A friend’s son dropped some methyl orange solution on a light-grey carpet. Naive attempts by the parent to remove it using “Vanish” (a domestic carpet cleaning product) merely resulted in it changing colour from orange to yellow. I am no chemist, but here I search for a stain-removal method.
Web-search seems to indicate that:
- Methyl Orange is a traditional form of dye.
- Also it is a ph indicator, a water solution of it is orange in its own weakly acidic state, becoming yellower with increasing alkali. I guess “Vanish” is alkaline then…
- It is also toxic and could potentially be carcinogenic, e.g. if the powder is inhaled.
- It breaks down in daylight?
- In that case maybe all my friend needs to do is hang it ouside in the sunshine?
- Or does this only happen in the context of specially-treated fibres?
- ???