Carpet cleaners with many years of experience remember the days when red stains were removed with the heat transfer method.

They would first clean the carpet, then wet the stain with the red stain removal chemical, agitate it into the fiber, and then use a damp towel and clothes iron to transfer the stain out of the fiber and into the towel.

Sometimes it worked — sometimes it didn't.

That method is still used today, but there are many other tools that make the job even easier.

Analyze the ‘red'

Before you decide which method and which type of chemical is best for the red stain you are trying to remove, you need to determine the cause of the stain.

Was it red wine, red dye such as that found in Kool-Aid^®, a soft drink or something else?

A good rule of thumb to follow is to simply put the red stain into one of two classes: Organic or synthetic.

The removal technique for red wine will be very different than the one for synthetic red dye.

Always test for fiber content and test your cleaning product to ensure color loss or fiber damage does not occur.

Synthetic red stains

These types of stains include, but are not limited to, some of the following:

• Food dyes and coloring (Kool-Aid^®)
• Fruit juices with added coloring
• Medicines
• Cosmetics.

If this is the type of stain you are trying to remove, you need to use a reducing agent, which typically will contain sodium bisulfite, hydrosulfite or another variety of reducing agent. Many formulas on the market contain proprietary chemistry.

Does it work? You can prove it to yourself … simply make up a small amount of red Kool-Aid^® or put some iodine in water until you can see the coloring.

Mix up your favorite reducing agent — or use it straight, if you are using a one-part liquid product — and add some of your chemical to the solution.

In a few moments you will notice the color start to change, and eventually the reducing agent will remove the red.

Any color left behind is much easier to remove. This is the type of reaction you will get by applying the same chemical to the same type of stain on the carpet.

Of course, the age of the stain and what the customer might have already tried — chemicals obtained from under the kitchen sink — can make the job much more difficult.

Also, the application of most reducing agents requires a wet towel and steam iron, which means you not only get the bleaching effect of the reducing agent, but also the heat transfer effect.

Be careful not to damage the fabric or original carpet color.

A safer heat application method would be to use a wallpaper steamer, or simply put a wet towel on the stain and weigh it down with a small container of very hot water.

Organic red stains

These types of stains include, but are not limited to, some of the following:

• Red wine
• Fruit juices
• Natural food coloring
• Tomato sauces, condiments.

An easy way to remember the type of chemical to remove organic red stains is to use word association: "Oxidize organics."

Oxidizing bleaches (sodium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) can work wonders as part of your stain removal expertise.

Again, you can prove to yourself how this works.

Pour some grape juice or red wine into a clear glass and add an oxidizing agent, mixed according to directions from the manufacturer.

In a short time you will notice a desirable color change.

As in the reducing agent procedure, the use of a wet towel and an iron or steamer will speed the chemical action and reduce the time needed to remove organic red stains.