I need a refresher course in food/drink dye removal..

Mikey P

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In Santa Cruz we may go through one or two quarts of a one part 'red dye" remover a year. Dye stains are so rare that "Sorry Mam, it's permanent" works fine.

Now over here in NV, although the bulk of my work is for retired folks who don't drink KoolAid or eat Otter Pops, I'm attracting a certain element from my Facebook campaigns and if this military Housing contract goes through, I'm going to need to brush up on my synthetic dye removal techniques.

  • Do the one part products work if, like peroxide on organics, you apply upon arrival and let dwell?
  • Or is dry steam/heat almost always needed?
  • Are wall paper steamers still the way to go or has something newer and easier now available?
  • Are the new Poly's any easier to remove stains from?
  • Is covering the stain with plastic and letting dwell a safer alternative with the One Parts?
  • If so, will a return visit be needed to rinse the solution away.
  • When you turn a red stain yellow in the removal process, whats better to rinse with, acid or alkaline?
What other tips do you have?





This job yesterday was the most extreme food dye job I've seen in 30 years. I'm sure many of you have seen worse, but I've never been an apartment hack per say..

Just after pre vacuuming..

20161105_092208.jpg


Half way through

20161105_101514.jpg


Finished

20161105_110229.jpg


Found on the side of the house/rental. Maybe I should go back and grab a few yards for testing..

20161105_110057.jpg
 
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steve_64

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Better off using the crb and boosting the prespray.

I still like stain magic where I see color left. Spray and leave it.

If you used prozyme plus and scrubbed that carpet in the picture after it was cleaned all those spots left would ball up and be left on the surface for easy removal.

Do it before make sure you clean your filter because even after vaccing you will get so much soil it will plug it up halfway through.
 
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Mikey P

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Better off using the crb and boosting the prespray. Better off than using a 36oi Brush Head, you're on drugs..

I still like stain magic where I see color left. Spray and leave it. Stain Magic on Synthetic dye?, you're on drugs..

If you used prozyme plus and scrubbed that carpet in the picture after it was cleaned all those spots left would ball up and be left on the surface for easy removal. Ball up? what? You're on drugs..

Do it before make sure you clean your filter because even after vaccing you will get so much soil it will plug it up halfway through. Dry soil was not the issue here...good lord you sure get the good dope there Steve.
 

SamIam

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Cobbs dye stain remover is great.

I liked red 1 but they changed the formula and it can pull the color right out of the carpet.

Also a steamer is great.
 
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steve_64

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I guarantee that upper left corner would look better with the crb. Those shadows are oils and solids I believe. I see it all the time. They come out in a coagulated ball full of fiber sand and goop.
 

Desk Jockey

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I'm discussed that people actually live like that. I'd have told them to pull it.

You did an amazing job! Its looks like a different carpet.
Now if you can just Marty and his family to move out, it will stay clean.
 
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Pat Muller

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In Santa Cruz we may go through one or two quarts of a one part 'red dye" remover a year. Dye stains are so rare that "Sorry Mam, it's permanent" works fine.

Now over here in NV, although the bulk of my work is for retired folks who don't drink KoolAid or eat Otter Pops, I'm attracting a certain element from my Facebook campaigns and if this military Housing contract goes through, I'm going to need to brush up on my synthetic dye removal techniques.

  • Do the one part products work if, like peroxide on organics, you apply upon arrival and let dwell?
    I would always try to clean first to see which stains release without treatment then apply and let dwell
  • Or is dry steam/heat almost always needed?
    If the customer has attacked the stains and set them in strong I will probably need heat
  • Are wall paper steamers still the way to go or has something newer and easier now available?
    Steamers are good but I prefer a wet towel and iron as to much steam softens the backings
  • Are the new Poly's any easier to remove stains from?
    In theory the PTT fibers are not attracted to acid side dyes and should clean out with normal cleaning
  • Is covering the stain with plastic and letting dwell a safer alternative with the One Parts?
    Using a product like StainExit and covering with plastic allows the extra oxygen molecule to stay longer and work on the dyes
  • If so, will a return visit be needed to rinse the solution away.
    With an after treatment of StainExit a return trip is not needed
  • When you turn a red stain yellow in the removal process, whats better to rinse with, acid or alkaline?
    I prefer an acid rinse
What other tips do you have?
The biggest key is to know if the dye is organic or synthetic in nature
Oxidizers work best on organic dyes like red wine, coffee etc
Reducers work best on synthetic dyes like Kool-Aid fruit juice etc






This job yesterday was the most extreme food dye job I've seen in 30 years. I'm sure many of you have seen worse, but I've never been an apartment hack per say..

