As a homeowner who loves carpets, you must have noticed that the edges of a carpet appear darker than the rest of the carpet. Not only does it make your carpet look unsightly, but it can also even destroy the complete look of your rug.
These dark edges are not to be trifled with and can damage your carpets if left unchecked. However, you can save your carpet with the proper tools, the correct information, and the know-how to clean your carpet’s dirty edges. If you consider carpet cleaning a tough job, you can always call a reputed carpet cleaning company in Gainesville, Fl, to help rescue your carpets.
Why Does a Carpet Develop Dark Edges?
Before you clean or restore your carpets, you must understand what is causing the dark edges. This will help you determine whether you want to proceed and clean it yourself or hire a company that provides professional carpet cleaning near Alachua County, Fl.
The primary reason your carpet’s edges develop dark edges is ‘filtration soiling.’ What is ‘filtration soiling’? You may ask. Also known as draught marks, filtration soiling is the outcome of your ventilation system or HVACs forcing air into your living spaces quicker than it can escape. This mostly happens in air-tight homes where the air seeps through the gaps beneath the baseboards. In doing so, the carpet becomes a giant filter.
Since carpets are thick and dense, the particulate matter in the air (ultrafine dust particles) gets trapped in the fibers and gradually starts sinking deeper into your rug. Over prolonged durations, this deposit accumulates on the edges, leading to dark edges.
Your carpets can develop these dark edges reasonably quickly if your house is old. In most modern homes, builders will install a gasket in the joints between the wall and sill, which minimizes air flow through these gaps, significantly reducing filtration soiling.
How to Get Rid of Dark Edges on a Carpet?
The quickest and easiest way to eradicate any dark edges on a carpet is to hire a professional carpet cleaning company in Gainesville, Fl, to deep clean your carpets. However, if you like to DIY, here are a few detailed steps on how to clean filtration soiling.
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Step 1
Use a hard brush or a scraper to scrape away any fibers and discolored edges of the carpet. Doing so will help remove a significant portion of the dirt and debris. However, you should perform this step while the carpet is completely dry.
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Step 2
Carefully vacuum the dark edges of your carpet, preferably using a crevice attachment. This step allows you to remove most, if not all, contaminants. However, you may notice discoloration as a result of remaining grease, oil, or electrostatically bound particles.
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Step 3
A vital step in removing filtration soiling is using cleaning products. You can find numerous cleaning products specifically designed to remove filtration soil lines, soot, and any electrostatically charged particles. Use the solution to saturate any fibers in the dark areas of your carpet and scrub with a hard brush along the soiled areas.
If you wish to use a DIY solution, you can make your own by adding a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water. Another popular DIY solution is equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide. However, it would help if you were wary before trying these solutions, as they can easily damage your carpet fibers permanently.
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Step 4
The final step is to extract any remaining solution using hot water. You can use a wet vacuum to remove any remaining liquid from the carpet. If you do not have access to a wet vacuum, you can blot the area with a clean towel too. However, using a wet vacuum yields the best results; therefore, a professional carpet cleaning near Alachua County, Fl, is recommended.
How to Prevent Your Carpets from Developing Dark Edges?
Filtration soiling is not something you can avoid altogether in homes with an HVAC system. However, the process can be slowed down and minimized. To do so, you must adopt the following changes to your interior maintenance routine.
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Vacuuming Regularly
It can be easily avoided if you do not allow the filtration soil to settle deep within your carpets. Since the contaminants gradually sink into your carpet fibers, if you vacuum your carpets every week and focus on the edges of a carpet using special attachments, you can slow down filtration soiling to a halt.
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Keeping Additional Pollutants at Bay
Keeping your home well-ventilated and opening windows daily can let fresh air into your home. Furthermore, you can take additional steps to improve indoor air quality and reduce pollutants by not smoking, using the fan on a stove, using candles sparingly, and getting your fireplace and chimneys inspected.
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Keeping Your Home Dust-Free
The greater the amount of dust in your home, the greater the chances of filtration soiling. You can keep your house relatively dust-free by cleaning curtains, furniture, carpets, and HVAC systems regularly. This reduces the amount of dust in the air and the amount of dust that settles on your carpets.
The Bottom Line
Homeowners who do not have carpets in their homes might consider themselves safe from filtration soiling. However, the sticky black residue can just as easily find its way onto upholstered furniture, windows, and floor surfacing. One of the most significant drawbacks of having dark edges on your carpet is that it can create a musty odor. The best way to eradicate the dark edges on your carpets is to get them professionally cleaned by a reliable carpet cleaning company in Gainesville, Fl.
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