White Powder Residue after Extraction Cleaning
Sometimes, after hot water extraction cleaning a carpet (especially direct glue-down), you get a phone call from the customer the next day complaining about a white powder on the surface of the carpet.
The most common cause of white powder residue is the use of powdered sprinkle-on carpet deodorizers, such as Love My Carpet, Arm and Hammer and Carpet Fresh or even Capture.
The first three are quite commonly used to get rid of spills, urine, bad odors, etc., and are often way over-used.
These powders accumulate in the base of the carpet, sometimes to the point where they are visible and to the point where the carpet even becomes stiff.
After warm water extraction (steam cleaning), as the carpet dries, the remaining powder wicks to the surface where the white powder is now visible.
This white powder is usually easily removed simply by pile lifting or by thorough vacuuming.
If you know or suspect in advance that these powders have been used, we strongly suggest using a pile lifter on the carpet to pull all of this junk out.
It would also be wise to forewarn the customer that white powder might still appear in the morning and it would be wise for you to check on it.
Remember - A problem explained up front is called "education"; a problem explained after the fact is called"an excuse"!
Other possible causes of this problem are: concrete (efflorescence), construction dust, detergent residue, ice melt (especially calcium carbonate), and breakdown of the carpet backing latex.
If the carpet is a direct glue-down on concrete slab, the concrete efflorescence is a definite possibilty. For that and for ice melt, do a Brown Out® flush (sometimes call "acid rinse") at about 2 ounces per gallon of water or rinse with Last Step.
