STAIN REMOVAL PROCEDURES
FOR WOOL AND SILK RUGS

Before beginning your stain removal procedure, the stained rug should be thoroughly rinsed, cleaned and blotted dry to remove anything that could interfere with the stain removal process.

Protein fibers such as wool and silk are easily damaged by oxidizers and reducers as well as by strong bases or strong acids. Because of this, careful attention must be given during any stain removal procedure.

Strong reducing agents can cause the loss of natural color and yellowing of the fiber. Strong oxidizers will cause color loss as well as fiber degradation. Unfortunately most of the products that can successfully remove stains are based on reduction and oxidation bleaching reactions. So, before attempting stain removal from a customer's wool rug, be sure you have a waiver from liability.

Selecting the right product for unknown stains:

Most brown or yellow stains are some type of organic stain and will respond best to Red Relief for Wool.

Muted dull red or purple stains are often wine stains (which are also organic in nature) and will respond best to Stain Magic for Wool.

Vivid red or pink stains are often food dye, which responds best to Red Relief for Wool.

If it is an unknown stain, clip two affected tufts and place each on a damp white towel. Treat one with Red Relief for Wool and the other with Stain Magic for Wool. Fold the towel over the tufts and heat each with a steam iron. Check and see which product was effective.

Procedure for Removing Organic Stains from Wool:

If the stain is organic natural (urine, wine, coffee, furniture stain, etc), use Stain Magic for Wool.

Note: Many wool carpets are dyed with organic vegetable colors that can bleed and/or fade during your stain removal procedure. You can stabilize these colors by treating the colored areas you want to protect with Part “C” - CSS (Color Stabilizer and Souring Agent). After cleaning and dry blotting, apply CSS Part “C” with an eye dropper to wet just those colored fibers you want to protect.

IMPORTANT NOTE: CSS Part “C” will neutralize Stain Magic and retard its reaction; so, do not treat the areas you intend to use Stain Magic for Wool with CSS Part “C”.

• Mix equal parts of Part “A” and Part “B” of and apply accurately to the stained fibers wetting ONLY the stain damaged fibers.
• At this point it is best to allow up to 15 minutes dwell time to see if the stain can be removed without the application of external reaction energy.
• If you observe the stain disappearing, allow sufficient time for the stain to be removed then proceed with the neutralization and rinsing process.
• If you observe improvement but very slow reaction of the stain to your treatment you have two choices:
• You can allow the reaction to proceed for up to 8 hours (or until dry). In this instance you will probably not be present to rinse and neutralize the treated area at the point where the stain is gone. But it should be rinsed and neutralized as soon as possible following the treatment.
• You can add external energy to speed up the stain removal chemical reaction. If this is the action you choose proceed as follows:
• Carefully dampen only the stained fibers with Stain Magic for Wool solution.
• Cover the treated fibers with a damp lightweight terry towel folded in half so you have 2 layers of fabric over the stain.
• Apply steam heat from a steam iron set at the lowest steam setting.
• Allow ONLY 3 seconds dwell time before you remove the heat and fold back the towel to inspect the treated area.
• Repeat the heat application in 3-second intervals until the stain has been removed.
• NOTE: During this process monitor the fibers for bleaching and/or loss of fiber bulk. If you observe either of these conditions discontinue your treatment.
• When you have completed your treatment rinse the treated area using hot water extraction. Apply CSS to the treated fibers and again hot water extraction rinse the area. Blot area with a clean white towel to leave as dry as possible.

Related Rug and Carpet and Stain Removal Articles and Information:

• Rug Care
• Rug Rescued
• Wool fiber

FOOD DYE STAIN REMOVAL FROM RUGS with Red Relief for Wool: