Removing Iodine?

[Nordic]

My wife had a mishap with her bottle of Iodine on the bathroom counter, vanity and floor. The substance is nearly impossible to clean off. Of all recommendations so far, rubbing alcohol comes the closest. It's the amber colour, in the context of this forum it seems well suited for repainting a Minneapolis-Moline tractor and stay pretty durable . I have tried nearly every substance thinkable. We wish to prevent the cost of having to redo the whole bathroom . Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[joeysmith]

Have you tried shaving cream?
My wife has cleaned some things i never thought could be cleaned with it
Barbosol brand she says is the best

 

[jimg.allentown]

Your best bet would be to find something to chemically react with the Iodine. I seem to recall mixing Iodine with Ammonia to form Ammonium Iodide. This was a rather volatile salt, and would pop and crackle on contact. I'm thinking that this was a somewhat whitish powder when it dried, and fairly easy to remove. We used it at a place that I worked as a practical joke. Spread it on the floor while still a bit wet, and as people came into the office, it would snap and pop when they stepped on it.
This may not be much help, but it is the only thought I had. There may be other materials that might form a soluble salt with the Iodine and make removal easier.

 

[Non-farmer]

Thanks for any suggestions.

Try sodium thiosulfate. You can probably get it at your pharmacy.

PS: this won't create a contact explosive. I got thrown out of chem lab for making nitrogen triiodide and scattering it on hallway floors during classes, and then watching the people jump between classes when they set it off by stepping on it

It should be mentioned, that stuff is very dangerous.

 

[soupkid]

Magic Eraser has been my go to

 

[rustred]

Why not try the good old gas on a rag thing. Gas cleans more things than anything else. And ya it might stink for a while but she split it ! Lol

 

[Ray,IN]

Bleach will remove the color of the stain.

 

[MarkB_MI]

When I was in high school I messed around making ammonium triiodide. You don't want to try cleaning your iodine up with ammonia, because the resulting compound will be explosive once it dries. And when it pops, you get the iodine back so you're right back where you started from, plus a traumatized house cat.

Anyway, I somehow dropped a crystal of iodine on my necktie, and I knew I'd catch hell if I didn't get it out before next Sunday. Mom had some sort of spot remover that came with a detailed list of how to treat various stains, which was good because there was no internet and I doubt the local library had an answer to my dilemma. The pamphlet named a particular chemical that would treat iodine stains. As chance would have it, I had that same chemical in my chemistry set. It worked. I don't remember what the stuff was, but I'll bet it was sodium thiosulfate.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with some corn flour to make a paste . Spread on , cover with plastic to stop drying out , leave for a day or two . Repeat if needed .
Or
Denture cleaner paste , follow the same procedure .

 

[redtom]

Lacquer thinner

 

[showcrop]

The standard in commercial laundries is sodium thiosulfate from the laundry chemical supplier.

 

[Nordic]

Thanks everyone for your time and suggestions. I have tried enough things that if I make a list I would probably forget some of them. Sodium Thiosulfate sounds interesting. That said, to our surprise today my wife's pullover top (not white) came out clean in her load of laundry, using her favorite and friendly soap combination. For the floor, wall and vanity they have only been helped by Carburetor Cleaner and Rubbing Alcohol. It's still a work in progress as only about 50% of the dye strength fades after giving it your best shot. The Carburetor Cleaner is strong enough to strip the paint off the wood and then dyes the wood underneath. Things like bleach, gas, ether, magic eraser etc don't seem to make any difference. I have bought one bottle of Iodine drops that is colorless and that's got to be the way to go.
I really appreciate everyone's willingness to voice your word here. I may see if I can get a hold of some Sodium Thiosulfate to try. If I come up with some real dealbreaker I will come back and post it.

Cheers!

 

[MarkB_MI]

I may see if I can get a hold of some Sodium Thiosulfate to try. If I come up with some real dealbreaker I will come back and post it.

It looks like sodium thiosulfate is readily available online in various quantities. I'd think a pound should do the job, maybe less. Here's one source:

DIY Chemicals

 

[cjunrau]

My wife had a mishap with her bottle of Iodine on the bathroom counter, vanity and floor. The substance is nearly impossible to clean off. Of all recommendations so far, rubbing alcohol comes the closest. It's the amber colour, in the context of this forum it seems well suited for repainting a Minneapolis-Moline tractor and stay pretty durable . I have tried nearly every substance thinkable. We wish to prevent the cost of having to redo the whole bathroom . Thanks for any suggestions.

One option is to paint a little everywhere and make it all look the same. In a bathroom in my house it wouldn't bother me at all and I would just let it be. I do know if you could sit on it for 24 hours your body might suck the color out of it. I can't remember why we used it but we were told to apply on our stomach until the stain stayed mor than 24 hours. something to do with the body in need of iodine and thyroids. I know it took a week and the stain stayed for a couple days.

 

[ratface]

Tilex with Bleach has worked for me.