Ever want to know what those ugly black lines are around your baseboards and under your doorways and why they appear?
If you have light colored carpet, you may have experienced this.
This soiling is called filtration soiling because it comes from air passing through the carpet as the air attempts to get through the crack between the carpet and the baseboard or under a closed door. As the air passes through the edge of the carpet pile, this microscopic soiling is deposited there (hence the term filtration soiling). This occurs over a very long period of time and most homeowners don’t notice it until a buildup has occurred.
This type of soiling can be very difficult to remove because the soil particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile, and sometimes into the backing of the carpet.
Can it be removed? With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved. To help prevent filtration soiling, vacuum and wipe the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis. (Be careful around the sharp tack strip on the edge of the carpeting!)
