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Browning from Dog OilThis report was for a carpet cleaner who made some error during cleaning. However, the real problem was defective stain resist on a nylon carpet.THE CARPETFIBER/ ID METHOD: Nylon-Chemical COLOR: Off White CONSTRUCTION: Tufted Loop STYLE: Berber SQUARE YARDAGE: 191 BACK SYSTEM: Conventional Tufted PRIMARY BACKING: Polypropylene SECONDARY BACKING: Polypropylene THE INSTALLATION TYPE OF SITE: Residential METHOD: Stretch-In CUSHION: 3/8 Inch Rebond 7 Lb./Sq. Ft. SUBFLOOR: Concrete AREA INSTALLED: Den, & Living-Room, Hallway, Bedrooms. USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: Not Determined TEMPERATURE: 80.2°F - 26.7° C RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 51% ADULTS: 3 - CHILDREN: 0 - PET(S): 4 - 3 Dogs & 1 Cat DO THEY SMOKE? SPOTTING AGENTS: Consumer Type VACUUM TYPE: Not Determined FREQUENCY: Not Determined ENTRY MATS: Yes CONDITION of THE CARPET: See Report SOIL: See Report HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric CLEANING: Professional METHOD: Truckmount Steam TYPE OF CHEMICAL: Prochem Dry Slurry DATE LAST CLEANED: July/August 1996 TREATMENTS APPLIED: None REASON FOR COMMISSION To determine the reason for the discoloring. THE REPORT Geographical Background Information The carpet in question was located in the claimant’s free standing house. This house was located in a residential neighborhood, in San Bernardino County. The condition and maintenance of the house was good. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR Prior to Inland Carpet Cleaning cleaning the whole house, only the master-bedroom had been cleaned before by Coit Carpet Cleaning. It was also reported that this was the only room where the pets were not allowed. According to the commissioner of this report, the carpet began changing colors approximately two hours after cleaning. Placing an air mover on the carpet only made the problem worse. An after spray of sodium bisulfite was sprayed later and the colors changed from being multi-color to a ‘mud’ color. Only the master-bedroom was not affected. A remnant of the carpet was later cleaned with a lower pH cleaner also by Prochem and it also discolored, however to a lesser degree. According to the manufacturer of the carpet the face yarn is a blend of spaced dye and soil color in pieced dye. The Masterlife™ is a blend of soil and stain resist protectants. Cleaning requirements are the same as those for stain resist carpet. According to PROCHEM, DRY SLURRY ‘dilutes’ for use on stain resist carpet. DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR The spaced dyed yarn was manufactured with specks of tan and gray dye on a white background. Within the affected areas the color of the this yarn was still intact. The discoloring was heaviest in the den in front of the sofa and in the hallway. In the hallway it formed patterns corresponding to the wand strokes of the last cleaning. The discoloring had a reddish-brown hue and was primarily located at the tips of the yarn. It varied slightly in hue and intensity. A distinct ‘doggy smell’ was found throughout the installation except for the master-bedroom. The hand of the carpet was soft with no variations between affected areas and non-affected areas. ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING An unaffected spaced dyed yarn from a remnant of the carpet was placed in a 7% ammonium hydroxide solution and was allowed to soak. The results of this test showed no color bleeding. An ultra-violet light was shone throughout the installation. This tool draws a yellow reflection from most urine stains and a blue or lavender reflection from detergents with optical brightening agents. The result of this test revealed that there were no reflections. Numerous moisture tests were performed using a Delmhorst Moisture Sensor. The results of these tests revealed that there was little to no readings in the affected or unaffected areas. Numerous pH tests were taken using a pHep + Pen by Hanna®. This device is accurate to ± 0.1 and was calibrated with a laboratory testing solution immediately before these tests were made. The test results were as follows: affected areas 6.9 7.1 7.0 6.9 6.5 Ave. 6.88 non-affected areas 7 7.2 6.9 7.4 6.9 Ave. 7.08 A DuPont® Stain Resist Test was on a remnant of the carpet. The results of these tests revealed that there was no stain resistance and had no potential of being made stain resist. A general spotting agent was applied to a towel and the towel was blotted onto the trafficked and spotted areas. The results of this test revealed no change in the appearance of the affected area. A tannin spotter from The Ramsey Chemical line was applied to the affected area. The result of this test revealed no change in the appearance of the affected area. An ammonium salts test was performed using a test kit from E. M. Science. Ammonium salts are a by product of urine deposits. The results of this test revealed that there were very low readings indicating little or no urine. A 3% hydrogen peroxide solution was applied to the affected area. This product was applied to a towel and the towel was blotted on to the effected area. The result of this test showed