I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it
was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but
seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

Dave

In article ,
NoSpam writes:
I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it
was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but
seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

A better vacuum cleaner is all I can suggest.
You could perhaps try one of the dry powder carpet cleaners
(shake-n-vac type things).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 15 Feb, 21:26, NoSpam wrote:

I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it
was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but
seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

Dave

if the carpet is 100% synthetic, I'd use an acid such as HCl,
sulphamic acid or similar. But if theres any natural fbre in there it
would eat it for breakfast. A mild slow acting acid would be vinegar
or lemon juice, much safer option but slow. Acids eat cement, which is
what grout generally is.


NT

wrote:
On 15 Feb, 21:26, NoSpam wrote:

I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it
was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but
seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

Dave

if the carpet is 100% synthetic, I'd use an acid such as HCl,
sulphamic acid or similar. But if theres any natural fbre in there it
would eat it for breakfast. A mild slow acting acid would be vinegar
or lemon juice, much safer option but slow. Acids eat cement, which is
what grout generally is.


NT


I wouldn't introduce water into the equation in any form. The grout is
probably black oxide with an acrylic binder, which will give you a much
bigger problem if it's dissolved.

Stuart Noble wrote:
wrote:
On 15 Feb, 21:26, NoSpam wrote:

I foolishly spilled some black powder grout on the landing carpet, it
was dry (ie, out of the grout bag and hadn't been mixed with water) but
seems to have stained the carpet because it won't vacuum out. Help!

Dave

if the carpet is 100% synthetic, I'd use an acid such as HCl,
sulphamic acid or similar. But if theres any natural fbre in there it
would eat it for breakfast. A mild slow acting acid would be vinegar
or lemon juice, much safer option but slow. Acids eat cement, which is
what grout generally is.


NT


I wouldn't introduce water into the equation in any form. The grout is
probably black oxide with an acrylic binder, which will give you a much
bigger problem if it's dissolved.

Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(

Dave

In article ,
NoSpam writes:

Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(

Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
NoSpam writes:
Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(

Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?


It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing
and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On
a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water
but (not surprisingly) they didn't help.
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

On 18 Feb, 17:17, NoSpam wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
NoSpam writes:
Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(

Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?

It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing
and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On
a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water
but (not surprisingly) they didn't help.
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

If the carpets wool then permanence is a real possibility. You might
just have to go round sprinkling grout on it every 12" in a regular
pattern

Meanwhile you can try the usuals like bio washing powder, oxalic acid,
and oxy-anything.


NT

wrote:
On 18 Feb, 17:17, NoSpam wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
NoSpam writes:
Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(
Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?
It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing
and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On
a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water
but (not surprisingly) they didn't help.
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

If the carpets wool then permanence is a real possibility. You might
just have to go round sprinkling grout on it every 12" in a regular
pattern

Meanwhile you can try the usuals like bio washing powder, oxalic acid,
and oxy-anything.


NT

mmm, maybe I can feel an insurance claim coming on.

Dave

NoSpam wrote:
.... snipped
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

Reply from BAL:
"To remove BAL Wide Joint Grout Charcoal powder from a woollen carpet,
the use of any liquids or solvents may worsen the situation. As a
consequence, we would recommend using a vacuum cleaner to remove the
powder. As you have already tried this approach with limited success,
then maybe warm soapy water could be used but do try a small
inconspicuous test area first. Alternatively, a proprietary cleaner may
be available which is more suited but it needs to be capable of dealing
with a cement-based powder containing a black inorganic pigment."

wrote:
On 18 Feb, 17:17, NoSpam wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
NoSpam writes:
Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(
Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?
It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing
and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On
a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water
but (not surprisingly) they didn't help.
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

If the carpets wool then permanence is a real possibility. You might
just have to go round sprinkling grout on it every 12" in a regular
pattern

Meanwhile you can try the usuals like bio washing powder, oxalic acid,
and oxy-anything.


NT


Apparently the pigment is either carbon black or iron oxide.

D

NoSpam wrote:
wrote:
On 18 Feb, 17:17, NoSpam wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
NoSpam writes:
Thanks to all - no success thus far :-(
Having tried what? (and what vacuum cleaner)?
It's a woollen carpet, the grout is black BAL grout. Much dry scrubbing
and dyson vacuuming so far, it's slightly better but still a problem. On
a spare piece of carpet I've experimented with white spirit and water
but (not surprisingly) they didn't help.
I've emailed BAL adhesives in the hope that they can tell me what the
dye is.

Dave

If the carpets wool then permanence is a real possibility. You might
just have to go round sprinkling grout on it every 12" in a regular
pattern

Meanwhile you can try the usuals like bio washing powder, oxalic acid,
and oxy-anything.


NT


Apparently the pigment is either carbon black or iron oxide.

D

Both have a tendency to stick to everything because of their positive
charge. Carbon black is essentially soot, and it's the fineness that
makes it so difficult to get rid of.
If vacuuming fails, I think your best bet may be some kind of aerosol
type product that foams, preferably not water based. Perhaps a dry
cleaners might be able to advise you.