Ask Jon Eakes

Last Updated: Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, Created: Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Mysterious dark permenant stains on carpets.

When air flows through the edges of carpets, the carpet acts as a filter and collects whatever is in the air. Hence we often find dirt streaks around heating outlets where some of the air sneaks under the grill and through the rug. Often, streaks are found near baseboards where household air flows either in or out of the house with the drafts. Usually, these dirty marks can be cleaned, and they can be stopped by sealing the air leaks that blow through the rugs. In the case of the walls, remove the quarter round and simply caulk the wall to the floor. With the heating grill, put some self adhesive foam strips between the floor grill and the ductwork.

A most interesting thing has come up with this problem, that of permanent carbon marks on rugs. It took quite a lot of hunting, but finally researchers discovered that this is often caused by burning candles in the home. The problem has increased with the wide variety of New Age candles available everywhere. Poor wax, too many colorants and odourants, or a bad wick can cause the creation of carbon soot. The rug becomes a primary collector wherever drafts cause the air to filter through the rug fibres. To test your candles for carbon discharge, the CMHC as come up with a simple test. Clean your TV screen. Put the questionable candle on top of the TV. Light the candle and the TV both for several hours, then wipe the screen with a white cloth. If it is collecting black soot, your candles are a problem.

There is a great series of pamphlets that talk about all kinds of things including the candle/rug problem on the CMHC web site under the publication heading: About Your House.

Keywords: Air Flow, Air Quality, Air Sealing, Carpet, Cleaning, Dust, Pollution, Rug, Stains

Print Send To A Friend

Article 1582

Privacy | Ruby on Rails Development by Isnor Creative