What is in my carpet and what can it do to it?

To clean carpet well, one must take specific steps to remove three kinds of soil:

Non-soluble — minerals (dirt, dust), hair (both human and animal), vegetable fibers, pollens, and pollutants;

Water-soluble — sugars, starches, salt, urine, and residues from foods and beverages;

Solvent-soluble —cooking oils, cosmetics, paint, and ink.

Please keep in mind, that some of these types of soil will not release from the carpet depending on what type of material the carpet is. As professional carpet cleaners, our goal is to remove as much of these types of soil as possible.

There is a 4^th type of soil that cannot be removed. It’s called apparent soiling and is classified into 3 categories.

Wear is missing fibers, reduction in pile height, and physical damage that has been done to the carpet fibers. Fibers get damaged when non-soluble soil rubs against them.

Fading is when a natural substance like the sun’s rays or gas discolor the carpet. Essentially the color is removed from the carpet leaving a bleached spot or entirely different color.

Shading is when light is absorbed in the carpet or reflected at different angles leaving a darker appearance. This is mostly seen in traffic areas. It can have a grey or dirty look and can be caused by a lot of twisting and turning paired with non-soluble soil that has not been removed.