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Carpet Care

Wednesday's Ask the Experts: Spotting

June 27, 2012
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Wednesday''s Ask the Experts question from a cleaning professional on the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) "Ask the Experts" page: I have spots on my carpet that disappear when cleaned, but gradually come back over a two week period. How can I stop it?

The answer:

This is a common occurrence called wicking. One of the worst offenders is ice melt compound (calcium chloride). During the carpet cleaning using wet methods, the soils deeper in the pile are loosened and, as the carpet dries to the air, they move along with the moisture to the tips of the fibers. If the material is sticky it will attract soils that show up as spots after exposure to foot traffic. Or, the soils themselves may just be darker than the carpet’s color. Since this is due to incomplete soil removal ... — Lynn E. Krafft, ICAN/ATEX editor

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June 28, 2012
Because the spots are appearing over a two week period I would agree with John Downey that it is more likely to be an issue of rapid resoiling caused by inappropriate spotting agents. I would like to add that if the carpet or rug you are dealing with is a natural fibre then always look for WoolSafe approved cleaning products as thay have been tested not to create resoiling any quicker than using plain water and they are not buffered so can easily be neutralised. This means WoolSafe approved products won't cause any other problems such as dye bleed or fibre degredation.