Poor maintenance can let a major asset degrade too quickly
December 1st 2004

The most common remark from Cleaning Professionals when discussing carpets is that they don’t seem to be able to keep appearances at an acceptable standard and are having to replace carpet well ahead of schedule. So we have two apparent problems that to an outsider might seem unconnected.Yet the aesthetic and cost issues are closely intertwined comments Host Von Schrader

Carpet maintenance problems don’t just happen - they are often the result of poor decision making by architects and specifiers.

Orange carpet in much frequented theatre, for example,may look great in the design stage but a few years down the line it’s a different story.These decisions are then compounded by the provision of inadequate maintenance techniques and programmes. Lopsided thinking allows ongoing maintenance of a capital investment of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds to carried out by the provision of a couple of tub vacuums.Now don’t get me wrong these are great as general maintenance tools but are wholly inadequate when it comes to carpet maintenance.

Carpet is a major asset but we often see this asset degrade all too quickly by poor maintenance programmes and techniques.Too many facilities adopt a rule that says,‘clean when dirty’. Our experience tells us that this could be a recipe for disaster; carpet will look progressively worse unless a regular programme is instituted. From a financial viewpoint this expensive asset will not last long!

Top prevention tip Make sure that exterior doors have at least nine footsteps worth of walk off mat.Don’t be talked into anything less than this by your architect or specifier! There are some really good designs around that can be blended to into the overall design.Then make sure this mat is cleaned daily using a dry extraction system. Start to defend carpets and floors where the tracked in dirt the enemy enters the building.

Studies show that 80% or so of the soil in carpets is dry.This is either tracked in soil or air borne soil that has dropped onto the carpet.As carpet is three-dimensional this soil will migrate down to the bottom of the carpet pile.As soiling builds up the soiling becomes visible and becomes a source for further soiling throughout the facility.You can now understand why some vacuum cleaners can’t cope.

What’s required is a vacuum system that gets deep down to the carpet backing.At the very least this means a powerful upright vacuum with one or two brushes.The best solution is an upright vacuum cleaner with two brushes that counter rotate.The brush tines must be long enough to get deep into the carpet and ensure that dry soil is agitated and loosened for easier vacuum extraction. If correct vacuuming technology is used then you are half way home.The other 50% is planning the defence of that expensive carpet asset.

Top prevention tip Make sure all the lifts are carpeted and the carpets are fixed down with a stud system.Carpets can then be removed for cleaning or cleaned with a dry extraction system. People shuffle their feet in the lift and soil will be transferred to the carpet.The soil is trapped and can be extracted.Make sure the carpet doesn’t fill up with soil by having a good maintenance cycle.

Don’t plan your defence around reacting to dirty carpet.Carpet is very forgiving. Spills on hard floor are immediately recognisable and will be cleaned up. Spills on carpet are more likely to be ignored as they sink into the carpet, down the fibres to the backing. Or even worse ground in! Always have a preventative strategy in mind.

Top prevention tip Expensive carpet in a sporting or social clubs can be easily soiled.Take a tip from Rosyth Civil Service Club in Scotland.All drinks by club rule must be carried to table on a tray. Similarly, all empty glasses are carried back to the bar on a tray.The result is that carpets are defended from sticky alcoholic drinks and fruit colouring.

Why Dry Extraction Simply because Dry Extraction cleaning means that when you have finished the cleaning process the carpet is ready for service immediately.

It ‘s an interconnected system that involves the vacuuming and extraction of dry soil all the way down to the carpet backing.Having completed this process then areas that have other types of soil can be attacked. By other soil we mean the soil that is bonded to the fibres of the carpet, generally called sticky soil.These bonds can be loosened by the application of a mixture of water, detergent and solvent and then brushing this mixture around the carpet fibres.

The dry extraction system does exactly this.The key point is that this liquid mixture is applied in just the right quantity in a cellulosic base that acts just like a sponge.The water detergent and solvent break up the sticky soils.The sponge traps and absorbs these soils.Carpets don’t get over wet, shrink or suffer from seam splitting.The soiled sponges are easily removed by the integrated vacuum system.

The result is clean dry carpet that is back in use immediately.Your expensive asset will look great and will last much, much longer.

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