So your favorite pet of the canine variety grabs a ball-point ink pen (or any type of pen) and treats it like his favorite chew toy...
... and although somewhat harmless to do so, the end result could be a mouthful of ink and a carpet with multiple ink stains that can be very tough to remove.
Some treatments tout using hair spray to remove ink. Does that work? It can. It's the alcohol in the hair spray that will dissolve the ink. But there are often better ways to approach this challenge as a do-it-yourself spot and stain remover.
The first step is "containment." Ink, as you remove it, tends to spread out and become a bigger problem. What may start as a tiny spot can quickly become the size of a quarter or even larger. So wet out the area around the ink stain with water before you begin to remove the ink.
Use plenty of absorbent white paper towels. What is in the carpet is more than you might think and you will need lots of absorbency to remove it.
Apply to the towels some solvent, such as acetone or gel solvent you can purchase at most hardware stores. But don't get too much into the carpet. It will "delaminate" it and cause all kinds of problems.
As long as you are seeing transfer to the towels, you are making progress. This will take some time. Be patient.
Of course, the best thing to do is call a pro because they have special tools for extraction and special chemistry for the job. But if you do it yourself, go slow and be cautious. Remember, permanent damage and more staining can occur.
Just a friendly reminder from Jeff Cross, the executive editor of Cleanfax, the magazine and online authority for cleaning and restoration contractors. Let me know if you have any questions. Send me an email at [email protected]
... and although somewhat harmless to do so, the end result could be a mouthful of ink and a carpet with multiple ink stains that can be very tough to remove.
Some treatments tout using hair spray to remove ink. Does that work? It can. It's the alcohol in the hair spray that will dissolve the ink. But there are often better ways to approach this challenge as a do-it-yourself spot and stain remover.
The first step is "containment." Ink, as you remove it, tends to spread out and become a bigger problem. What may start as a tiny spot can quickly become the size of a quarter or even larger. So wet out the area around the ink stain with water before you begin to remove the ink.
Use plenty of absorbent white paper towels. What is in the carpet is more than you might think and you will need lots of absorbency to remove it.
Apply to the towels some solvent, such as acetone or gel solvent you can purchase at most hardware stores. But don't get too much into the carpet. It will "delaminate" it and cause all kinds of problems.
As long as you are seeing transfer to the towels, you are making progress. This will take some time. Be patient.
Of course, the best thing to do is call a pro because they have special tools for extraction and special chemistry for the job. But if you do it yourself, go slow and be cautious. Remember, permanent damage and more staining can occur.
Just a friendly reminder from Jeff Cross, the executive editor of Cleanfax, the magazine and online authority for cleaning and restoration contractors. Let me know if you have any questions. Send me an email at [email protected]
RSS Feed
