[Goldfinch PCS]

Ladies and gentlemen I have been fighting with these fringes for some time now. They just wont go back white, why? I aint got a clue. Tried Chemspec and Altec products but to no avail. So apart from tell the customer to let me remove them what else can i try?

[derek west]

CBT from texatherm, but i'm a newbie so no one listens to me.
but i'll keep trying.
just don't put anymore water on them as you'll make them worse.
you can also lighten them with hydrogen peroxide, (think its called that) (check first) paint on neat and leave then repeat till youve got the desired colour.

sorry, we are talking tassles on rugs right?

derek

[Ryan Smyth]

Would oxibrite from prochem work?

Ryan

[murky]

Goldfinch.

What kind of rug is it?

Some arent supposed to be white, and you have to realise some just wont go back. I am doing one at the mo, they have a dog that lays on one end all the time and it is filthy, it just wont go back to the sam colour as the other end.Also, let it dry out completely, they often go white when they are completly dry.

Murky

[Goldfinch PCS]

cheers guys I am going to give it one more go then tough.

[Goldfinch PCS]

cheers murky, the fringes are cotton Ccheap cotton i feel) but the rest is synthetic. You might be right I think it won't go back. I used Altec De-Brown No. 1 on it at my dilution which takes the biscuits out of the instructions and it removed the brown marks leaving slight grey so I think this lady will have to realise that time has taken it's toll on the rug, I used chemspec haitian rug cleaner (bleach) but the same result as Altec. I am sure she said she had it since 1984 ( i will check that date again), that would make the rug almost as young as derek.

[derek west]

i wish?
thats the wifes D.O.B
derek
ps... i'll still keep trying.

[colin fitch]

As already said,very few rugs have white fringes[off white or cream maybe].

Seems like you have already done a very good job.

Keep the haitian cotton shampoo off the body of the rug.

Colin Fitch.

[clinton]

Think the above post is right mate.

I have not seen many pure white fringes and its was just some v cheap rugs that were brilliant white :

[nevil]

The best I have come across is Degreaser by craftex.

 I cleaned a £2000 turkish rug last week and managed to get the fringes looking very respectable. I always try to make sure the customers expectations are not too high with fringes.

Also it's pretty slow going so probably not cost effective unless it's a pretty good rug.

[edward coller]

Try Rx for browning from Chemspec ive had a few reasonable results

[Mike Osbourne]

I tend to spray fringes with white vinegar and wait till they are absolutely bone dry before judging them. Personally I think the pure white fringes look a bit naff.

[pete sween]

er, how did you clean it? What type of rug is it (does have any backing that would suggest it is a chinese superwash)? What colour are fringhes now?
 I must have missed a picture because judging from posts, we know what we are dealing with. It might not be cellulosic browning.

Pete

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Sounds as if the cleaner you have used to clean the rug had gotten on to the fringes or you could have over wetted them, I would first try Prochem browning prescription and leave to dwell and then try Spray and Go from Chemspec to whiten them.

Shaun

[Ken Wainwright]

It would appear from your procedures that you have tried at least two bleaching agents.  You could now be entering an area whereby you are chemically "rotting" the cotton.

From where I am, my only advice would be to stop now, you've done enough.

My approach is to firstly protect the flooring beneath the rug (if on site) and the rug itself from the fringe  treatment. I use a microsplitter in a hand sprayer with a Tee Jet. Pointing away from the rug and held at an angle, I will spray the fringes very generously. As you do this you can see the soil being released as you go. Hand (spotting) brush along the fringe towards the tips. Rinse/extract. Repeat M/S and rinse as required. Several dry only strokes. Spray with neat WHITE (DISTILLED) vinegar. Dwell for a couple of minutes or so. Dry extract, do not rinse.

Not all stains will be removed and not as white as bleaching, but cotton will not degrade with treatment.  Quite often, a fringe will be an extension of the warp threads. Start damaging this and you could be in big trouble.

Safe and happy fringe cleaning
Ken

[Goldfinch PCS]

Thanks guys, thanks very much for all the advice. I think I have done all that's possible now so I will leave it as it is, I wont bother trying any more products on this rug. I will get hold of some of the other products (ptrochem, chemspec) that have been suggested and give them a try on my other jobs. It's all trial and error. Merry Cleaning.