Ever study a red carpet stain carefully? If you look closely you’ll notice that the red color on the affected area is either bright or shiny and looks like the red liquid in a Gatorade bottle or subsequently it looks dull and somewhat dark like wine or old dried up blood. Study these stains a little more and you’ll learn they are removed differently too. For example, most over the counter red stain removal products like Oxyclean for Carpet contain oxidizers that work well on natural or vegetable dyes including red wine stains. Unfortunately, most spills are actually caused by foods that contain artificial or synthetic dyes and these products have very little or no success on removing synthetic stains. This can be very frustrating when embarrassing spots are located in the middle of a room where homeowners can’t simply hide them with a plant or piece of furniture.
Here’s a great article written by Jeff Cross, senior editor for Cleanfax Magazine titled: Remove the Red. Mr. Cross discusses the difference between red stains caused by synthetic dyes versus organic dyes and how to remove each.
I get calls every day in my Las Cruces carpet cleaning business from people that have red stains on their carpet. Some say they were caused by wine spills while others say their red spots were accidental Kool Aid or fruit juice spills. Both are red in color but are removed using completely opposite solutions and techniques. Be sure to consult with a reputable and experienced professional carpet cleaner before attempting to remove a red stain. Using the wrong solutions and techniques can set unwanted color permanently.