input needed from the collective genius on this board

[mike r]

Got one we can't figure out guys. Water stains on CGD at a couple of manufacturing accounts we service. Light colored carpet where water coolers have leaked. After cleaning stains appear gone only to re-appear. Nasty dark lines around perimeter of affected area. We have tried pre-scrubbing prior to HWE, browning treatment, and Chemspec Absorb-a-Stain. It has been my experience over the years that water stains are a crap shoot, sometime they come out all the way, sometime they don't. We want the stains gone completely so VLM cleaning never to extract again is not an option. We have not tried enzymes yet, think it might work? You guys have any other ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Willy P]

Try padding it and if that doesn't work, give some peroxide a shot. You could also poultice it. Fiber id would help.

 

[FB7777]

Do you have a water claw?

Flood the area and claw it , dry pass with upholstery tool on high.

It's all coming up from underneath

 

[Desk Jockey]

You're going to need to flush it really well, an RE could really help or perhaps the new CX-15 tool from Interlink???

The dark lines are most likely a soil line where the cooler leak flushed the wet area clean by moving the soil out of the area up to the point where it met the dry area.

Those lines are difficult to remove and can appear removed only to re-appear several days to weeks and months later.
A good flushing could rinse free that impacted soil and hopefully get enough out so its doesn't return.

Be sure to leave an airmover to help speed the drying after the thorough rinsing.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Willy and Fred are both right

have you tried running the bonnet/pad over it?
if not, give that a whirl ...er twirl as it would be.

any good encRap solution should work...Releasit, DSC SpinVac, one of the juices from Steve Smith (the one with peroxide) .
Might last awhile longer before the stains eventually reappear

THAT's the easy way

if (when) they eventually return, , then Fred's suggestion is the way to go to fully correct it
Flood it 'n flush it....it's crAp from the base of the fiber and backing that came from dirt on the subfloor...nearly impossible to flush out from top with a wand

Lay the claw on the carpet while you flush around it with open QD in solution line


..L.T.A.

 

[mike r]

I've never thought of it as dirt traveling to line where water stops. Makes perfectly good sense and is probably correct. Yeah, we gonna flood the areas and break out the large water claw and Prochem Triads, (love those fans) to see if that corrects the problem. If it works I'll let you guys know so when you're around your wives or girlfriends you can stick your chests out a little further. I like to think that we're pretty good at what we do but man these stains are a bitch! Customers tell us not to worry about it but that is not in our DNA.

 

[Willy P]

Willy and Fred are both right



..L.T.A.

 

[hogjowl]

I don't know about Phreds water claw but mine won't work on CGD CARPET.

 

[steve_64]

after cleaning apply a solvent protector.

 

[Ron Werner]

water marks that I've seen are more like a tide line.
Can't remember who told me but at some point in the past someone said a high pH is needed to break that water line.

 

[GeneMiller]

Never had my prespray fail when boosted with peroxide. Does take a tremendous amount of flushing

Gene

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Rust remover. 3-4 minute dwell. Rinse.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Part of the problem with what we call "water stains" is that there can be so many different materials in the "stain" that it makes fixing it challenging. It could be "just dirt", minerals from hard water, contaminants from wet structural items, etc. Another part of the problem is that this contamination followed the water as it dried and is now built up in a very concentrated form in a "line", which makes removal even more difficult.

In some cases the stain may contain iron oxides from the environment or the water itself, which makes rust remover a good option (thanks Lee). Should there be other concentrated minerals from hard water, the rust remover will work on that too, as would a number of acid spotters.

Good tips from everyone.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I at first hesitated to recommend that, knowing that it can go south if directions are not followed.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Thing is, he's not having trouble removing it from the surface...
So it's not one of the "tough ones"
the problem is, it's a recurring thing cause all the crUd hasn't been flushed out


..L.T.A.

 

[mike r]

Thing is, he's not having trouble removing it from the surface...
So it's not one of the "tough ones"
the problem is, it's a recurring thing cause all the crUd hasn't been flushed out


..L.T.A.

Exactly. Stain COMPLETELY disappears in both locations we are having difficulties with. Only to wick within a few days. Our first step is to try and flush it out with water claw. Thanks for all the input guys. We'll let you know how it goes.

 

[hogjowl]

If your first post is correct, and that stain is on a glued down commercial carpet, then please let me know how that plan works out for you.

And remember it was Boyle who suggested it.

 

[mike r]

If your first post is correct, and that stain is on a glued down commercial carpet, then please let me know how that plan works out for you.

And remember it was Boyle who suggested it.

From one southerner to another, will do!

 

[Dolly Llama]

first off, it's a couple/few days reappearing and not a couple/few weeks??
If so, are you sure it's completely dry before there's any traffic on it?

