The appearance of carpet tracking can be very disturbing. You install new carpet and within a couple of month or years the carpet has these ugly dark areas in the traffic lanes. You know that you have not been hard on the carpet, you take off your shoes, vacuum regularly and if there is a spot you remove it immediately.You have the carpet cleaned and these dark tracks are still there. This absolutely has to be a defect and you want the carpet company to do something about it.
So what is carpet tracking? Tracking is a gradual change in appearance of the pile. Tracking is commonly seen as two narrow bands like the tracks on a railway. Tracking can be seen as a wide single path and in all instances it develops in an where the traffic is repeated and often pivotal.
With tracking the pile of the carpet often takes on a darker, dirty appearance that when viewed from some directions is hardly seen or is much lighter in appearance. Tracking is usually seen in softer, cut pile carpets such as a plush pile though it is not limited to plushes. This appearance is commonly seen in areas between rooms and hallways. Often the occupants of the residents are older or tend to shuffle their feet.
Tracking is traffic lane shading a form of pile reversal. Through usage the lay of the pile begins to turn. Since more light is reflected off the sides of the pile and part of the yarn has turned a different direction you are seeing light and dark areas. While this appearance can make a carpet look worn out the carpet is not necessarily worn.
Carpet manufacturers consider tracking and shading to be a characteristic and not a defect.
There are many types of warranties on carpets some fiber warranties especially on more expensive carpets include texture retention. Since it is always possible that the texture within the trafficked area has changed to the point to where it is covered by a texture retention warranty you may still want to report your concerns to the dealer or manufacturer and request that your concerns be addressed.
The best way to avoid tracking is to purchase carpet with a denser construction, lower pile height, textured yarn. Examples would be textured Saxony, frieze, and Berber.
Owners of even the best-trained pets will occasionally encounter pet urine accidents. Often, the urine is not discovered until long after the accident. The types of damage from pet urine can be diverse and are dependent upon the makeup of the urine. Urine content will change over the pet’s life because of the pet’s diet, medications, age, health, sex, and reproductive cycles. Because of these variations, some urine stains may not be removable.
To treat urine-damaged areas, blot damp areas as soon as the urine is detected, with plain white paper toweling. Apply a solution of 1/4 teaspoon of a liquid dishwashing detergent (non-bleach and non-lanolin) with one cup of lukewarm water. Do not use automatic dishwashing detergent or aundry detergent. Absorb the moisture with paper towel, rinse with warm water and repeat the application of detergent. Continue rinsing and blotting with the detergent solution and water as long as there is a transfer to the toweling or improvement in the spot. Follow the detergent application with a solution of two tablespoons of ammonia with one cup of water. Rinse with warm water and repeat. Blot dry. Blot the area with a solution of one cup white vinegar to two cups water, and blot dry. Apply a half-inch layer of paper towels to the affected area, and weigh down with a flat, heavy, non-fading object. Continue to change paper towels until completely dry.
Urine can affect the dyes used in carpet, although not all occurrences will result in a permanent stain. Success is dependent upon the content of the urine, the dyes and finish used, and the time elapsed after the deposit. Some urine spots may be immediately noticeable, while others may take weeks or months for a reaction. The dyes may change color immediately after contact with urine. Color can sometimes be restored by treating the area with a solution of two tablespoons of a clear, non-sudsy ammonia in one cup of water. While this treatment is not always successful in restoring color, the ammonia can be effective in removing urine content and reducing objectionable odors.
When urine spots develop slowly and are noticed after much time has elapsed, the dyes and carpet fibers may be permanently damaged. In beige carpet, blue dyes are attacked by pet urine, leaving behind the red and yellow dyes with a resulting stain appearing red, yellow, or orange.
Pet urine, left unattended, can damage carpet in several ways. Moisture can weaken the layers of the carpet, allowing separation or delamination of the backing material. Seam areas can be particularly damaged and can separate.
Another problem, especially with cats, is odor. Unless the cat urine can be completely removed, complete odor removal is unlikely. A number of products are available to combat odor, but may simply mask the odor, and, in times of high humidity, the odor may reappear.
Recently, enzymes, available at pet stores and veterinary offices, have been developed that are more effective; but they may be better used by a carpet cleaning professional. If odor cannot be removed, the damaged area of the carpet can be replaced with a piece from reserved scrap. If carpet replacement is necessary, then replacement of cushion and even subflooring may also be necessary.
Some carpet manufacturers have developed backings that resist spills and even prevent the spillage from penetrating the carpet into the carpet cushion and, perhaps, the subfloor.
