Common Carpet Problems You should Know About
Reappearing Stains
Have you recently had your carpets cleaned, only to find a mysterious stain appear where it may not have been noticeable before? Or was the cleaner successful in removing certain stains when the carpet was just cleaned and still damp, only to have some stains reappear after the carpet had thoroughly dried?
This common situation known as reappearing or wicking is caused by staining matter from a prior spillage which has dried down at the base of the carpet pile. Although the surface staining may have been partially or fully removed from the tips of the carpet pile fibers, some of the discolored matter remained behind and unseen, hidden down in the pile.
During a thorough wet cleaning, the hidden stain normally becomes moistened or wetted. Once wet, the stain becomes mobile and wicks up to the top surface of the pile as the carpet dries. Since wall to wall carpet dries from the bottom up, this leaves the top part of the pile as the last to dry completely. And this is how the mysterious staining matter now wicks or finds its way up to the carpet surface.
You can usually remove most or all of this reappearing stain by moistening it and then blotting with absorbent white toweling, Lightly mist the stained area with water and blot with towels. Cover the stained area with toweling, add a layer of aluminum foil or wax paper on top of the toweling, and then weight it down (for example with a heavy book). Wait 30 minutes or so and then remove. Repeat as needed until the stain is removed.
Consumers who try to remove stains by using the wrong cleaning products, compounds or methods may only make the stained areas more noticeable. If in doubt as to how to proceed, please contact us at ABC as soon as possible after your cleaning appointment.
