Safe Spotting Tips:
When in doubt about the safety of any spotting agent on a specific garment, test the spotter and procedure to be used on an area of the garment that doesn't show, such as an unexposed seam or hem.
Dyes vary in fastness. When in doubt, test first.
To prevent redoposition of soil, never dry clean any garment while still wet from spotting. if spotting is necessary before cleaning, thoroughly dry with air and vacuum on the board or hang until completely dry. Or, feather dry and apply S.S.S. as a leveling agent and reclean.
When using P.O.G. or any other dry-side spotting agent, flush with a volatile dry solvent and vacuum dry.
Any material that contained moisture when it stained a garment is considered a wet-side stain. Any material that did not contain moisture is considered a dry-side stain.
Use wet-side spotters on wet stains. These are: PROTEEN, TRIK, and SPOT-BUSTER.
Use dry-side spotters on dry stains. These are: S.S.S. and P.O.G. Do not flush these spotters with steam or water.
Some stains are both wet and dry. For example: gravy may contain milk (which contains water) and it may contain grease from meats.
Always start with dry-side spotters when removing stains that are both wet and dry.
SPOL is an excellent product to use on stains that are unknown or contain both wet and dry.
While rinsing wet side spotters, flush area with steam or water with the vacuum on.
Some stains may be "built-up." Remove as much of the stain as possible before applying the appropriate spotting agent, either by brushing lightly or gently scraping with the spatula.
Bleach solutions can also be on the spotting board as a last step to remove the last traces of a stain. There are two types of bleaches, oxidizing and reducing. Oxidizing bleaches are: sodium perborate, hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate and sodium hypochlorite. Reducing bleaches are: sodium bisulfite, sodium hydrosulfite and titanium stripper. The reducing bleaches are useful to remove the purple color of grape, wine and berry stains and can also be used to remove fugitive dye stains from unwanted areas. Before adding bleach to a stain, test the article for color fastness. Wet the area with steam or water before applying bleach. Work over a towel on the board. Allow time for the bleach to work. Thoroughly flush the stain and bleach solution from the article with steam or water and thoroughly dry before cleaning.
