over 40 years, this is a new one for me....

[sassyotto]

got a call from a past customer. She spilled a little shampoo on the carpeted steps. Easy Peezy Im thinking - just rinse it out, right? So I get there and its purple. OK still should be able to rinse it out. Nothing, absolutely no change. Tried all my spotters, Nothing.

So now Im thinking that maybe its hair DYE, not shampoo so I ask the husband and he said yes, its shampoo. So I asked if I could see the bottle. Heres what it is.

Now Im no chemist and I know you guys are really smart. What ingredient makes this so difficult to get out and what can I use to remove it from the carpet??

 

[sassyotto]

PS. I cant even pronounce half of whats in it. why would anyone put it in their hair????

 

[Living The Dream]

I cheated and asked AI? Have you tried Stain Magic and heat? I'm assuming synthetic carpet.

Short version: it’s the dyes + cationic “conditioners” + low-pH salts that make Brass Off stick like a real textile dye.

What on the label is causing trouble (and why):

Blue/Violet dyes (listed near the end as cosmetic colorants, e.g., Blue 1 / CI 42090, Violet/Ext. Violet CI 60730, or similar).
These are small, water-soluble acid/direct dyes that bond to nylon’s dye sites the same way Kool-Aid does—so normal detergent/extraction won’t release them.

Cationic conditioners/film formers (look for polyquaternium- polymers and amodimethicone).
They carry a positive charge and lay a film on fibers; anionic (acid) dyes are attracted to that film and get “mordanted,” which locks in the stain and resists rinsing.

Salt + low pH (e.g., sodium chloride and citric acid).
Salt drives dye uptake (“salting-out”), and the low pH activates nylon dye sites, strengthening the ionic bond with those dyes.

Strong wetting surfactants (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate, coco/cocamide betaine/MIPA).
These push the dye deep into the pile before you can blot, making surface cleaning less effective.


Put together, you get a highly substantive blue/violet stain on nylon that usually responds only to two-part peroxide dye removers + controlled heat (or, on wool, a reducing agent), not to standard carpet detergents.

 

[sassyotto]

I cheated and asked AI? Have you tried Stain Magic and heat? I'm assuming synthetic carpet.

Short version: it’s the dyes + cationic “conditioners” + low-pH salts that make Brass Off stick like a real textile dye.

What on the label is causing trouble (and why):

Blue/Violet dyes (listed near the end as cosmetic colorants, e.g., Blue 1 / CI 42090, Violet/Ext. Violet CI 60730, or similar).
These are small, water-soluble acid/direct dyes that bond to nylon’s dye sites the same way Kool-Aid does—so normal detergent/extraction won’t release them.

Cationic conditioners/film formers (look for polyquaternium- polymers and amodimethicone).
They carry a positive charge and lay a film on fibers; anionic (acid) dyes are attracted to that film and get “mordanted,” which locks in the stain and resists rinsing.

Salt + low pH (e.g., sodium chloride and citric acid).
Salt drives dye uptake (“salting-out”), and the low pH activates nylon dye sites, strengthening the ionic bond with those dyes.

Strong wetting surfactants (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate, coco/cocamide betaine/MIPA).
These push the dye deep into the pile before you can blot, making surface cleaning less effective.


Put together, you get a highly substantive blue/violet stain on nylon that usually responds only to two-part peroxide dye removers + controlled heat (or, on wool, a reducing agent), not to standard carpet detergents.

great explanation, thank you! I did not try 2 part Stain Magic/heat. I use Stain 1 from Pros Choice and generally use for coffee stains. I dont like to use heat so I apply it, cover with wax paper (so it has time to work) and then put an old book or magazines on top to hold the wax paper in place and have them let it sit for 48 hours.

So maybe I should go back and try that?

 

[Jim Pemberton]

great explanation, thank you! I did not try 2 part Stain Magic/heat. I use Stain 1 from Pros Choice and generally use for coffee stains. I dont like to use heat so I apply it, cover with wax paper (so it has time to work) and then put an old book or magazines on top to hold the wax paper in place and have them let it sit for 48 hours.

So maybe I should go back and try that?

Try it, it could work. You are right to give you Stain 1 time, instead heat. If you apply heat, you will mostly likely remove the carpet’s color.

As an alternative, you can try a red dye remover. If you have Red 1, you can sometimes get away with giving it time, then HWE, but on this one, I think you will need heat (heat is helpful with reducers, and less likely to remove the carpet’s dye)

I nearly always prefer oxidizers, but have found that reducers work better on synthetic dyes.

What worries me is all the other chemistry in the product that is designed specifically to cause the dye to set.

I give you one chance in three that you’ll get it out. Just based on my experience, not a judgement of your experience or expertise.

A couple of cautions:

If you use an oxidizer (Stain 1) and it doesn’t work, you need to rinse, rinse, rinse before you try the reducer (Red 1) and heat. Otherwise, when you apply the reducer and heat, even though the reducer SHOULD have counteracted any remaining oxidizer, ANY residual oxidizer can cause catastrophic color loss when heat is applied .....

.....ask me how I know

If you try the reducer first, you have to rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse (you get the picture) before trying the oxidizer.

It is extremely difficult to remove the residual reducer from the carpet, and if you don’t, your oxidizer won’t work as well, if at all.

So:

What is the carpet worth to the customer?

What is the customer worth to you?

How comfortable are you in charging for your time and expertise if your efforts fail?

 

[sassyotto]

Try it, it could work. You are right to give you Stain 1 time, instead heat. If you apply heat, you will mostly likely remove the carpet’s color.

As an alternative, you can try a red dye remover. If you have Red 1, you can sometimes get away with giving it time, then HWE, but on this one, I think you will need heat (heat is helpful with reducers, and less likely to remove the carpet’s dye)

I nearly always prefer oxidizers, but have found that reducers work better on synthetic dyes.

What worries me is all the other chemistry in the product that is designed specifically to cause the dye to set.

I give you one chance in three that you’ll get it out. Just based on my experience, not a judgement of your experience or expertise.

A couple of cautions:

If you use an oxidizer (Stain 1) and it doesn’t work, you need to rinse, rinse, rinse before you try the reducer (Red 1) and heat. Otherwise, when you apply the reducer and heat, even though the reducer SHOULD have counteracted any remaining oxidizer, ANY residual oxidizer can cause catastrophic color loss when heat is applied .....

.....ask me how I know

If you try the reducer first, you have to rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse (you get the picture) before trying the oxidizer.

It is extremely difficult to remove the residual reducer from the carpet, and if you don’t, your oxidizer won’t work as well, if at all.

So:

What is the carpet worth to the customer?

What is the customer worth to you?

How comfortable are you in charging for your time and expertise if your efforts fail?

thank you for the response. Since the steps are white and the spot is small I will try as you say. I will post any results.