Bleeding from Cationic Dye on Nylon
This report was done for an insurance company.
TYPE OF SITE: CommercialMETHOD: Stretch-In
CUSHION: 3/8 Inch Fiber
SUBFLOOR: Slab
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: See Report
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 25
TEMPERATURE: 73.1°F - 22.8° C
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 56%
VACUUM TYPE: Not Determined
FREQUENCY: Nightly
ENTRY MATS: Not Determined
CONDITION of THE CARPET: See Report
SOIL: See Report
HEATING TYPE: Central Force Air Gas
COOLING TYPE: Central - Electric
CLEANING: Professional
METHOD: Steam Cleaning And Then Shampoo
TYPE OF CHEMICAL: Formula 90 & then Shampoo
TREATMENTS APPLIED: None Reported
REASON FOR COMMISSION
To determine the cause of spots and discolorations in the carpet(s) installed in this installation.
THE REPORT
Geographical and Usage Information
· This is an eight story commercial building located in Orange County approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean.
· The building was occupied by different businesses and the condition and maintenance was good.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION MADE TO THE INSPECTOR
ACCORDING TO THE CLAIMANT - The carpet was recommended by a designer and purchased from a dealer who is no longer in business. A folder left by the designer, with the name ‘DESIGNWEAVE’ TUFTEX INDUSTRIES of Sante Fe Springs, California was the only source given for identifying all of the carpets.
In February of 1996 all of the carpets were first cleaned to remove general soiling. Immediately upon drying the carpet discolored into darker and lighter areas. Corrective services did not remedy the situation. The claimant has thus requested that all of the carpets be replaced.
ACCORDING TO THE CLEANING COMPANY - The light spots were already present in one carpet before the first cleaning. During that cleaning the technician’s portable extractor began to leak. After drying, the carpet discolored and corrective services were performed with the shampoo method. On a trip later, the carpet was cleaned with a truck-mount. Both cleanings made improvements on the appearance of the carpet.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM AREA BY THIS INSPECTOR
This suite had different styles of carpets, but only one style was affected with discoloration. The affected carpet was located in a large room that was divided by cubicles as seen in the diagram. This room had a combination of two different carpets and the affected carpet was two-colors, blue and gray, with an unaffected solid-gray boarder-carpet that continued into the executive offices.
The most affected area was located in a walkway that led from the lobby to the cubicles. This discoloring appeared as a less than perfect distinction between the blue and gray hues and can be seen best in picture number three.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
An ultra-violet light was shone throughout the installation. This tool draws 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. Any recent /previous over-wetting of the carpet could also be found in the latex backing of a carpet with this device. The results of these tests revealed that there were no moisture readings.
A general spotting agent by Groom Industries called Perky SpotterŪ was applied to a towel and the towel was blotted onto the trafficked and spotted areas. The results of this test revealed that the spots were not removed.
A bleach test was performed using a test kit from COLOR MATCH SYSTEMS and revealed that there were no bleaching agents in the light spot.
A test for color fastness was performed by placing some of the face yarns in three different solutions; 1.) anionic detergent, 2.) ammonium hydroxide, 3.) tannin spotting agent. After several days of soaking the anionic solution turned blue as seen in photograph number seven. After taking the yarns out of the solution, the anionic soaked solution was found to have taken all of the color out of the yarn. The other two were unaffected as seen in photograph number eight.
THE ISSUE OF THIS REPORT
The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused a nylon carpet to bleed?
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING THE ISSUE
Nylon-Dye bleeding problems from cleaning can occur when there is:
1. Manufacturing use dyes types from:
· cationic
· dispersed
2. Bleeding from
· pad
· ink on secondary backing
INDUSTRY STANDARDS, PRACTICES & DEFINITIONS
According to the FLOOR COVERING DICTIONARY the following definitions are given for cationic dyes:
BASIC DYES - A class of positive-ionic-carrying dyes known for their brilliant hues. Basic dyes are composed of large-molecule, water-soluble salts that have a direct affinity for wool and silk and can be applied to cotton with a mordant. The fastness of the basic dyes on these fiber is very poor. Basic dyes are also used on basic-dyeable acrylics, modacrylics, nylons, and polyesters, on which they exhibit reasonably good fastness.
According to the FLOOR COVERING DICTIONARY the following definitions are given for disperse dyes:
DISPERSE DYES - Disperse dyes are nonionic (no electrical charge). They offer very low solubility in water. Therefore, must be dispersed or suspended in water containing large amounts of dispersing or wetting agents. Disperse dyes are commonly used in dyeing polyester fibers and occasionally nylon.
Concerning the Principles Of Pre-Cleaning Inspection and the Construction and Fiber Identification, the S001 - 1994 says this on page 16:
5. Construction and Fiber Identification - Identification of carpet construction and fiber type is critical to the out-come of the professional cleaner's job. Natural and synthetic fibers respond differently to cleaning processes and present limitations regarding the pH of cleaning solutions used. Fiber type often determines stain removal capability, and it allows technicians to advise customers about what to expect regarding spot and stain removal efforts, overall cleaning and other wear or traffic lane distortion factors.
Concerning the Principles Of Pre-Cleaning Inspection and the Post-cleaning Inspection, the S001 - 1994 says this on page 18:
10. Post-cleaning Inspection - After completing the cleaning job, a quick post-cleaning inspection is essential. Insure that furniture on damp carpet is properly "tabbed" or "blocked." Grooming should be properly accomplished for best appearance. Traffic areas should be carefully evaluated and customers should be informed about physical changes in the carpet that occurs over the years, which relate to shading, color loss and/or wear.
SUMMARY OF DATA
RESULTS FROM TESTS:
· The general spotting test reveals that the discoloring was not related to soil.
· The ultra-violet light test indicates that other chemicals such as industrial strength detergents were not used. Formula 90 is reportedly the best selling detergent for steam carpet cleaning and is based on a non-ionic surfactant.
· The moisture test revealed that there was no severe over wetting of the carpet.
· The bleach test indicates that the light spot was not created by a bleaching-type chemical.
· The color fastness test indicates that the dye system in the affected carpet is a cationic dye system.
ANALYSIS:
Bleeding problems from the pad are rare and if there are ink spots on the backside of the carpet they show up as globular spots on the face yarn. Thus, neither of these conditions are related to the blue and gray carpet.
Finding a cationic dye system in a nylon carpet is very rare and in this case, the same dye bath must have been used to dye a both blue and gray yarns at the same time. The blue yarns was prepared to receive the blue-cationic dye.
Unfortunately, this means that anionic shampoo would make the cationic dye bleed. Anionic detergents are normally the safest detergents to use. Although no rules currently exist for warning the cleaner of this condition, it is the professional opinion of this inspector that pre-inspection and detection for this condition would not be the cleaning technicians’ responsibility.
CONCLUSION
The dye bleeding problem in the carpet in question was due to characteristics inherent in the nylon at the time of manufacturing.