red spot removal

[Ron Werner]

Several guys have talked about removing them.
What is the best product/procedure for removing coloured spots from carpet?

 

[Royal Man]

This is a joke right?

The best way I have found is to use a Black and Decker wallpaper stripper/steamer.

Red Relief with a sprayer in each(Don't mix)

Spray a little of each part onto the spot on dry red spot.

Put on steamer(No towel needed)

Clean another room or area.

Check spot for removal after a while and move to the next.

(You can't harm the carpet with a steamer not like when using an iron.)

You can get a B&D wallpaper stripper on E-Bay ( they quit making them 15 years ago.)

The price is going up to about $50.00 each.

 

[tmdry]

Red Vanish

 

[Zee]

In my opinion, red stains -and some other colored stains as well- are not a "one answer fits all"

How do you know what was used on the stain to "try to clean it" by the home owner or how do you know it wasn't there when the last carpet cleaner "cleaned" it. (Which means it my very well be a set stain that you will not get out!!)

Same thing with candle spills-in the other thread where "danielc" talks about how he came up with warming up gum before removal. (Old trick by the way)

Shorty asked about the wax. If you are using a steamer and or iron to warm up the wax, how do you know you are going to be able to remove the color that's left behind?? You could be setting the stain right there and then!

I have had success with red relief, red1, red vanish. Then again, all these products and procedures fail from time to time on what seem to be an identical problem to what I just got rid of the day before.

So if the home owner can't give you the precise history of what happened, how long it was there, who tried to clean it and with what product- I just tell them: we will be getting paid for the attempt and not the result.

Zee

 

[Shorty]

I see the Black & Decker steamer mentioned occassionaly.

Does anyone else, other than I, use a Crain steamer for this type of work. ??

 

[Royal Man]

I see the Black & Decker steamer mentioned occassionaly.

Does anyone else, other than I, use a Crain steamer for this type of work. ??

Here is the crain steamer:
http://www.craintools.com/fs-more_pages/fs-935.html

It is identical to the B&D steamer which is no longer manufactured;

Here is one that has a good starting price:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Blacker-Decker-Stea ... 0690966115



Crain steamer $150.00

Black & Decker $25-$50 if you can find one. They are becoming more scarce.

Three on E-bay right now

 

[sweendogg]

I know many people like doing the removal dry and use a steamer... and on rugs I do just that.. but I always clean first and stain/spot second. And when I'm in someone's house.. I use a wet towel and iron. I work the spot and don't just leave it to clean another room. even live steam left to long and delaminate the carpet. If you use red relief like Dave said. spayer in each bottle, 30 seconds to 60 seconds and I can take care of most spills if they are acid side synethetic dyes. There will be plenty of colored spots that are organic in nature that needed a good two part oxdizer. The good part about the O2 system is alot of times the oxidizing property of O2 on its own will take out many organic stains that a regular prespray rinse combo will not touch.

 

[Ron Werner]

what about a DCI light?
safer? more effective? or only for certain stains?

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Ron here are some tips:

Forget the trigger sprayers unless you are doing a lot of stains. Mix the parts equal in a bottle and spray the spots down.

Always keep the original lid on the bottles. If you put trigger sprayers on the bottles and leave them , they will slowly lose their effectiveness because the sprayer is vented allowing the key ingredients to evaporate.

Get a bottle with a flip cap and mix the two products 50/50. Apply to the stain and allow the solution to sit for 5 minutes.

Then just use a damp towell and iron filled with water. You know the rest.

The steamer works good, but really just turns the stain yellow. It has to be rinsed away.

I think it is best to treat the stain first before cleaning. Test a few spots to see how easy they come out.

Then just rinse them away during your cleaning process.

 

[KevinL]

Do you guys really work on stains first when the carpet is filthy and you can't even see half of them?

 

[ascrubabove]

Doing stain removal after cleaning is one of my selling points, cause if it washes out it aint a stain and the custy doesn't get charged for stain removal. When the carpet is clean and they see what is left is actual stains, they then tell me if they want them removed.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I always post spot, because many spots come out with regular cleaning. I prefer to keep the binary products in separate sprayers, and have never had a problem with active ingredients evaporating thru the sprayer heads, just tighten the nozzle completely. Store oxidizers out of direct light and excessive heat. I use an old cooler for them and freeze sensive stuff.

I won't undermine the distributors by recommending the simple chemicals we use.

 

[Jeremy]

Pesonally, for most I like Red Vanish & a "Scunci" Steamer from Target for most non-organic red stain removals... I could sell the steamers but it'd cost twice as much for it to be worth the hassle to ship it. Go get it where a comparable steam & heat source is the cheapest...

That said, the fact of the matter is some red stains need different Chemistry... Organics (Like Red Wine, Black Coffee, Cranberry Juice, V-8/Tomato or Cherry Pie, need a STRONG Oxidizer such as VacAway's Probem-Be-Gone, Red 1 or CTI's Stain Magic. In the unlikely event these product leave a tinge of color use VacAway Red Vanish after rinsing as a post treatment.

 

[Royal Man]

Red relief work best on a dry carpet. If done while cleaning especially with a steamer (or several steamers) it doesn't take much more time than a regular cleaning.

Daniel,
The two part products start degrading the moment they are mixed. That is why I put a sprayer in each bottle. Then it is always at !00%. This really makes a difference with Stain Magic.

 

[Able 1]

That said, the fact of the matter is some red stains need different Chemistry... Organics (Like Red Wine, Black Coffee, Cranberry Juice, V-8/Tomato or Cherry Pie, need a STRONG Oxidizer such as VacAway's Probem-Be-Gone, Red 1 or CTI's Stain Magic. In the unlikely event these product leave a tinge of color use VacAway Red Vanish after rinsing as a post treatment.

Isn't Red 1 a reducer?

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Red relief work best on a dry carpet. If done while cleaning especially with a steamer (or several steamers) it doesn't take much more time than a regular cleaning.

Daniel,
The two part products start degrading the moment they are mixed. That is why I put a sprayer in each bottle. Then it is always at !00%. This really makes a difference with Stain Magic.

That is a no no.

Trigger sprayers have a vent. I am talking about the 32 oz bottles of red relief. I did that several times and always wondered why the spotters would stop working. Now I know. The active ingredients vented right out. You need to keep the original air tight tops on them and mix only when using. Also I have used solution that was mixed several days prior and it worked just fine. The best approach is to mix up how much you need. If you have any left, don't toss it out because it will likely work fine as long as you keep a lid on the bottle.

 

[Jeremy]

That said, the fact of the matter is some red stains need different Chemistry... Organics (Like Red Wine, Black Coffee, Cranberry Juice, V-8/Tomato or Cherry Pie, need a STRONG Oxidizer such as VacAway's Probem-Be-Gone, Red 1 or CTI's Stain Magic. In the unlikely event these product leave a tinge of color use VacAway Red Vanish after rinsing as a post treatment.

Isn't Red 1 a reducer?

Yep... you're right & I was wrong... Stain Zone is the BridgePoint Product I should have had in mind... Red 1 would be the "closest comparable" product to VacAway's Red Vanish as opposed to VacAway's Problem-Be-Gone(compare to Stain Zone)...

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Red relief work best on a dry carpet. If done while cleaning especially with a steamer (or several steamers) it doesn't take much more time than a regular cleaning.

Daniel,
The two part products start degrading the moment they are mixed. That is why I put a sprayer in each bottle. Then it is always at !00%. This really makes a difference with Stain Magic.

That is a no no.

Trigger sprayers have a vent. I am talking about the 32 oz bottles of red relief. I did that several times and always wondered why the spotters would stop working. Now I know. The active ingredients vented right out. You need to keep the original air tight tops on them and mix only when using. Also I have used solution that was mixed several days prior and it worked just fine. The best approach is to mix up how much you need. If you have any left, don't toss it out because it will likely work fine as long as you keep a lid on the bottle.

:-) You'll have to SHOW me the "vent" on a trigger sprayer. Only if the tip is NOT tightened (twist clockwise to stop) can it off-gas anything. There is no "vent". However larger sprayers often have a pressure relief valve.