Our first step is to try and flush it out with water claw. Thanks for all the input guys. We'll let you know how it goes.

the lg water claw is junk.
Use a medium or sm.
You need to run solution line open flow around the claw.
the sol line will be right next to claw ..not a foot away

but if this is coming back in a "couple days", I'll ask, have you tried padding or roto bonneting it?
if not, that's where I'd start


..L.T.A.

 

[mike r]

I'll have to check with customer on time. I always say "few days" on wicking issues out of force of habit, not accuracy on timeline. The one account is a manufacturing supplier for BMW and we sub for a janitorial company so feedback I get comes from owner of that company, not our own visual. They tell us not to worry about it but it has become personal between us and the stain! I've run into this before and really want to learn how to tackle these damn things! I've seen hwe work on some water stains as well as Absorb a Stain, (Chemspec), on others. It is not a huge area so we will use small h2o claw for better extraction along with open solution line. The more I think about this damn stain and all else we have tried the more I think this method is going to work. Ironically, the other water stain is at BMW, also from a water cooler, but a much smaller area. This carpet at BMW supplier is due in Dec. so I will keep you guys posted on results. Thanks again!

 

[FB7777]

Hey Pork Dork, he asked for advice from the collective genius here, which begs the question why are you responding in this thread?

Other than to criticize those who offered an effective solution.

I read this issue as a stain that is completely removed but reappears after its dry

With a wand , flood the area and sloooow down your dry passes ( about 50 of them )

With the claw, the customer can see what you are pulling out instead of the typical drag and push magic wand stroke hoping the stain doesn't return.

 

[hogjowl]

I inherited stain just like the one you mention here one time when I took over a church account. The previous cleaner was a part-timer who was a fireman full-time. I'm not saying he didn't know what he was doing, he may have been Jim Martin approved and a bag of chips, but they told me they had been having a problem with this stain for some time. It was a Baptist church, which mean it had a 99.9% chance of being a coffee stain. It was right in the middle of the center aisle of their sanctuary, so they wanted it gone.

On the first cleaning, I treated it with 40 vol. and let it dwell for a bit, then extracted it. Since it was GDC, I COULDN'T USE THE WATER CLAW. So I extracted it really good with my glided wand and put a fan on it to dry while I cleaned the rest of the sanctuary. By the time I got back to it, the stain was starting to show back up. So I repeated the process and finished the job. I came back a couple of days later to check it and it was back, but I could barely see it. I then encapped it and left.

I didn't see it again until 6 or 8 months later when I came back to clean the church again. I noticed it was back again, but only very slightly. I cleaned it like normal along with the rest of the church and it's been gone ever since.

The moral of the story is that sometimes stains like this just take time and repeated cleanings.

But, encap cleaning will almost always give you time to work with it by hiding the stain until you can completely remove it.

 

[hogjowl]

Hey Pork Dork, he asked for advice from the collective genius here, which begs the question why are you responding in this thread?

Other than to criticize those who offered an effective solution.

I read this issue as a stain that is completely removed but reappears after its dry

With a wand , flood the area and sloooow down your dry passes ( about 50 of them )

With the claw, the customer can see what you are pulling out instead of the typical drag and push magic wand stroke hoping the stain doesn't return.

Obviously, you don't clean much carpet.

A water claw only locks down on glued down carpet with no pad underneath. It moves no air and thus extracts no water.

So THERE Mr. Brain Trust.

 

[rick imby]

Something else none of you have brought up---Is water still being spilled in this area by the people using the water dispenser? Keeping the area damp even after it has been cleaned? Maybe it is actually recurring from a recurring leak.

 

[mike r]

Something else none of you have brought up---Is water still being spilled in this area by the people using the water dispenser? Keeping the area damp even after it has been cleaned? Maybe it is actually recurring from a recurring leak.

Leaking water cooler has been fixed. Baptist church.........99.9% chance it was coffee.......funny stuff! Why do you never take just one Baptist fishing with you? He'll drink all your beer.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Something else none of you have brought up---Is water still being spilled in this area by the people using the water dispenser? Keeping the area damp even after it has been cleaned? Maybe it is actually recurring from a recurring leak.

I didn't bring it up but I thought about it.

I figured any fool would be able to tell it was still damp. Well, maybe not Porkchop...ok if he knelt down he might.

Maybe!

 

[ruff]

This is a great thread. Personally, I'm hooked.
Mostly because I'd like to see which of the distinguished posters can pack the maximum amount of insults per one post.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Gimme the list and I'll give it my best shot.

WELL not my best...I'm far to distracted to give it my best.

However I will give it due time.

 

[hogjowl]

Leaking water cooler has been fixed. Baptist church.........99.9% chance it was coffee.......funny stuff! Why do you never take just one Baptist fishing with you? He'll drink all your beer.

Actually, it's the JW's that I've noticed drink like fishes.

 

[Mikey P]

their one and only "allowed" vice.