[johnnyone]

Hi
I offer to clean a 10 by 14 area rug for a customer, it was rolled up and was told it was very dirty. It is a rayon rug.

Got it home and found it was very dirty,, cleaned it twice and got most of the filth out but now I have a wicking problem at the edge of the rug, have cleaned it 3 times and it look good then as it dryies it come back,  a long brown stain at the edge of the rug. it also has the streak form the wand up and down on the whole carpet.
The rug is looking much better but I am not satisfied!

I have use blower to dry it out quickley but it is in the garage and it is cold and my wife wont let me bring it inside to dry.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks John

[Ken Wainwright]

Sorry John, but you may have ruined the rug

Rayon/Viscose, sometimes referred to as Art Silk (artificial) is notoriously dye unstable. If you look carefully, the pile has probably "exploded" so you've lost that original velvety silky texture. Fortunately, these rugs are not normally prohibitively expensive to replace, but you now own a rug you probably don't want or need.

Items such as these put you in a lose/lose situation. Dry cleaning is expensive and doesn't give great results. Wet cleaning gives much cleaner results but will probably damage the item. Either way, Sir/Madam is dissatisfied. I personally regard them as a use once and throw away item.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[mark_roberts]

Time for a training course.

[Gavin Reardon]

I agree with Mark!  you must carry out  tests on the rug how soiled is it, what method of cleaning does it need etc etc before you even offer to clean it! 

[dave401uk]

what on earth made you clean rayon with water

[Dynafoam]

John,

Aside from the fact that the rug has a rayon pile, it sounds that the dry soil load was still high before you started the wet clean. The symptoms you describe indicate that there is likely plenty of slurry at pile-base.

[johnnyone]

Today I retured the rug to the owner and told her that I couldnt get the stains out, also that there is no charge for the cleaning.

 She wasnt aware of the stain before,, because it was rolled up and put in the closet for storage,, she was not very impress of what she was seeing. Then I advised her that  I took pics of before and after and now she want to see the stains.,, now we are trying to figure out what the stain is she said it may be dog,, I think it may be coffee,, now she want to know if it can be removed???

If it is wicking it want to come out??? it doesnt seem to be permanent.

Yes, I didnt pre- inspect the job and let the customer expectation get to high,,, forgot to cma

Yes, I need to go back to training 

Rayon is a lustrous fiber and is made out of wood and cotton so you can clean it with water.

Thank you all for your imputs

John

[Dynafoam]

Rayon is a lustrous fiber and is made out of wood and cotton so you can clean it with water.

John,

You may wish to re-think you approach to rayon. You correctly identify it as a regenerated cellulostic fibre, but man does not construct the cellulose into a fibre in the same way as does nature.

Its absorbency exceeds that of all natural cellulostic fibres and more importantly it can loose up to 70% of its strength when wet. These factors lead Ken to suggest the likelihood of pile burst. On woven fabrics with a rayon trace-thread the tread can totally disappear from the cloth when wet cleaned.

There are small variations between different makes of rayon which, combined with the manner in which the fibre is incorporated into the cloth, can affect the washability, but it should always be approached with caution where the use of water is concerned.

[Alan_Harrison]

Somthing's wrong here.  The size and the fibre don't match up!

Rayon, polyprop, nylon, viscose are all used in rug production. But they are all mass production products. The sort that B&Q buy for £15 and sell for 69.99.( believe me). Rugs that are 14 x 10 don't sell in big quantities, even at B&Q.  There have been relatively few oversize rugs produced in man made fibre.

If the the size is accurate I'm going to put my money on Polyprop or even a very filthy wool rug.

People tend to let thier rugs get very dirty before the have them cleaned. Also cleaning rugs is different to cleaning fitted broadloom. The pile tends to be at least twice as deep and the soiling deep down in the backing of the rug can wick very easily if you over wet and don't dry quickly.

You could try misting the stain with One Step then go over with terry towels. Before you do this turn the rug face down and Vacuum/beat from the back. Turn the rug face up and vac the front. Do this at least three times.

If you get stuck and have to replace the rug then get in touch with me. I'll attempt to source a similar product at cost for you.

Alan

PS I hope you are charging at least £2-50 per sq ft for service like this.

PPS Rayon and viscose rugs behave just like silk when cleaning. Thats why I never start one without considering the cost of replacement. Also the price go's up to £6-75 sq ft.

[Alan_Harrison]

I just noticed where you live which changes most aspects of my previous reply. Apart from the beating.

Good luck