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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Had sofas cleaned and now they're pink!!

22 replies

StrangeGlue · 25/08/2013 12:47

My sofas had a couple of stains on so I paid for a professional to come and clean them on Friday. They are light on colour one is very light grey and the other is beige.

He came on Friday and spent an hour cleaning them. They looked fine at first but I came down stairs yesterday morning abs they are both clearly now pink! It's patchy with less around the edges but its very noticeable.

Will this go as they dry fully (been 48 hours since they he finished) or has he wrecked them?

Any advice appreciated!

OP posts:
Original poster
StrangeGlue · 25/08/2013 12:49

About to try to put pic on profile

OP posts:
LadyMaryQuiteContrary · 25/08/2013 13:21

Oh. You should give the company a call. Did you check their reviews online before you called them in?

Barbie1 · 25/08/2013 13:25

Our laura Ashley sofa turned pink when we cleaned it.

Chemical reaction Sad

Luckily for us Laura Ashley replaced the covers after a year of complaining and countless emails

Phone the company and complain.

Can you look on the underside of the cover? A chemical burn looks like a big water mark all be it pink.

Original poster
StrangeGlue · 25/08/2013 14:31

They are Laura Ashley!

Yes it's a very reputable firm with good reviews and long history.

So take it up with the company and then Laura Ashley do you think?

OP posts:
Original poster
StrangeGlue · 26/08/2013 07:31

Hi barbie, thanks for your PM. I sent a reply but it didn't indicate if it'd give so I don't know if you haven't received the below or have received it 15 times! I'm posting it here in case it didn't send...

'Oh thank you that'd be wonderful! Don't worry if it's too much hassle though!'

OP posts:
Original poster
StrangeGlue · 01/09/2013 21:34

Hello, thanks for your help. Sofa man came back and with the aid of a chemist (!) managed to remove the pink! Hurray! Turns our Laura Ashley treat their sofas with indicator dye!

OP posts:
maria1113 · 05/03/2015 21:58

I realise this is an old thread but if any of you are still floating around advice would be much appreciated... I had my Laura Ashley natural coloured sofas cleaned last week and they too have gone effing pink. Cleaning company say they only used water in their machines. It now seems more like a Laura Ashley fabric issue. to avoid wasting time and getting stressed I wondered if there were any short cuts when dealing with customer services , to cut through the 'we aren't liable' bull? Something you guys found out about what chemicals they treat their fabric with that I can mention and get straight to the point? Basically, what to demand from some poor clueless person at a call centre - who to speak to/what my rights are etc. I did buy them in the clearance sale however, so I don't think I have any guarantee. In my opinion there's something faulty about the fabric if it changes colour when cleaning with water, surely faulty items don't need covering by a 5 year guarantee? No doubt I will ask all of these questions to said person at a call centre... Before slamming down the phone in rage. Just wanted to know how you managed to get some sort of compensation or replacement in the end

John222 · 26/03/2015 18:18

Hi there,

I would just like to add a comment to this post. I run a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning business and the problem of a sofa, suite or upholstery turning pink after cleaning no matter what make it is, can sometimes crop up.
I do not have any chemistry experience, however the problem of upholstery turning pink either during cleaning or while it is drying is a very rare event. However it does happen and from what I can gather it is caused by the dye reacting or being sensitive to moisture or a very slight change in PH (the difference between acid and alkalinity). The dyes used during manufacture seem to be indicator dyes. As a comparison, this is where litmus paper turns from buff colour to pink when treated with acid.

I recently cleaned a beige Laura Ashley suite which started to turn pink during the cleaning process. There is a method whereby the the acid content or the sensitivity of the dye can be buffered or neutralized (in this case). When the effect of the indicator dye is neutralised it should revert back to it's original colour.

I am carrying out some tests on one at the moment which are successful and this problem can normally be rectified.

The common method of correcting the problem is by using bicarbonate of soda diluted which will buffer the acid effect of the indicator dye.

There does seem to be a common problem with Laura Ashley upholstery at the moment or which has been manufactured within the last few years.

