.

The most effective way to prevent an infestation and inhibit growth is to keep textile furnishings clean.

Spills should be removed immediately. Carpet, rugs, draperies, upholstery etc., should be brushed or vacuumed or steam cleaned regularly as insects do not generally attack clean materials.

Regular dry/steam cleaning of these articles will also decrease the chances of infestation.

Similarly, regular carpet cleaning will remove the nutritional contaminants that attract and support insects.

If an infestation has occurred, you should consult a licensed pest control operator who is experienced in treating textile products for insect control.

There can be many things that contribute to carpet water stains.

Spills, snow and water tracked in, rain through an open window, pipes bursting, leaky radiators, floods and even over wetting by do-it-yourself carpet cleaners can wet out the backing yarns of carpeting.

Followed by slow drying, this wetting will allow dye-like materials to dissolve out of the backing yarns and “wick” to the face of the carpeting.

The brown discoloration which forms is usually referred to as a water stain.

After a water stain has developed, it may be impossible for even a professional rug cleaner to remove it.

Gradual and uniform soiling on the face yarns may cause the stain to go unnoticed until the carpeting is thoroughly cleaned.

Once the dirt is removed, the dye-like stains becomes quite apparent. However, water is essential to professional rug cleaning.

The professional cleaner knows the proper amount and the conditions under which water can be used on carpeting. For example, in a modern rug cleaning plant where controlled drying temperatures are possible, it is a safe and normal procedure to use hundreds of gallons of water on a single rug.

Professionals adjust the amount of cleaning solution, depending on the type of carpet, to avoid water stain problems.

Only surface yarns are wet out, which will result in maximum on-location cleaning and prevent water stains from occurring.