[scott.]

went to customers house today, and in the bedroom, he has, what looks like a low profile bonded off white wool carpet, with a large unknown water based stain on it..the size of a dinner plate...he said it had been worked on with stain removers, with no sucess....as the stain is probably now set, i was reluctant to touch it...was wondering if anyone has any ideas as to wheather it can be removed, or did i do the right thing?...i would love to return to him, and remove it, as he was very dissapointed....(rich client) ps... i use prochem stuff.

[Dynafoam]

Scott,

The only way of knowing whether the stain is removable is to try.

The first thing to do is to rinse out all the rubbish that has been applied - it often surprises customers when a cold-water rinse  pulls out the stain.

Procedure from this point will vary dependant on the original spill, how it has reacted to the armature attempt and how it responded to the rinse. A typical next step would be to apply an acidic spotter to part of the stain - it has already been bombarded with alkali's. Prochem Coffee stain remove would be a suitable candidate. Next step up might be B175 Browning Prescription, with an extended dwell.

Proceed in this manner, noting the results of each spotter, looking for clues to the next stage. Never apply  spotter on spotter - rinse in between and use small areas of a large stain as test sites. the final stage may be a sodium metabisulphite reducing agent or perhaps ammonia-boosted hydrogen peroxide but always aim at a progression in aggressiveness rather than starting with the 'big guns' as there is often no chance to backtrack.

Of course the mark may have been set as a permanent stain and this should be made clear to the customer at the outset.

[scott.]

cheers john..sound advice....was wondering if finishing with b136 stain absorber would be a good choice..have never had to use the stuff yet, so dont know if it's any good.

[Dynafoam]

Scott,

Ron Tilley (Mr Prochem) once described this product to me as 'Magic Powder'

Have a dificult stain? - cover it with the powder - tell customer that it must not be disturbed for 24 hours - take money and leave.

As soon as the stain is burried, it has dissapeared, that's the magic.

In reality is is similar to the use of a weighted towel to slowly absorb liquid from the carpet. For this to work the stain needs to be liquified and in most cases once this stage has been reached other extraction methods are more appropriate.

[scott.]

so....i guess the answer is, dont bother with it..ok point taken.. THANK YOU

[goesltd]

Have you tried doing a ph test and then spotting with the appropriate spotter?

i find that doing a ph test looks good and gives the customer even more faith in your ability and advice.

[scott.]

havnt had the chance...he hasnt called back

[Harry]

With a little effort, a few classes and a lot of time practising and researching the archives of these forums you can easily become very proficient in stain removal. Learn how to do spot dyieng and bonded inserts to complete your mission to having a solution for just about anything thrown at you.

It is quite common in my experience that one particular stain is the often primary reason a customer decides to get their carpets cleaned. If you can perform miracles you will soon have a great, growing and loyal following among the general public, Insurance Companys, Carpet stores and Moving companys and commercial property managers.
Pass it by ?
Don't bother  !     
Never pass on an opportunity to perform a miracle !
                                                             
ps, Oh and start taking digital before and after pictures of your miracles, you'll never regret it.