Wicked Carpet Stain

These stains occur if there is too much cleaning solution and water used during the cleaning process.

Wicked carpet stain.

If you remove a stain only to have it reappear later after the spot has been walked on for awhile the new stain is actually from dirt. Sometimes stains will reappear after the absorbent compound treatment. Not a fail proof method. The water that wicks to the surface isn t always clean water.

Wicking occurs when the substance that was spilled on the carpet has soaked through into the backing of the carpet and sometimes even the underpad when you clean the stain you are cleaning the surface of the carpet. You may notice brown stains on your carpet after a thorough carpet cleaning. Another reason these brown stains occur is that dirt that is usually deep down in the carpet resurfaces as the carpet dries. Most stores have a variety of products some of which are tailored to specific stains.

Use a cleaning solution of your choice rinse. A carpet stain is like an iceberg. For carpet cleaning where the water goes is where the soil goes. What is in the backing of the carpet and in the pad is what causes most wicking problems.

So don t put it off treat it as soon as you possibly can before it has a chance to dry. Apply the powder to the affected area and the spot wicks out of the carpet into the powder. Spray the stain with your solution but don t drown the stain. Apply a carpet stain removal solution to the stained area.

The sooner you treat a carpet stain the better chance you have of being able to remove it completely. The other common cause of reappearing stains is something referred to as wicking. This is caused by the residue from the cleaning solution used to remove the vomit stain being left on the carpet which causes dirt to stick to the area. Buy cleaning solutions in the cleaning sections of most stores.

Encapsulants on the other hand behave more like protectors making it difficult for soils to find a resting place. Wicking is the visible tip of the iceberg that indicates the stain is still present below. You want to allow the solution to work into the carpet without ruining it. Then remove the powder with dry vacuuming.

Get rid of solids liquids. The only way to prevent wicking is to ensure that carpet pad and subfloors are thoroughly rinsed and dried after a spill.