Stains on natural carpet fibers (non-wool)

[Hoss]

Received a request to remove a spot / stain from a carpet that is 'natural' fiber (non-wool). So, I imagine that it must be sisal, seagrass, hemp, jute, or coir. I don't know the nature of the stain or the extent of it - only that 'water made it worse'.

I am hesitant to use vlm, even with the gentlest application - since even vlm relies on moisture that may be inappropriate for some of those fiber types. So, my other option is dry cleaning. I don't have quick local access to Abzorb which I would normally use with the CRB. Does anyone have a good feel for Milliken Capture Dry Carpet Cleaner?

Thanks!


LADY MACBETH ~
Out, damned spot! Out, I say!

[encapman]

Go to Lowes and get some of this...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_15673-68128-500467-705_0__?productId=1036895&Ntt=capture&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dcapture&facetInfo=

You can use it with yourCRB. It can help with something that's uber-sensitive to water.

[Tom Ingram]

Can I use Capture on a Poly rug?

[encapman]

Yes you can, with mediocre impact. If the carpet has light to medium soiling Capture can work. If the rug is sensitive or is made of some weird natural fiber (like described here), Capture can be useful. But for a poly rug I would personally bring a genuine encap product to the party (a.k.a. Releasit).

[Tom Ingram]

I'll use some Releasit on later today... Thanks

[Hoss]

Thanks Rick. I will try Capture and we will see how it turns out. I'm thinking of using a light pre-spray of Hydrox depending on what the stain looks like. People in the really high-end market get sold on expensive exotic flooring - mostly because it expensive and exotic and the architects are up-selling their designs. But, many times it seems that there really aren't practical maintenance processes available to the owners after installation.

[encapman]

Your take on decorators is the same as mine. LOL They sell this junk to people and they buy it with no thought of how the product will wear or how it can be maintained. It's ridiculous. I also agree that a light pre-spray of Encap-HydrOx should help too.

[Hoss]

The Capture worked fairly well. I think the 'carpet' is actually woven hemp. The stain was originally a pet stain. The application of water / detergent had not only removed some of the luster - it also spread the stain exponentially through capillary action - plant fibers carry water. The original cleaning process did damage the finish on the fibers.

I pre-sprayed with some of the formula Capture recommends for activation, and used the CRB with soft brushes to agitate. The only down side was during agitation, the CRB started to kick up the Capture dust and I had to run a vac upright next to it to keep it from spreading. After dwell, followed with vacuum. Then, I topped off the process using a small Oreck with the terry pad lightly saturated with Hydrox. Stain came out and the owner was pleased.

[encapman]

Hey Robert,
That is exactly why they call 'em entrepreneurs! Getting creative. Thinking outside the box. Not being afraid to mix and match (based on knowledge and experience) to find a solution that works. Well done!