Draft marks show up on carpets as spots or dark soiled areas. These marks will happen around the edges of rooms or under the doorways. If the situation is extreme, it can happen in the middle of the room in the configuration of the floorboards. Another term used in when this happens is filtration soiling, fogging or dust marks and the reason it happens is always the same. When air that is contaminated blows across the carpet, the carpet will act like a filter and remove dirt from the air and this is the reason you will see these marks that are both ugly and difficult to remove.
How Does Contaminated Air Get to the Carpet?
• Gaps under the doors where air concentration is high
• Dust can travel upwards between gaps in the floorboards
• Black lines can be created through gaps under the skirting board
• Through nails or carpet tools
• Gaps between the carpet and the drapes
• Closed air vents to carpeted floors will permit dust to travel through
How to Prevent Filtration Soiling on Carpet
To prevent draft markings that can make your carpet look bad, you’ll need to make sure there is draft proof installation. This works by stopping the air flow through the carpet. Some steps can include;
• Sheets of hardboard can be placed on top of existing floorboards
• Hardboards joints can be taped to prevent leaking air
• Placing sheets of paper on top of the floorboards for extra draught proofing
• Gaps between skirting boards and the floor can be sealed with flexible mastic
How Can Filtration Soiling be Removed?
Depending on how fresh the soiling is, there’s a chance it can be removed by cleaning it but it’s very hard to remove. The microscopic airborne soiling is oil bonded to the carpet fibers. The success rate will depend on the nature of the soil and the amount of time it’s been there. There are ways to clean it that can almost completely remove most of it if it’s fresh and older stains can be reduced. If the contaminated air continues to flow through the areas, it will just come back. Harsh cleaners should not be used as this may remove color from the carpet fibers and have you replacing your carpet! The sooner you take care of these marks the better. If they are created over a long period of time they can be very hard to remove if not impossible. When it can’t be removed it’s called ‘inground soil’.
Mysterious Dark Brown or Black Lines on Carpet
There are other marks that look the same and need to be taken seriously. They are the black lines that you may see all around the edges of the carpets in the rooms and can happen on the stairs too. They may be draft marks but are most likely caused by the fact that the vacuum cleaner can’t get right up next to the edge of the carpet against the wall. Therefore, there is dirt that never gets cleaned up and will just get darker and darker and will become ‘inground’. Make sure you use the crevice tool to clean along the edges to prevent this from happening.
Carpet Cleaning, Stain Removal & More in Orange, Santa Ana, Rancho Cucamonga, Anaheim, Whittier, Riverside, Chino & Fullerton California
If you have noticed filtration soiling in your home, it’s best to call the professionals at Leading Carpet Cleaning as soon as possible for the best results at removing them.
