Bleach with fluorescent
This report was done for the carpet mill and the claimant swore that she only used water to do her spot cleaning.
CLAIM STATISTICS FOR THIS INSPECTION
PROBLEM REPORTED: Spots
PROBLEM FOUND: Maintenance
PERSONS PRESENT: Inspector & Claimant
THE CARPET
MANUFACTURER: Shaw Industries
FIBER: Nylon
ID METHOD: Chemical
FIBER COLOR: Toupee
CONSTRUCTION: Conventional Tuft
YARN STYLE: Saxony
SQUARE YARDAGE: 111
BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tuft
PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene
SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene
INSTALLATION STATISTICS
TYPE LOCATION: Residential
METHOD: Stretch-In
SUBFLOOR: Plywood
AREA INSTALLED: Livingroom, 4- Bedrooms
USE & MAINTENANCE STATISTICS AT THE TIME OF THE INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: No
ADULTS: 2 - CHILDREN: 2 - PET(S): 2
DO THEY SMOKE? No
SPOTTING AGENTS: See Report
TEMPERATURE: 74.1°F - 23.3° C RH 59%
VACUUM TYPE: Upright
VACUUM FREQUENCY: Two Or Three Times A Week
ENTRY-MATS: Yes
SOIL: Slightly Soiled
HEATING TYPE: Forced Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
CLEANING: Never Been Cleaned
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS REPORT
Assess the problem reported and make a determination of the responsible parties.
SITE CONDITIONS & GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
This is a freestanding, owner-occupied, single-story house built in the 1955 along with
other similar houses in a residential subdivision. This home was neat and orderly and the
condition of the house appeared to be good. The two pets not seen during the inspection
are reportedly outside dogs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
The carpet was installed because the claimant was ready for a new look and she liked the
color and style of this new carpet. Spotting was reportedly done with just plain water and
a towel; however, after treating three particular spots, the carpet turned pink. There was
a suspicion that something was defective about the carpet.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
The three spots in question were in the livingroom, child's bedroom, and a bedroom being
used as a computer room. The livingroom spot was slightly darker, but there was a single
yarn that was pink and was lighter in shade compared to the rest of the carpet. The
child's bedroom spot was also pink, but the pink portion was approximately a half-inch in
diameter. The computer bedroom spots were very faint, but appeared to be missing blue dye
in a round area approximately one half inch in diameter. The hand of these spots was
normal and there was no unusual odor coming from them.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
ALL TESTING WAS DONE IN THE CHILD'S BEDROOM
An ultra-violet light was used to draw a reflection from substances with fluorescent dyes,
such as urine, inappropriate detergents, and the spot had a lavender glow indicative of
laundry detergent, (reference picture number two.
pH tests were taken using a digital type pH meter with a low moisture probe that made
direct contact with the faceyarns. The pH readings in the spot went as high as 9.2, but
the surrounding yarns measured only 6.8.
A chloride test strip test by Quantab® was made in two different spotted areas and in the
unaffected areas adjacent to the spots. The result of this test revealed high levels of
chloride in the spotted areas.
THE ISSUE
The question that I have been asked to address is what has caused the spots.
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
Spots can occur when:
1. Lighting conditions create shadows on the carpet
2. Substances wicking underneath the carpet from manufacturing or installation
3. Foreign substances have been spilled on to the carpet
INDUSTRY STANDARDS & DEFINITIONS
According to the FLOOR COVERING DICTIONARY it says this about Color Loss:
FADING - Loss of color. Caused by actinic radiation such as sunlight or artificial light,
atmospheric gases including ozone, nitric oxide, and hydrogen sulphide, cleaning and
bleaching chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite, and other household and industrial
products, chlorine chemicals or swimming pools, and other factors. Commercial
installations in areas where such exposures occur require extreme care in selection of
colorfast carpet. All carpet will fade under certain conditions. The greatest sun fade
potential is a Southwest exposure while the least is a Northwest or North exposure.
Unprotected carpet, those in front of windows without drapes, in a Southwest exposure can
show very noticeable color loss after as little as 6 months. Examples: A brown carpet will
fade to light green in ,areas where it receives direct sunlight because the color
component most severely affected is red. A green carpet will fade to yellow because color
component most affected by the direct sunlight is blue.
THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS
All of the field tests indicate that the spots were created by a substance foreign to the
construction of the carpet. A pH reading of 9.2 is indicative of a residue with an even
higher pH and when it is compiled with chloride readings, then sodium hypochlorite is the
likely chemical that led to the color loss. However, a CLOROX type bleach does not
normally have a fluorescent dye; therefore, it is likely that a mixture of sodium
hypochlorite plus a laundry detergent residue were present on the towel used to remove the
original spots. The use of sodium hypochlorite is generally excluded from most nylon
warranties; however, the problem is correctable.
Restoration of color loss from bleach on nylon carpet is generally fixable by neutralizing
the sodium hypochlorite and then spot dyeing.
CONCLUSION
From a professional opinion based upon background information, observations, and
field-testing done at the time of the inspection, spots in the carpet in question were
created by substance foreign to the carpet and are a consumer's responsibility.