Protecting your investment: ensure carpets don't die young
October 1st 2006 In the first of a series of Cleaning Matters' columns,Dr Eric Brown, head of Cleaning Research International looks at the pitfalls of carpet mismanagement. There is a hotel in the United States where I was told that every time the President of the US visits, they dim the lighting in a particular corridor so he will not notice the dirty condition of the carpet. I was also told that the value of the carpets in this hotel is $11 million. I highlight his example because it is a sad fact that while the hospitality industry may be extremely good at day–to–day issues such as room management and routine maintenance, its understanding of carpet cleaning is often sadly lacking. It is amazing that many big hotel chains have no corporate policy in relation to carpet care. Cleaning Research International was asked to visit this particular hotel by the manufacturer because they felt that their carpets were being abused in cleaning with consequent effect upon the manufacturer's reputation.The manufacturer was hoping that CRI would be able to persuade the hotel to undertake a review of carpet maintenance and implement the necessary training to ensure that the carpets were being managed correctly. Time and again we find that carpets are actually being damaged by incompetence. Use of the wrong type of cleaning agent is a classic example, with bleeding or premature soiling being commonplace. The carpet sample illustrated is another prime example of the carpet cleaning standards in the hospitality sector. This sample was returned to the manufacturer by a Las Vegas casino who complained that the yellow had severely faded. In CRI's laboratories a portion of it was merely cleaned.The resultant restoration almost defies belief.As an American cleaner subsequently commented,'it was a long way to send a carpet to find that it was only dirty'. I founded Cleaning Research International almost 20 years ago and have since been involved in conducting independent cleaning audits and compiling cleaning specifications for company's worldwide, but our expertise is often called upon to investigate carpet cleaning complaints. The hospitality sector is often the worse offender, and examples of the way locations cover up their inadequacies are truly remarkable. These observations have prompted us to offer a specialist service to companies responsible for the management of large areas of carpet. Under the strap-line 'Protecting Your Investment' the service begins by undertaking a comprehensive review of existing carpet management procedures, including an evaluation of the products being used and the patterns of use to which the carpets are subject. Once this review is complete a site specific training course is developed for housekeeping management personnel to ensure they have a full grasp of what changes have to be made and the theory behind them. Finally those involved in the actual cleaning operation are trained in practical issues using the equipment currently on site. Time and again manufacturers come to us with customer complaints about the quality of their products only to discover that the carpets themselves were perfectly satisfactory but had been mismanaged during use. A large number of clients have now benefited from our service and in one case, a chemical manufacturer was encouraged to reformulate their carpet cleaning product range to reduce the risk of rapid resoiling. In the next article,Dr Eric Brown, will give further examples of the results of poor maintenance and details of his proposed solutions For further information, contact CRI on: t: 01943 462389 or e-mail cri@cleaningresearch.co.uk More articles from Cleaning Research International: | 
