James Cummings is the general manager of Arizona’s Servpro of Ahwatukee & South Tempe, a branch of Servpro, the national fire and water cleanup and restoration company. Since Servpro has a lot of experience restoring different types of materials after emergencies — including carpets — they are also experts when it comes to preserving your possessions and protecting them from damage. Here is the company’s guide to getting rid of hidden carpet stains.
Some stains are hidden by other dirt, and are only revealed after cleaning. These stains, which do not immediately cause discoloration, are usually from spilled liquids containing colorless sugar that has stuck to the fibers. After long exposure to the air, they have changed to insoluble brown stains, but are not apparently noticeable because of the dirt covering them.
Other types of stains can be caused by water soaking through and absorbing dyes from the backs of the material. Because the fibers act as wicks, moisture will rise to the surface and evaporate, and the material is left discolored. Carpet owners who try to remove stains by using the wrong cleaning compounds and procedures sometimes only make the stained areas more noticeable.
In addition to frequent vacuuming, it is important to clean your carpet on a regular basis. Cleaning systems remove the oily, sticky soil that vacuums cannot take out, and help keep your carpet looking great over time. Cleaning systems target the hidden soil that results from cooking vapors, air pollution, and tracked-in dirt. The particles of oily soil deposited on carpet fibers can cause a gradual but significant dulling of colors. The color isn’t lost, but is hidden under the film. If this type of soil is allowed to accumulate, it begins to attract and hold the dry soil.
Some common warranties require that the homeowner be able to show proof of periodic cleaning by hot water extraction (commonly called “steam” cleaning) by a professional cleaning service or do-it-yourself system, using equipment certified under the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Seal of Approval program. We strongly recommend cleaning systems that have achieved the Gold Level Performance in the CRI Seal of Approval Program.
Cleaning your carpet, furniture, and rugs will lengthen their life, but we also strongly recommend that you or a professional apply a protective coating, such as Teflon, to your carpet to help prevent future stains and allow for easier cleanup of spills. It’s like waxing your car: If you wash your car, it looks great when you are done. But if you wax your car too, it looks better longer. The same is true with your carpets, furniture, and rugs when a protective coating is applied. Of course, everything will eventually get dirty again, but the protective coating is still there doing its job. It allows your furnishings to bounce back to a greater degree of their original beauty when you have them professionally cleaned.
