Carpet Care -Difficult Stains – Part 1

Difficult Stains

Bleaching Solutions
Many household cleaning products contain bleaching ingredients that can destroy carpet colour, leaving a white or yellow discolouration.

Blood
To remove blood, use only cool cleaning solutions to prevent setting the stain. Removal of bloodborne pathogens may require the assistance of a carpet cleaning professional.

Burns
Burn damage can be remedied only by reweaving, retufting, or resectioning the damaged area. However, the appearance of an area of charred carpet can be improved by carefully clipping off blackened ends of tufts using small, sharp scissors. Trim surrounding tufts to minimize indentation.

Candle Wax or Chewing Gum
Freeze with ice by placing the ice in a metal pan and setting pan on top of wax or gum. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes, until frozen. Break with a blunt instrument (i.e. a knife handle). Vacuum up the pieces. Repeat until removed. Using alcohol or a dry-cleaning solvent on a white absorbent cloth, blot the spot to dissolve the remaining residue and remove with fingers.

Dye Stains
Many beverages, medicines, cosmetics, foods, and other liquids contain dyes. These dyes may be absorbed into the fibers making removal very slow or impossible. Follow recommended procedures on the spot removal chart.
If removal does not appear to be possible, call your carpet cleaning professional for advice. Sometimes the stain can be hidden by spot dyeing, retufting, or by repairing the affected area.

Inkjet Cartridge
Blot with dry absorbent white cloth, use a wet vac or extraction machine to remove as much of the residue as possible. Blot with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) applied with a white cloth, if stain remains, blot with household hydrogen peroxide. (Slight bleaching may occur.) If no change in affected area, consult with a carpet care professional.

Fingernail Polish
Use a non-acetate fingernail polish remover. Apply a small amount of the fingernail polish remover to a white cloth and work in gently – do not rub – working from the edges of the spill to the center to prevent spreading. Allow to remain on the spill a few minutes. Be patient, blotting the area several times.
Lukewarm tap water should be used in most cases to rinse the cleaning solutions from the carpet fiber. Failure to
completely rinse the solutions from the fiber may cause accelerated soiling.

Ink (Ballpoint Pen)
Follow recommended procedures on the spot removal chart to contain the spill using rubbing alcohol as the dry cleaning solvent. Rubbing alcohol (90% isopropyl) can be used as a dry cleaning solvent by applying with a cloth or towel. Do not pour rubbing alcohol directly onto the carpet.

Mustard
Some mustards contain very strong dyes that are difficult to remove. It may be necessary to remove the stained area and reinsert an undamaged section of carpet.

Rust
Rust almost always requires professional service because the chemicals required are hazardous when used improperly. If the stain is fresh, the spot removal chart may be successful.