[CleanXtreme]

Hi All
Any ideas on this one! Last week I was asked to basically freshen up an armchair, on observation it was not soiled badly infact it looked very clean and did not present a challenge in anyway. The armchair fabric was a very light pearl colour and they had removed the cushion covers and arm sleeves to put into the washing machine.
I use the hot water extraction method and my usual fabric shampoo, everything went as smoothly as normal! and that was that or so I thought, but the following day customer rings to inform me that the armchair has turned green...!
It was a few days later after the Easter bank holiday I arranged a re-visit and re-do the armchair using water , thinking that the this green colour may be the fabric shampoo which is a dark green colour still in the fabric.  I rang the following day and yes unfortunately it is still green but customer reports its only very slightly better.
I was wondering if the foam under the fabric is green and I've been extracting the dye out of this!
But I'm puzzled, any ideas guys on this one would be much appreciated as I've been in this business 9 years now and this is my first cleaning issue that has gone wrong 

[neilwebber]

Sounds like a pH change in the fabric which can cause colour changes.  Try going in with both an alkali and acidic detergent, test a small section and see which one reverses the change.  We have had this before when a green sofa turned red.  All was well after we had adjusted the pH.

[Raymondo]

It may be acid sensitive dyes.

Quote from Dave Lee.

Pink spots or marks on upholstery following cleaning can indicate a Ph problem. An indicator dye is usually the culprit. If it is down to this it is easily solved with Bicarbonate of Soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate which ever way you want to call it. A teaspoon full in half a litre of warm water, lightly sprayed onto the affected area or spot.  The spot should then disappear in front of your eyes. It is then wiped off with a clean white towel or tissue and dried (carefully) with a hair dryer.
Dave.

[CleanXtreme]

Thanks guys
This information is much appreciated
To be honest I cannot see the green colour in the fabric it is so faint, but the customer and also the Resendential House manager can see it quite clearly, but thanks for this advice I will re-address this issue and try again as Ive never had to use the insurance route yet!

[DB]

It may well be a pH sensitive fabric BUT....

I take it this chair is in a residential home?

Is the user on strong medication?

I have seen phenomenon like this on several occasions where perspiration from a person on strong medication has turned a fabric green

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Yes I've had that as well with medication exfoliating from people's skin the colour change was in the shape of the customers derrière which you could say got me out of the proverbial, he sat in the chair in his underpants although to be fair he was a very ill man and I don't blame him.

Also had it on a 'leather' sofa where the dye just wouldn't take because of a cream that the customer put on his legs absorbed into the 'cover' and after several attempts over a week I could get a result, customer never told me about the cream and how he sat watching to with his shorts on.

[DB]

The areas I have found to be prone to this sort of contamination are the inside arms....this is where the tops of the thighs are in contact...but obviously the main body contact areas are the places to look carefully at.

[CleanXtreme]

Cheers guys,
All this feedback is very useful and your comments regarding the medication theory also interesting, every day's a school day!
My clients are residents in a large exclusive apartment building and I guess are not on any medication that may have caused this and the colour change to the armchair is not in patches but completely over the entire chair which probably indicates that the fabric is ph sensitive.
Have offered the customer the further option to try and use the Sodium Bicarbonate solution and restore the ph balance in the fabric but my client reluctantly  wants me to try again to resolve it, therefore its unfortunately an insurance claim

[DB]

Your customer should allow you to attempt remedial work
In a situation similar to this some years ago I decided to write to a reluctant customer explaining what had happened and that my offer to try and resolve the matter had been refused...I ended the letter by stating that ' the offer was still open'.
On the following day (the post was more reliable in those days) I received a call to go back and give it a go... my subsequent visit resolved the issue completely.

[CleanerCarpets]

I agree, i think before any complaint can be taken further the company has to be given fair chance to remedy the problem. That would be before any claim be it insurance, court etc etc.

As DB has said, you need to do things in a specific, proveable way so that if it does go to your insurance company you can show what you have done. I would write a letter to the client keeping a copy for your records and send it recorded post confirming what has happened and that you would like the opportunity to revisit and attempt to rectify the problem. If you have an email for the care home i would also email it and copy the email to yourself so you have proof that went.

I think then any claim would insist first of all that you are allowed to try to rectify the situation before it was taken any further.

The problem is if a client thinks there maybe a chance of getting a brand new chair and that is fueled by another person such as the manager of the care home, they won't want you to rectify the problem with a used chair. But they are not guaranteed a new item, probably just the value of the chair as it is taking into account age etc so very often the claim route isnt quite as rosy as they would imagine!

[Steve Chapman]

If they want to go the insurance route then theres nothing to lose to let you try and rectify it first...... an insurance company probably wouldnt pay out until this is done anyhow.........

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

It is almost certainly a colour change due to a dye which is pH sensitive..

Green from pink and visa versa fit the pattern.

I suspect the sodium bicarbonate route will be the best one. It will take a little time to work.

Cheers

Doug

[Dave_Lee]

Insurance claim for a single chair? The excess is most likely the standard £500.. and they are not entitled to a new chair only what it was worth before you cleaned it which if several years old wont be much and almost certainly well below your excess.
Dave.

[COLIN BRIGHT]

£500 excess, blimey Dave who are you insured with,

[CleanXtreme]

Cheers Guys

Great feedback and I really appreciate the time and effort you all took in responding to my post.
Many thanks
Kevin@ CleanXtreme

[Dave_Lee]

£500 excess, blimey Dave who are you insured with,

£500.. excess is fairly standard with most companies, what's your and with who?
Dave.