The simplest way to identify a spot is to be told what it is, but cleaners aren’t always lucky enough to have that information. Even if someone does provide information, they aren’t always correct.
Experts would have you believe the best method to determine the makeup of a spot or stain of unknown origin is to analyze its location, appearance, and/or smell. What if the smell is unidentifiable? Would the next sensible procedure be to taste it?
The industry has compiled layers of information regarding training procedures in order to identify stains such as keeping a list of potential stain hazards with custodial teams. Another is to identify the carpet type and then understand the chemical make up of that specific material in order to cross reference known or unknown soil types that have an affinity of chemically attaching itself to the specific carpet type. And even if you somehow become the leading carpet stain investigator in the country, you still will have to carry a multitude of carpet products in order to care for the stain you have identified as being accurate, hopefully. Hopefully you did not have to smell nor taste the stain in order to get to your most prized conclusion.
Industry standard outlined by CMM :
- Petroleum-based: clean with a dry solvent spotter
- Water-soluble: clean with water-based agent
- Synthetic: clean with a reducing agent
- Natural or organic: clean with an oxidizing agent
- Protein (vomit, feces, blood): clean with a protein digest
Wow, the process in this cleaning industry could not be more complicated, cumbersome and downright inefficient for all parties. Industry consultants would have you believe that there is no cleaning technology that would safely prevent professional cleaners from following these processes. However Ultra Chem Labs’ Electrolytic Technology removes this long process of guess work from the identification process. Applying Electrolytic Cleaning Technology to the carpet neutralizes the surface which in turn neutralizes the ionic charge of the soil, resulting in easy and safe removal of the stain. This Electrolytic cleaning surfactant does not rely on high pH, heavy mechanical action, heavy caustic builders nor high temperatures to remove stains, instead relies solely on this unique technology.
Therefore to begin Ultra’s process is simple.
- Identify where the stain is.
- Then test the stain by spraying liberally (‘Clean’), 4-8 oz/gallon of water directly onto the stain. This can be done with a spray bottle or a 40 PSI pump sprayer.
- Then place a damp micro fiber towel onto the stain. Tap the area of the stain through the micro fiber towel lightly with two fingers, 10-12 times.
- Lift the towel up and if there is a soil transfer, this will notify you that the stain is in fact a stain and can be removed.
(If the carpet fibers have been chemically changed through dyeing or burning where the physical state of the fibers have been altered, this will notify you that what was thought to be a stain is more likely a dye or burned area.)
So to answer the question, IS IDENTIFYING THE STAIN REQUIRED IN ORDER TO CLEAN IT? The answer is yes, just please keep your nose and mouth out of it.