Check with your carpet dealer about these products.
Technical Bulletin #115
03/01 page 1 of 1
The Carpet and Rug Insitute
With all cleaning methods a wall to wall carpet needs to be thoroughly vacuumed prior to cleaning to remove any heavy soil such as silicates (the primary constituent of soil), without this pre-vacuuming, dirt and sand are forced to the backing of the carpet.
Absorbent Powder / Dry Extraction CleaningAn absorbent granular material that has been incorporated into a mixture of detergent, solvent and water is brushed into the carpet pile with a machine incorporating a double cylindrical brush. Once the material has dried the carpet is vacuumed to remove the powder and the soil that it has captured. The best use for the absorbent powder cleaning method is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.
Bonnet/Spin Pad
This method in appearance is similar to the rotary shampoo method. The machine used is essentially the same. A detergent is usually sprayed onto the carpet. A rotating absorbent pad spins and agitates the carpet fibers as the soil is collected into the pad. This is not a preferred method for cut pile carpet for like the rotary shampoo method it can cause untwisting of the face pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for cylindrical foam cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.
Cylindrical Foam Shampoo
The cylindrical foam method uses a machine with an air compressor that whips the shampoo solution into heavy foam. The foam is brushed into the carpet with a cylindrical brush. Once the carpet has dried it is vacuumed to remove the shampoo and the particles that have theoretically bonded to it. Not all of the shampoo and soil is actually captured but instead much of it is forced deeper into the pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for cylindrical foam cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.
Rotary Shampoo
The Rotary shampoo method uses chemicals similar to those used with cylindrical foam. The rotary floor machine usually has an attached solution tank for the shampoo solution. The diluted solution is fed through a tub to a “shower-feed” where it is applied to the carpet. While the shampoo is being applied a round brush on the machine is scrubbing the carpet. This shampoo method uses more moisture than the cylindrical brush method. The rotary shampoo method is not recommended for use on cut pile carpet as it can cause untwisting of the face pile.
Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction
With this method a non-foaming detergent is injected into the carpet fibers and is almost simultaneously vacuumed out of the carpet taking the dirt and soil with it. The extraction method when performed a skilled technician and quality chemicals will leave very residue to attract to soil. In the hands of an unskilled person the carpet can be over-wet.
Beware of companies that solicit business over the telephone, or offer cheap prices through mailers, newspaper and other media.
Check references by asking friends who they have used and been happy with.
Ask the store you bought the carpet from or another local retailer for names of reliable cleaning companies.
Call the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification for names of certified companies in your area. That number for the computerized referral directory is (800) 835-4624. or IICRC on line.
Regardless if the company is recommended or certified it is always a good idea to check references from more than one source.
Have a representative of the cleaning firm visit your home and inspect the carpet for cleaning. Insist on a written estimate in advance of the job. Have the representative list the steps they are going to take and services that are include so that you can compare estimates. If large pieces of furniture such as beds, dressers, hutches and entertainment systems are to be moved, have it listed on the estimate.
Warning! Many cleaning companies quote a low price in the newspaper or on the phone. When they arrive at the house they add on a variety of services, many of which should have been included to begin with. E.g., spot removal, preconditioning, deep cleaning, triple processes, pile setting, vacuuming, sanitizing, etc. They charge and additional fee for each of the additional services and in most cases you are paying more for a poor job than you would have paid to the quality company who appeared more expensive in the beginning.
A carpet will not look good unless it is properly maintained. Good maintenance is not difficult but will require a small amount of effort on your part.
Vacuum deeply and frequently at least once or twice a week. As floor covering inspectors we go into homes where people often claim to vacuum several times per week and even more often and perhaps they do. Upon inspection we find many of these carpets full of fiber-damaging abrasive soil that has not been vacuumed out. A person that is vacuuming frequently and not getting the soil out is not vacuuming properly or is using an inefficient vacuum. Thorough vacuuming requires two or three, slow, methodical passes of the vacuum head to remove that embedded soil. In the higher traffic areas and in areas such as an entrance or next to a hard surface floor covering such ceramic, laminate or vinyl, take extra passes. A once-a-week thorough vacuuming such as this will do more good than the daily quick over. CRI Vacuum Cleaner Testing Program.
Frequent cleaning is a must. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends deep cleaning every 12 to 18 months. Various carpet and fiber manufacturers have minimum recommendations of their own and you must be familiar with these for the carpet that you purchase. A carpet with an active family and pets will usually require more frequent cleaning than one with an adult couple and no pets. Remember that the longer a dirt or stain is there the harder it can be to get out.