great reduction in the discoloring. THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT The questions that I have been asked to address are: what caused the carpet to turn brown and why was there no stain resistance on the remnant? GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE Browning conditions can occur when: 1. there has been excess wetting or improper drying 2. wool or natural fibers has been cleaned with too much alkalinity 3. soiling conditions have been too excessive for the cleaning procedure Stain Resistance can be missing when: 1. stain resistance has been not applied during manufacturing 2. the carpet has been maintained or used in an inappropriate manner 3. the carpet has been cleaned with chemicals not approved for stain resist carpet. INDUSTRY STANDARDS, PRACTICES & DEFINITIONS According the IICRC FIELD REFERENCE GUIDE, BROWNING is defined as the following: browning - A yellow, red or brownish discoloration formed when cellulose, particularly jute with a high (24%) lignin content, is degraded in the presence of moisture. It results from overwetting cellulose, especially with hot alkaline solutions for prolonged periods (i.e., overwetting during cleaning followed by improper drying). Dissolved cellulosic components (lignin, beta-glucose) wick to the surface of carpet face yarns where they remain when their water-based carrier evaporates. Browning is usually corrected with mild solutions of acetic or citric acid, or a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide (3%). According to the STANDARD FOR CARPET CLEANING S001 - 1994, concerning STEAM CLEANING and Pre-Conditioning it says this on pages 27 and 28: 7.4 Pre-Conditioning - In heavy soiling situations, a preconditioner that may contain solvents for emulsifying oily soils must be applied to entry, pivot and high traffic areas prior to the application of the steam cleaning method. For stain-resist carpet, this preconditioner must be anionic, non-ionic or combinations thereof, and have a pH of 10 or less. For wool carpet this preconditioner must range in pH from 5.5 to 8. Dilute preconditioners containing dry solvent additives must not contribute appreciable quantities of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) to air within the structure. THE INSPECTOR'S ANALYSIS The browning in this inspection fits a classic case of ‘Jute Browning’ with the exception that there is no Jute. Thus the analysis of this report is focused on searching a cellulose material. There are three things that distinguish the master bedroom from the rest of the problem areas of the carpet. 1. It did not turn brown after cleaning 2. It was previously cleaned by Coit Carpet. 3. It did not have the animal smell. A connection between the previous cleaning and the browning is hard to stretch to make. If the case were reverse and Coit had cleaned everything but the master-bedroom then something could have been left in the carpet. However, this scenario suggests that the cleaning could have removed something that could be a factor in the browning. This makes the Coit cleaning an unlikely factor. The third difference between the master-bedroom and the rest of the carpet was the animal odor. Since ultra-violet light and ammoniated salts tests indicate that the smell is not related to urine, then the other likelihood would be that it is due to oil from the pets. This could be a factor. The last cleaning has been a factor based upon the patterns formed by the wand strokes. The fact that the problem occurred to a lesser degree on the sample cleaned using the lower pH product indicates that this carpet had a strong inherent propensity to turn around under circumstances that has extra safe pH conditions. The pH rules for cleaning Stain Resist carpet are weak in that they do not define whether pHs under 10 apply to ‘ready-to-use’ solutions or to the highest concentration pH at which the product could be made. In this particular case, the pHs left in the carpet are close to neutral. The STAIN RESIST TEST yields the most significant information. Whereas the carpet is supposed to be Stain Resist, the remnant was not. Also, it is unusual for nylon carpet to resist being made stain resist. Clearly, this would indicate that something of a chemical nature is preventing this from happening. CONCLUSION The browning in the carpet in question is due to a combination of factors: from substances from manufacturing, oil deposits from animals, and the last cleaning. This is based upon the background information, the observations made, tests performed, and the definitions given. The absence of stain resist is related to manufacturing based upon the background information of the remnant not being previously cleaned and the stain resist test showing no stain resistance. RECOMMENDATIONS The browning in this carpet could be removed or greatly diminished with a post-spraying of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Agitation of this post-spray could be optional. Re-cleaning is not recommended. The lack of stain resist is a problem that existed before cleaning and according to the test performed it cannot be corrected in the field. Therefore it is recommended that the carpet be referred to the mill as a claim. |