Superior Spot Identification Services

Regardless of the quantity, spills of human blood are potential health hazards. Hepatitis type B and HIV and other pathogens may be present. It is important to follow the procedures outlined in the blood-borne pathogens standard. Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include gloves and goggles. NOTE: The following procedures apply to relatively small quantities of blood. Trauma scene clean-up requires additional precautions. The carpet and/or the cushion may need to be replaced. 

The commonly encountered coffee spill can present challenges to the cleaner due to the complex nature of the ingredients. In addition to the natural color from the coffee bean, that mug may have artificial color, oil from cream and sugar. The process of decaffeination removes some color. This is replaced by black dye. Some freeze-dried coffees may also have added color. Food dyes, oil, sugar and coffee may all need to be dealt with separately. Tea is treated the same as coffee. Sugar may be added to tea, but added cream or food coloring is rare. 

The category of fruit and vegetable juices ranges from sugary apple juice which will leave a sticky, soil attracting residue to the natural dyes in tomato juice to the artificial colors used in juice products. So, there will be considerable variation in how these spills respond to cleaning. In any situation, the sooner you get to the spill the better your results will be. 

Paint removal may be one of your greatest spotting challenges. Dried oil based paints may require a bonded insert. Paint is designed to form thin films as it dries. Large paint spills will form many layers each of which must be attacked by the spotting products. Even though spotters might eventually remove all the layers, this may not be a practical solution. Although latex paints can be cleaned with water when fresh, once they cure the latex is no longer water soluble. If water could remove latex paint, we would need to repaint our homes every time it rained. 

Wine comes in many varieties, made from different types of grapes or other fruits. The type of wine, the age of the stain and the effects of previous cleaning attempts will all affect the results you can expect. 

This process can be used for petroleum greases, petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and other lubricants as well as cooking grease. Although this process can be used on wool and all common synthetic face fibers, remember that olefin (and to a lesser extent polyester) have an affinity for oil and grease. With time, oil and grease will dry out and oxidize. Oils will form chemical bonds with oleophilic molecules in olefin. This can be difficult or impossible to remove. For this reason, olefin and polyester carpets should be cleaned more frequently if they are exposed to tracked in oil and grease or oily atmospheric pollution. 

Olefin is a synthetic, non-porous, solution dyed fiber that is made from petroleum products. This gives it some interesting characteristics. 

Mustard is difficult to remove because it is a “Disperse Dye.” Disperse dye particles are held to the surface of the fiber by friction and strong electrical forces. This means that if you encounter a mustard spot, do not guarantee you will be able to completely remove the stain. There may be times when 100% success may not be reached without damaging the fiber. 

The common element in spills of pancake syrup, honey, jam, jelly and similar sticky substances is lots of sugar to be removed. If you apply too much heat to sugar, you get caramel which is even harder to remove. Using hot water is fine, but keep temperatures below 180*F.

The following procedures will work for melted wax from candles, crayons, and paraffin. Time-consuming process.