Adhesives On Carpet Are a Sticky Subject!

Your customers often do "expedient" things to protect their carpet, but in the long run, create terrible cleaning problems for themselves and you as the carpet cleaner.

One such example is the use of "duct tape" to hold walk off mats in place, or to prevent trip hazards from power cords. This practice solves a short-term problem, but the nature of many of these adhesives is such that there remains a sticky residue that rapidly attracts soil, and may be extremely difficult for you to remove!

Another example is when adhesive backed traffic paper is used to "protect" carpet from traffic soiling in homes being showed for sale or rent. While some such coverings do not leave a residue, many do.

The most recent example that many cleaners are encountering are the “Stand 6 Feet Away” stickers that were put onto carpet during the height of the Covid 19 Pandemic.  Now that these are being removed, large dark circles are appearing on the carpet they were applied to.

NOTE: Cleaning alone may seem to solve the problem, but your customer will likely call back within a week or two because they begin to see re-soiling. Why?

ANSWER: The adhesive residue is clear, and solvent soluble. The soil that sticks to the adhesive may be brown or black, but is soluble in water-based solutions. When you clean the area the soil is removed, but the adhesive remains behind.

How To Remove Adhesive Residues From Carpet:

 #1 - INSPECT AND QUALIFY:
If your customer has not informed you previously, you will be able to determine this problem if the soiling has a rectangular, linear shape, or in the case of Covid safety instructions, perfect circles or ovals. Simply put: If the dirt looks like an exact, geometric design, its likely to be adhesive. In the case of traffic paper, look for long rectangular patterns of soil in traffic areas. Due to the variety of adhesives and time that these materials may have been left on the carpeting, advise your client that additional service calls may be necessary. 
 
#2 - PRECONDITION:
Add a solvent booster to each gallon of ready to use traffic lane preconditioner. The solvent "boost will help to dissolve and remove the adhesives from the carpet in most cases without the need for special spotting procedures.
 
#3 - EXTRACT:
 Use the hottest water possible! Heat assists in the breakdown and liquefying of stubborn adhesives. Rinsing with an acid based rinse agent, will also assist in leaving the carpet as clean and residue free as possible.
 
#4 - GROOM & DRY:
The faster the carpet dries, the better chance that other soils will not accumulate to "confuse" the issue as to what is causing the actual resoiling.

FOR SEVERE SITUATIONS: If you feel the residue is heavy, treat the severely soiled areas with a gelled solvent spotter, such as is used for chewing gum

Always be certain to inform your client that, due to the clear nature of the adhesive itself, you will not be able to guarantee that you have removed all of the residue on the first visit. In this way, you will get paid for all of your visits, and your customer will see you as a true professional who has a thorough understanding of the problem.

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