Make sure a plan comes together

Planned carpet and upholstery maintenance makes carpets and furniture last longer, look better and saves money, says Gordon McVean of Truvox Internation

Properly planned maintenance of carpets and upholstery can make them last years longer and look much better than randomly cleaned fabrics and carpets. To get the maximum benefit having the right equipment with sufficient power and top-grade filtration is vital, particularly if people with respiratory disease are likely to live or work where the carpet maintenance is being carried out.

To provide the best value for money for customers, cleaning contractors should work with their customers to plan and agree a written planned maintenance cycle. This applies for every room and communal area to be cleaned, basing the frequency and type of cleaning planned on the extent and type of use that each area has. The plan should allow for:

1.Vacuuming All areas need to be vacuumed with a commercial grade vacuum cleaner on a daily basis.Vacuums with high-grade HEPA filters are best to minimise airborne particulate.

The Truvox Valet Tub Vac, ideal for healthcare and care homes where dust could be detrimental to patients or staff, has 4-stage filtration including a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) 10 filter, and is also ideal for any location where asthmatics need to be protected from dust.The larger Truvox Valet Upright has a 1200 Watt motor, a 37 cm cleaning path which cleans right to the edge and a commercial-strength metal brush roll for maximum performance and toughness.

2. Spot Cleaning All areas need to be spot cleaned by a trained professional using proper techniques to ensure the use of the right cleaning solution, agitation and rinsing. Somebody trained by (for example) the National Carpet Cleaning Association, who run regular courses in spot cleaning is best for this type of work.

3. Interim Maintenance Cleaning Some areas will possibly require weekly or fortnightly cleaning, which can be carried out using any of the following: an abso rbent pad system, dry foam shampoo, light surface extraction or a dry powder cleaner.When using any of these methods you must always adhere to the manufacturers recommendations, and again, proper training in these techniques is advisable.

4. Restorative Cleaning This should be performed on a quarterly basis to remove any residues from interim maintenance cleaning procedures, to remove deeply imbedded soil, to refresh the texture of the carpet and to improve overall indoor air quality.This should be done utilising wet extraction equipment or industry recognised deep clean systems.

5. Issues of hours, safety and access Be sure that you have allowed for unsociable hours requirements, liaising with security, risk assessments, and health and safety requirements like ensuring that the carpet will be dry in time for your client's business hours. Ensure that you can set up drying procedures such as air conditioning left on or a window left open (taking the security of the premises into account) when you leave.

Upholstery and curtains The growing variety of unusual fabrics makes it important that curtains and upholstery are cleaned by someone who knows fabrics and understands how curtains are constructed ? once again, specific training is vital. The cleaner must decide whether the curtains require dry cleaning or washing. Most dry cleaning immerses the curtains in dry cleaning solvent inside a dry cleaning machine, but fabrics sometimes, particularly if they are fragile, respond best to bench cleaning with an external dry cleaning unit, enabling a qualified technician to check what is happening as the fabric is treated.

A careful survey of the upholstery and curtain cleaning required is essential before a planned cleaning and maintenance schedule is finalised and agreed.