According to the Canadian Lung Association, carpets act as a «sink» for chemical and biologic irritants. Carpets collect airborne pollutants and substances that may be tracked in from the outdoors. Carpets need to be kept clean to maintain good indoor air quality. Indoor air quality, due to its important health ramifications is a crucial component of an efficient business. Protecting and maintaining it is in your business’ best interest to remain cost effective while ensuring the aesthetic appearance levels and health of your facility. In order to customize a cost-effective, efficient, comprehensive carpet cleaning program and optimize high performance results, a number of maintenance strategies should be considered and applied in consideration of your facility’s cleaning needs.
Routine | Preventative Maintenance
Carpet cleaning should, therefore, be executed with indoor air quality in mind. This means minimizing the amount of pollutants released into the air during the cleaning process. In order to ensure that carpets in your facility aren’t masking the dirt and dust they are harboring, preventative cleaning measures should be factored into the Carpet Cleaning Program on a daily basis. Preventative maintenance entails reducing or preventing the soiling of carpets by considering three elements: dirt is caught at the door; loose soils are frequently removed (vacuuming), and carpets are effectively spotted. With approximately 70% of carpet soil being tracked in from outdoors by food traffic, we need to figure out ways to make sure that pollutants are held and trapped at the entry point to help prevent contaminating the rest of the facility.
Interim Maintenance
Interim maintenance should occur bi-weekly or as required depending on variables such as weather, traffic, season, type of labour, etc… The purpose of interim maintenance is to clean the carpet surface to brighten carpets and remove soils trapped in the top portion of the carpeting.
Restorative Maintenance
For the dirt and grime that survives routine maintenance, restorative maintenance is required yearly or as required. Restorative maintenance harnesses the procedures that access the depths of the carpet, beyond surface carpet cleaning, to remove dirt and soils all the way to the backing.
Carpet Cleaning Methods
When engaging in carpet cleaning, it is important to consider the pH of the shampoos and detergents used in the cleaning process so as to prevent carpet damage and ensure optimal results. Requirements might also differ with reference to various types of carpet fiber which mostly consist of nylon, polypropylene, polyester, and wool. Additionally, your cleaning needs and the type of carpets in your facility will require certain specified cleaning methods. These methods include:
- Carpet Bonnet or Spin Pads
- Requires the use of a standard speed disk rotary floor machine usually 175rpm. A solvent removes greasy soils while the detergent cleans the fibers.
- Dry Foam Cleaning
- Used to massage shampoo in the carpet to break up and remove sandy and greasy soils.
- Extraction Cleaning
- Hot water extraction to deep rinse clean the entire carpet. The process removes the embedded soils that have either been carried or blown into the carpet.
Along with considering the carpet cleaning program most appropriate for your cleaning needs, an effective carpet program also entails selecting a carpet with suitable properties. Depending on your facility’s purpose, location, and use, considerations in selecting a carpet should include: resistance to dry soil, resistance to water-base soil, resistance to oil-based soil, resistance to combinations of soil types, durability, water-solubility, ease of application, ease of correcting mistakes, and environmental impact. Consulting a carpet cleaning guide can also be beneficial for troubleshooting appearance issues and opting for the most efficient solutions. Selecting the right carpet for your facility will help to significantly reduced labour and cleaning costs while contributing to maintaining high appearance levels and a healthier indoor environment.