Just after pre vacuuming..

View attachment 19265

Half way through

View attachment 19266

Finished

View attachment 19267

Found on the side of the house/rental. Maybe I should go back and grab a few yards for testing..

View attachment 19268
 

Cleanworks

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I have never liked the 1 part red dye removers and using them with steamers can be tricky. It is easy to remove color from the carpet itself. I would rather pre treat with a peroxide product and post treat with a stain magic/vanish/eliminate 2 part product. When these products don't work, you can try a reducer like Larry's product always keeping in mind, apply, let dwell, rinse.
 

steve_64

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I'm discussed that people actully live like that. I'd have told them to pull it.

You did an amazing job! Its looks like a different carpet.
Now if you can just Marty and his family to move out, it will stay clean.
It doesn't bother me at all. I charge a lot extra for that.
 
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SamIam

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When do you apply the Cobbs?

Ask Larry!

It depends on condition of carpet usually I'll clean them spray it on and use a steamer.

Any product that says you can spray it down then steam it off with a wand usually doesn't work.

You have to reapply and use a steamer.

Those products may work with a diesel fired heater or on a stain resist carpet.
 
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hogjowl

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I've used Larry's product and it works without heat. Just apply it while vacuuming. The smell is pretty strong, so I reverted back to a one part dye remover and steam.
 
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Jimmy L

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I say treat it before and let dwell then clean the entire carpet and if any stain remains use your steam iron and reapply the one part red remover.
 
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cleanking

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Mike we are in the same boat, maybe go through 1 or 2 quarts of Red 1 (Pro'sChoice) a year. I've found that for us those synthetic dye stains will not come out with just product alone, you must use steam or an iron/damp rag combo. I beleive Cobb's sells a nice iron shaped steamer, may look on Amazon, I'm pretty sure @Mark Saiger has a nice little steamer. Then there's always an iron and damp rag that work as well and it's cheap.

We used to use the 2 part Red Relief (Pro'sChoice), switched to Red 1 2 years ago and I can't tell the difference in effectiveness.

Link to Cobbs steamer http://www.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69&products_id=5025
 

Larry Cobb

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Cobbs dye stain remover is great.

I liked red 1 but they changed the formula and it can pull the color right out of the carpet.

Also a steamer is great.

We like this "steamer" for immediate removal after treatment & heating:
steamer.jpg

http://www.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69&products_id=5025

Some of the "blue food dyes can be more difficult & require a stronger reducer
(our ReducAll has less odor);


http://www.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=5313

Polys don't dye as easily, so generally their removal is easier.
 

Papa John

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Ok, I'll give my 2 cents anyway.

we have Stain 1 and Red 1 in our spotting kit, along with a regular steam iron and towels. Sometimes Stain 1 will work better at removing synthetic dyes then Red 1.

download CTI's Stain guild App for your phone for guidance. when in doubt use Stain 1 first. this is because Red 1 will deactivate Stain 1.

For some sphincter clenching stress-- try Rit dye remover. the stain might turn Black at first but it does remove the color.-- BTW--I don't allow my techs to use this stuff-- only I can.

Keep in mind it might take a very long dwell time for the color to be removed with Stain 1 or Red 1.
I was called to remove a yellow curry stain from a white carpet while the homeowner was away on vacation. I informed the customer that curry/mustard stains are one of the most difficult to remove and that I might not be successful. I applied Stain 1. I rinse extracted and did this process several times with limited success. I then pronounced the stain permanent and gave up. A couple of days latter the home owner returned and asked me to try again. I told her I could do so in a few more days. When I arrived the stain was gone with no additional work from me... Damn I wish I had taken a before and after photo.
 
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Papa John

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What ever you do-- don't bother buying the wagner wall paper steamers from home depot. It took too long to get hot and was a waste of money.
 
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J Scott W

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In Santa Cruz we may go through one or two quarts of a one part 'red dye" remover a year. Dye stains are so rare that "Sorry Mam, it's permanent" works fine.

