[wayne zabel]

Went to my last job today.Low profile felt back PP with really bad soiling near to patio doors into garden.Customer pulled matt away and it looked even worse.

Anyway due to the nature of the carpet I told him I expected good results,vacced the worst area and put down a heavy layer of Power Burst,waited 10 minutes and then extracted expecting the usual WOW factor.

Not a bloody sausage,no improvement at all,put down more PB and agitated - Nothing.

Literally soaked square foot in PB waited 10 minutes and extracted - Nothing.

Cleaned the rest of the carpet having a good result on a few stains.

I called in the customer explained the situation.

He wasn't best pleased with the results and nor was I.

I packed away and left without charging.First time in 4 years.

Any ideas? was it wear and not soiling??  Very deflating experience.

[Simon Gerrard]

Wayne,
If dirt is on a carpet long enough it eventually taints the colour, permanently, which explains your problem.

Simon

[derek west]

was the colour of the carpet blue or green by any chance?

[wayne zabel]

Green Derek

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Wayne you did the right thing perhaps try a different tact by saying 'these carpets usually respond well to cleaning, but I cleaning can only remove soils and some staining obviously we can't correct colour loss or discolouration' I know it's long winded but it's like a terms and conditions.

Shaun

[Mike Gwilliam]

This happens sometimes and could be caused by anything. Being by the back door it would probably have been caused by mildew or damage caused by damp in that area which has irreversibly damaged the carpet. Which also may have crept under the mat.

Sounds all too familiar to me. I would still have charged him being confident in the above and it was his fault, not yours.

You cleaned the carpet but it was stained.

[Paul Moss]

Wayne, just put it down to experience. You will know for next time  

What you did would have more than cleaned all the gunk out. There is obviously other is issues causing it to look visually poor.

We have all been there"............

[derek west]

blue and green carpets have a tendency to go brown, i presume its to do with the dominant pigment colours fading or being eroded and exposing the other colours that make up the colour blue and also green. ive come across a few and always do a spot test on blue and green carpets. hate them, whats wrong with good old fashioned cream carpets.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Almost certainly uv damage has changed the colour of the pigment.

You have learned a lesson and that is your payment.

It has nothing to do with your cleaning ability so don't beat yourself up.

Cheers

Doug

[CleanerCarpets]

yep - deffo the sunlight causing the damage mixed with soil and probably some moisture over the years from the doors being open

the carpet wasnt dirty after you cleaned it - was the rest ok? if so, he got a clean for free when you should of charged

[wayne zabel]

Yes rest was fine and stains removed.

Just didn't feel like I'd earned my payment.At least he can't bad mouth me now as I didn't charge.

Thanks for all the replies.

[cannon]

This is my Nanas kitchen carpet, it caught me out as I initially thought it was soiling. Shes been harping on for about 2 year to have it cleaned, its now the cleanest carpet in the street but looks like this.

 This damage is just through wear not UV, I rubbed a new terry towel over it and showed her no soiling remained, explained the carpet is damaged and discoloured.

Like I say this caught me out, had this been a customer this would have had to been identified and explained before carrying out the work.  However I still got paid 

[wayne zabel]

Very similar to what I encountered but mine was probably twice as big an area.

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

Did you rub the area with a clean white cloth after cleaning it to see if their is any transfer Wayne.
It is something you can do along with showing them the dirty water to show that you have done all you can.

[wayne zabel]

I should have done the towel test but didn't.

I did show him the waste water and to be fair he did offer to pay.

I just thought it was a straight forward job on first viewing.I had great results on a crap PP on Monday so this did shock me.

You live and learn

[Kev Loomes]

Yep, never promise on ANY job - even the simple looking ones. At least you have the knowledge now for next time. Hopefully it wasn't a big job.

[maxcampbell]

We've had a regular customer we've been to once every year or 2 over the last 10 or 12 years, and he has a carpet like the pics, except his started off light grey and has gradually gone almost black in the unshaded areas. It took us a while to understand it - you expect fading in sunlight, not the opposite. It does catch you out, 'cos the pattern - i.e. pale under the mats, etc, does look like soiling. Look for areas in the sun but out of traffic, if possible, to justify to the customer.