When you are hard at work repairing or restoring a car, you can’t let dirt, grease and grime get in your way. They are part of the job, and a somewhat satisfying part of the job at that. While you might like getting your hands dirty, you probably don’t feel the same way about stains on your carpet.
Oil and grease can create nightmare stains that tarnish your business’s reputation or annoy your family. While preventing these stains is the best way to protect your carpet, sometimes that isn’t possible. You might accidentally track some grease or oil into your home’s living room or your business’s waiting room.
Luckily, we can help you remove these stains before they become a big issue. We know the techniques that can get even stubborn oil and grease stains out. We will explain some of the science behind stain removal, and then give you a step-by-step process to deal with these work-related stains. Use our blog as you strive to keep the messiness in the work shop and off your carpet.
The Principles Behind Stain Removal
You probably already know to respond quickly to a stain, usually with a damp cloth. But what makes the first response important?
At the microscopic level, the difference between a stain and a spill is the time it takes for a substance to seep between the fibres of your carpet and stay there. Usually, water dilutes common stain and keeps it from drying and attaching itself to your carpet.
For more advanced stains, like grease and oil, you will need a detergent. Detergents act like magnets, bonding to the spill. This prevents the grease, oil and most other spills from bonding to your carpet. The Surfactants in dishwashing detergent change the surface tension making the area slippery allowing easier transfer from the carpet to the cloth.
After you rinse the spill with the detergent solution, you can use a colour-fast towel to absorb the stain. You should always dab the towel; never scrub. When you dab, you allow the towel to draw up the spill. When you scrub, you drive the stain deeper into the carpet. Scrubbing too vigorously can also permanently damage the carpet fibres.
Remove an Oil or Grease Stain
Oil and grease stains leave black, ugly marks, so they require special and immediate care. Use these tips if you see oil drop on your carpet or upholstery:
- Apply dish-washing solution to the stain.
- Use a solution of 5 mL of detergent with 1 L of hot water. Use a colour-fast towel to blot the spill. Keep applying solution to the stain as you treat it until the stain fades. Be careful to work from the outside of the stain in towards the centre. This prevents the stain from spreading.
- Rinse the area with a warm, damp towel to clean out the detergent.
- Dab the area dry with a clean, colour-fast towel.
- If large amounts of oil have been spilt it will pool in the backing or even the underlay, you will require professional help to remove large oil spills.
When the Stain Doesn’t Come Out Contact Stain Busters