Now over here in NV, although the bulk of my work is for retired folks who don't drink KoolAid or eat Otter Pops, I'm attracting a certain element from my Facebook campaigns and if this military Housing contract goes through, I'm going to need to brush up on my synthetic dye removal techniques.

  • Do the one part products work if, like peroxide on organics, you apply upon arrival and let dwell? Dwell time helps in every case. But to remove stains without heat it would need to be a rather light stain, be fresh or have a carpet that has been protected with an ecid dye resitor without enough traffic to have worn off.
  • Or is dry steam/heat almost always needed? Most of the time, expect to need heat.
  • Are wall paper steamers still the way to go or has something newer and easier now available? If one had a vapor steamer, it works great. But I would not buy one just for red stains, synthetic dye stains. Wall paper steamer is less expensive or you may already have one.
  • Are the new Poly's any easier to remove stains from? Easier than unprotected nylon. But protected nylon cleans much better than poly.
  • Is covering the stain with plastic and letting dwell a safer alternative with the One Parts? The main reason for covering plastic is to slow down evaporation and let the produyct work longer. Can be helpful in dry climates. Not really needed otherwise. Not needed if you will be hitting the stain with heat in a few minutes.
  • If so, will a return visit be needed to rinse the solution away. Rinse is adviced for the "red" stain remover products (reducers). Many of the oxidizers will evaporate with no residue and do not need rinsing.
  • When you turn a red stain yellow in the removal process, whats better to rinse with, acid or alkaline? Interesting question. I have always rinsed with acid. Not sure that it matters.
What other tips do you have?

Comments added in blue. Expand the OP to see them.

Apply reducers to dry carpet for best results. The fiber absorbs more of the stain remover and the stain remover does not get diluted.

Use fresh product. There is a world of difference between fresh product and a bottle that has been in a warm or hot van for several months. I would carry my reducers and oxidizers in a little cooler that fits a 6 pack of Cokes and toss in some of that blue "ice" that can be refrozen.

My links - Wagner steamer - https://interlinksupply.com/index.php?item_num=AC210

RedZone Ready - https://interlinksupply.com/index.php?item_num=CS30QT
 
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CTI Courtney

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Hi all! I had Todd take a look at this thread and here is his input:

Okay, I’ll throw my two cents in here since they are mostly talking about Pro’s Choice products.

First, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again sometimes there is just no replacement for agitation. A CRB machine is great, back in the day I used a rotary floor machine with a carpet brush (bad, I know). Agitation helps increase the surface area your pre-spray has to work with by physically breaking up the contamination.

When it comes to Red 1 and Stain 1 there are some points that I do want to clear up. Red Relief and Red 1 are fairly close in stain removal power. There is a difference in the chemistry and I have seen stains react to Red 1 better than Red Relief and other stains that were the reverse. It’s just the difference in the chemistry.

However there is a big difference between Stain 1 and Stain Magic. Stain Magic is much more aggressive than Stain 1. So if you have a really bad stain (mustard, curry, furniture) bypass Stain 1 and go right to Stain Magic. Not to say that Stain 1 isn’t aggressive but you just aren’t matching the catalyzed reaction of Stain Magic with a 1 part product. The flip side of this is that if you have an organic stain with a soil attracting component (coffee and sugar, any of the colas etc.) that clean up okay but re-soil from residual contamination over the next few weeks that’s where Stain 1 really stands out. Stain 1 has ARA (Anti Re-Soiling Agent) built into it. It will oxidize the staining material and encap the residues that are trying to attract soil.

Also, just to follow up on something John said, when in doubt use Stain 1 first. I don’t know that deactivate is the word I would use, it’s more that when you are dealing with a difficult stain and need to go to Red 1 you will more than likely be using heat, one of two main factors that will set stains more aggressively. And because these are opposite reactions that you never mix together be sure you rinse the area if you are going from one to the other.

And on a final note I would be open to all of your input on this. I’m thinking very strongly about not updating the Stain Guide app. For those of you who have downloaded it take a look then bring up our main site up on your phone. The information site and I don’t know if Mike will allow links for us but I spent a good deal of time mobile optimizing the site. The mobile site is designed to get you to the important info quickly. All the guides are right up front. Let me know what you think.
 

Papa John

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Thanks CTI chick for clarification. I forgot-- I didn't use a steam iron on Stain 1, cause the app said not to.-I corrected my post.
 
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