Traffic Lane Grays
According to the FLOOR COVERING DICTIONARY, it says this
about apparent soiling:
Something perceived as being soiled (e.g., abrasion), but which actually may be
free of foreign substances. See fading shading and wear.
Traffic Lane Gray is a form of apparent soil. Apparent Soil looks like soil, but
it is a texture variation. Light will make it disappear.
This is a problem that looks like soil, but really is not. The picture above
shows an area in front of the door that looks dirty. If you look closely, you
will noticed that the bright spot near the door plate appears to be clean. This
is because the light reflection make this imaginary soil disappear. Traffic Lane
Gray will diminish and/or disappear in intense light; real soil will become more
apparent.
Traffic Lane Grays are due to scratches on the surface of synthetic yams, the
loss of filaments on staple pile yarns systems, crushing and other usage and
maintenance factors. It is not true soil and can not be corrected by cleaning.
It is generally attributed to maintenance issues.