Dye bleeding is one of the most common, and perhaps one of the biggest, problems for rug owners and cleaners.
What is dye bleeding?
Dye bleeding happens when a rug’s dye runs or bleeds from when it becomes in contact to liquid, and the fibre releases some of the dye. Fibres that are uncolored or lighter colored will soak up the bleeding dye, staining them. Bleeding of dyes typically happens in carpets that have lower quality dyes or have not been dyed very well. However, prolonged contact with liquids can make some better quality dyes to bleed as well.
What causes dye bleeding?
In antique Oriental Carpets, there are two main causes of bleeding:
- Fugitive or runaway dyes refers to dyes that bled from improper water exposure. This can be a result of a flood, spilled drinks or a poor cleaning process. Professional rugs cleaners do a dye testing process to see if there is a risk of bleeding and to determine what types of cleaning methods to use.
- Defective dyes or incorrect dyeing methods can also cause dye bleeding. Poor selection of the dyes or poor handling during manufacturing can cause excess dye that is unsecured, weak and unstable. This will result in bleeding in the first few times that the rug is cleaned.
You can protect your Persian carpets from dye bleeding by getting professionals like Sharaf & Co to do the cleaning, as they will ensure that a dye test is done before cleaning and only the proper solutions and processes will be used to keep the dye from running.
