Floor covering fails: Don't take the blame!

AS A cleaning professional, you should look out for both what you may have caused and what you did not cause.

Adhesive problems

We’ve all seen or heard about the oozing adhesive, the planks that move when you walk across the floor, and the black globs and smears at the plank edges. Some have been told it happened after they cleaned the floor because the machine used too much water and “re-emulsified” the adhesive. It sounds plausible. 

When we dive deeper into the floor and pull back a plank, the entire space is squishy, and the adhesive is more liquid than solid everywhere. This is caused by the wrong adhesive or moisture becoming trapped and causing the adhesive to emulsify. While we have seen a few instances where this is related to cleaning, the evidence is apparent when we pull back a plank. Cleaning-related moisture intrusion will only be around the plank's edges, not the unaffected centre.

Spots and stains

One of the saddest things carpet cleaners get blamed for is latent spots and stains. The customer said" “It wasn’t there before it was cleaned!” And the cleaner agrees!

Hot water extraction can reveal many spills that were only known once they were cleaned. Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most common, and butenafine hydrochloride (athlete’s foot cream) is another. 

A favourite tell-tale sign is of a hand or footprint, usually shown in how it was applied to the carpet. These lotions can sit on the carpet for an extended period and magically show up when the carpet is cleaned because these products are heat and moisture-activated. 

Carpet disintegration

Another carpet problem we came across is the carpet disintegrating. 

One customer said that after cleaning, her carpet looked grayer in colour. The carpet was cleaned again with no improvement. A closer look revealed the cream-colored yarn in the cream and grey rug was no longer visible. A test of the carpet revealed the cream-coloured yarn was disintegrating, typically due to insufficient ultraviolet light inhibitor. The cleaner did not cause this. The chemicals aren’t smart enough to only affect one yarn. This has also happened in commercial installations, so it’s not limited to residential carpets. 

Grout issues

Cleaners have been blamed for grout issues as long as grout has existed. Soft, powdery grout cracked, missing grout, and grout colour are all concerns often blamed on the cleaner. 

Your cleaning of the tile and grout does not cause any of these. Soft, powdery grout is usually caused by the grout needing to be adequately mixed when installed. Cracked and missing grout may sometimes rear its ugly head after cleaning, but it is only because cleaning moved it enough for release. Cracked and missing grout is the first evidence of poor installation. Hollow-sounding tile, when walked on, is not caused by cleaning. 

Cleaners have been blamed for many things that are not their fault. Oozing adhesive, carpet spots, and grout problems are just a few of the concerns for which cleaners have been blamed. Use the resources and consultants available to help you determine the cause of these issues. 

Don’t take the blame for something you did not cause!

Jessica Violand-Bruno is a flooring consultant, project manager, and sales specialist. She is also an IICRC senior carpet inspector with certifications to inspect other floors and the lead sales associate with a flooring wholesaler. Reprinted by permission from ISSA Today magazine​. www.issa.com

For more information, contact: Jessica@Mark4Floors.com