Kool Aid and Other Red Stains in Carpet
It isn't always possible to remove Kool Aid stains from carpet.
In fact, all "red stains" are difficult to get out,
at best. The red coloring used in pop, candy, and other foods
won't generally flush out with water. A shop-vac (wet-dry vacuum
cleaner) can suck some of it out if it is used quickly, before
the spill enters the carpet fibers. To get out some or all of
the remaining stain takes time.
First, you need Dawn dish washing detergent - the original
blue type. Put five drops in two cups of warm water. Moisten
a white cotton cloth (cut up a white t-shirt if you have nothing
else) with this solution and lay it over the stain. Place a clothes
iron on it, set on "low".
Leave this for fifteen minutes. Don't press down. The stain
should begin to wick up into the cloth. You'll see red on the
cloth. Fold it to a clean part or use a new cloth, and repeat
the process.
Patience is required to get red stains out of carpet, but
even year-old Kool Aid stains have been removed using this method.
Just repeat the process again and again until you get no more
transfer of the red stain to the cloth.
Remember; clean white cotton cloth (several), low heat, and
don't press or rub. Let the color wick up into the cloth at its
own rate.
When you are done, rinse the area (a spray bottle is convenient
for this) several times with plain water, blotting it up with
a clean white cloth or undyed paper towels in between applications.
You want to get all the detergent out.
It also helps to dry the spot quickly. If there is any red
dye remaining deeper down in the fibers, it can wick back to
the surface and become visible again, Fast drying prevents this
from happening. Use a stack of white paper towels with weight
on them (a brick will work) to soak up the moisture. Replace
the paper towels as they get wetted through, until you are getting
little transfer of moisture. Then aim a fan at the spot to complete
the drying.
At the very least, you can lighten Kool Aid carpet stains
and other red stains using this technique.
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