I ‘ve written on the topic of soil and stain resist treatments in the past. I recently had the opportunity to sit down and meet with some very knowledgeable folks regarding this matter.

It’s important to understand the chemistry in soil and stain resist agents is different and there is, in fact, a difference in what both do. Stain resist chemistry is for food and beverages, soil resist is for dirt.

So, both of these have different properties and each performs a different function when applied. Stain resist chemicals are affected by heat, chemistry and mechanical action.

This is the reason makers of this treatment require that carpets treated with it are not cleaned with methods that will compromise its effectiveness.

Stain resist chemistry is affected by high heat, relative to the temperature of the water being used to clean the carpet; strong chemistry, relative to the pH of the cleaning agent which should not exceed 10, and mechanical action, relative to the abrasive action of the tool cleaning the broadloom.

Normal usage could also affect the life and performance of the treatment and mask its effectiveness. Mechanical action could be the abrasive action of foot traffic and can wear the treatment off.

Chemical effectiveness could be compromised by something foreign being tracked onto the carpet such as ice melt pellets. The application of the soil and stain resist treatment is another factor which will govern how well the product performs.

The best application method for these is foam because it does not waft into the air during application, it is a more even application and it penetrates deeper.

There are other methods that actually immerse the carpet allowing for even greater coverage and penetration. Most important today, however, is to tailor the stain and soil application treatment onto different styles of carpet.

The concentrations of treatments required will vary for different product styles. Denser and lighter broadloom will take or absorb it differently, so there will be a variation in what is detected when the product is tested.

The effectiveness of soil and stain resist treatment used to be based on the parts per million of material applied to the product. Today, with the changes in the technology, such as Shaw’s R2X, it does not play a big part.

A true test of whether or not the carpet has an adequate amount or type of stain or soil resist treatment is to actually test the carpet. This would be done with a stain resist test, AATCC-175 and an accelerated soiling test, ASTM D-6540.

Both are performed in an accredited and certified laboratory. Depending on whether the broadloom passes or fails determines if it has enough effective soil or stain resist on it.

The warranty will also come into play here as well. What does it say? Does it only cover food and beverage or other items as well? It should be used as guideline.

We have tested some carpets that were supposed to have had soil and stain resist treatments on them but failed the test miserably. This would indicate that whatever was on the broadloom, or supposed to be there, did not work, there wasn’t enough or it was the wrong stuff.

If a carpet requires testing for a claim on staining or soiling, the sample has to come from leftover scrap or a closet that doesn’t get walked on or cleaned.

What might be most important is for you and your customer to know the difference between a spot and a stain. A spot is dark. It responds to cleaning but if the substance causing it is not purged it will return.

A stain will add color to the broadloom, such as yellow from mustard, or strip color out, a trait of acne medication. Most of what people call stains are actually spots. They cause more claims because people think soil and stain resist treatments are supposed to prevent them—not true.

For example, spots are caused by spilling or dripping carbonated and sugary beverages and leaves a sticky residue which attracts soil. Soil and stain resist treatments will act to allow the sticky residue to be removed.

If a soapy agent is used to clean the spot it will remove the dark soil temporarily but does not purge the original intruder. When the spot remover and original substance are lodged in, the residue will attract soil again and make a dark spot, most likely bigger and darker this time.

This does not mean the product is defective or the treatment is not effective, it just means someone did a lousy cleaning job. Bottom line is, if a complaint carpet is tested and passes the stain and soil tests, it has effective treatment on it. If it fails, it doesn’t.