Ink, paint, and red dye can be particularly stubborn almost immediately when introduced to a carpet. For this article, we want to address cleaning of these specific kinds of spot cleanings. Remember, these tips apply ONLY to carpets, as upholstery should NEVER be spot-cleaned to avoid rings or spots.

Anything red in color, such as red wine or fruit juice with Red 40 dye, tends to set very quickly into fabrics. As we mentioned in our spot treating article, customers tend to frantically scrub these areas, which is not recommended as it can have a similar effect to over-sanding a block of wood. You may remove the color, but there could now be irreversible damage to the quality of the fabrics. In addition, over-treating with detergent may in fact set the stain into the rug. For instances like this, we strongly recommend calling NOVA for an urgent cleaning. We carry a dye remover that can attempt to either open up the pores of the fibers to release the contaminant, or neutralize the color of the stain.

Unfortunately, there is the risk that heavy stains, especially from materials like paint or candle wax, may not be removable even with a professional cleaning. In these cases, NOVA can carefully replace the damaged sections. This usually requires extra pieces of the original rug, which means that because the unused pieces have not worn or faded evenly with the rest of your floor, it may not look completely natural, but still better than the section being permanently stained. Please contact us for more information so that we can make these repairs look as seamless as possible.