Stain removal, including the ones you've already had a go at

Stains we treat regularly

Red wine and fruit juice — dye stains, removable with a reducing agent if the fibre allows. Coffee and tea — tannin stains, very responsive when fresh. Pet urine — needs enzyme treatment at the source, not surface cleaning. Ink and biro — solvent work, highly fibre-dependent. Grease, oil and make-up — solvent then extraction. Blood — cold water only; heat sets it permanently. Curry and turmeric — one of the hardest, sometimes needing oxidation and light treatment over several days.

What we can't remove

Honesty saves everyone time. Bleach and household cleaner damage has stripped the dye out of the fibre — the colour is gone, not covered. Sun bleaching is the same. Old dye transfer from rubber-backed mats or new denim is often permanent. Heat damage from an iron or a dropped hair straightener has melted the fibre.

In those cases the honest answer is a patch repair or a bonded insert from an offcut, and we'll tell you that on the phone rather than after taking payment.

Pet urine treatment

Urine goes through the carpet into the underlay and the floorboards, then the salts left behind pull moisture out of the air and reactivate the smell every time the weather turns. We find the full extent with a UV lamp — almost always larger than the visible mark — then sub-surface inject an enzyme treatment and extract. Severe cases may need the underlay replaced, which we'll flag before starting.

What to do before we get there

Blot, don't rub, working from the outside in. Cold water only. No washing-up liquid, no bicarb paste, no bleach, and nothing from a supermarket spray bottle. Then take a photo and send it on WhatsApp — the sooner we see it, the better the odds.