Q: I’ve been cleaning about five years and thought I had experienced virtually all problems there can be with cleaning. But something happened last week that got me into a bit of a jam. I was cleaning a Berber carpet and my helper was moving the furniture. One piece of furniture was heavy; he moved it away from the wall, but when he put it back, it had left a scratch or mark on the carpet. We can’t remove it. What do you think caused this?

— Randy, Orlando, FL

A: The culprit is, no doubt, the fiber content of the Berber carpet. Olefin, also known as polypropylene, has a much lower melting point than any other fibers used in the manufacturing of carpet.

Depending on the grade of olefin, the melting temperature can range from approximately 250 degrees to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dragging a piece of furniture, especially something heavy — and moving it quickly — can create enough heat from the friction to melt olefin.

Although it is possible to melt olefin fibers with hot solution hoses, this typically occurs at the quick disconnect. They get very hot; you should wrap them to avoid a potential problem when cleaning.

This was a learning experience for you. In the future, when cleaning olefin, be careful of how you move furniture and always be wary of that low melting point.

Q: I recently cleaned a light blue armchair. The fiber, I think, is cotton. The job turned out fine; the customer was happy, and the chair looked great. Two days later, I get a phone call and the customer says an area on one of the arms turned a light pink. What happened, and what can I do to fix it? I’m afraid I’ll have to pay for a new armchair.

— John, Philadelphia, PA

A: There is nothing scarier than a customer calling saying that the cleaning caused damage.

Most likely, you can reverse the color change. What happened, in most cases, is that the dyes reacted to your cleaning chemistry — a pH imbalance, so to speak.

If you go back and apply an acid treatment (assuming you used an alkaline detergent when you cleaned), you should be able to fix the problem. What you want to do is neutralize any chemical residue in the fabric, bringing it back to a neutral state, or slightly acidic. The pink appearance should quickly disappear. Many cleaners that have faced this problem have been able to fix it by using a formulated acid product.

Lecture time: Always identify the fiber before cleaning upholstery. Natural fibers need special care. Try to use neutral preconditioners and an acid rinse, except for silk; stay as close to neutral with all your chemistry when cleaning silk. And as an added precaution, use as little moisture as possible, which will give you shorter dry times.

Have a question for us? Ask at Cleanfax.com/experts or jcross@ntpmedia.com.