A number of our carpet cleaners found that many of our customers use the term stain when in actual fact they’re talking about spots. The terms mean two different things, and in this article, we’re going to look at the differences between them.
Stains and spots both occur as a result of spillage or something being dropped on a carpet. But the key difference is that a spot will not leave a permanent mark, because it cannot bond to the carpet fibres. Common examples of spots include mud, dust and soil. These do not change the colour of the carpet pile because they do not contain artificial dyes or anything that can permanently change the colour of the carpet. More often than not spots that are made up of these substances can be removed.
When a spillage involves a substance that contains dyes, you’ll end up with a stained carpet. Common stubborn stains include curry, coffee and pet urine. In addition to that, some stains may also weaken or even destroy carpet fibres, really affecting its look feel, resulting in the carpet having to be replaced in the worst case scenario.
What has started as a spot, may eventually become a stain when the wrong cleaning products are used to clean it, thus making the situation even worse. This is even more likely to happen if the cleaning products are at the lower or higher ends of the PH scale, or in other words, strong acids and alkalis are used. Often times you are better off letting a professional deal with the spot or stain, this greatly increases the chance of it being removed.
Another thing to be aware of with stains is they need to be addressed in a timely fashion. The longer they’re left, the more problems they can cause. This commonly happens with pet stains, which over time can actually chemically burn certain types of carpet fibre, resulting in permanent damage.
Spots on the other hand are often a lot easier to remove and tend not to cause permanent damage to the carpet fibres they come into contact with. Often they can be removed with a hoover, dustpan and brush or a wet towel. They become more of a problem when they’re a combination of both a spot and a stain (i.e. coloured candle wax solidifying on the carpet is another common example of this) because, as mentioned earlier the latter can lead to permanent discolouration and other damage.
If you have any spots or stains you’re worried about, give us a call today. We would be more than happy to assist you.