Sometimes we run across stains as a homeowner that are fairly complex and a challenge to remove. Few stains can even be next to impossible to absolve where others are fairly simple. Then there are stains that vanish at a sincere attempt to remove, but then within a few hours or a few days, the stain has reappeared to mock us. These phantom stains, though frustrating, are not impossible to remove. The solution to removing these stains can be done with diligence and elbow grease and we at Tough Carpet Cleaning would like to share some steps and advice on how you can potentially remove the elusive, reappearing stain.
What Are Carpet Wicking Stains?
The phantom stain is referred to as wicking within trade. With excessive liquid quickly absorbing through the carpet, the backing and carpet pad becomes soaked. Despite your efforts of treating the surface of the carpet, the moisture is typically only removed from there and the sub-floor remains wet. Depending on how much foot traffic there is, the moisture will generally resurface within a few hours or up to a few days as the person first tending to the accident believes it taken care of with the stain and moisture out of sight, forgetting about the pooled liquid beneath the surface. To help you better understand wicking, let us describe an analogy; an oil lamp has a constantly partially submerged wick that continues to stay saturated on the surface.
How to Get Rid of Carpet Stains that Keep Coming Back
There is a remedy to avoid the stain from resurfacing to avoid the frustrating circumstances of the phantom stain; below you will find a method to avoid the stain from returning and distinguish the existing reappearing stain.
1) Use the carpet cleaner sparingly. A common contributor is people applying too much liquid carpet treatment on the stain, causes excessive saturation. When treating these spots or stains, use the minimal amount of cleaner. Blot away the moisture with paper towels or dry towel with moderate to heavy pressure, especially in between treatment applications. To limit the amount of liquid, sparingly apply the cleaning solution on the stain and blot well in between the applications until stain is removed.
2) Immediately treat carpet spills. Do not let any potential staining agent linger on the carpets, as the longer it sits, the harder the stain in addition to allowing more moisture absorb into the carpet, backing, padding, and subfloor. This is where many of the reappearing stains originate from; the stored up liquid works its way up to the surface.
3) Extract the moisture from carpet. The majority of the excess moisture can be drawn up by placing the old towel over the spot and weighing it down with a heavy object for several hours or even overnight following the stain removal process. Treat the stain prior to removing the moisture left behind to ensure the liquid and stain are effectively removed.
4) Professional carpet stain removal assistance. You may need to invest professional assistance if the stain persists, as it is an indication that there is an underlining issue. Professionals have powerful extracting equipment that efficiently removes the penetrated stains and any lingering moisture that might be pooling on the subfloor or anywhere in between at their disposal.
Carpet Cleaning, Stain Removal & More in the Las Vegas Valley, Summerlin, North LV & Henderson Nevada
For your stain removal, call Tough Carpet Cleaners and let our specialists remove the phantom stain quickly and efficiently.
