If you have light colored carpet, you may have experienced these dark lines that appear on the carpet.

This soiling is called Filtration Soiling because it comes from air passing through the carpet as it is attempting to get through the crack between the carpet and the baseboard or under a closed door.

As the air passes through the edge of the carpet pile, this microscopic soiling is deposited there (hence the term filtration soiling). This occurs over a significant period of time and is not noticed until a buildup has occurred.

It is usually due to an imbalanced ventilation system that is incapable of removing the volume of air entering the rooms.

This type of soiling is difficult to remove because the soil particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile, sometimes into the backing of the carpet.

Can it be removed?
Professional cleaning may clean the affected areas. With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can sometimes be achieved.

After cleaning the condition will usually return unless the ventilation problems are corrected.  Carpet of any quality will perform the same if subjected to filtration inefficencies.

To help prevent filtration soiling, vacuum and wipe the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis. Be careful around the tackstrip on the edge of the carpeting, it could nick your fingers!