[gwrightson]

I have been asked to clean a carpet 80/20 I have been told  were workman have walked in diesel on the boots, Custy is guessing its diesel by the smell , my guess is it could be oil or similar I havnt seen yet so will visit tommorow.
Not had to remove diesel before if it is diesel, any suggestions?

To be honest my main concern will be the odour, I,m guessing that lifting and treating backing might be needed !!

Geoff

[Jim_77]

Obviously without seeing the job, this is only a stab in the dark... but I wouldn't have thought it would be necessary to lift the carpet   Normally with this sort of thing there's not going to be a huge volume of contaminant walked in on the soles of boots, it should remain confined to the tufts or at least only into the upper part of the primary backing I'd have thought - all reachable from the top without lifting it.  They'd have had to been paddling in it to get it wet all through!

Standard cleaning products used very thoroughly should deal with the physical removal of the diesel, there are also specific odour neutralisers for petrol/oil type substances I think.

My only concern would be delamination.  If the diesel has indeed been there in sufficient quntity to touch the primary backing and get into the latex, it may have started to break it up.  The delamination might not manifest itself until you start cleaning it

Obviously this is going to be in a traffic area too, if it isn't a very new carpet delamination might already have begun... I'd inspect it very carefully before deciding whether to clean it or walk!

[Simon@arenaclean]

Obviously without seeing the job, this is only a stab in the dark... but I wouldn't have thought it would be necessary to lift the carpet   Normally with this sort of thing there's not going to be a huge volume of contaminant walked in on the soles of boots, it should remain confined to the tufts or at least only into the upper part of the primary backing I'd have thought - all reachable from the top without lifting it.  They'd have had to been paddling in it to get it wet all through!

Standard cleaning products used very thoroughly should deal with the physical removal of the diesel, there are also specific odour neutralisers for petrol/oil type substances I think.

My only concern would be delamination.  If the diesel has indeed been there in sufficient quntity to touch the primary backing and get into the latex, it may have started to break it up.  The delamination might not manifest itself until you start cleaning it

Obviously this is going to be in a traffic area too, if it isn't a very new carpet delamination might already have begun... I'd inspect it very carefully before deciding whether to clean it or walk!

That's some excellent advice!

If it's local it should not be a problem but before I start on anything like this I always mention that de lamination might occur, even sometime after cleaning. I would ensure the customer is aware of it, and what affect petrochemicals have on latex, and that there is a risk that cleaning could aggravate the situation too.

Put it on your assessment sheet and get a signature. Most folk just say go ahead but a little insurance never hurt anybody.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

after doing what the other posters have said the way i got a simler job done was useing good old prochem cit. gel  dont put it in big piles spreed it out so it look like a party poper as gone off over the top of it, then brush in with a tampo brush lightly (you could also lighlty missed it over with water yo help)

leave it for as long as it takes to set up , then rince the lot out i used h.m. muiti phase and chem , 230 heat and 400 psi wipped it out in seconds how ever it was mostly sat on the top of the carpet and the custy had not done anything with it

[Hilton]

If diesel is walked across carpet is should not be too much of a problem to remove as opposed to a spill where the carpet would be written off.

As a hydrocarbon you can use any product that will break the bond between hydrogen and carbon such as M-Power or Prochems filter out or ultra pac renovate, then simply extract out.As its an 80/20 you are dealing with a little more care has to be taken to prevent pile burst.

With an application of M-power (or similar) an over spray slight agitation and leave for 24hrs is best course of action to allow sufficient gentle break down.

If odour persists several applications may be required which could involve re-visits for which an extra charge should be discussed.

[derek west]

With an application of M-power (or similar) an over spray slight agitation and leave for 24hrs is best course of action to allow sufficient gentle break down.

wouldn't it dry out if left that long or does that not matter.
never used Mpower so just enquiring.
derek

[gwrightson]

Derick, I believe micro splitters , can be left to dry  , the results perhaps not as good so i,m led to believe , m.power hmmm not sure!!
To be honest I wouldnt leave anything in for 24 hrs  , I cant see the benifits here.

geoff

[Hilton]

You asked for suggestions on how to clean it and I gave you some, its up to you of course if follow them. Why are you unsure about M-Power or Nemesis  ? It would be the safest option of all and the results are very good.

Yes, its fine to leave on for 24hrs or more, it will carry on working just like many other products that can be left same amount time before extraction , of course you have to check you use the correct products.

The benefits of leaving on for 24hrs are as already mentioned gentle breakdown it will not cause any damage and remember you are dealing with an 80/20 here not a synthetic so the gentler the better.(as they say)

If the contamination is high over use of product and extraction will force moisture etc into the backing and underlay resulting in further possible damage with the possibility of prolonged odour problems.You may then have to lift the carpet to dry and treat.

Products such as M-Power micro splitters etc do actualy continue to work after you have finished (you never remove all residue on extraction).

Slightly of the subject but still relevent; It has been mentioned here that many cleaners use high ph products on wool carpets.If you come across a carpet that you know has had this kind of treatment all you need to do, is clean it using hot water extraction with a slight acidid rinse and no other solution.The carpet will clean fine and be returned to some sort of neutral ph (but not completely).This is because so much residue will be left in the carpet from previous cleans that no additional product is required.

[gwrightson]

Hilton,

I was not suggesting that your idea was wrong !! and thank you for you comments,

I am merely pointing out that I cannot see the benifits of leaving 24hrs, but of course if this is benificial then I have learned something new today, which I miight add is exactly why i frequent this forum .
So thankyou again.
Geoff.
ps. please dont think I was in any way trying to belittle your suggestion.

geoff

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Geoff

It should be relatively easy to clean diesel off the carpet provided it has been walked in and not spilt.

Any good quality detergent, spray on , leave while setting up and extract hot.

If problem persists, a wipe over with white spirit on a towell, should remove the rest, then detergent and extract again.

I have found Texatherm also works very well on these type of situations.

Cheers

Doug

[Hilton]

Not a problem Geoff good luck with it,

If you go down the route of using white spirit though make sure that no pets are present or children, also make sure it does not come in to contact with the backing.

 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

A little white spirit on a towell, worked into the carpet is not likely to harm children, pets or carpet backing, it's a matter of common sense really.

All solvents should be used in a ventillated area if possible , including Diesel 

Cheers

Doug

[gwrightson]

ok, guys.

Taken a look today, not diesel , was infact  4 small marks more like an oil and outside dirt mixed on workmans boots, custy described the situation on phone as quite horrific. dont blame her really ,the type who takes a great deal of pride and care of her furnishings.
Anyway a quick spot of pog on terry removed all, flushed area and towel dried... perfect going back tomorrow to complete the rest and clean the full lounge. wants a quote for her 2 suites in lounge also.

Geoff

[Jim_77]

Job's a good un!