It was “cleaned” by the other guys… This is where it is VERY important to go with a reputable carpet cleaner.  The previous cleaning was incomplete and thoroughly useless.  They didn’t extract all of the soap, either with poor equipment, or a ridiculously fast hack job, and the soap that was left in the carpet continued to attract molecules of moisture and dirt the moment it dried.  Quality carpet and carpet with protectant on it will naturally shed dirt and moisture.  Normal carpet not so much.  The worst is any carpet with tons of soap left in it, because it is a polarized substance, designed to grab dirt and make it extractable.  But in this scenario, with soap LEFT IN THE CARPET it attracts the dirt to the carpet and creates stains everywhere.

He was really disappointed with himself for not taking before and after pictures – he even bought a brand new camera and just forgot to use it.  But we are on the hunt for pictures of exactly this scenario, so make sure to contact us if you have some or if you got a cheap carpet cleaning and it looks like the stains are beginning to appear very quickly, this is probably the reason.

After the cleaning he was ecstatic as his carpet was perfect.  Every stain came out and it looked brand new.  The funny thing is the same day his carpet cleaning was scheduled he had just spilled some special korean sauce on the carpet and not just anywhere – on the stairs.  It was a large amount and very unattractive but we got it all out!

The lesson is to keep your eyes on the carpet after you get a carpet cleaning and watch for new stains to magically appear.  If the soap was not extracted properly, more dirt will be attracted to it and uniformly build up everywhere.

This type of soiling is difficult to remove because the soil particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile, sometimes into the backing of the carpet. Can it be removed? Sometimes. With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved, although not in all cases.

To help prevent air filtration soiling in the future, vacuum the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis, then wipe with a damp, white terry towel. Be careful around the tack strip under the edge of the carpeting, you could nick your fingers.