Recommended Iron for Red Dye Removal

[Joe Couch]

We currently removed 1000's of kool-aid stains a year by using cheap, $10 irons that we normally buy from Walmart. Is this the type of iron most of you use are is there something better out there?

 

[Jim Martin]

that's what I use (but they are only $8 here)

I always have 2 on the truck in case one breaks.but so far the old cracked burnt one has been holding up fine..........

 

[DevilDog]

If the iron heats...it is going to work. Buying the cheap ones is really smart.

We used to use the wall paper steamers but had nothing but problems with them...and I hate filling the damn things all the time.

DevilDog

 

[Farenheit251]

I much prefer the $49 wallpaper steamer from Lowes. No towels needed. Wish I had bought the steamer from Namco only because the Wagner is hard to store with the seperate hose and tray. The rectangle shape covers stains alot quicker than moving the iron so many times. I don't sit and remove the stains. I spray the stains and let the steamer set a few minutes at a time while I clean a room with no stains.

 

[Jim Martin]

I have a steamer but it seems like it takes forever to heat up (Wagner)

 

[Driguy]

6" carpet seaming iron. thing heats u p to 300 degrees in no time.

 

[Dolly Llama]

cheap iron

matter of fact, FREE irons.
Can't remember the last time i bought one.
The last 3 or 4 we've had were left behind in empty rentals

I with Jim, and Pound Puppy, steamers are a PITA.
filling and WAITING for steam...ehf THAT!

..L.T.A.

 

[Numero Uno]

I like ones with retractable cords also at Walmart...One less thing in the way go for the longer cord versions...

But when you hit the button watch your face...There fast...

 

[Contemporary Carpet Clean]

wagner wall paper steamers are the best....hands down....yes they do take a few minutes to warm up.....try filling them with hot water instead of cold....cuts warm up time down. Upon bringing in the wand and prespray we inspect for red/kool aid stains. If we detect red stains we next bring in the wager. Then we put the water in a smaller amount if there arent too many stains to reduce the warm up time as well. We have put a plug that has a light on it due to the fact that the wall paper steamer doesnt have an on/off switch or an other indicator as to if the machine is on or not. When the light goes on the unit has power. Sometimes you dont know if the wall switch is off shutting the power off at the outlet/recepticle. We do have 2 irons (the cheap versions 8-10 bucks) on every truck. We use the irons when there is only a small spot or two rather than lugging in and out the wagner. However we prefer the wagner steamer versus the iron due to less discoloration and faster production. We have done some apts where we have run 2 irons and 2 steamers at the same time.....you can make a extra few hundred bucks in a shorter time and look like a hero to the complex by saving the "destroyed" carpet.

 

[Joe Couch]

When using the steamer do you still use a towel?

 

[Jim Martin]

no............I do/did it one of 2 ways with the steamer.........

once heated up and the steam starts to flow you can just lay the paddle over the area and let it do it's job.......and there has been a few times I have taken the paddle off and just used the end of the hose for more control in some areas.............just don't be fooled.............if you leave the paddle on for to long it can do just as much damage as a iron can and the fumes are much worse..........

 

[Contemporary Carpet Clean]

No, we do not use a rag when using the steamer no need to the red/kool aid comes out with out the rag....we only use the rag with the iron....you must use the rag with the iron.

Fumes can be worse....however whenever you are removing red stains its never a pleasant smell. We usually open a window or 2 especially if the apt or home is occuppied.

Discoloration with the wagner power steamer can occur. It takes alot longer for it to occur though, as in several minutes. Its been our experience that the iron will discolor the carpet faster than the steamer if left on the carpet for equal time

 

[Chads]

I use just a regular old iron But what I really want is a cordless model I'm not sure they make one yet they should though and they should make it like a dewalt drill with those rechargeable batteries.

 

[tim]

They make cordless irons, fairly expensive and bulky base they charge on would be a pain in the butt. Also have the auto off function which can be a pain. I use the wagner, as stated above, we start it early, less water, and start with hot water. I don't use the large paddle as the steam is much more intense where the hose attaches to the paddle and discolored a dime sized spot once when I left it too long. Craig Jasper used a little hand held steamer in a class I attended once. Looked like a carafe, really liked it. May try one of them and compare :idea: