When the carpets dry the stain comes right back to the top.
Do stains come back after cleaning carpet.
With time the fibers can reabsorb the still liquid stain and bring the stain back to life much like a flame relighting a candle after burning through the wick which is where the name comes from.
There are two possible reasons carpeting and rugs can be cleaned after a spill appear to be fine and then have the stain reappear later.
Other times the spots come back after several weeks have passed.
The reappearance of spots and stains is actually a very common occurrence when a carpet is cleaned using a traditional shampoo and rinse method.
Sometimes spots can reappear as soon as the carpet dries.
When you clean the stain you are cleaning the surface of the carpet.
Removing these stains from carpet or upholstery especially stains that have set in over time and keep returning to the surface can be frustrating.
Wicking typically occurs when the carpet is wet.
But then the spill that is trapped in the backing and or underpad can be reabsorbed by the carpet and make its way up the fiber strands back to the surface like traveling up the wick of a candle hence the name.
Due to the inefficiency of the steam cleaner sometimes the stain simply gets moved around or pushed deeper into the carpet rather than picked up.
Get rid of the reappearing stains.
This is most often a result of wicking which will be discussed below.
A reappearing stain called wicking may get removed from the surface with traditional cleaning methods but not from the carpeting or upholstery padding underneath.
This is most often referred to as rapid resoiling.
After cleaning a spot or stain from your carpet there are times where it will return just shortly after the carpet dries.
When the remaining carpet cleaner is left to stew in your carpet it will begin to attract dirt debris and soil in the same spot making it appear like the same stain is coming back time and time again.
There are other effective treatments to seal that area of carpet to keep the stain from wicking again.
At other times the spots and stains come back after the passing of a few weeks.
Wicking this is when the carpet stain has soaked through to the backing of the carpet.