Why vomit is bad for carpet.

By  Karl “The Spot Doctor”  Hurlebusch

Vomit is bad for carpet on many different levels.  First of all, is that vomit is really nasty smelling stuff.  Second, vomit is repulsive to look at.  But after that, vomit does a lot of chemical changes to your carpet as well.

To understand the chemical changes, first we must breakdown what vomit is. 

Vomit is the regurgitated contents of the stomach. Now this can and does take many forms, it depends on what was consumed, and how long ago it was consumed. The human stomach can usually empty itself through digestion within 3 hours of eating.  Chances are pretty good that if regurgitation takes place, there will be solids involved. 

Next, what breaks down the solids in the stomach, is hydrochloric acid.  Hydrochloric acid is a very strong acid indeed, it has a pH of 1.  The only thing stronger is battery acid.  To neutralize the pH back up to 7, you need a pH of 13, which is along the lines of oven cleaner or bleach.  Both are items you wouldn’t want to use on carpet. 

Next, you have the contents themselves. These usually contain protein, dyes, oils or fats, stomach acid, bacteria, and viruses just to name a few.  This is why Personal Protective Equipment must be worn when cleaning up vomit! Personal Protective Equipment must be worn when cleaning up vomit! I cannot stress that enough. Now that you have yourself protected, let’s get to that carpet.

One of the problems with vomit, is that it never happens during business hours.  So by the time you get the call about the vomit, it has already been sitting on the carpet for several hours, soaking in and drying out!  The area that you see on top of the carpet, has already spread out to many times that size underneath. 

At this point you must pre-qualify the job with the customer. Explain to them that the vomit may have discolored the carpet because of the strong acid & dye content.  Anyone that has taken a Color Repair class knows that when you have a strong acid plus a dye, you most likely have a color change due to re-dyeing.  

Also, explain that unless the carpet is pulled back, and cleaned from both the top and  the bottom side, you cannot 100% guaranty the complete odor removal.  The pad must be replaced for guarantied odor removal as well. 

Okay, enough dancing around, sooner or later you have to get down to do the “nasty”.  Removal of the vomit.  

At this point it is a good idea to remind yourself why you became a carpet cleaner in the first place.  Was it the fame? No, that wasn’t it.  Was it the fortune?  Ahhh, no!  OH!  I know, it was that “ Are you sure that you are not  Superman?” look that you get from the customer when you pull this off.

 I’m still dancing aren’t I ? Sigh! 

The  first thing that you will want to do, is to disinfect the vomit.  Make sure you use enough disinfectant. I mean really spray it on there. The next thing that you will want to do, is deodorize the vomit. Use a deodorizer that neutralizes the bacteria that causes the odor, not just a alcohol based perfume, or you will be sorry later, when you are cleaning up your equipment and the perfume evaporates. Your customer will also be sorry, sorry she hired you in the first place , when the smell comes back!

 The next thing that you will want to do is to remove as much of the solids as you can, without grinding it into the carpet fibers!  I would suggest using a wet/ dry vac for this. A 1 gallon size should be perfect for this job because they are small and inexpensive.  If you can’t get the wet/dry vac cleaned up well enough to reuse, there is really no big loss.  Beside if you can’t get it cleaned up, up can always give it to your Brother-in-law for Christmas. 

The actual cleaning process will depend a lot on what was regurgitated, and by what.  If it was a dog or cat that was responsible for the stain, then you should worry about dyes and oils being a problem.  Also parasites!  That’s how they spread you know.

If it was human, was it illness induced?  Or alcohol induced?

 If it was alcohol induced, then your main areas of concern should be: Odor, dyes (vodka ain’t normally blue you know), protein, and oils. ( Nothing better than frozen pizza or Mac & cheese after bar hopping)

  If it was illness induced, then your main area of concern should be disease! Also, be on the lookout for illness induced regurgitation’s kissing cousin, diarrhea.  They have been known to hang out together sometimes. 

Once the majority of the solid vomit has been removed, re-disinfect the area and apply a good pre-spray. I would use a higher pH pre-spray because of the acid already in the carpet.  If protein was  in the vomit, use a pre-spray with an enzyme made for protein.  Work the pre-spray into to the stain and let dwell as normal. Then rinse extract. If some stain remains, then you may need to use a solvent to breakdown  the oils, and rinse again. 

Remember, vomit is one of the most complex stains that you will ever run into, just because of it’s nature.  But with the right training and knowledge it shouldn’t give you nightmares trying to remove it.

 The Spot Doctor

Karl Hurlebusch is the founder of the Kekoskee, Wisconsin based The Spot Doctors, a full service, IICRC certified carpet and upholstery cleaning and odor removal service.  The Spot Doctors provide in house carpet care training and new purchase consultations in addition to guest speaking and offering help to other new start up carpet cleaning businesses thru the Global Cleaning Association.