Bleaching Wool Carpet

Bleaching wool using hydrogen peroxide please read the directions carefully before starting.

Bleaching wool carpet.

It is possible to change the color of a wool rug including an oriental style rug one process known as an antique wash lightens the colors. Hypochlorite can damage cotton and will destroy wool and silk. Using bleach to clean a carpet has its limitations. While it is most commonly associated with sweaters socks and other knits wool also serves to create eye catching hard wearing carpets.

First of all use bleach only if necessary and only if it s the last option left. I recently took in a stray rug that had a pretty significant bleach stain. Wool is a natural material made from the fleece of lambs sheep and goats. Bleach can damage the carpet backing and sub floor when carrying out spot removal not all the cleaning solution will remain on the carpet s surface some will soak down to the backing.

If your wool has yellowed naturally or because of a bleach stain don t fear. Also keep bleach away from very bright colored carpets and rugs because it can cause drastic fading and bleaching of the colors. Hydrogen peroxide is the preferred bleaching agent for white wool and the safer bleaching agent for cotton. The stain was intimidating but the rug was really nice so i was determined.

Loses color when exposed to light. When wool fiber is dyed the dyer takes into account the base color of the fiber and applies dyestuffs to achieve the desired shade occasionally the wool will contain a natural pigmentation which is light fugitive i e. Sodium hypochlorite chlorox is sometimes used on cotton but never on wool or silk. In fact bleach should be used mainly on white carpets which are not made of wool.

So if you have found it absolutely necessary to use bleach for removing a stain from your carpet there are some steps you need to. This is especially true of polypropylene carpet. Scoured wool fiber has a natural cream color due to naturally occurring pigments within the fiber. Washing rugs in standard issue chlorine bleach is the time honored traditional way to remove stains discolorations and colorants from fabrics.

Depending on how intense the treatment is the rug. White or natural color wools can yellow for a number of reasons ranging from age to the environment it s stored in. Once lightened floor coverings can be easily dyed any color including white.