Scott Cleans
  • Home
  • How to choose a cleaner.
  • Q & A
  • Our Cleaning Method
  • Other Considerations
  • Useful Links to Other Sites
Some carpet conditions and problems are permanent.

Filtration Soil

Filtration soil is the name given to the accumulation of carpet soil found along the edges of wall to wall carpet, as well as under some doors.  It is formed by air currents in your home which pass through the carpet at these various locations.  The carpet acts like a filter as air passes through it.   Therefore the carpet is constantly filtering out airborne soil and atmospheric contaminants.  These soils solidify over time, permanently staining carpet as well as oxidizing (bleaching) color from some carpets. Improvements can be made to a degree, but complete removal is difficult or impossible. (This is not part of routine carpet cleaning, there is a large investment of addition time and expensive cleaning agents involved and there is no guarantee of outcome as it is near impossible to remove filtration lines.  Also if the cause of the filtration lines is not fixed they will reappear)

Pooling or Shading

This carpet condition typically looks like darker or lighter pools of color randomly located throughout the carpet with more obvious areas usually  in hallways and traffic areas.  This effect is the result of the carpet nap laying in opposing directions and therefore it appears lighter or darker depending on the light source and where you stand when observing the carpet. Researchers believe that tension in the backing structure of carpet causes some areas of the carpet pile to "shift" from their original direction.
This condition is a characteristic of many carpets and rugs and is not removed with cleaning.

Pile Crushing of Certain Carpets

Some carpets, especially those made from Olefin, have a tendency to flatten  or crush in the walkways and where furniture sits continuously.  In these cases, the carpet has actually lost its strength and resiliency, and therefore will not be restored to a like new condition.  Cleaning and pile brushing may temporarily raise the nap, however, once the carpet is put back in use, the crushed effect becomes apparent again.   Fortunately most other carpets which do have crushed or matted traffic areas will be restored with a thorough deep cleaning and grooming.

Permanent Stains

Our modern cleaning systems are very effective at removing the vast majority of spots that we encounter on carpets.  However, some spots have actually "stained" the carpet to some degree.  Also, some spots, especially pet spots, may have bleached color or altered the color of  the carpet.  Some spills like Kool-Aid, coffee, or wine may actually dye the carpet fibers. These changes in the carpet color are sometimes permanent depending on the fiber type and the potency of the staining medium

Dormant Dye Damage

This is the name given to spots which appear lighter than surrounding carpet but may not show very much until the carpet is cleaned.  They are caused by household chemicals and bleaches such as benzoyl peroxide acne creams, Soft Scrub (with or without bleach) and other powerful chemicals such as

ammonia which could get spilled or tracked onto carpet and are not removed immediately. The dye becomes separated from the fiber and then is removed when cleaned.  Please inform us if you are aware of any carpet or furniture fabrics that may have these problem chemicals on them. Homeowners are advised to be careful with these products and to inform acne medication users to wash hands well after using these products so that it doesn't transfer to carpet, furniture fabrics or clothing.

Worn or Fuzzed Carpet

Carpet fabrics can become abraded over time so that the actual fiber is either worn away or distorted to the degree where it does not have its original texture and shape.  Our process will often improve the appearance of worn carpet to a great degree, but because of the physical change of the fiber, it will not have its new appearance.  A good analogy would be to take a pair of glasses, use sand paper on one of the lenses (this is similar to what happens to your carpet fiber as sand gets worked into it by walking on it).  Next take those glasses and get the really muddy.  They are dirty and both sides look about the same.  Now take those glasses and wash the dirt away.  The one side (the area of your carpet that is not heavily used) look good close to new.  The other side (the heavy traffic lanes in your house) is clean, but will never look brand new again.

Sun Fading and Atmospheric Fading

Carpet color can deteriorate over time due to the powerful rays of the sun or even from just being exposed to the atmosphere in the home.  We often see evidence of fading on carpeted areas that the sunlight never shines on directly.   While our cleaning process does help revive colors, we cannot replace color which has faded away.

Carpet Odors

The powerful rinsing ability of our equipment helps a great deal to sanitize and freshen carpet fabrics.  The 195 degree heated solution kills many germs on contact and our powerful suction removes the soil and bacteria. Minor odor problems are usually eliminated with our normal cleaning procedures. However, odors that have thoroughly permeated carpet fabrics (and possibly the pad and floor), as in the case of repeated pet accidents, are not eliminated with normal cleaning and deodorizing procedures.  We have excellent antimicrobial treatments to help minimize pet odors and other problem odors, however we cannot guarantee to completely eliminate odors that have their source deep within the carpet, pad, and floor. ( If several areas need treatement, there may be an additional charge, this will be addressed at time of initiation inspection)