Pet Urine

One of the most challenging contaminants to remove from carpet is pet urine. When the urine is first discharged from the pet it is acidic and over time the urine becomes alkaline. When removing an acidic contaminant from carpet an alkaline cleaner is appropriate and when removing alkaline soil a more acid cleaner is needed. This is why diluted vinegar is often recommended as a home remedy for removing pet urine (since it becomes alkaline). As professional carpet cleaners we use acidic cleaners and specialized enzymes as well as molecular modifiers to aid in the removal of this most undesirable substance.

Filtration Soiling

If you have a light colored carpet, you may have experienced dark lines around the baseboards, under doors and especially near the HVAC return. This soiling comes from air passing through the carpet as the air is attempting to go through the edge of the carpet pile, microscopic particles of soil are deposited there (hence the term air filtration soiling). This occurs over a significant period of time and is not noticed until a build up has occurred.
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? Sometimes. With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved, although not in all cases.
To help prevent air filtration soiling in the future, vacuum the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis, then wipe with a damp, white terry towel. Be careful around the tack strip under the edge of the carpeting, you could nick your fingers.