Some times the cause of the stain is unknown. If this is the case than ask yourself a few question and look around to see if the stain fits into one of the five categories, also color may provide a clue.
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COLOR CLUES TO STAIN IDENTIFICATION |
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| STAIN COLOR | POSSIBLE CAUSE |
| Black | Oil, grease, tar, asphalt, ink, shoe polish, mould, moss, fungus, mildew, animal feces, vegetation, dirt |
| Brown Shads | Coffee, tea, foods, chocolate, grease, oil, algae, moss, vegetation dirt, wood (tannin), tobacco, urine, animal feces, rust, copper, bronze, dyes, plant fertilizer |
| Reds Shads | Foods, fruit drinks, blood, ink, dyes, rust, plant fertilizer, dirt |
| Orange | Foods, fruit drinks, rust, dyes |
| Green | Algae, mildew, foods, ink, dyes, copper, bronze |
| Yellow | Eggs, mustard, oil, grease, urine, rust |
| Amber | Varnish, polyurethane |
| Blue | Plant fertilizer, ink, dyes |
| Bluish-Greenish | Copper, bronze |
| Gray | Aluminum, efflorescence, paper |
| White | Aluminum, efflorescence, plant fertilizer, paint |
| Clear | Eggs, shellac, lacquer, varnish, urethane, polyurethane |
| Other | Paint, ink, crayon (wax), dyes, cement coloring stains, pigmented sealers, colored past waxes, colored grouts |
