Professional Spot and Stain Removal Solutions
Stains don’t discriminate, you can find them on your furniture, carpet, rugs, drapery, clothes, and hard surfaces. Professionals share their tips on the stain removal process.
- Step 1: Identify stain
- Step 2: Establish your stain category
- Step 3: Select the appropriate stain removal treatment
Identifying your stain or what caused it is crucial to the elimination process. Stains are composed of various ingredients and chemical compounds. We categorize stains as organic, synthetic, oil-based, rust, gum or adhesives, and browning/yellowing. Regardless of your situation, we’ve got you covered. Barker-Hammer Associates, Inc. carries numerous spotters from a variety of distributors to cover ALL your stain removal needs. Not sure what you need? Give us a call or come to one of our two locations for a consultation!
Categories of Stains & Spotter Recommendations
Organic Stains
Organic stains derive from organic or natural compounds that are not man-made. Organic stains are typically much easier to treat in comparison to synthetic stains due to their natural chemical composition. Common organic stains include coffee, tea, urine, blood, vomit, feces, plant, pet, mustard, organic dyes, and more.
Products we recommend,
- Stain Zone
- Avenge Pro
- Stain 1
- Stain Magic or Stain Magic for Wool
- Protein & Stain Remover
- Zoop!
- Protein Spotter
Spotters other than Stain Magic for Wool, are meant for synthetic fibers ONLY. They are NOT for use on natural fibers.
Pet Stains
Pet stains are a special subcategory of Organic stains. Whether it’s animals or humans, bodily fluids from either contain large number of proteins. These proteins need to be eliminated for efficient stain and odor removal.
Products we recommend,
- Bio Release
- Urine Neutralizer
- Urine Stain Remover
- OSR
- Ox-Erase
- UPS
- Bio Modifier Extreme
- Pet Zone
- Urine Contamination Treatment
- Unleashed
Pet stain removal products require a thorough rinse and extraction. Heavy duty stains or neglected stains require a dwell time of at least 1 hour. Certain products could dye nylon or wool fabrics, make sure to test in an inconspicuous area before complete application.
Synthetic Stains and Oil Based Stains
These are the opposite of Organic Stains. Synthetic or non-organic stains are typically man-made or manufactured compounds, meaning they are not biological. Examples of synthetic stains include fruit drinks, sports, drinks, Kool-Aid, paint, oil, grease, ink, paint, shoe polish, nail polish, cosmetics and more!
Products we recommend,
- Red Zone Ready
- Red Relief or Red Relief for Wool
- Red 1
- POG
- All Solv Extreme
- Citrus Solv
- P.I.G
- All-Solv Vandalism Remover
- Invade
- Sure-Solv
- Grease Breaker
Spotters other than Red Relief for Wool, are meant for synthetic fibers and porous hard surfaces ONLY. They are NOT for use on natural fibers.
Gum/Adhesives
Gum and adhesives create sticky situations, they are not water soluble. This category of stains would need to be addressed with a solvent-based solution or gel where surfactants lubricate the fibers for easy adhesive extraction. Removal products can be used on hard surfaces, carpet, upholstery, clothes, and more.
Products we recommend,
- Gum Break
- Gel Break
- All Solv Extreme
- O.J. Gel
- Exclude
- Sure-Solv
- De-Zov-All
- Liqua Gel with BioSolv
- Pro-Solv Gel
- Power Gel
Gum and adhesive removal are usually tackled with solvent-based formulas, typically a gel. Citrus is also commonly found in adhesive and grease removal products to enhance performance. Some of these products can be interchangeably used as oil-based or synthetic stain removers.
Browning/Yellowing Discoloration & Stains
Browning or yellowing stains are caused for a couple reasons, the main reasons are wicking of soils and spills after stain removal, and inadequate water removal. Using an acidic cleaner with a low pH will reverse the browning/yellowing effects as well as remove other materials that might still be in the fabric.
Products we recommend,
- Spot Stop
- Coffee Stain Remover,
- Oxy-Plus (Booster)
- Coffee & Tannin Spotter
- Yellow RX, Restore
- Browning treatment.
The origin of the stain will help determine which product will work best for your job, whether its coffee, water stains, wicking of old stains, etc. Surface applications vary with each product, Yellow RX removes browning on cotton, jute, nylon, olefin, and natural fibers. Not all treatments work on the same fabrics.
Stains plague us all, but they are only temporary. With this simple 3-step process, stains won’t seem so scary. However, this system isn’t fool proof. Stains can be comprised of multiple things, or you may not know what caused the stain to identify your stain category and treatment. Several of our stain removers are versatile! Contact us at one of our locations for a consultation; let us help you!