Why Carpet Spots Sometimes Reappear

Have you ever wondered why some spots return after having your carpet cleaned?

There are two reasons that spots return:

Reason # 1: Wicking. Wicking is the upward motion of water and cleaning solution during drying from the base of a tuft to its tip carrying with it any remaining soil and contamination, which is then deposited on the tips of the tuft.  

Confused yet?

Here's what happens:

Many times, the spots in your carpet have seeped into the backing of the carpet. This is common with liquids such as pet urine, beverages, and anything that is spilled in “volume”. The substance dries in the backing and the cushion (pad) of the carpet. When the spot is cleaned, only the material in the “pile” of the carpet is removed (not the carpet backing). However, moisture is introduced to into the backing of the carpet. As the spot dries, the material that is in the backing of the carpet “wicks” back into the pile of the carpet and comes to the surface much like a candle wick.

Even traffic area soil that is deeply embedded can wick back. This is especially common in glue down carpet that is heavily impacted with soil. When the carpet is cleaned, it looks good. When it dries, the spots and traffic areas come back.

The good news is that if a spot actually wicks back, it can be removed. When spot cleaning yourself, place a folded white terry cloth towel over the spot just after you clean it while the spot is still moist. Place a heavy object on top of the cloth. Be sure to use something non porous that won’t transfer color onto the carpet (like a paper book cover). Use a brick, a planting pot, or something like that.

When you have your carpet cleaned professionally, be sure to point out spots that have wicked back in the past, so they can be treated properly. What should your carpet cleaner do to help prevent wicking?

• A thorough pre-vacuum by your carpet cleaner with a professional grade vacuum will help (One of Overturf's Cleaning's 12 steps). 

• Often, getting the carpets dry quickly will help prevent wicking. 
• Your carpet cleaner can do this by running air movers to help dry the room (another of Overturf's Cleaning's steps in our 12 step process). 
• When your technician grooms the carpet when finished, this will help speed up the dry time (another of our steps many cleaners leave out).
• You can assist in your carpets dry time by running any available fans like ceiling fans, along with turning your air conditioner on to about 70 degrees. 

The sooner the carpet dries, the less chance for any substance on the backing of the carpet has to wick up to the surface.

We will discuss reason number 2 for spots returning in a future post.