If you have a spot that will not come out, call the Carpet and Rug Institutes toll-free information line for assistance. The CRI can be reached at 1-800-882-8846 or CRI on line
Carpet and Rug Institute, cleaning, CRI, fiber damage, spot cleaning, vacuum, vacuuming carpet, wear
Often a dealer will receive a call from a consumer that they sold carpet to less than a year or two ago. The caller is terribly upset because the expensive new carpet is changing from its light color to a dark color along the walls at the edge of the steps on the stairs and under some of the doors. The dealer goes out and looks at the carpet and sure enough it is getting dark around the perimeter of the room. Usually there is what looks like dark bands along some walls. Sometimes there will also be what appears as claw marks, small round dark circular areas and some larger dark circular areas. Thinking that something indeed is wrong with the carpet they will often contact a company like The Weinheimer Group certified floor covering inspectors.
At the job-site the inspector lifts the edge of the carpet along a darkened area. The edge he is lifting is tucked between the tackless strip and the wall so it is protected from exposure. When the carpet is up he observes that its edge has become anywhere from light gray to black. While the carpet is up the inspector also notes that along the dark edge either the subfloor or wall or both have gaps that allow air to pass through.
The inspector moves on to the stairs where the carpet is turning dark along the edges. Lifting the carpet at a darkened edge he observes a gap between the step and the wall.
Checking the interior doors of a room it is noted that under some of them the carpet is very dark. When the door is opened the dark area is seen as almost a perfect band.
The inspector moves on to the window areas and observes that the carpet has become dark under the floor length draperies and the dark areas oddly enough are in the same shape as the pleats. In another room the inspector notices that the carpet has turned dark under the vertical blinds that go almost directly to the floor and in this area the marks are in the shape of the blind slats.
After making the above observations, the inspector determines that what we are dealing with is filtration soiling.
What is filtration soiling?
Filtration soiling occurs when the carpet performing as a filter, absorbs oily atmospheric pollutants out of the air. Carpet fiber makes a great filter and this is an advantage for holding pollutants that can be vacuumed out but unfortunately the oily type soil holds on to the carpet fiber like a magnet.
Why does filtration soiling occur?
The air of most building’s have many atmospheric pollutants, much of these contaminants are composed of carbon and other non-soluble materials, such as smoke, cooking oils, gas fumes and dust. Some of the pollutants are created within the structure and others come from outside sources such as industry, vehicles, machinery, and natural sources. These contaminants flow over, under and through the carpet. They come up through open areas between the floor and the cell plate, under the baseboards or at the space between edge of the stairs and the wall. Contaminants in the air also pass under the draperies and doors and down walls, drapes, etc. Carpet being the great filter that it is, absorbs these oily soil contaminants and thus the fibers become dark, just as the filter in a furnace becomes dark over time if it is not regularly cleaned or replaced.
Why are small, dark round or claw -like areas sometimes seen on the carpet?
When air flows under the carpet through cracks in a concrete floor or openings in the wood floor. It escapes by passing up through the back of the carpet at the small holes that develop during installation from the sharp pins on the power stretcher or knee kicker head. These holes are not due to installation error but a necessary result of stretching the carpet. As the contaminants pass through these holes this results in the round dark spots, or sometimes claw-like areas on the surface of the pile near the perimeter of the room.
Why does filtration soiling affect light colored carpet?
In actuality it affects any color of carpet. Since filtration soil is dark it is easiest to see on a light colored carpet.
What type of structures is affected?
Filtration soiling can occur in almost any type of structure. Some of the more common occurrences are in rooms without return air vents where the air and its contaminants must escape someplace and it is often under a door. Frequent examples of these are:
- Rooms that have a HVAC supply vent but no return.
- Rooms with electric wall or ceiling heat.
- Rooms heated with wood or pellet stoves.
The well-sealed house or other structure is an example we have seen more and more of over the past several years. This increase has come about with the government mandated increased requirements as it pertains to insulation. In these well-sealed structures, the return air must come from somewhere, or a vacuum is formed by the suction of the return air resulting in the filtration of the contaminants.
Is filtration soiling a construction-related problem?
Filtration soiling does not occur with every structure. While the type of structure may play a key roll as to where it is going to occur, it would not be fair to state that it is strictly a construction-related problem. Filtration soiling is a natural condition that occurs when return air is restricted by effective insulation and an ineffective return air supply.
How do you remove filtration soil?
