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Successful spot removal sometimes isn’t. That feeling of accomplishment can give way to frustration when trying to clean spills and stains from the carpet in your Oxford, MI home or business.
Carpet wicking (or ‘wick-back’) can happen to the best of us. The problem typically stems from a carpet pad that has been saturated with spilled liquid. After you have made the attempt to clean the surface carpet fibers with good results, the excess liquid slowly creeps back up the carpet fiber causing the stain or spot to reappear from deep down in the carpet. The best way to resolve basic carpet wicking issues is to apply dry, clean absorbent (white) towels on top of the affected area and place heavy books or weights on top of the towels. Once the excess liquid seems to have been worked out of the carpet, treat the spot with an effective stain remover. Work large stains from the outside to the center.
If you have just had your carpet professionally cleaned and are surprised to see spots appear or reappear after the service has been completed, this could be due to a number of reasons. The carpet could have been over-saturated with water or cleaning agents by the cleaning technician and/or these liquids were not properly extracted. As such, dirt could still be in the carpet and is now traveling up the carpet fiber right to the surface along with the excess liquid in the carpet. If the carpet did not receive a thorough vacuuming and treatment with a prespray that hasn’t been allowed to ‘dwell’ properly before any ‘wet cleaning’ (usually steam cleaning) takes place, that could be a contributing factor to extra dirt remaining in the carpet. Surface resoiling could potentially get worse in a short time if the carpet cleaning company used a carpet cleaning solution (or ‘shampoo’) that contains detergents and chemicals that was improperly mixed for use. Combine all of these factors with improper rinsing and extraction efforts, once the carpet finally dries, you could potentially be left with an unhealthy mess of dirt-attracting residue. This will usually lead to carpet that sports an unfortunate gray-looking tinge as a result.
Spots in the carpet must also be pre-treated properly according to the known cause. While that is not always possible, particularly in the case of commercial carpet, a fully-trained cleaning technician will usually know how to initiate the treatment of an unknown stain. Taking the wrong approach with any spot could actually set it and cause it to be a very challenging, or irremovable, stain. Industry experts suggest using a solvent-based product, before a water-based product to avoid this problem. There are also different professional carpet cleaning methods and techniques an operator may use to prevent the occurrence of carpet wicking. This is why it is so important to hire an Oxford, MI carpet cleaner who is well-versed due to long-running, hands on cleaning experience and (bonus points) who has been trained and certified by the IICRC.
More extreme carpet wicking situations may require the carpet to be pulled back so that the carpet pad and sub-floor can be exposed to give these areas the opportunity to dry out. This may not be very maneuverable or easy if your spill is not near the edge of the carpet. Attempting this whole procedure may entail calling in a professional carpet installer to may sure your carpet is properly reinstalled. They can also let you know if you will be facing the worst case scenario of needing to replace the whole pad under your carpet if it has been adversely affected with mold. Sometimes a simple repair that entails cutting portion of the carpet and pad out and replacing the cut area with new material may be possible. However, if the repair is not in an inconspicuous area, the carpet may no longer have a seamless and attractive look and feel.
Carpet Cleaning Excellence has over 25 years of experience dealing with various spots and stains and correcting carpet wicking problems experienced by commercial and residential clients in Oxford, MI. Our technicians are IICRC trained and have recently upgraded state-of-the-art truckmounted equipment and non-toxic, natural cleaning solutions that don’t leave behind dirt-attracting residue. Moreover, we offer a 100% money back peace of mind guarantee with each cleaning we do. We also provide an additional 30 day no spot unlimited return visit guarantee to treat any unexpected spills that may occur after your deep cleaning is done. That’s how happy we want our clients to be with our service. We are privileged to have longtime repeat clients who have sent us many referrals.
Contact us at 888-688-0603 to book a fast, free, and friendly 15 minute carpet evaluation. We will stop by, inspect your carpet, address any concerns you may have, tell you what results you can expect, and measure your carpet to provide you with an accurate estimate. While other carpet cleaning companies charge by the room, we measure the actual square footage that is cleaned and will move most (safely movable) furniture.
Carpet Cleaning Excellence provides service to the North Oakland County, MI areas of Oxford, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Davisburg, Springfield, Orion, and Independence Township.
