In previous Clean Tips I've outlined how to correct browning of upholstery fabrics. It’s important to remember, though, that the physical changes that cause browning, and what is done to correct it, do a degree of damage to the fabric.
How Browning Damages Furniture Fabrics:
When browning occurs, the changes that occur in the fiber that cause it to turn brown also structurally weakens the fiber. This damage may not be detectable, but its important as a cleaner to understand that this is a destructive process, and one that should be avoided at all costs.
This is a matter to keep closely in mind if you are asked to correct browning that might have been caused by a careless competitor. You are not simply removing soil when you remove browning and therefore leaving a fabric that is nearly "good as new". You are instead restoring the cosmetic appearance of a fabric that has been damaged by a competitor.
The correction of browning may also be somewhat of a destructive process. If you can correct the browning with the application of an organic acid treatment, such as Dye Stabilizer and Rinse, which contains no bleaches, reducing agents, or surfactants, then you will not be causing additional damage.
If, however, the browning is severe and you are compelled to use more aggressive correct products, especially bleaches/oxidizing agents, then you should be aware that you are causing further deterioration of the fabric, and repeated applications of such browning removal formulas may weaken the fabric enough that it will split during use in the near future.
The bottom line is this: Browning is a condition that is completely preventable if you use the correct cleaning agents and proper cleaning procedures. If a fabric has been abused and is heavily soiled, you must choose carefully if you wish to clean such a fabric when browning might be possible after cleaning, as both the browning and your attempts to correct it are more destructive to the fabric than most are aware.
Encourage your customers to have delicate natural fiber fabrics cleaned when they are only lightly soiled. In that way you can use cleaning processes that are safe for the fabric, and will leave the fabric both clean and will extend, rather than shorten, its useful life.
