Filtration Soiling

What Are Those Black Lines Around The Edges Of My Carpet?

Ever wonder what those black lines are along the edges of your carpet, at the baseboards or under doorways and closets?

The black lines are not a carpet defect but is instead pollution that comes from dirty duct work, cracks, tears or gaps in carpet and flooring and it settles on your carpet. It is most noticeable in areas having a concentrated flow of air over the carpet.

The soiling condition can occur quickly, or it may develop over a period of months or even years.

Can The Black Marks Be Removed?

Yes. It takes added labor and special agents to get this out, but a professional carpet cleaner can do it.
Filtration soiling is difficult to remove because the particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile — sometimes all the way into the backing of the carpet.
Vacuuming this area is not usually successful, even when a crevice tool attached to the vacuum cleaner is used. Because the carbon particles are attached to the carpet fibers and each other by electrostatic bonding. Therefore, to remove these “soot lines” a different effort is required.

How To Prevent The Black Marks.

o prevent it from happening in the first place, get your air ducts cleaned!
You could also consider making minor modifications to your lifestyle — such as burning fewer candles, smoking less, cooking less… you get the idea. Since that’s not likely to happen, I’d recommend you just get your air ducts cleaned.
Preventing airflow through carpet and carpet edges by sealing cracks in the subfloor, as well as under baseboards and edges of stairs, may reduce filtration soiling problems.
You also want to ensure you are vacuuming your carpets regularly using the crevice tool and maintaining your carpet with annual professional steam cleanings. This will prevent the

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 build up has occurred