Removing Grout stains from a carpet

I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

Dave

Reply to
NoSpam
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A better vacuum cleaner is all I can suggest. You could perhaps try one of the dry powder carpet cleaners (shake-n-vac type things).

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

if the carpet is 100% synthetic, I'd use an acid such as HCl, sulphamic acid or similar. But if theres any natural fbre in there it would eat it for breakfast. A mild slow acting acid would be vinegar or lemon juice, much safer option but slow. Acids eat cement, which is what grout generally is.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

I wouldn't introduce water into the equation in any form. The grout is probably black oxide with an acrylic binder, which will give you a much bigger problem if it's dissolved.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(

Dave

Reply to
NoSpam

Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water but (not surprisingly) they didn't help. I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the dye is.

Dave

Reply to
NoSpam

If the carpets wool then permanence is a real possibility. You might just have to go round sprinkling grout on it every 12" in a regular pattern :)

Meanwhile you can try the usuals like bio washing powder, oxalic acid, and oxy-anything.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

mmm, maybe I can feel an insurance claim coming on.

Dave

Reply to
NoSpam

NoSpam wrote: ... snipped

Reply from BAL: "To remove BAL Wide Joint Grout Charcoal powder from a woollen carpet, the use of any liquids or solvents may worsen the situation. As a consequence, we would recommend using a vacuum cleaner to remove the powder. As you have already tried this approach with limited success, then maybe warm soapy water could be used but do try a small inconspicuous test area first. Alternatively, a proprietary cleaner may be available which is more suited but it needs to be capable of dealing with a cement-based powder containing a black inorganic pigment."

Reply to
NoSpam

Apparently the pigment is either carbon black or iron oxide.

D
Reply to
NoSpam

Both have a tendency to stick to everything because of their positive charge. Carbon black is essentially soot, and it's the fineness that makes it so difficult to get rid of. If vacuuming fails, I think your best bet may be some kind of aerosol type product that foams, preferably not water based. Perhaps a dry cleaners might be able to advise you.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

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