White cotton cloth

In detail

Every one of the carpet institute's stain procedures begins with the same instruction: blot with a dry, white absorbent cloth. The colour is not fussiness. A white cloth shows exactly how much of the stain is transferring, which is how a person knows whether to continue with the current agent or move to the next one — the trade's rule is to keep using an agent as long as there is transfer. A coloured cloth hides that signal, and worse, may release its own dye into a damp surface under pressure. Cotton is specified because it absorbs by capillary action into the fibre rather than merely holding liquid in a structure, and because it can be laundered hot between uses. The pretest instruction relies on the same property from the other direction: a solution is applied to the cloth and touched to an inconspicuous area specifically to see whether colour transfers to the cloth before it is used anywhere visible. For most stain work on a soft surface, a stack of plain white cotton is more useful than any product, because it turns a blind procedure into one with feedback.

What works

• White cotton cloth is effective against Blood Supported