What is draught marking?
Draught marking appears on carpets as dark soiled areas or spots around the edges of rooms or under doorways. In extreme cases it is found across the middle of a room in the configuration of the floorboards.
It is also known as filtration soiling, fogging or dust marks. The cause is always the same. Contaminated air blows through or across the carpet and the carpet acts as a filter, removing the dirt from the air. The resultant draught marking is both unsightly and a problem to remove.
The contaminated air gets to the carpet through:-
- gaps under the skirting board
- gaps between the floorboards
- holes in the carpet caused by nails or carpet fitting tools
- gaps under doors
Prevention?
The best method of preventing draught marking ruining the look of your new carpets is to specify a draught proof installation. This prevents the movement of air through the carpet and may involve the following steps before the carpet is installed:-
- Laying sheets of hardboard on top of the existing floorboards
- Taping all the hardboard joints to prevent leaks of air
- Laying paper on top of the hardboard to add extra draught proofing
- Using flexible mastic to seal the gap between the skirting board and the floor.
If these measures are carried out before the carpet and underlay are installed then it is unlikely that very much draught marking will occur, except in doorways.
Cure?
Most draught marking can be removed by cleaning, but not cured. The microscopic airborne soiling is tenaciously oil bonded to the carpet fibres. The degree of success in the removal of the soil depends on the nature of the soil (pollution) and the length of time that it has been present. At Designcare we have researched and tested many ways of removing draught marking and we are now confident that we can remove the majority of this soiling. However a draught marking problem can’t be cured by cleaning as the soiling will return if the contaminated air is allowed to continue to flow through or across the carpet.
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