Expert: Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs - 10/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I am writing to ask you how can I get rid of bleach stain on my $1000 Persian Rug that I got from my grandmother just before she passed away. It is all over the white area and now it's yellowish all over; I am so disappointed in myself for even using bleach to clean it. Please help me.

ANSWER: Hi Thien,

Bleach is tricky, as it isn't actually a stain.  It removes color from your carpet, and even if you find a way to remove the bleach from the rug, it still won’t bring back the color.  If you’re sure that the spots are bleach, then what you’ll need to do is rinse and re-dye the area.  In your case, with a Persian rug, I would suggest taking your rug to a professional.  This way you can find out the value of the rug and determine if it is cost effective to repair.  Any type of dye-work is always a tedious and pricey process.  Perhaps your rug is worth much more than you think, and you should have it repaired properly so as not to devalue it even more.  Or, maybe it is worth less than you think, and you don't want to spend as much to repair it.  At least consult with someone.  You can me send photos if you'd like.

If you're going to try a fix yourself, which I don't recommend, start by ridding the area of any bleach residue.  Do this by flushing the spots with cold water and using white towels to blot as you go.  Ideally, the next thing you'd do would be to have it re-dyed with proper dyes at a rug shop, but for the DIY-ers, you can sometimes muddle through with a steady hand and a good set of permanent artist markers.  Literally, you're going to re-color the pattern into the rug.  Use the back of the rug and other patterns in the rug as your guide.  After you’ve colored the area, place a damp, white towel over the spot and run a warm iron over the towel to set the color.  

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for the question!

Best of luck,
Katie (ruglady@jahannandsons.com)



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Would you know any professional around Memphis, TN zip code 38016? I would like to get it fix aince it is a sentimental piece of my grandmother. Also, I forgot to ask you my 2 year old daughter scibble on my burgandy color leather couch and I put hairspray to clean it up and as I was rubbing, I discolored about 5 inches right in the middle of the cushion, could you suggest anything for this? Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Thien,
My apologies for the delayed response.  I actually don't know of anyone in the Memphis area that does this kind of work.  If you're going to search for a rug cleaner, I would start with Oriental rug stores first, as wall-to-wall carpet cleaners may not be skilled in this type of repair.  
In terms of the leather stains, I don't know much about leather.  We use hair spray to get out ink stains, so I believe that it is similar to bleach in that it strips color.  The manufacturer of the piece may have some suggestions or you may even be able to buy a repair kit for such things.  I am a big proponent of permanent markers.  I use them to touch up everything, maybe that would work with your couch as well?
Best of luck,
Katie