On the Edge

The poll about perimeter filtration has closed. The question, "Can the dark edges on carpeting that appears around edges, under doors and on stairs known as "perimeter filtration" be removed?" had varying answers. Some said yes while others said no, not sure, maybe a little bit and have never heard of it. The answer is maybe a little bit, sometimes all of it.

Perimeter filtration is caused by pollutants, soot and other debris being pulled or "sucked" over the edges of carpeting, under doors and in the crevices of stairs where a "venturi effect" is created due to poor sealing of the subfloor. The air currents moving into those unsealed regions pulls with it the debris and imbeds them into the carpet fiber. Because this is constant and discoloring to the fiber, especially lighter colors, it usually cannot be removed. The only real way to solve the problem is to pull up the carpet and seal the places where air is moving through the cracks and then relaying the carpet.