India Ink Carpet Stain
How to Remove India Ink from Carpets and Rugs
What is in India Ink?
Basic India ink is made of fine soot (lampblack) and water. A binding agent such as shellac or ethylene glycol may be added to make the ink more durable once dried. The shellac makes removal from carpets and rugs more difficult. The India Ink sticks or cakes are made of lampblack or carbon black mixed with a gum or glue and sometimes perfume.
What is India Ink Used For?
India ink (also called Indian Ink or Chinese Ink) is a black or colored ink commonly used for drawing and outlining. India ink is also used in commonly-used artist pens, such as Faber-Castell’s fiber tipped Pitt artist pens which are water-based.
India ink is also used in medical applications as a marker for surgery and radiotherapy. India Ink containing shellac is also used for ebonizing wood.
Follow these Steps to Remove India Ink from Carpet:
- Vacuum to remove as much of the ink (soot) as possible.
- Apply Pro-Solve Gel Thickened Solvent-Based Spot & Stain Remover to help dissolve the shellac or gum.
- Agitate gently but thoroughly until deposit is dissolved.
- Apply Power Gel to the ink stain and agitate to suspend the lampblack and dissolved shellac.
- Thoroughly hot water extraction rinse.
- Treat with Stain Magic® Stain Remover if any stain remains. (Do not use Stain Magic on natural fibers such as wool and cotton.)
- Repeat if needed.