What are those dark gray lines on the border of carpeted rooms?
If you have light colored carpet, you have probably noticed these dark lines that appear on the edge of the carpet. These black edges are known as filtration soiling because as air passes through the carpet this microscopic soil is “filtered” out and left in the carpet (hence the name filtration). Over a significant period of time this soil builds up in areas where air is able to pass through the carpet, most commonly around the border of carpeted rooms and under doorways causing black edges.
The soils in the air that actually cause the filtration lines can be a host of different soils, but are most commonly cooking oils, soot from burning candles, poorly ventilated fireplaces, fine sand & clay particles, and many other indoor air pollutants. Although routine vacuuming will help slow the build up, these microscopic particles are so fine they easily bond to and penetrate carpet fibers making them difficult to remove even for professional carpet cleaners.
Can the black edges be removed?
Yes, in most cases with time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved. We have developed a proven system for removing this difficult soil that includes:
- Application of specialized cleaning agent to break up and loosen the fine particulate soils.
2. Hand scrubbing edges to agitate carpet fibers, create a light foam, and suspend soils.
3. Extraction of cleaning agent with detail tool to remove suspended soil.
4. Rinse and extraction to thoroughly flush and remove soil and cleaning agents.
5. Application of an anti-resoiling agent to help prevent future soiling of carpet.
Contact Mighty Clean Carpet Care to schedule your professional carpet cleaning in the Northern Virginia area.