If anyone needs any advise, please don't hesitate to post or contact me.

John

Popskalli13 · 01/03/2016 14:45

Hi, I know this is an old pos, but this happened to my Laura Ashley sofa today. What dye did you use to get it back to normal? StrangeGlue

jennymor123 · 20/06/2016 16:27

Most UK sofas contain chemicals of various kinds. The cover fabrics are usually treated on the underside with a chemical paste containing some pretty hefty flame retardants. Quite possible that these will affect the fabrics when cleaned. Also if you had the sofas treated with a stain-repellent, that will possible also affect the colouring when washed. Incidentally, stain repellents are usually silicone-based, which means they're highly flammable!

Kymeeeb · 26/07/2016 11:29

I've just gone through the same thing with a pale grey Laura Ashley sofa. We employed a professional cleaning company who checked out the problem and returned to treat it with the bicarbonate of soda treatment. The sofa returned to it's original colour before our eyes, but has gradually turned pink again. Laura Ashley customer services have procrastinated and used all kinds of delaying tactics. I have been given a direct line number, but it is always a voicemail and my calls are never returned. This is obviously a well known problem with the dyes in Laura Ashley fabrics. any advice would be gratefully received.

mousey37 · 21/01/2020 13:17

I’ve just gone through the same thing. 😔. Suite less than a year old but had a chocolate stain on and another stain. The cleaner was coming to do the carpet so I mentioned a couple of stains on the suite. Professional cleaner only used water in steam cleaner, she did the tops of the cushions and arms. Beautifully clean on the day but pink the next day. Laura Ashley are worse than useless. I’ve emailed them countless times with no luck. How did people resolve this?

Gillpete87 · 21/01/2020 13:52

I would like to chat to anyone who has purchased a sofa from Laura Ashley over the last 4 years that has had problems with pink stains

Gillpete87 · 21/01/2020 13:54

Could you tell me what the out come was with laura ashley and did you have guardsman cover

Gillpete87 · 21/01/2020 13:58

Hello can you tell me what the outcome was to your sofa problem

Gillpete87 · 21/01/2020 14:13

Hi John I am having a problem with my Laura Ashley sofa the material is called villandry truffle velvet fabric something has been spilt on one of the cushions and it has gone pink i purchased the sofa in 2014 after 4 months i had to call guardsman (cover plan from Laura Ashley) to come and look at the stain he told me he wouldn't be able to remove it, it has happened again is there a fault with this fabric they have used if so could you explain what it is Thank you

mousey37 · 22/01/2020 15:27

I have just spoken to Laura Ashley after two months of tooing and froing and they said it’s the cleaners fault and that we should go back to them. We have spent at least 10000 pound with Laura Ashley this year. Fuming!!!!

Gillpete87 · 28/01/2020 21:34

Could you tell me what material your sofa is made of

Gillpete87 · 28/01/2020 21:36

We have just gone through mediation through small claims against laura ashley and proceeding to take them to court could you please give me more information of the problems you have had with your sofa

mousey37 · 29/01/2020 04:16

Hi Gill, it is Villandry Sable. What sort was yours. They have just referred me back to the person who cleaned the sofa. Had we known it could never be cleaned we would never have bought it.

We’re not helped by the fact that the Isle of Man Store closed down a few months ago.

What sort was yours? I do think there should be some kind of advice when you order that it can never be cleaned. We ordered in store.

BW Nicola

2ndSOFIA · 12/03/2020 21:38

Second Opinion Furniture Inspection & Assessment SOFIA know the exact root cause of this issue, along with many others furniture-complaint-resolution.co.uk/

notnigella · 24/11/2021 09:01

Hi,
I too have a Laura Ashley sofa covered in Villandry champagne fabric. Fortunately most of my pinkish stains have been caused by my kids spilling things on the scatter cushions which I think I can have dry cleaned.

I think the posts above seem to refer to wet upholstery cleaning. Has anyone had their Villandry cushions dry cleaned and does this prevent the cushions turning pink or indeed remove any pink stains that are already on them?
Thanks in advance.

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