How to wash stains from brilliant green from linoleum?
Despite the fact that linoleum lends itself well to washing and cleaning, it has one significant drawback. It quickly absorbs artificial colors, one of which is brilliant green, a popular antiseptic popularly called brilliant green. It is not easy to wash stains from it, but it is quite possible: it is enough to know what to use to effectively solve this problem.
Cleaning features
Before proceeding with the removal of stains from brilliant green from linoleum, it is necessary to take into account the two most significant points:
- you need to get rid of pollution so that there are no traces of it;
- upon completion of the cleaning procedure, the floor covering must retain its structure and presentable appearance.
In other words, it is important not only to choose the right cleaning agent, but also to be careful when working with aggressive chemical compounds, accurately calculating their concentration. It is also worth remembering that potent agents, falling on the surface of linoleum, soften it, as a result of which it becomes less resistant to mechanical stress.
To minimize the likelihood of damage to the flooring, the area cleared of brilliant green should be thoroughly rinsed with water and dried to restore its former strength.
Special attention should be paid to situations when stains from brilliant green must be removed from worn out or low-quality linoleum. Practice shows that it is better not to clean such coatings with aggressive agentsso as not to lead to their destruction.Most often, the latter manifests itself in the swelling of the treated area and paint dissolution.
What's the first thing to do?
If the brilliant green solution is on the linoleum, the floor owner should take immediate steps to clean it up. It is not recommended to hesitate in such cases, because being very corrosive, this solution is absorbed in a matter of minutes, after which its removal becomes more problematic. To wash the linoleum from the freshly spilled brilliant green, you need to step by step perform the following steps:
- Taking cotton, napkin, toilet paper, soft rags or old towel. Then you need to carefully remove the stains, starting from the edges, blotting the dirt, but not smearing them.
- Use laundry soap or dishwashing detergent to rinse the area well. At the same time, the water temperature should not be higher than room temperature in order to avoid accelerated absorption of the brilliant green into the floor covering.
- If a certain amount of the spilled dye has already been absorbed into the linoleum, you can get rid of it with the help of hydrogen peroxide and 30% acetic acid, mixed in a 1: 1 ratio.
Before using the combination mentioned above, it should first be applied to a small area of the coating located in the least noticeable place. This step allows you to make sure that the prepared solution will not make the linoleum color dull.
The result of combating stains from brilliant green is largely determined by the characteristics of the coating laid on the floor. Depending on the specifics of linoleum, putting it in order may involve some points.
Plain flooring without base
The thickness of such linoleum is small, and therefore it is very sensitive to aggressive cleaning agents. To avoid damaging it, it is advisable to use rubbing alcohol or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
Foam cover
In this case, you can get rid of stains using chlorine compounds, and without any particular fears. There are two reasons for this - the high wear resistance of such linoleum and its large thickness (up to 3.5 mm).
Linoleum with felt base
Despite the decent thickness, such coatings have a vulnerable top layer, which is often wiped through.
Soda will help to avoid such a nuisance. It is considered one of the safest remedies to “fight” stains from dyes.
How else can you get rid of fresh dirt?
In a situation where brilliant green got on linoleum relatively recently, you can try to wipe it off with cleaning agents designed for upholstered furniture. It is not recommended to dilute them, as in a concentrated form they allow you to achieve the best result. The selected product must be applied to a sponge, soak the contaminated area with it without rubbing over the surface, and then, after a while, rinse with water. If the first attempt to get rid of the brilliant green does not work, then the described procedure must be repeated.
An alternative solution is to mechanically remove the brilliant green from the floor covering with a stationery eraser. This technique is ideal for removing medium to small fresh stains. The key advantage of this method is complete safety for health, and the main disadvantage is significant labor intensity. It is also worth adding that before removing stains from brilliant green by a mechanical method, you need to slightly moisten the contaminated surface.
How to get rid of deep stains?
Considering that linoleum repels water well, it will not work to get rid of the stains soaked into it with a regular soap solution. In such cases, stronger means will help to wash the brilliant green.
Vinegar and baking soda
The main advantage of this combination is safety for the floor covering, excluding the possibility of damage to it. To cover a medium-sized green stain, two full tablespoons of baking soda are enough. Spread them evenly over the contaminated area, and then gently pour a little vinegar over them.
As a rule, several such operations must be carried out to completely remove the stain.
Acetone or nail polish remover
These funds, which are excellent solvents, are able to cope with the absorbed brilliant green in the vast majority of cases. To do this, it is enough to "arm" with a cotton pad moistened in them, wiping off the dirt from the edges to the center. It is advisable to check the resistance of the floor covering to the solvent used beforehand.
Laundry detergent paste
You can prepare it by diluting 3 teaspoons of detergent in 50 ml of water.
To clean linoleum from brilliant green using such a paste, you need to apply it to the contaminated surface, leaving it for 8-10 hours (as an option, overnight).
Finally, wipe off the trail with a kitchen sponge, using its rough side.
Absolute alcohol
This compound removes stubborn brilliant green in 1 hour, provided the stain is not too old. To do this, you need a cloth soaked in alcohol, tightly attached to the contaminated surface. After an hour, it remains to wipe the area to be cleaned with a sponge thoroughly soaked in soap.
Another remedy that can effectively wash away green stains from linoleum is oxygen bleach. To achieve the desired result, it must be poured onto the contaminated area, slightly moistened and left for about 30 minutes. Further, it remains to clean the problem area with a toothbrush and wipe the surface with a wet rag. If it was not possible to achieve complete removal of the stain on the first attempt, the procedure is repeated.
Removal of old dirt
Among all types of pollution of linoleum with brilliant green, a special place is occupied by those that have eaten into the floor covering for a long time. They are naturally considered the most difficult, and therefore involve the use of the most potent means. These are the following.
Gasoline or kerosene
To effectively remove old stains from brilliant green, you need to soak a cloth with any of these agents and leave it applied to the contaminated area for about 60 minutes. The final step is to scrub the remaining stains with soapy water (using a small brush).
Bleach or any plumbing product
After the selected chemical is applied to the old stain from brilliant green, you need to wait from 5 to 7 minutes. In the future, the owner of the floor covering remains to rinse the treated area with water and thoroughly ventilate the room. Considering that the agents in question irritate mucous membranes and skin, it is not recommended to use them without a respirator and protective gloves.
Hydrochloric acid solution
The concentration of this compound, which is optimal for solving the problem under consideration, is in the range of 3-5%.
Such a solution can change the color of an old stain from green to orange, after which the contaminated area can be discolored. It is simple to use this tool: just apply it to the problem surface, wait a few minutes, and then wipe the treated area with a sponge and rinse it with water.
The effectiveness of this compound is very high, however, it should be used in the most extreme cases due to the aggressive effect of acid on the linoleum material and human skin.
If the above funds could not completely cope with stains from brilliant green, then the most rational solution is to replace the problem area of linoleum with a new one.An alternative is to use a decorative rug to hide the contaminated area.
Finally, it remains to state that brilliant green on linoleum is a problem with many effective solutions. Thanks to them, almost any floor covering can be put in order, having achieved the desired result with the least expenditure of time, money and physical strength.
About what other additional funds will allow you to reduce brilliant green from linoleum, see below.