YELLOW STAINS UNDER FUNITURE, AFTER CLEANING CARPET FOR YEAR

[Weebco]

This customer called today and said she sold her house and noticed yellow stains under all her furniture. I have been cleaning for her for years and never had to move her furniture and now that she has sold her house and moved her furniture, she says it is yellow all around the edges of her furniture.She wants it to be nice looking for the new owners. She said it is not urine, although she has dogs. Any idea's of what is happening here? I am going over to her house on Monday to try and remedy the problem.

Thanks,
Gary

 

[Supersucker]

I would suspect urine. It could also be that the carpet has faded. What color is it?
Could also be oily soils on Olefin. Is it berber?
Also possibly some infiltration.

If the house has been sold, why does she care?
What about all the other problems she didn't disclose?

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

If it's the out line of the furniture I'm betting urin

 

[The Cleaning Artist]

Does she smoke? Could be filtration or fume fading or sun fading the open areas or several other things.

 

[ScottM]

just a thought

How old is this carpet?

If it is only the outlines of the furniture and you have been cleaning around the furniture and the carpet is over 10 years old; it could possibly be a bad batch of pad. There was a large problem back then after HWE with mysterious yellowing (a nice bright yellow if I remember).

If it doesn't look like urine, try a 'anti-browning' type treatment first.

 

[Jack May]

Can you provide fibre type(s) and photos?

If localised yellowing around legs/corners, could very well be pet urine marks as discussed.

If even over all covered areas, fibre type may narrow a couple of options such as BHT yellow or even photo bleaching if you have a wool content.

John

 

[The Great Oz]

If not a urine stain it's off-gassing yellowing. Steam Way's Yellow Eliminator is the fastest cure. Yellowing will go away fairly quickly when exposed to UV, but not fast enough for a house on the market.

 

[Contemporary Carpet Clean]

could be urine....use a black light and or your nose

we have had "rings/outlines" from nicotine, candles especially scented ones, furnance malfunction/blowback, and filtration dust.

Some good suggestions above try those and or a good enzymatic prespray. Try to srub a part of the outline with a solvent and brush to see if it makes it any better.

Could be fade as well.

 

[John Buxton]

I did alot of BHT and used citric acid. It will either work or not and you'll know as soon as you spray it.

 

[glenboy]

be carefull with citric acids and browning trm always pre test

 

[duckster]

Possibly furniture oil/polish