[gary evans]

Hi All

Need to clean glue from wool carpet, its new carpet where builders have taped down floor covering.

Dont want to damage carpet, but, need something strong enough to remove it.

Gary

[Jim_77]

The builders have already damaged the carpet!  If the adhesive (probably gaffa tape : ) has left a residue it more than likely took away a load of fibre from the pile when it was yanked up.

I'd take this on under a disclaimer that the most appropriate solvent to remove the glue may also permanently damage the capet.  I wouldn't issue any guarantees as to the likely success either.  This is a "salvage attempt".  As long as you're straight with them and don't put them under any false illusions, you'll be fine.

! ! ! GET A WRITTEN QUOTATION SIGNED BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ! ! !

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Rinse through with plain hot water first, then try a few different solvents by applying them indirectly via a nappy towel and blotting, not rubbing.

You should see the effectiveness by the transfer to the nappy towel.  Once you find the right product for the job, carry on using the towel and allow a bit more dwell time before rinsing out.  You may need to do it twice.

Don't rip yourself off price-wise.  Don't do it at a knock-down price hoping it will curry favour for more work either, the building company won't reciprocate as a general rule.

[Mike Osbourne]

Citrus Gel

[markpowell]

Good advice Jim,
Do you find that solvents work on wet fibres?
I was always led to believe that if you are using solvents on a carpet you had to use them whilst dry because otherwise the solvent just sits on the water and doesnt get to the carpet.
I know that some solvents are ionic and will work on water but not all will.
Mark

[Jim_77]

As you say, not all solvents are incompatible with water.  The most effective one I've found for these situations is a grease soil lifter, brilliant on anything sticky or gloopy.

[cleaningmaster]

Try OJ from Hydramaster
Brilliant

Daryl

[Len Gribble]

Been using old stock from solutions chewing gum remover fantastic for removing silicon mastic.

Len

[carlton care]

Rid a Gum works well

[derek west]

won't these solvents fade the carpet considerably?
newbie question by the way.
derek

[John Kelly]

Solvents rarely cause colour loss. They can do so always test first.
Gary be aware that it can sometimes be impossible to remove all the residues.

[Mike Roper]

In 20yrs the only claim I've had is similar to what this could lead to if the advice given isnt heeded.
Afew years ago called to take a number of oily footprints off a newly laid wool axminster ,walked on by the son who'd been working on his car.
Emphasizing the need to blot not rub I used citrus gel successfully to remove the oil ,then rinsed. Great job happy customer I thought!
To cut along story short she complained about pilling wouldnt let me remove it with a razor(although successful on an offcut).
Suddenly its my fault . Got cleaning research international to try take oil out of a sample without pilling and they couldnt.My insurance said they would take it through court but generally goes on side of consumer, so I decided to go for payout and move on.
She got £2500 left the carpet down and went on holiday,not long after sold the house.
Really narked me when I cleanedthe carpet a number of times for the new owner- no pilling in sight.
Point is cover yourself in writing before you touch it!!!
Mike

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Lots of good advice I would just add a few comments.

There are hundreds of different glues and different solvents will work better on different glues, that is why I carry a number.

If it's PVA, then something like acetone will probably soften it, bearing in mind there are lots of differnt PVA's.

I would almost always try white spirit first, gently on a cloth, work in , allow a few minutes and hopefully peel off.

Solvents are unlikely to remove any colour, this is much more likely with water !

As for wet carpets being harder to use solvents on, I have found in practice it makes little difference.

Cheers

Doug

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

It'll be more pleasant for you if when wetting the carpet you only wet the affected areas as you will be working on the floor for a good deal of the time.

Sounds like you will need to charge on a time basis. Providing you set it up correctly with the owners/building company there shouldn't be an issue. If you can't agree it may be better to walk away than spend a lot of time and then have an argument about the finished price when you could have been more productive cleaning some straight-forward carpets elsewhere. IE there is an opportunity cost to think about.

I've usually in these circumstances advised that they will get "X" time for "Y" money and that after the initial period we can review how the job is progressing. That way if the mark isn't moving the client knows what he will be out of pocket for whilst still having the mark/stain. If it starts to shift then you will have a better idea of how long the whole job will take and therefore a better idea of full cost and also how successful the completed job will be.

As to chemicals I've always stuck with one of the major suppliers full range. That way I know the scope and limitations of what can be achieved with each chemical. It's really my techniques that I like to improve upon instead.

[gary evans]

Thanks for the help & advice.

I am looking to do more carpets as currently do very little so will be looking at courses in near future to expand my knowledge.

Last c/c course i attended was 95 96 mainly do other work w/c etc. But feel i should do more on carpet side.

Thanks

Gary