MATTING

The life expectancy of carpeting can be greatly extended with proper preventive maintenance. The use of walk-off mats is the first defense in protecting carpeting. The value of mats and the amount of soil and moisture captured cannot be over emphasized. The central factor in mat selection is a mat's ability to trap dirt, as well as its ability to absorb liquids brought in by foot traffic.  Preventive maintenance should occur outside the building as well. More than 75 percent of soil in any building is tracked in. Keep sidewalks clean to reduce soil and moisture migration into the building.

VACUUMING

An essential element of preventive maintenance of carpeting is daily vacuuming of high traffic areas and scheduled vacuuming of medium and low traffic areas, as well as edging.  The major tool in carpet maintenance is the vacuum cleaner. One square yard of carpet can hide one pound of dirt, which can be accumulated in one week.  Whether you are using canister, upright, backpack, or wide-area vacuums, ensure that your personnel are properly trained on the use and maintenance of the machine.

The following should be considered when purchasing vacuum cleaners:

• Ease Of Service - Bags, belts, and brushes should be easy to replace. When major repairs are needed, a reputable dealer should be nearby.

• Ease Of Use - Difficult to operate machines reduce productivity because personnel simply do not like to use them.

• Filtration - A major consideration should be to improve indoor air quality by using machines with strong suction and advanced filtration systems. An enclosed, high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter is of great importance for sensitive areas such as computer rooms, surgical suites, and clean rooms.

• Ergonomics - Repetitive motion injuries are more commonplace within the work force. Advanced ergonomic designs should be considered when purchasing vacuum cleaners.

TRAFFIC LANE VACUUMING – Is performed on the areas/lanes where the most traffic occurs and should be done daily to keep dirt from spreading into non-high traffic areas.  If vacuuming is not performed often in these areas, the areas will become counter-productive, placing dirt onto shoes instead of removing it.

TOTAL AREA VACUUMING – Is self-explanatory and should be performed weekly.

BASEBOARD CLEANING - Should be performed weekly as part of Total Vacuuming.  Air movement within every room creates downdrafts that create high dust and hydrocarbon build up along baseboards and partitions.  If regular edge cleaning is not performed, wet mopping of edges will be needed.

SPOTTING, WET                                                                                                      

Preventive or daily maintenance of carpeting includes routine removal of spots and spills. It is important to remove spills as soon as possible to prevent staining.  Identifying carpet type should be a consideration in all carpet cleaning. Is it synthetic or natural? Nylon is the principal fiber used in the majority of carpet produced today. Always check for colorfastness before applying any cleaning solution to the carpet.

• Find an inconspicuous place to test.

• Apply the cleaning solution full strength.

• Wait at least 5 minutes.

• Check for any color change and blot with a clean white towel to see if there is any transfer of dye.

• If the pretest shows any adverse effects, do not continue, call your Supervisor for advice.

General spot removal procedures include these steps:

• Set out Wet Floor signs and take precautionary steps by wearing disposable rubber gloves and eye protection.

• Remove excess solids by scraping or vacuuming, and liquids by blotting with a clean, absorbent white towel. 

• Apply the appropriate Carpet Spotter cleaning solution.  Make sure the product you are using matches the Spot Removal Chart you may also be using.

• If the spot is unknown, apply Carpet Spotter to spills.

• Agitate the spot from the outside edge to the center using a bone scraper or other smooth edged instrument, such as a spoon.

• Blot and rinse after applying each cleaning product.

• When finished, rinse thoroughly. You cannot rinse too much, but under-rinsing will leave residue that can cause rapid re-soiling.

• Allow carpet to thoroughly dry before removing Wet Floor signs and opening to traffic. Carpet blowers will aid in the drying process.

SPOTTING, DRY                                                                                                      

The dry method of cleaning carpets has become popular within building where down time or drying time is not possible like Las Vegas.  Even though the dry method is expensive, when used as a Spotter it is a very effective way of removing spots especially in areas where drying time is not feasible. 

• The dry powder is sprinkled onto the spot, slightly agitated, and vacuumed ½ hour later.

Note: For removal of blood, fecal matter, urine, and other body fluids, follow blood borne Spill Removal Procedures. DO NOT USE BLEACH ON CARPET.

For more information on spotting, read our how to article, Carpet Spotting Secrets.

PILATING                                                                                                 

Pilating is a process of lifting the pile of plush or other high profile carpets with a plastic toothed carpet rake in order to restore the pile to an upright, uniform position.  Pilating may be done either prior to or immediately after vacuuming.  When done before vacuuming, pilating can loosen matted pile fibers and bring entrapped dirt to the surface.  The soil is then removed by the vacuum.

MOPPING                                                                                                 

This process uses a wet mop, mop bucket and wringer just as in Hard Floor Care wet mopping.  However, a bonnet shampoo is the product, which is mopped onto the carpet rather than a general purpose cleaner.  It is effective as a preventive care procedure on low profile/low pile depth carpets.  This is a very effective procedure for removing dust and hydrocarbon from the edges and baseboards of walls and partitions.

ALKALINE BROWN TIPPING, SPOT WICKING, and RE-SOILING                       

Brown Tipping - Is a discoloration of the carpet surface, usually due to impurities in certain fibers such as cotton and jute, which comes to the surface when the carpet is over-wetted.  Frequent causes include cleaning with a chemical having a too-high alkaline quality, alkaline residue remaining from previous cleanings, or over-wetting.  Brown and yellow shades of carpet are often affected.  To correct Brown Tipping, extract using a solution of Neutralizer or “Tannin Brown X”, both products are clear and measure on the high acid side of the pH scale.

Spot Wicking – Can occur during Spotting, Bonneting, or the Extraction process.  The primary cause is over-wetting.  The carpet dries from the top, down because more air gets to the top.  As the top dries it begins a process similar to a sponge, pulling the remaining portion of the stain to the top of the carpet fiber.  The best way to avoid Wicking during the Spotting process is to spray the Spotter solution lightly and not over-wet.  During the Bonnet and Extraction process it may be difficult to avoid over-wetting, so the best method is to go back and Spot the wicked areas after the carpet dries.