Back to school for cleaner carpets
March 1st 2006

Carpet encapsulation sounds technical, but it’s a simple process according to Truvox. It involves scrubbing a special polymeric cleaning solution deep into carpet fibres to emulsify then encapsulate all soil particles (which means bind both dirt and solution together) before vacuuming them up. Popular in the US, Truvox wanted to trial it in challenging UK environments before launching it here. Milton Keynes’Stantonbury Campus – home to some 2500 students – proved an ideal test bed

Truvox’s innovative new carpet cleaning system is based on carpet encapsulation a tried and tested, high productivity, low moisture, carpet cleaning technique that is widely used in the USA. Before introducing carpet encapsulation to the UK, Truvox decided to undertake pre-launch trials in numerous challenging locations including Stantonbury Campus, where carpets were difficult to keep clean using traditional method.

Faced with the dual dilemma of having to clean and maintain an increasing number of carpets in high-traffic locations while still allowing near-constant user access, Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes was keen to see if the problem could be resolved by undertaking a long term, pre-launch trial of Truvox’s innovative new Cimex-Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning system.

For a busy school such as Stantonbury Campus, which educates 2500 students aged 12-18, with a curriculum of activities running throughout the day and well into the evening, maintaining the cleanliness and appearance of carpets while ensuring they can be kept in service is vital.

With a large number of carpets throughout the school including reception, classroom, theatre and leisure areas, keeping them clean and presentable while trying to work around their constant usage and the limitations of a finite budget for the cleaning programme was increasingly challenging. Consequently, the school’s in-house cleaning team was looking for faster, more efficient and less resource-hungry ways of cleaning that would also minimise the disturbance to other building users. Not long into the longterm trial it soon became obvious that the Cimex- Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning system offered a perfect solution.

As Linda Bosworth, Cleaning Co-Ordinator, at Stantonbury Campus commented: "We have been really impressed with the system. Not only does it leave carpets cleaner and looking newer in appearance, it also allows our cleaners to work faster, while keeping the disturbance to both staff and students to an absolute minimum. We would certainly recommend the use of this system to other schools".

A simple yet effective process, the system involves scrubbing a specialised polymeric cleaning solution deep into the carpets fibres to emulsify then encapsulate all soil particles, before their simple removal by vacuum. It is ideal for highly trafficked or heavily soiled commercial carpets because it removes both dry and sticky soils, which ensures there is no future soil attraction and leaves carpets brighter and cleaner for longer. In addition, because it is a low moisture process carpets dry faster and can be put back into use almost immediately after cleaning.

For best results using a machine that provides the highest levels of agitation to reach and loosen even the most toughest and stubborn deep set soils is advisable. The Cimex-Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning system includes the Cimex Cyclone 3-brush machine, as it produces the most effective agitation of any machine currently available. This vigorous action is achieved through the unique Cimex contra-rotating action where its three brushes are driven in one direction, while the carrier disc rotates the opposite way.

At Stantonbury Campus it is now noticeable that carpets are looking and smelling much cleaner, while the fibres have been lifted throughout to give a much fresher and newer appearance. In addition, the team there has seen typical cleaning times halved due to the simple manoeuvrability and powerful performance of the Cimex Cyclone machine.

Since using the innovative system the cleaning team has on many occasions been able to keep on working even while the carpet was still being walked on, with no detrimental effect on the results achieved.

The reception carpet provides a perfect example, looking as fresh in December 2005 as it was on the first day it was cleaned with the Cimex-Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning system in early July 2005.

So successful was the nine month trial that Stantonbury Campus placed an order for the complete Cimex-Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning system, including a Cimex CR Cyclone 3-brush machine, Cimex-Encap Carpet Cleaning Pads and Cimex-Encap Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning Solution.

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