Thanks,
Lee

ps. A reducer or oxidizer that has been mixed with its accelerant has an effective working life of only hours....of course later the ammonia will still "work".

 

[Jeremy]

Why Mr. Stockwell... Would you be referring to 40 volume peroxide and non-sudsing ammonia?

And, YES... Reducers work best on dry carpet... Just remember once the heat has been applied if the stain hasn't been removed it may be (or have become) permanent...

 

[Shorty]

For simplicity, I'll call them part A & part B.

Get extra labels from the manufacturer of the products you prefer and stick them onto photographic developing bottles.

These bottles are like a concertina and can be collapsed as the liquid is used, thereby reducing air content in the bottles.

Pour what you require of part A & part B into seperate trigger sprayers and use seperately as advised above.

Because the contents have not been contaminated by mixing, any left over can be returned to the original bottle.

Mark the trigger sprayers part A and part B, rinse after use including running water through the tip to remove as much of the residue from the metal parts, (spring, ball bearing, etc); to stop them from corroding.

Do not use these trigger sprayers for any other product.

K.I.S.S. :roll:

 

[lance]

Lots of great info.

Does spraying with trigger sprayer work better than using a flip-top bottle (ie, less product, more product, etc.)??

How about using two small glass bottles with eye droppers, would this give you enough for small spots or would it be too time consuming compared to spray or flip-top??

 

[MarkStanley]

To remove red stains you can use 30/70 solution of peroxide to water or just a simple club soda. You can do it by yourself if you have no time to find the best cleaners in town. Peroxide is a bleach so check it first before using it.

 

[sweendogg]

Lots of great info.

Does spraying with trigger sprayer work better than using a flip-top bottle (ie, less product, more product, etc.)??

How about using two small glass bottles with eye droppers, would this give you enough for small spots or would it be too time consuming compared to spray or flip-top??

small spots.. maybe.. but most spots are rather large making the trigger sprayer the best option..


Mark Stanley.. you are an idiot and the weakest link!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Welcome to MB Mark! You'll learn a lot here. We had another Mark Stanley on the boards a few years back, from Atlanta.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[sweendogg]

P.S.. If Mark Stanley is a real poster I take back my first comments about Mark.. My apologies.. we have had some spammers somehow leaking in and at first glance.. it appeared that your post was spamming. We are a board of professionals and there is no reason to suggest anybody here find the best cleaner in town.. besides.. in our own dysfunctional worlds created by our minds.. we ARE the best cleaners in town! :mrgreen:


To put some truth to your post.. you can't generalize that you can take out red stains with peroxide as many red stains are not organic in nature. Koolaid, red soda, candle dyes, all are made up of synethetic acid dyes. They require a reducer to render colorless. Organic stains like blood, wine, real tomatoes.. may benefit from peroxide which would render the organic dyes colorless.

 

[harryhides]

There are times when even an eyedropper is not adequate and then I'll use a dampened Q-Tip.
With some types of stain/dye or face fiber, heat is a no no.
eg Disperse dyes like mustard are best removed with a DCI light.
Same goes for most stains on wool and many fabric fibers.
Often what the customer has already done has rendered the stain permanent - even asking them does not ensure a truthful answer. But a few drops of water and agitation will tell you if if some soapy spotter has been tried. So on large or suspicious stains ( esp with great $ potential ), always flush out with warm water first.

I do not believe that the ammonia part of the two part mixtures needs to be applied at anywhere near 50%.
If you do not believe this, take your oxidizer and spray a little onto to some concrete - it should fizz if it is good.
Next add a few drops of ammonia to your oxidizer and leave it for a day - it will be water and useless and won't fizz on concrete.

I too have never seen a "vent" on a sprayer.
I always keep parts A & B in separate containers as per Shorty and Lee.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Several guys have talked about removing them.
What is the best product/procedure for removing coloured spots from carpet?

Hey Ron, check this stuff out, it works GREAT...no mixing or worry about taking color out.

http://coreproductsco.com/index.php/juice_out