Have you noticed yourself staring at the carpet stain that you just cleaned? It can be surprising as well as frightening to find stains reappearing on your carpet even after a recent cleaning. There can be various factors involved behind recurring stains.
And two of the major factors are improper cleaning techniques and wrong products. In this blog, we will discuss the reasons behind recurring carpet stains along with some helpful tips to prevent them from reappearing.
What Makes The Carpet Stains Reappear?
Whether it is stains showing up immediately after you’ve cleaned up or after a few days or weeks, there are two main reasons for recurring carpet stains.
And these both reasons are a result of either improper cleaning technique or the usage of wrong products.
1. Over-Saturation
When you use excessive water to remove a stain, especially when cleaning heavily-soiled carpets, it tends to over-saturate the fibers. The water, mixed with the stain, gets absorbed deeply into the backing. Later when you clean the stain, it’s just the surface that has been cleaned and dried. The absorbed stain in the layers beneath starts to make its way up, to the surface and the fibers.
This phenomenon of recurrence of the carpet due to over-saturating is called wicking. This happens when you have not removed the water thoroughly after cleaning, causing the stain to reappear once the surface has dried.
Using rented steam cleaning machines often leads to this issue as they are not powerful enough to suck up all the water after cleaning. Not being able to absorb or blot the stain can also help it seep deeper and cause wicking.
2. Ineffective Removal of Residue
Another cause of recurring carpet stains is the residue left behind. When you clean your carpet or a stain with a soapy detergent, it leaves some residue on the carpet fibers even after cleaning and rinsing.
This residue will linger on the fibers even when the carpet dries. Then, being sticky in nature, this soapy remnant will attract dirt, dust, and grime quickly. This causes frequent re-soiling and you’ll notice recently cleaned areas getting soiled again, seeming like the stain had reoccurred.
Stains coming back through this reason tend to show up after a few days or weeks, especially in high-traffic areas. Many store-bought products have chemicals and detergents that, in spite of giving bright results, leave sticky residue behind.
Tips To Prevent Recurring Carpet Stains
⇒ Do not over-saturate the fibers while cleaning.
⇒ Remove water from the carpet thoroughly after cleaning.
⇒ Blot the stains immediately as they occur and absorb as much as possible.
⇒ Hire professionals instead of renting ineffective cleaning equipment.
⇒ Use stain protectors for carpets.
⇒ Rinse the residue thoroughly without leaving any traces behind.
⇒ Use eco-friendly carpet cleaning methods instead of chemicals.
⇒ Avoid using over-the-counter and residue-leaving products.
⇒ Use appropriate amounts of cleaner.
Summing Up
It can be irritating to get recurring stains on your carpet. The major causes of the same are wicking and residue. Wicking occurs when excess moisture seeps into the backing, making the stain appear again after drying. Whereas, the residue left by certain cleaners starts attracting dirt and results in frequent re-soiling, thus recurring the stains. By knowing these causes and the above tips, you can ensure that you don’t welcome the stains again.
