Radiator water or rust stains in carpet or upholstery

Removing radiator water or rust stains from carpet and upholstery

Do you have radiator water or rust stains in your carpet or upholstery?

Rust stains can be one of the hardest to remove from carpets or upholstery. The longer the stain has been left the harder it can be to remove. Also it is most definitely one of the carpet stains best left to a professional as DIY attempts to clean your carpets can actually lead to permanent staining or damage to your carpet or upholstery.

Understanding the make up and cause of the staining is crucial to treatment. Many central heating systems also contain chemicals (designed to improve their efficiency and to prevent things like lime scale in hard-water areas) – so the first step is understanding what has caused the staining you can see. Many children’s toys are made of metal and can actually be the culprit of spot rust stains within your home – especially in houses with high condensation/or through the winter period when windows are left closed and temperature and humidity can be higher in homes.

The main picture for this article shows one of the stains we encountered in a recent job in the Chandlers Ford area of Hampshire. Corrosion around the radiator tap had led to leakage and staining of the carpet below. This particular rust stain had been left untreated for a length of time.

The process of removing this rust stain

To combat this particular stain we initially treated the surface to a pre-clean and vacuum. We then sprayed a targeted cleaning chemical to help penetrate the rust stained area and removed the majority of the staining. After this we agitated and carefully blotted the stained area, before moving on to another round of specialist targeted rust stain removal solution and a further deep clean (utilising our truck mount carpet cleaner). To finish the job we used yet another product to remove any natural residues left on the carpet. After this it was just a case of one further deep clean passing and then brushing the carpet to raise the pile.

We also have the finished results of a perfectly clean carpet below!