Carpet black along edges. Help!

[carolinasurface]

I need some help please. This is the second or third job where the carpet is a light color and all on the edges of 1 or 2 rooms, it is black. What is this? Nothing I have done has been able to remove this around the edges. It is like the carpet is dyed. Any help would be appreciated. I want to continually become a better cleaner.

Thank you,
Chris

 

[Brian R]

Filtration stains...go to your supply store and get Filtration Stain Remover...or whatever it's called.

 

[carolinasurface]

I thought it had something to do with HVAC. I typically have seen them in bonus rooms, etc. Thanks a lot!

 

[Brian R]

I thought it had something to do with HVAC. I typically have seen them in bonus rooms, etc. Thanks a lot!

That can be part of it.
Someone will explain it better than I can I am sure.

 

[rwcarpet]

I would say they are mostly caused by poor vacuuming, tighter built houses and apartments, and one of the biggest causes......candle burning in the home. I've had one so bad that we had to re-stretch and tuck that bad filtration line under, and trimming the bad part. We use the internal jet crevice tool to catch the worst jobs.

There are filtration cleaners out there, but don't soak down the edges.

 

[sweendogg]

Air moves around in houses in weird ways. Besides entering through the cold air returns and being pumped out through the heat/ac vents, the air moves through the walls from high pressure areas to lower pressure areas, They can find areas at the base of the walls, under furniture, under doorways that don't get used alot and the air will pull all the soiling contaminants and carbon particles with it. The problem is the smaller carbon particles from the HVAC system, scented candles, cigertte smokers tend to have a small charge that makes it cling to fabrics, combine with the air moving at concentrated areas along and through the walls, under furniture.. ext. and you build up a concentration of the oily soot like soils... what you are seeing above as an example.. The fabrics filter these soils out of the air and they build up causing filtration line. hence the name. Two things can happen, one the oily soil doesn't get scrubbed out and the oily part of the material over time begin to oxidize. Secondly the very small charged particles become very embedded in the fibers and a normal emulsifier usually doesn't have the right chemistries to break the static bond. This is where a filtration soil remover can come in handy. They are designed to overcome the static electrical bonds.

 

[J Scott W]

David did a very good job of explaining what filtration soil is.

Each case of filtration soil is different. Sometimes the pollutants that get filtered from the air are greasy or oil like highway vehicle exhausts or cooking oils. Other soils may have very fine particles such as from burning candles, heating systems not properly adjusted right. This could also include some vehicle emissions.

So sometimes one product works better. A product with a lot fo solvent works well on the greas or oils. A product designed to break down the electrical charges (Van der Waals forces) works better in another case. So I like to have more than one product available.

Some strategies to prevent filtration lines
1) Choose darker colored carpet where they are not seen as easily
2) Repair furnace
3) Don't burn candles in the home.
4) Use caulk around the base of walls behind the tackless strip. Restretch the casrpet and cut off the excess which often removes most of the heavy soil.
5) Clean regulalry and apply high quality carpet rpotector right up to the edge.

 

[joeynbgky]

 

[PTMatt]

I use Fels Naptha bar soap (can be bought at local grocery store) a grout brush and crevice tool, works great!

 

[XTREME1]

It has nothing to do with vacuuming it has to do with the way the allergens and pollens and air quality gets in the walls and surrounds the legs of furniture and the interrior walls of a home raeley do you see high concentrations on walls bordering outdoors. I am dumbfounded by the comments from a sales rep in the industry Scottw, a long time veteran RW and sweendog. Maybe it is there locatiuons but most filtration problems I find are in unpopulated areas with high pollen counts and vegation.

My suggestion ()for what is worth)( is spray with a good 10 or so ph cleaner but use your grout brush along the lines. If that doesn'work get some hel gel and mix 50/50 with water and spray across and scrub, Prochem filtration and all other filtration cleaners are a waste you would use too much

 

[Dolly Llama]

It has nothing to do with vacuuming

it can, but that's not true filtration soil

it has to do with the way the allergens and pollens and air quality gets in the walls

true... and candle soot, dust, cooking oils, fuel furnace hydrocarbons , etc, etc, etc.
It get's thru the walls just as Sweendoggie said, though.
It's "drawn" thru to due differing air pressures in the home

Maybe it is there locatiuons but most filtration problems I find are in unpopulated areas

maybe so..in Greg's world
but we see them anywhere from apts buildings to farm houses out in the sticks to upscale gated housing associations.....and everything in between

My suggestion ()for what is worth)( is spray with a good 10 or so ph cleaner but use your grout brush along the lines. If that doesn'work get some hel gel and mix 50/50 with water and spray across and scrub, Prochem filtration and all other filtration cleaners are a waste you would use too much

not bad suggestions, Greg, and I'm inclined to agree.
However, not all filtration soil is created equal.
Some are down right easy to remove, some are damn near impossible (or impossible on some light colored goods) to remove 100%


..L.T.A.

 

[davegillfishing]

after we pre spray we run a bar of fells naptha soap on the edges that are in need..also under doors
rub your shoe on it and you are good to go..dont go crazy with the soap as it will
foam up on ya a bit but is pretty easy to rinse out for us.

 

[sweendogg]

Crowley you fell asleep during that part of your training didn't you.

:mrgreen:

 

[Brian R]

I just tell them to put a frickin sofa in front of it and shut the hell up and pay me.

Bawb on Brian's computer

 

[sweendogg]

And Bawb's other favorite excuse.. it adds character to the carpet! :|

 

[Brian R]

 

[tim]

If it is oily soil (for us, it rarely is) we use Cyclone from vacaway. Otherwise, fels naptha. We lift the wand up and spray water close to the baseboard, then rub in the fels naptha, aggitate and rinse. Works like a charm! You can charge extra for this if there is alot of it.

 

[carolinasurface]

Thank you all for the help and input. I did purchase a quart of filtration soil remover. I will probably try it tonight. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[sweendogg]

just make sure you agitate as well. apply about a foot at a time, agitatie and extract with hand tool, or whatever you suction advice that will get up to the edge.

 

[carolinasurface]

I did not have a lot of time at this house yesterday for various reasons, but it worked ok. It lightened a few spots up, but did not remove. I look forward to trying this again soon.

Thanks for all of the help!

 

[tim]

Duh! FELS NAPTHA!

 

[rhyde]

prespry boosted with peroxide & agitation has always work for me