Why Do Carpet Stains Come Back?

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Why do some stains seem to re appear? This is a problem that has plagued homeowners and carpet cleaning companies for decades.  This problem revolves around stains that seem to be removed during the cleaning but then eventually come back quickly a few days later.  These stains have been making carpet cleaners look bad for many years, sometimes they are due to the carpet cleaner’s lack of thoroughness but sometimes they are a preexisting condition in the carpet. These stains can be broken down into a couple of different categories. Traffic patterns which come back almost immediately after the cleaning is complete, are a very common kind of re-occurring stain.  This situation is most common in low pile carpets such as berbers and commercial glue down carpets.  I  have found in my over 25 years of carpet cleaning that there are a couple of causes for this and a couple of solutions.  On our end we have come up with a rather unique system to deal with the stains.  It involves thoroughly flushing the carpet with our truck mounted carpet cleaning equipment.  We then do everything within our power to dry the carpet as quickly as possible.  I finish up this service with a pretty unique twist.  I have found that this problem in all but the most extreme cases can be eliminated by using a floor buffing machine and cotton bonnet after the steam cleaning is completed.  This is sort of a hybrid steam cleaning and VLM (very low moisture) cleaning combined.  We are always happy to perform this service if your carpet falls into this category.  There are a couple of things that homeowners and building managers can due to alleviate this ongoing problem as well.  The number one thing they can do is to vacuum their carpets regularly.  This kind of carpet is very durable as far as wear patterns goes, but it has no tolerance for the buildup of dirt and debris.  Before too long this dirt has completely permeated the carpet and must be systematically removed to alleviate the re-occurring traffic patterns. Another kind of recurring stain is actually caused by improper cleaning.  These are small stains that I regularly see in hallways and other high traffic areas.  These stains tend to present themselves as small spots of what seems to be just extra dirty carpet.  I have come across these for years and are confident that our system never leaves them.  They are the product of a less than thorough carpet cleaning technician using a spotting agent (either a gel, or liquid, or even a bar of spotter) and not thoroughly extracting the area.  As a carpet cleaner I am aware of the fact that it is necessary to apply spotting treatments as I clean and take the extra time to thoroughly extract those areas that have been treated.  I believe these stains are the result of residual spotter being left in the carpet and eventually attracting more dirt because of their sticky nature. I once had a customer admit she'd used 11 different carpet spotters on one spot, yeah that spot wicked back from all that gobs and gobs of residue A final kind of re-occurring that is a bit more of a problem is a large spill of a sugary liquid.  Sometimes these will clean up easily, other times if they have thoroughly soaked into the backing of the carpet and into the pad below these can be very problematic.  I do everything I can to flush the carpet and pad below.  I have a specialized flood tool that allows us to rinse the affected area with water, up to and above 5 gallons of water, while still being able to thoroughly extract all that water. These are just some of the kinds of re-occurring stains I have seen over my two generations of carpet cleaning experience.  There of course are many others, but I feel like this covers the basics that most people will come across. What does my company do about re-occurring stains? I make every effort possible to get every stain out of your carpet.  As I've outlined above I have many different plans in place to handle different kinds of stains that can be problematic.  I do not promise to make your carpet absolutely flawless (that would be unrealistic, and it would be pretty dishonest for me to tell you that your carpet will have ZERO stains after my cleanings).  Certain spots and spills do not come out of certain types of carpets; I am forced to call these permanent stains.  I make every effort to handle every stain in the most effective manner possible, and I also offer my guarantee on our work.  If you have a stain that comes back after you’re cleaning feel free to call my office and let us know.  I will happily get back out to your property and take care of whatever issue has arisen with no cost to you.  I truly believe that my reputation tells you everything that you need to know about my company and its policies involving the resolution of any kind of re-occurring stains or spots.  I make every effort to make your cleaning a positive experience and I have a very high success rate in this region