I received a call recently from a client from Stafford Heights regarding a butter coloured corduroy lounge or sofa a friend of hers had purchased 3 years or so ago from a big retailer at Everton Park. Now my company gets many calls about upholstery cleaning but this one intrigued me as the colour had changed in parts of the lounge suite to a bluish tinge.

I thought it was time to become a bit of a detective and try to get to the bottom of why this colour change may have occurred so that I could help my client out. I booked a time to have a look at the lounge at no cost or obligation to my Stafford client.

Now this was an interesting situation. My client had been given the lounge (as a present) from her generous friend. Before the friend had the lounge delivered to Stafford he had it cleaned by another company hoping that the bluish tinge would disappear. As the lounge cleaning detective I had to factor this in to my thoughts as inexperienced cleaners can sometimes damage fabric through negligent chemical use. It was perhaps part of the puzzle anyway? Let us delve a bit further………………….

My upholstery cleaning fabric colour change checklist:-

What is the fibre type and how was it dyed?

Where exactly on the lounge was the colour affected?

What dry cleaning or hot water extraction chemicals may have touched the lounge or upholstery? Have they left negative residues?

Could neutralising the fabrics PH help?

Were optical brighteners used?

Could dye transfer from other fabrics ie. clothes etc. (crocking) be to blame?

Is there a possibility that perspiration / body oils (particularly in medicated people) have reacted with the dyes?

Does it look different under natural versus artificial light?

Is the fibre shape consistent or has it changed in the colour changed areas?

Is there a backing material showing through only in the effected areas due to wear and tear?

Anyway you get the picture. With upholstery cleaning of Brisbane lounges there are many things to consider even if there is no problem with the colour.

So what did I come up with?

I believe the generous friend had transferred over time colour from his favourite clothing which was blue denim jeans. He was also known for his heavy perspiration and was on many prescription medications.

In this case I did not have good news for my wonderful Stafford Heights client but this is an unusual situation after all.

Not all problems of carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning or tile cleaning have a solution.
Sometimes the damage is done.

Cheers for now!

Mark from Aqua-Pro Services