Why Does My Carpet Look Worse After Cleaning?

A big event is happening, and you are preparing for all of the guests to come over to visit. Or maybe you are getting ready to sell the home and need it to look its very best. This is the perfect time for the carpets to get a great deep cleaning before all those people come in the door.

However, you finish with the shampooing and notice that the carpet has new bald spots and stains that it didn’t before, and you may wonder where those come from.

As explained by Healthy Carpets, your carpet may look worse after cleaning them if there is carpet shampoo that is left behind, which dirt is going to cling to. Healthy Carpets is experienced in carpet cleaning in Ann Arbor.

It is possible your carpet will look bad when some of the debris and dirt under the surface rises to the top during the cleaning process. Some older carpets, or those that are ten o 15, may look dirty after a good cleaning.

Knowing these potential issues and how to avoid some of them will help keep the home looking great and can make it easier to avoid stains, bald spots, and other issues as well. Let’s take a closer look at the main reasons your carpets look worse after cleaning.

Why Does My Carpet Look Bad?

When you do a cleaning session of your carpet, you expect them to look really amazing when you are done. When you finish and the carpet looks bad, you may wonder what happened and how you can get the issue fixed. Some of the most common reasons your carpet look worse after you clean them includes:

Carpet Wicking

One problem that can cause the carpets to look worse after cleaning is carpet wicking. This happens when the padding under the carpet gets wet, and then the stains and dirt are released right to the top. When these stains appear when you clean, they are not really new, though this may be the first time you notice them.

They were buried under all the plush of the carpet and are not coming to the surface as the carpet dries. If you see this after cleaning, it means that there is too much moisture during the rinsing phase. Removing the water is one of the ways to prevent this problem. Vacuuming and cleaning the surface dirt can help too.

Residue

Another problem is that a reappearing stain will show up thanks to some of the residue that is shallow. These issues will originate from carpet fibers that are really dirty and have just been cleaned out. In these cases, it is likely that the cleaning product you used ended up collecting and remains in the carpet, even when the cleaning is done. The residue will still be in the carpet, even when they are dry.

There are a few steps that you can take to help fix this problem. Some of these include:

• Use a clean towel and use it to dab at the carpet and soak up the residue that is there.
• Use pure, white vinegar to spray down the area.
• Press the towel on the surface to pull out more of the soap residue.
• Repeat until it is all gone.

Residue and Traffic

It is likely that the residue from detergents and soaps can collect in your high-traffic areas, like near the doorways and on the stairs. This kind of sticky residue is just waiting for those dirty shoes to go through and capture the soil and dig it deep into the carpet.

Keep in mind that residue in some of the high-traffic areas will basically become a magnet for grime and dirt. You need to be on the lookout for some of the residue left behind and get it removed to make the carpets look amazing.

Worn-Out Carpeting

Sometimes the reason your carpets do not look that great after cleaning is that they are worn out and getting old. Carpets will become worn down, faded, and frayed as time goes on. Before you clean them, the carpet is going to lie flat. But when you apply steam to the area, it will pull the fibers up.

When the pile is pulled, it is possible that you will see more about the worn fibers and varying lengths of those fibers as well. This can make the carpets look old and worn out, even when you are done cleaning them.

Taking Good Care of Your Carpets

Any of the reasons above could cause your carpets to look bad. If you are worried about the carpets and want them to look amazing for a big event, then you may need to call in a professional to do the work. They have special tools that can give your carpets some love and provides the best-looking carpets in the neighborhood.