Carpet Graying at Edge by Walls?

[SD]

I have cream colored carpet in my forced air home. Where the carpet meets the wall it is turning kind of charcoal-gray along the wall. Any idea why this is?

TIA, SD

[No]

Its dirt - clean more regularly. Likely from furnace - Change your furnace filter and use a better quality filter.

[m Ransley]

If it wont vacume clean might it be mold from an overhumidified house causing condensation in the wall area. If it wont wash clean with soap spray a hidden area with mild bleach if the grey goes in within 5 minutes its mold. But it is most likely dirt from not being vacumed.

[SD]

I have vacuumed regularly since I moved in and tried to clean a portion with no real luck. It certainly doesn't look like mold.

You said spray with mild bleach and see if the gray goes away in 5 minutes? Won't any stain disappear with bleach as well?

SD

[Doug Kanter]

Vacuumed how? The rotating brushes on carpet attachments usually don't reach all the way to the edge of the machine. You have to use the wand.

As far as cleaning, I'd try something like Resolve carpet cleaner before bleach.

[chris]

I have it too. I was told it was warm air going across the carpet toward all the drafts around my doors and windows, and picking up dust as it goes.

Yesterday I finally got my windows and doors caulked so I'll let you know if it works.

[Shopdog]

The edges of the carpet do not get as clean with a vacuum as it would if you were to use the corner attachment. Dust, sirt and debris starts to accummulate in these spaces, and with humidity it get down deep into the fibers. Use another attachment for the vacuum, just because the vacuum says it "reaches deep into corners" it really does not. IMHO

Searcher

[Banty]

I had an apartment (briefly) with this problem. It's greasy dirt from the vacumming never having been throrough (that is, never having used the edge attachment, takes more effort than running the vacuum cleaner around the floor), long having ground in and stained along the walls. Result of long neglect.

Banty

[Walter R.]

If you use bleach on your carpet, it will be ruined, instantly. The bleach will remove all color from the carpet fabric.

[Norminn]

Air - and dirt - can be drawn into or out of the room under baseboards. Bleach is not a solution to the problem. Thorough cleaning next time carpet is vacuumed and shanpooed. Caulking under baseboards may help.

[PipeDown]

Assuming the graying at the edges is just dirt, a thorough cleaning will get it up however I can think of another explanation.

Staining from water damage from the underlying carpet tak. The perimeter of the carpet does not have pad underneath but instead had wood strips with nails. Water can draw oils from this wood into the carpet. Depends on how wide this strip is as to if this is likely. Using too much water when shampooing rugs can cause more problems than not cleaning at all.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, My last house had thayt problem. Return duct work was not done right. This house afrter 12th year, it does not do that.

[Eric Tonks]

The sill plate has a gap, a sill plate gasket was not used by the builder. Air is either leaking into the house carrying dirt or air is leaking out of the house carrying dirt. Either way, the carpet is acting as a filter and being clogged with dirt.