Filtration soil is difficult to remove and if it is very dark, the most you can generally hope for is an improvement in appearance. When dealing with this dark, oily discoloration’s you are challenged with a blend of many pollutants, of varying particle sizes.
Cleaning of filtration marks is not a one step process. The cleaning will require a solvent to attack the oily substance, detergent to attack soil, a lot of agitation, plenty of dwell time for the chemicals to work and a thorough very-hot water extraction. This type of cleaning is not done standing up with a cleaning wand. You will be working face to face with the carpet if you expect any type of cleaning results.
- First vacuum the area thoroughly with a crevice tool or hose cuff to remove the dry soil. The more thorough the vacuuming now the better your later results will be.
- After vacuuming, mix a high-pH pre-spray containing a built-in solvent as part of the ingredient and spray the dark area. (The pre-spray may work better if it is hot.)
- When you apply the pre-spray, do not over-wet, as you only want to wet about the top one-third of the yarn.
- Once you have sprayed the area use a tamping brush (type of spotting brush) to tamp in the solvents. The tamping will move the pre-spray further down the tuft length without over-wetting the fiber shaft along with adding needed agitation to help break the soil loose. The job of the solvent in the pre-spray is to dissolve and oxidizes the oily soil that it encapsulates.
- With carpet shampoo, scrub the area and wait about twenty minutes (dwell time) before proceeding.
- Thoroughly extract the area with very hot water. Extract thoroughly to reduce the amount of wicking (soil moving back to the surface as wet seeks dry). After all of this the area will likely still be discolored but look much better.
How do I prevent filtration soiling?
Cleaning the filtration soiling will help only temporarily if something is not done to prevent it from happening again. An alternate source of fresh air for the return air must be
Found. While some experts claim that one way to prevent or reduce filtration soiling is to remove part of the insulation or weather stripping, I do not consider this a practical solution. Another way to prevent or reduce filtration soiling is to leave a window cracked so that return air will be drawn through the window instead of from under the base plate or through the wall. Since every structure is different, it is recommended that a heating and air-conditioning expert be contacted for their recommendation.
For further information regarding filtration soil or other floor-covering problem, please feel free to contact either Terry or Kevin Weinheimer at “The Weinheimer Group LLC“.
Procedures
1. Urgency is important with spot cleaning. The earlier that you get to it the better it will usually come off. Most carpet is stain-resistant but no carpet is stain-proof.
2. With a putty knife or the edge of other dull knife, scrape off as much of the foreign matter as you can.
3. Never scrub a carpet as this will distort and fray the pile. Absorb as much liquid as you can by blotting before adding any new liquid.
4. If you haven’t already done so, pretest your cleaning solution on a scrap of the carpet or in an inconspicuous area. Some products can damage carpet dye or cause yellowing.
5. Apply your spot-cleaning chemical to an absorbent towel. Never poor the chemical directly onto the carpet. Excess cleaner leaves a residue to attract soil. Some spotters in excess will damage the latex in the back of a carpet.
6. Work the spotter from the outside of the spot toward the center to keep the spot from growing.
Spot Removal Solutions
1. Detergent solution: To 1 cup of warm water add only 3 drops of dish washing liquid. Do not use laundry detergent or powdered dish washing detergent as these may damage the carpet. Do not add more then 3 drops of the liquid detergent, as excess will leave a residue that attracts soil.
2. Acetic acid solution: One half cup of white vinegar to one cup of water.
3. Alkaline solution: Two tablespoons of household ammonia to one cup of water.
4. Alcohol: Isopropyl or grain.
5. Dry cleaning solvent: Used for removing oily spots. Different brands are available for removing spots on clothing.
6. Rinse: Clear water
Removal Procedures Common Spills
Catsup: Scrape, blot, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Coffee, Tea, Soft Drink: Blot, detergent solution, acetic acid solution, rinse, blot.
Feces: Scrape, detergent solution, ammonia solution, acetic acid, rinse, blot.
Ink: Blot, alcohol, blot, dry cleaning solvent, blot.
Lipstick: Dry cleaning solvent, blot.
Milk: Blot, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Oil, Grease and Tar: Scrape solids, dry cleaning solvent, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Paint, oil base: Scrape, dry solvent, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Paint, water base: Scrape, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Urine, fresh: Blot, detergent solution, rinse, blot.
Urine, dry: Detergent solution, ammonia solution, blot, acetic acid solution, rinse, blot.
Yellow areas dry and unknown: Rinse, acetic acid solution, blot.
Notice: All spots may not come out. All products should be protested on an inconspicuous area or remnant.
