Often, during the winter months, building
service contractors (BSCs) and carpet cleaning professionals find that
customers’ interest in carpet cleaning essentially evaporates. However, for a
commercial facility, postponing carpet cleaning due to adverse weather
conditions may make carpets more difficult to clean when spring arrives –
increasing carpet cleaning costs and risking harm to the indoor environmental
quality of the facility.
Instead, the winter months are a perfect
opportunity for BSCs and carpet cleaners to help customers develop a carpet
maintenance program, a system that will help maintain carpets during winter
as well as all year round. Similar to many cleaning programs, a carpet
maintenance program has several components, which are all dependent on each
other and work together to help keep carpets clean and healthy.
These components are:
Effective matting systems.
Daily maintenance.
Interim cleaning.
Restorative cleaning.
MATTING SYSTEMS
Did you know that it can cost a facility
manager/owner as much as $500 to clean and remove one pound of “tracked-in”
dirt and soil? And, did you know it only takes about 1000 people, over the
course of approximately 20 days, to track-in this amount of soil?
These facts were presented in a study
conducted by the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA). And, the
amount of soil more rapidly increases if the facility is a large office
building, an educational facility or a medical centre, which are all examples
of high traffic facilities where thousands of people pass through everyday.
This is why effective matting systems are
an essential part of a carpet maintenance program. These systems are the first
line of defence in keeping soil out of a facility – soil that can quickly
accumulate in carpet fibres.
Often referred to as a “system,” popular
matting plans feature various types of mats in strategic areas, depending on
the facility’s needs. For instance, some facilities will place a “scraper” mat
outside building entries to scrape dirt and moisture from shoes. A more
attractive “carpet” mat is usually placed inside the facility to trap any
remaining soils or debris.
As a rule, as much as 20 feet of matting
should be placed inside and outside all building entries as well as garage
entrances, elevators and shipping/receiving areas. In addition to trapping
contaminants, this offers other benefits to facilities. These cost-saving
benefits include: cleaner hard-surface floors, which are protected from damage
caused by tracked-in soil; reduces the time and effort needed to clean and
maintain floors; reduces the risk of slips and falls; and helps keep carpets
clean.
DAILY MAINTENANCE
According to cleaning consultant David
Frank, the first daily maintenance component of an effective carpet maintenance
program is vacuuming. Effective vacuuming preserves a carpet’s life and
appearance and helps make the environment cleaner and healthier for building
occupants.
“Generally, heavy-traffic areas should be
vacuumed daily, medium-traffic areas twice each week, and light-traffic areas
at least once or twice a week,” said Frank. “And, to protect the indoor
environment, vacuum cleaners with high-filtration systems should be used.
[These] vacuum cleaners prevent dust from becoming airborne.”
The second component of daily maintenance
includes spotting. High traffic areas should be spot-cleaned daily, while other
areas require two or three times per week. This high frequency is because the
longer a spot remains in the carpet, the more difficult it is to remove.
Additionally, regular carpet spotting may help the cleaning professional know
exactly what type of spot he or she is dealing with. Trying to remove an
unknown spot that has been setting for days can result in a lot of trial and
error, time and can potentially harm the carpet fibres.
INTERIM CLEANING
Another component of a carpet maintenance
program involves interim cleaning. Some cleaning professionals shampoo carpets
or use bonnet, dry foam, or dry absorbent powder systems for interim
maintenance. These systems are most commonly used in a facility’s lobby areas
or walkways, which are both hot spots for heavy foot traffic.
Some educational facilities with carpeted
classrooms may use one or more of these interim methods as often as once a
month to keep soil accumulation at a minimum.
These systems can help remove soils on the
surface of the carpet and maintain a satisfactory appearance temporarily,
however long term they may prove unsatisfactory. However, BSCs and carpet cleaning
professionals must carefully and sparingly use these systems.
Both the shampoo and bonnet systems have a
tendency to spread soil, instead of removing it; and, even worse, can leave a
lot of chemical and cleaning solution in the carpet after cleaning. And,
although cleaning professionals often intentionally leave some chemical in the
carpet to “brighten” and enhance its appearance, problems can arise over time.
The chemical eventually acts as a magnet and attracts more soil and
contaminants into carpet fibres.
A more effective interim carpet maintenance
program would include using a walk-behind or “self-contained” carpet extractor
designed for cleaning large areas, or a low-moisture system that agitates
carpets, to loosen soils. Both of these systems are more effective at cleaning
and maintaining carpets and have none of the “side effects” associated with
shampoo or bonnet systems.
RESTORATIVE CLEANING
As referenced earlier, the most thorough
way to clean carpets – and the final component of an effective carpet
maintenance program – is by using hot-water extraction. How frequently this
system is called upon is dependent on the facility and how many people use it
on a regular basis. For example, a medical facility may need its carpets more
frequently cleaned compared to a library. However, most commercial facilities
have their carpets cleaned using the hot-water extraction method two or three
times per year.
Regardless, the goal is to clean the
carpets before they appear soiled. Once a carpet’s appearance has
deteriorated due to soiling, it usually means layer after layer of dirt and
contaminants have become embedded in the fibres. This can make carpet cleaning
more difficult and the indoor environment unhealthy.
A main concern with extraction systems is
water usage. Conventional carpet extractors may use as much as two to four
gallons of water per minute during the cleaning process. Additionally, older
machines may not have effective vacuum motors to completely remove moisture
from carpets. This increases drying time and the possibility of mould or mildew
developing.
Newer, low-moisture extractors are
recommended in an effective carpet maintenance program. These machines use a
gallon of water or less, and some have dual, multi-stage vacuum systems. Together,
these features can help reduce drying time to a couple of hours, instead of
days. Other low-moisture extractors have “agitators” that gently brush the
carpet, loosening soil and debris so it can be more effectively removed.
OVERVIEW SAYS IT ALL
An overview of a carpet maintenance program
shows that each component, working together, has a central focus: prevent
carpet from becoming soiled. Prevention, ultimately, is the key to an effective
carpet maintenance program because it keeps carpets clean and well maintained
all year round.
Instead of putting carpet cleaning tools
and equipment in hibernation for winter, BSCs and cleaning professionals should
explain to customers why a carpet maintenance program is necessary. Along with
its many benefits, it may help remind customers just how important our services
are to their staff’s health and productivity.
- Steve Williams is senior vice president
of research and development for US Products, manufacturers of professional
carpet, floor and restoration equipment. He may be reached at
.
