Stelco General Formula 5Ltr
General Formula is a water-based acidic spotting agent most effective on soiling which contains dyes. Fruit juice, medicines, berry stains and sauces are the most common form of soiling for the requirement of this agent. SAFETY DATA SHEET DG Shipping Surcharge Applies
Dye-based soiling
Fruit juice, medicines, berry stains and sauces are dye problems rather than soil problems — the colour has attached to the fibre. That is a different job from lifting a deposit off it, and it is why a general prespray does nothing.
Method matters more than the product
Apply to a white towel rather than pouring onto the carpet where you can. Work from the outside of the spot inward so you do not spread it. Tamp or agitate gently rather than scrubbing — scrubbing distorts pile and leaves a permanent mark that is more visible than the original stain.
Rinse and extract afterwards. Spotter residue left in the pile attracts soil, and the spot comes back as a dark patch a fortnight later — which the customer reads as your work failing.
Before you use it
Read the safety data sheet for this product and follow it. Solvent-based spotters in particular require ventilation and appropriate gloves — check the SDS for the glove material, because it is not always the same across products.
Always test on an inconspicuous area first. Fibre, dye and backing all react differently, and a spotter that is safe on nylon is not automatically safe on wool or on a solution-dyed synthetic.
Information documents
Not sure which spotter the stain calls for? Tell us what it is, what the fibre is and what has already been tried, and we will talk it through — the wrong first move on a spot is much harder to recover from than the spot itself.
