Carpet maintenance is essential for everyone, and even more so with commercial establishments. There’s more traffic, hence there’s a higher risk for stains and damage. And with winter just around the corner, expect snow and a lot more rain and debris to enter your building. Consider the tips below as you adjust your maintenance schedule to keep your carpets clean even in winter.
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Reactive Versus Proactive
Among its other features and benefits, carpet is manufactured to help hide soil. Some reports indicate that cut-pile carpet can hide up to a pound of soil per square foot before it even begins to look dirty. That is a lot of soil buildup, and by the time commercial and residential customers notice their carpet is soiled and take a reactive approach by having the carpet professionally cleaned, irreparable damage may have already been done.
This is because the buildup of soil, dirt and grit begins to grind away at carpet fibers, causing them to look dull and worn. This process can move along at an even faster pace during the winter months because of the added soil load that most facilities must contend with during this time of the year.
To prevent this excessive wear and to protect carpet and its appearance as well as the health of the entire facility, a proactive carpet care approach is crucial. By deep cleaning, protecting, and maintaining carpet throughout the winter, technicians can help carpet look better and last longer, which can prove to be a significant cost savings as well. Source: Cleanfax
Removing Salt and Ice Melters from Carpeting
Vacuuming dry soil and chemical residues, followed by multiple wet extraction rinses, are normally the most effective procedures for removing residues in carpeting or entry matting that are caused by salt and ice melters during the winter months. Professional cleaners often obtain good results in removing residues by pre-spraying or adding a hard-surface floor neutralizer to the carpet cleaning rinse water that would otherwise wick to the surface and concentrate as a powdery white residue on yarn tips as the carpet dries.
Change out entry matting when it becomes saturated. Additionally, use wet extraction on matting, speed dry it, and then follow with dry vacuuming to help prevent the matting from becoming a source of contamination. If wet matting is not removed when it is overloaded with soil and residues, it becomes a source of soiling instead of preventing contamination from further entering the building. Source: CMMOnline
Involve the Building’s Tenants.
An effective carpet maintenance involves the building’s occupants. The more actively involved building users are in the cleanliness and maintenance of their own facility the more likely the building’s carpets will stay clean and the building healthy. Source: Waxie
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