[wayne zabel]

Cleaned a carpet on Wednesday,carpet had a stain about 3 x 5 inches that the customer said goes away when washed but comes back later.

Cleaned carpet and the stain extracted out with no problems,I told them I would get back to them to see if it has returned.

They told me today that it looks like its coming back..........I explained to them that the stain has probably gone deep into the backing and possibly the underlay and that although it disappears for a time , it is wicking back up when the carpet is wetted.I presume I'm right with this assumption.

Is there anything you suggest to help with this problem

Thanks

Wayne

[Mike Halliday]

or perhaps what you are seeing is not the stain but the dirt that is sticking to the stain, so you clean the dirt off the stain and it looks like it has gone, but slowly airborne dirt settles onto the original stain so they stain seems to reappear.

this is probably more likely than wicking from the underlay or back of the carpet

[wayne zabel]

So if the stain seems to have gone but is still there,how do you know when its really gone ?

[Mike Halliday]

the best bet is to know what the stain was caused by, thick, oily, sugary  gooey stains tend to be hard to rinse out so the likelihood is that you don't get it all out.

a good flush with hot water will help get the stain out

[adimarsh]

Hi Wayne

You may need to lift the carpet and see what's underneath. If the underlay is stained you can put a water proof barrier between the underlay and the carpet. Re-clean the carpet and leave the barrier in place for a few days.

Or you could flood the area if the carpet will allow and use a water claw to extract any residue from the carpet backing. Hope this helps.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

You could rinse and then apply some dry cleaning compound like sebo powder brush in and then tell the customer to vac out in the morning.

Shaun

[Mark Lawrence]

Or use a cfr handtool so that the stain can be removed, without wetting the backing and thus preventing wick back.

Mark

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Cfr are good I use one myself but I don't think it will do the trick IMO.

Shau

[slioch]

Lots of good advice here but may involve lifting the carpet or buying new tools.  The cheapest and easiest way may be a stain absorbing compound.  Chemspec and Bridgepoint do really good products and I have never had a call back when I use them. Best of luck.

[The Great One]

Hi

Why not use a LM system, thereforwe not wetting it at all, or go in with a spotter and terry towel?

Martin

[peter maybury]

go with the dry compound use plenty of it agitate it into the pile leave for 24 hours vac off you will be surprised at how many stains you can remove like this. Re-soiling due to sticky-ness is normally something than happens over a longer  period of time. (unless its a really dirty environment).
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[dave123]

Wayne ,you could try Ashby's Finish sprayed on the area after you have extracted , it acts as a fixer , preventing any return of the stain .


Dave