The typical scenario is: The carpet cleaner comes in and cleans an 80/20 wool/nylon, woven, patterned carpet using a pre-spray followed by a rinsing treatment.

The carpet cleans up very nicely, but upon drying one or more colors start to bleed: Navy into yellow, burgundy into beige. The client is unhappy, the supplier of the carpet disclaims responsibility and the cleaner is in deep trouble.

Tests are carried out and the colorfastness of the carpet is pronounced to be a ‘pass’, as defined by the latest carpet classification regulations. The carpet cleaner, not satisfied with these findings, consults an independent expert, who finds that the colorfastness is indeed satisfactory, albeit only just within set tolerances.

“But”, the cleaner says, “the chemicals I used are neutral. They should not cause color bleeding. It says so on the bottle: for use on all fibers, including wool”!

The problem is that the cleaning chemical(s) the cleaner has used are not suitable for use on wool. They are indeed neutral, but strongly buffered and cause a shift in the pH of the pile fibers from 4.0 to 6.5, leading to a breakdown of the bond between the fibers and the dyestuffs and, hey presto, the dyes go walkabout (or in American parlance, they “run”).

Thirty years ago, when I first became involved with the faults and other characteristics of wool carpet, the situation was worse. There were many more cleaning-related problems associated with color bleeding, rapid re-soiling, patchy cleaning results and browning, among others.

This particularly was the result of the use of cleaning chemicals designed to clean manmade fiber carpet, not those ‘old-fashioned’ wool ones. Many were ‘strong’ (meaning highly alkaline) and able to brighten carpet efficiently (they contained optical brighteners). But they weren’t suitable for use on wool-rich carpeting and there was a real danger that wool would acquire a reputation, especially in the USA, as a fiber that was ‘difficult’ to clean.

 

To protect the reputation of wool as a carpet fiber that can be cleaned satisfactorily, research was carried out into all aspects of the carpet cleaning process: Chemicals, machines, methods, tests and procedures. It soon became clear that there were indeed a number of problems, but also that these were not insurmountable. Provided wool carpet was treated with a certain degree of consideration – not too much rubbing or brushing for instance, and moderate temperatures – and the chemicals met a few basic requirements regarding alkalinity, cleaning efficiency and additives, there really wasn’t a problem at all.

 

An effective testing and product approval program was established that is currently the only one that addresses the nuances and complexities of establishing the appropriate chemical products for cleaning wool.

This program embraces chemical products, but not machines, methods or systems that incorporate approved products, or combinations of products. Validation is currently not available for cleaning machines, tools, systems or methods. 

Individual technicians and their companies can also pursue comprehensive instruction and training in woolcare and receive recognition which they can use in marketing their services.

What is WoolSafe?

The WOOLSAFE approval program for carpet maintenance chemicals (started in 1991) and the establishment of The WOOLSAFE Organisation (in 1998). There are currently some 150 formulations approved and more than 200 commercial products available, covering all aspects of carpet and rug maintenance, from more than 50 chemical suppliers worldwide. Performance criteria for accepting — or rejecting — carpet maintenance products as being suitable for cleaning, maintaining and protecting wool carpets are based on nationally or internationally used standards and tests.

Products that meet all the performance requirements are issued with a Certificate and licensed suppliers are entitled to display the WOOLSAFE Mark, and one of a selection of  “approved” phrases, on packaging, product literature and advertising material associated with the product. The WOOLSAFE Mark is a certification mark, which means that it is legally protected and that test protocols, accreditation requirements, administration and arbitration procedures, etc. are available for public examination.

All approved products are subject to annual reevaluation to ensure they continue to meet the WOOLSAFE requirements, or that changes introduced when products are reformulated are not detrimental to the performance of the product.