Light Bleaching to match light fading???

[NDAV8R]

Hey there gang: Weird situation I got here...
    Some of you know I work at an Aircraft Repair Facility as aviation upholsterer, machinist, and Tig welder. Anyway last Thanksgiving, an out of company cleanup and detail outfit was trying to get some stains off of an emergency door panel on a Cessna Citation (Cessna's version of a Learjet). Instead of trying the cleaner on an inconspicuous place, they just "dove" in and attacked the stains right on the door. As you guessed it, they pulled the colors right out of the cloth material.
   The jet is about 12 years old and it is virtually impossible to get matched material, but as of late tracking down the actual blueprints and bill of materials, we did come up with some samples. One of the samples is a dead ringer except the colors are a bit too strong. I am thinking the original material has been slightly light faded.  I have only 2 options...(1) remove all the interior to get to the upper window panels with the emergency door panel, strip and recover first with 1/16" foam, then all new material 18 feet long or (2) Try to lightly bleach out the one square yard of material needed to recover just the Emer. door.
 Your talking close to 6 or 7 thousand for option #1 vs. about $300 for #2.

 So my question is this...has anyone messed around with bleaching at all??? I am thinking to try small pieces of the materials in different bleach baths until I get it hopefully get it right.
Any input out there?
Here is a Cessna Citation interior, but not the one I am going to work on...

Thanks!
NDAV8R

[SteveA]

You can send that material to my wife - she has the ability to lighten clothing (especially my button down shirts) so she'd just throw it in with the next load.
Other wise summer sun exposure is probably the safest way.  Does turning the panel another direction give the appearance of a lighter color ?
SA

[ajlelectronics]

Rather than trying to get a match, how about using one of the colours in the panel and doing a contrast or neutral coloured piece?

[NDAV8R]

I tried turning it 180 degrees for any nap differences and it is the same.  As far as using a contrast color, the customer says that is out. It would be the only panel in there in difference so it would stick out too much.

[Grebo]

It is the emergency door, surely it could be a bit different ?
Could you disguise the stains somehow, patch in ( embroider ) some snow flakes or something?

Just a thought.

Suzi

[JuneC]

I've washed a LOT of upholstery fabric.  When we get boats for refit and the customer doesn't want to pay for all new fabrics for loose cushions, if they're dirty, into the washing machine they go (cold water) and then air dry, out of the sun.  In my experience, regular laundry detergent will lighten the fabric considerably.  If you decide to go this route, wash in a very weak detergent or soap solution and dry to see what you get.  Forget the bleach - I doubt you'll need it.  Hopefully you have some small swatches you can play with first to try to match the fade.  Also, expect that yard to shrink anywhere from 1 to 3 inches.

Also, I've found out the hard way that denatured alcohol will remove a bit of color from some upholstery fabrics.  Just a very slight fade.

June