Stains Only Langenwalter Can Remove

As you might have guessed we get a lot of calls from customers requesting information about how to get rid of super stubborn stains. Most stains can be easily removed with our spot remover, but then there are the stains that require the heavy duty artillery. Those stains require professional attention, so please refrain from using DIY methods. Here’s why.

Candle Wax

Candle wax, especially red candle wax, is one of the toughest stains to remove. Whether your carpet is stain resistant, synthetic or natural fiber, colored wax is a real pain to make disappear. There are methods you can try to remove it yourself, but we strongly advise you call a professional and here’s why. Most online articles will suggest you try some crazy method involving a brown paper bag and an iron. Do not attempt to clean your carpet this way! You will end up doing more damage. This will cost you more money and will only cause you more frustration. You are much better off calling a professional to get the stain out.

First, leave the wax alone. Do not try and scrape it off of your carpet or dab it with paper towels. Just let it be. The more you mess with the wax the more it will spread and go deeper into the carpet fibers. You want to avoid that at all costs. Do not run your vacuum over the dried wax either. This will clog up your vacuum, or worse cause permanent damage to it.

The worst of your problems will come when you try to iron over the brown paper bag that you laid over the wax stain. It doesn’t matter what the websites say, this is a terrible idea and you will regret it. Several Internet articles claim that this technique will help absorb the wax as it melts making it disappear completely. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Wrong. Adding any degree of heat to the stain will lock it into the carpet fibers. Also, if you have nylon carpet, the heat from the iron will melt the paper bag to the carpet fibers since nylon carpet has a coating that causes it to burn quickly. Once the bag is stuck to the carpet you have a real mess on your hands. After that the only solution is to remove that section of carpet and replace it completely. This is a very costly mistake we do not recommend making.

Mustard

Mustard is one of the worst condiments you could possibly drop on your carpet. The coloring agent in mustard is what makes it so difficult to remove. Many mustard brands contain turmeric as one of the ingredients. It’s a spice that gives mustard flavor, but it also gives mustard its bright yellow color. The spice is a natural disperse dye which is different from vegetable or synthetic dyes. Carpets are treated with acid dye blockers, but there are no treatments for natural disperse dyes. So what do you do when some gets on your carpet? Step away from the computer.

Websites will tell you there are plenty of ways to rid the stain yourself. They are wrong. Since mustard is so difficult to remove from carpet you absolutely must call a professional. Some online articles will recommend that you take a clean, dry cloth and blot the spot with a mixture of dishwashing detergent and warm water. That’s not a good idea at all. The dishwashing detergent will bleach or discolor your carpet and make the mustard stain harder to remove.

Other articles might suggest creating a mixture of dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste that you should spread over the mustard stain. The problem with spreading this paste all over your carpet is that it will seep into the carpet fibers. Even if you try to gently wipe it off, some of the paste will be left behind. When it dries up it will leave an even bigger mess behind.

These stains require professional attention and shouldn’t be left to home remedies. If you’re willing to waste your time and energy trying to fix the stain yourself, go ahead. Just know that the stain might get worse or you could potentially damage your carpet in other ways by trying to remove it yourself. Call Langenwalter today to get your toughest stains taken care of the right way.