Haitian cotton is an upholstery fabric made from 100% cotton, grown in Haiti or India. The fibres are not thoroughly processed, leaving bits of cotton seeds, stems, and other plant components in the yarn. These brown specks give the fabric its natural and rustic appearance. The yarns are thick, coarse, and usually off-white, cream, or tan in colour. Occasionally, they are dyed with colours such as red or blue or may be two-toned.
Haitian cotton fabrics are very susceptible to cellulosic browning. Even the spillage of plain tap water can sometimes produce discolouration. The seed particles within the fabric release a brown dye when wet, which may be impossible to remove completely.
Complications of this type could normally be addressed by professional cleaners who use a variety of dry-cleaning solvents to supplement water-based cleaning solutions. Unfortunately, the weave of Haitian cotton fabric is too loose to stand alone and must be manufactured with a latex backing to bind the yarns together into a fabric.
This latex backing is softened or degraded by dry-cleaning solvents, meaning that texture changes, as well as colour changes, may occur with any type of cleaning. Haitian cotton cannot always be safely cleaned by normal upholstery cleaning methods.
Some professional cleaners may have specialty cleaning chemicals and techniques designed for handling Haitian cotton and similar fabrics. These techniques require more time and expense. Even with special methods, the degree of cleaning that is possible may still be less than what is normally attainable with other fabrics, and some risk of staining may remain.
Your professional upholstery cleaner can advise you on the safest and most appropriate cleaning methods for your Haitian cotton upholstery.
