So your throwing a party and your unsure what drinks to serve. Well, I know it can be a little frustrating, but let me help here. Being in the carpet cleaning industry, we see many different types of food and drink stains, especially around the holiday season! Choosing the what types of food and drink to be served or allowed can sometimes make or break an evening with family and friends. You ask, what do you mean by “Make” or “Break”? Well, first of all, we all want to eat good food right…exactly! Second, you don’t want to end the evening with a huge “Organic” wine or food stain on your carpet or upholstery do you…I didn’t think so! Yep, it happens every day, a huge wine or coffee stain on your white persian rug…what more could you ask for? Yes, we get calls for this weekly and see the damage organic stains can cause to your carpet, rugs and upholstery.

Having said that, another problem is that most consumers do NOT know how to properly pre-treat a organic stain. This is big deal from a stain removal perspective. Most homeowners have “No” clue on how to deal with a espresso stain on a (for example: wool rug) and cause more harm than good! You see, organic dyes are natural and the pigment from “say” tomatoes can be Super Stubborn! Listed below are all organics:

  1. Coffee
  2. Tea
  3. Wine
  4. Natural Juices

***We could go on, but I think you get the point! Again, anything grown naturally is considered organic. Another example of an organic is urine from a human or animal. Yes, urine contains toxins &

ammonia that cause the “Yellow” color! But, urine was created naturally, so therefore urine is also an organic as well. Have you ever tried removing the yellow color from a urine stain…it’s not easy to do! There are several reasons for this:

  1. Yellow is the most difficult color to remove period…
  2. The amonia in urine helps penetrate synthetic and natural fibers making it more difficult to remove!
  3. Almost forgot, using everything under the kitchen sink to remove the stain will make things worse…please don’t do that!

You need to use something that breaks down and emulsifies organic compounds. Emulsifiers are typically “Acidic” therefore, breaking down organic compounds. Lemons, limes & oranges are a perfect example of this. Basically, instead of using “Surfactants” which is a bonding agent used in many chemicals, fruit can do it naturally without chemicals! Vinegar is another example something that is acidic in nature and assists in removing organic stains. The acids in fruit “Eat At” and help destroy the pigment from the organic dye. It’s not instant gratification, it will take some time, but the result can be very good!

The whole point here is to understand and how to identify an organic stain so you can make a decision on whether to pre-treat yourself or to contact a professional to do it for you. After all, some rugs and upholstery we clean was purchased for thousands of dollars and cannot be replaced easily! So before you decide to “Do It Yourself” think about whether you have the knowledge to treat the stain properly! If not, don’t wast your time and ruin an expensive rug or furniture piece…call a professional!