CARPET SCIENCE · SPOT CAME BACK, RETURNING STAIN
Wicking
Wicking. The contamination went deeper than the carpet face — into the backing or the pad. As the carpet dries, moisture travels upward and carries the remaining material back to the surface with it. It is not a cleaning failure; it is evidence the source was deeper than one pass could reach.
What is actually happening
Wicking is diagnostic. A spot that returns tells you the contamination reached the backing or pad, which changes the treatment. It needs a sub-surface flush rather than another surface pass.
How you prevent it
Treat spills at the source early, before they penetrate past the face fiber.
Wicking. The contamination went deeper than the carpet face — into the backing or the pad. As the carpet dries, moisture travels upward and carries the remaining material back to the surface with it. It is not a cleaning failure; it is evidence the source was deeper than one pass could reach.
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