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There are numerous reasons why a carpet may change colour, and when it does happen, the overall aesthetics of the carpet are significantly affected. Stains and changes in colour also impact the carpet’s longevity.
Colour changes to your carpet can be natural, such as ultraviolet light fading the fibres, or man-made reasons including spills, or even chemical reactions. Let’s dig into what causes your carpet to change colour and how you can prevent this from occurring.
Natural causes of carpet colour loss
The most common natural cause for carpet colour loss is fading due to ultraviolet rays entering through doors and windows. Any parts of the carpet exposed to direct sunlight over long periods will usually fade.
Environmental pollutants such as sulphur and oxides also contribute to carpet colour loss over time. Fume fading can occur as a form of oxidation or reduction, where pollutants in the air, such as sulphur and nitrogen, react with chemicals in the carpet fibres. This reaction changes the colour of the dye. Brown may become red and green may become yellow, for example. Heat and high humidity can also be contributing factors.
Chemical causes of carpet colour loss
Of course, natural causes and the environment are not the only contributing factors to colour loss and fading in your home’s carpets. Many household chemicals adversely affect carpet colour as well, and this section covers a few common ones.
REDOX reactions
REDOX reactions result from substances that contain hydrosulphite that act as reducers or substances where oxidation occurs, such as peroxide. When these substances come into contact with the acid dyes found in most nylon or wool carpets, they affect the pH balance in those dyes, leading to mild to severe colour changes and staining.
Ionization reactions
Acids, such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, will destroy nylon carpets but not wool carpets. These acids also present as reducing agents, leading to colour fading. Concentrated hydroxides, on the other hand, are alkaline and are most commonly found in both oven cleaners and concrete cleaning chemicals. When coming into contact with the carpet, the alkalies change the carpet’s pH balance, resulting in patches of colour change or loss.
Common household and environmental contributors
This section takes a closer look at how some common household and environmental factors contribute to carpet colour loss.
Stain removers
Unfortunately, even though these products are sold as stain removers for cleaning up spills or removing stains, carpet stain removers often do more harm to carpet dyes than they do good. The reason is that stain removers are loaded with oxidizers and, as we’ve previously established in this article, those oxidizers react with acid dyes and cause them to change colour.
Many household stain removers contain bleach and peroxide, both of which are designed to lighten the colour of anything they come into contact with, in this case, your expensive carpet. Stain removers also leave residue behind deep down in the fibres. It’s very difficult to completely rinse away spot stain removers. Due to this leftover residue, every time the humidity in the room rises, that residue reacts and slowly continues to fade the colour of your carpet.
Whether you opt for a carpet stain remover that contains bleach, or one that’s peroxide-based, both of these chemicals are bleaching agents. Yes, they do a great job of fading a stain away, but they also bleach the carpet’s colour dye.
Skincare products
Many modern skin care products contain a substance called benzoyl peroxide, and as you can already guess, if these products drip onto the carpet, they’ll set off a reaction with the carpet’s acid dyes by changing the pH balance. Often, there is a delayed impact, with colour fading over time rather than having an immediate effect. Moisture or warmth will make the damage visible.
Along with skincare products, both pet care products and even teeth whitening agents also contain benzoyl peroxide. If any of these come into contact with carpet fibres, it’s the same result, either colour fading or colour changes.
Particulates
Particulates are items that accumulate in carpet fibres over time. They come in the form of copier toner, powdered bleach, pollen from flowers and so on. Naturally, powdered bleach on a carpet is going to cause fading. Copier toner leaches ink into the carpet to cause staining. Pollen releases a yellow dye that also discolours your carpet.
To minimise the damage that particulates can cause, it’s recommended that you vacuum your carpets regularly and thoroughly to continuously remove particulates from carpet fibres.
Insecticides and fertilisers
If a peach, pink or green discolouration appears on your carpet, the most likely culprit is insecticide. The most common area affected is near the baseboards where pesticide is usually sprayed. It’s a good idea to have your carpets professionally cleaned following a visit from your pest control expert.
Fertilisers are walked into the home and onto the carpets, which is why entrances are the areas most affected. Fertiliser will turn your carpets yellow or green over time.
Gases and airborne pollutants
Gases such as ozone and airborne pollutants like pool and spa chemicals or those used in the laundry can affect carpet colour and contribute to fading due to fuming. Typically it’s the tips of the carpet fibres most affected by fume fading.
Diagnosis and prevention
If you’re thinking of buying a new carpet, it’s a good idea to first check what type of dye has been used to colour the carpet. For example, if you know it’s been coloured using an acid dye, then you’ll be aware that certain substances are prone to staining this type of carpet. Also, indicator dyes are highly susceptible to alkaline products.
If your carpet has suffered any ill effects due to the reasons outlined in this article, then give Boas Cleaning Services a call. In many instances, our products, equipment and techniques can rectify colour changes caused by chemical reactions. We’ll have your carpets looking great again.