When I was doing a carpet audit in Franklin Mi. I came across a client with dark lines that ran parallel to the wall about one inch away. This is known as filtration soiling or soil filtration lines.

What are soil filtration lines? Soil filtration lines are ugly dark lines – usually from 1 to 3 inches in width -  that often show up in homes along the baseboards, under doors, along stairways, around furnace vents and under floor length draperies.

The Cause

Filtration soiling is caused by smog, soot, dust, carbon monoxide and other microscopic airborne pollutants that pass through the carpet pile. As the pollutants pass through the carpet, the fibers act as a filter to remove the fine particles of airborne soil. The pollutants build up in the carpet and slowly turn from light gray to black. Homes and businesses in the vicinity of large cities, industrial areas or near busy roads and highways are more prone to filtration soiling, because of increased levels of air pollution, although no building is immune.

The pollution enters the home via foot traffic, through open doors and windows, from “fresh air” intakes on heating and cooling systems, or from the crawlspace.

Airborne pollutants are distributed throughout a building via the heating or air conditioning system or through natural convection currents in the building structure. In virtually every home and building, gaps are found at the lower edge of walls, between steps and the walls of a staircase and between the floor and the drywall. Soil filtration lines may take weeks, months or even years to appear.

Ironically, newer, more energy efficient homes are more likely to have soil filtration lines than older homes, because the exterior walls are usually more air-tight, forcing more air movement through gaps in the interior walls.  The popularity of lighter colored carpets in newer homes has drawn attention to the problem, since light colors show soil more readily.

Olefin and polyester carpet fibers show the greatest affinity to filtration soiling. This is due to the oily nature of the pollutants and the oil-loving characteristics displayed by these fibers. This chemical attraction can cause a reaction whereby the oily deposits become a part of the carpet fiber, making them very hard to remove. Nylon fibers are somewhat easier to clean because they do not have as strong a chemical infinity to filtration lines.

Prevention

It is very difficult to completely prevent soil filtration lines. Sealing cracks along a wall with caulking or expanding aerosol foam insulation will help, but may force it to occur somewhere else. The best method of prevention is to develop a habit of vacuuming along baseboards and stairways weekly, using a crevice tool. Also, during the months of heaviest usage for your heating or air conditioning system, change the filters at least monthly. Clean filters pull more airborne pollutants from the air, cutting down on the amount of pollution that can be passed through the carpeting.

Removal

The longer the problem goes untreated, the more difficult it is to correct. Once the lines become charcoal or black in color, an improvement is about all one can hope for. Due to the oily nature of filtration soil, once the problem has reached this stage, a professional carpet cleaner needs to be called in. It takes a professional carpet cleaner that has an education and certification in carpet cleaning to get this very difficult problem resolved.  Carpet cleaning spot removers may help in the short term but will leave a detergent and solvent residue behind that will make the problem worse in the long run.

As always, if you have any questions about this subject, please feel free to call our office!

Blot up as much of the urine as possible. Do not scrub. When you think you have as much of it up as possible, blot the area again using a towel soaked in warm water. Be careful not to get the area too wet—you may force the urine deeper. Blot the area again with a dry towel.

Next, apply a low-residue carpet spot remover, let sit for 60 seconds and again blot the spot.

Finally, fold a dry towel to several layers, place over the spot and apply at least 10 pounds of weight. Let it sit overnight. When you remove the towel, fluff the carpet up and allow to dry. If the spot returns after a few days, repeat the last two steps.

After the carpet dries, stick your nose down to the carpet and give it a good whiff. Any odor? If so, please be very careful what you use Natures Miracle is a product that many of my pet owning customers like to use. Most store-bought deodorizers only work in mild odor situations.  Don’t over-use them, you may do more harm than good. Call Mark at (248) 200-9527 if you need help.  We have special training and equipment to take care of pet odors and stains and we guarantee our work with a satisfaction money back guarantee. Just because we are located in Royal Oak MI. remember we service carpet cleaning clients in Birmingham MI. West Bloomfield MI. and many other cities in the greater Metro Detroit area, from Grosse Pointe MI. to Novi MI. and then north to Lake Orion MI.

We are often asked, “How often should I have my carpets cleaned?”  While we often jokingly reply “once a week,” the truth is, there is no set amount of time.  Cleaning frequency really depends on the type of traffic you have on your carpet and how you maintain it.

Some people can get by with professional cleanings every twelve to eighteen months, while other people need their carpets cleaned every 3 months or so.

Appearance alone should not be the determining factor when deciding when to clean the carpet.  Today’s carpets are engineered from the fiber up to hide soil.  In fact, a tan, residential grade saxony carpet can hide up to a pound of dirt per square foot before it becomes noticeably soiled.  Once a carpet reaches this degree of soiling, it is not just in need of maintenance, but restoration as well.

Commercial carpeting is often placed on a maintenance program where cleaning is scheduled before it reaches an unacceptable level.  Manufacturers are increasingly requiring that residential carpets be placed on a regular maintenance program as well.

Soil, grit and grime in a carpet can work like tiny razor blades, slicing and dicing your carpet fibers, causing them to lose that “new” shimmer and taking years off their life.  Carpet that is well maintained will wear longer and is less likely to contribute to indoor air pollution.

Appearance, reduction of potentially unhealthy contamination that may accumulate in the carpet, and manufacturers requirements to maintain your warranty should all be factors that help you decide how often to clean your carpeting.

A “no shoes policy,” application of carpet protectant, frequent thorough vacuuming, and spotting with a residue-free carpet spotter are all excellent ways for you to keep your carpeting vibrant and healthy and extend the length of time between professional cleanings.