[dave the cleaner]

I've been called to a domestic client of ours who told me the cleaning lady we send  has left line marks on the carpet by the door by using a plastic crevice tool. I don't think she could have done it, but out of courtesy used a very weak cleaning solution with machine and it didn't shift. Tried again with Prochem stuff again, didn't shift. I believe it could be rubber marks as thin as a pen line and you have to get on your knees to see the lines. I'm now thinking our claning lady didn't cause the marks in the first place. Now the customer is saying I've made the area worse.... I can feel a claim coming on!!!
Any ideas about removing stain nd dealing with customer???

[John Kelly]

First of all nothing would come off a plastic crevice tool to mark the carpet. Could be filtration soil has been sucked through the carpet. If so this should come off with Prochem filter out or Ultrapac. If it is some kind of rubber them a solvent will remove it. Put the solvent on to a cloth and wipe gently in the direction of the pile. Last resort would be to use some very fine sandpaper and again wipe along with the pile. Sounds like their problem not yours anyway.

[dave123]

Dave try stapro which is a solvent had very good results with that . Had a customer a few years ago ,kids playing football in lounge ,loads of rubber marks from the soles of their shoes where they were doing sliding tackles ,tried about half a dozen products with no luck and when i went to do her place again she told me she had got them out with wipes so you could give that a go

[Jim_77]

John, with respect, I've noticed on a couple of occasions that vacuum tools can cause marks.  the worst case I can think of is when I vacuumed my car's parcel shelf once with the purple coloured upholstery tool off a dyson.  It left purple lines.

The other possibility of course is that she's been quite forceful and/or very quickly whizzing the tool along the edge and caused friction burns.

[dave the cleaner]

Thanks for the replies, I'm beginning to think perhaps we did'nt cause the marks in the first place and that he noticed them after our cleaner had gone in but had been caused by something like dragging a pushchair on the carpet with the wheels locked!!! The marks are at the top of the carpet fibre and not all the way through the fibre, so no cleaning solution will dissolve the marks as it looks as if the black bits have stuck into the top of fibre.

Any suggestions on handling the client on this one? Could it be our fault, although speaking to the cleaner she is not aware of leaving any marks, as she told me that if it came off the nozzle the line marks would have been approx 2 inches apart and not the 9 inches as is on the carpet or could the client be trying to pull a fast one and how do I tell him this

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Dave

It is unlikely that a black tool would cause any marking, far more likely to have been caused by dragging.

This type of plastic is very difficult to dissolve, so it will be very hard to remove.

I suspect she is trying it on!
Cheers
Doug

[murky]

With respect on this issue I have managed to mark carpets and the occasional cushion this way.

If you use the flexi pipe  Henry type machine without a tool on the end, the black plastic can leave a line on surfaces if you drag it a little too hard, its usually ok but now and then it will leave a trace on some fabrics.

Murky