accident- how to get the dye off?

[pepin1948]

Had a bit of a disaster on my staining surface and surrounding area. The piece I was dying is fine, and I had a cloth laid out under it. But the area around it got spattered pretty bad. The main problem with this is not my own it's my husband! The area that got hit is the top of our washer and the linoleum floor around it. Suggestions on how to get the dye off?

[ClayB]

Had a bit of a disaster on my staining surface and surrounding area. The piece I was dying is fine, and I had a cloth laid out under it. But the area around it got spattered pretty bad. The main problem with this is not my own it's my husband! The area that got hit is the top of our washer and the linoleum floor around it. Suggestions on how to get the dye off?

Holly,

Several years ago I had a similar experience. I had put a bottle of red dye on the top shelf in the kitchen to keep the kids out of it. Someone slammed the kitchen door, the bottle came off the shelf, hit the floor upright and the lid came off. Red dye splattered on the floor, the kitchen table and chairs, even hit the ceiling. It looked like someone took a blast from a shotgun in the kitchen! I am afraid you aren't going to find anything that is going to take the dye off easily. First thing I always try is rubbing alcohol as quick as possible to dilute the dye as much as possible. That made it less noticable on the table. Repainting the ceiling was the only way to fix that. I ended up using steel wool on the linoleum (which was almost new). To this day there is still red dye splatter on the bottom side of the chairs and table. The whole thing made for some really interesting conversation the next night when we had Bible study in our kitchen. I hope somebody else has had a better experience trying to remove dye.

Clay

[Johanna]

Try Neat lac thinner in an inconspicuous area. Sometimes acetone will work, too. (nail polish remover) Paint the bathroom and appliances to match? I would simply hide the whole area with the unfolded laundry my family ignores, and no one would ever know.

Good luck, Holly!

Johanna

[wolvenstien]

Something else you can use, and I use it on alot of things, but havent had to use it on surfaces yet (thankfully).... orange cream hand cleaner you get at the automotive store... Get a small tub for 2-2.50 and use it... I had a job making cinnimon altoids when they moved the plant here to the states, and I had to mix the red dye by hand... literally... add teh water to a buchet, and then dump in the bye and put my hand in to mix it... pure dye on the skin... sucked... but I used the orange hand cleaner and always got it off with some effort... on surfaces you can use stiff brushes and such... let us know what works and what doesnt...

Mike

[Chitin]

On nonpourous surfaces (like the counter) I've always been able to scrub it off with one of those green gritty sponges.

[pepin1948]

I'm laughing at the replies You've all made me feel better already - esp. Clay with the red dye story. That made me think of when I dropped a large jar of purple tempura paint on the brown carpet in our hall when I was a teen....my folks never did replace that rug 'til after I moved out!

I'm going to try the orange stuff and a scrubbing sponge. So far I just went with water and paper towels. There isn't enough ventilation for NeatLac inside there... The black is on the washing machine, and spattered on the floor. The benefit to this whole thing is that it IS in my workroom, so Tim really doesn't have a leg to stand on to complain - I mean, really at least I'm not like Clay doing this stuff in the kitchen!

[whinewine]

On non-porous surfaces, I've used a product named PEC-12. It is made to remove seemingly un-removable non water-soluble stains like permanent marker from film slides and negatives. It is rather pricey ($11.00 for 4 oz- the price I paid several years ago) & is often hard to find, even at most camera shops, but it does work when other stuff doesn't. Their # is 1-508-759-2322. It probably won't work on leather (veg-tan), but it might work on impervious surfaces like chrome tanned. I used it this morning to remove permanent marker from some plastic boxes that I inadvertently mislabled, and it should work on porcelain washer surfaces- it may work on linoleum- or not.

[The Major]

Orange hand cleaner is great stuff.

Non chlorinated brake clean works wonders.

I use an ammonia based foamy cleaner for cleaning my dye surface, and it looks new every time I clean it.

I used to use strait ammonia ina squirt bottle, that works well too.