MAINTENANCE ADVICE FOR CONTRACT CARPETS & MATTING

 

Tea, Coffee, Beer, Fruit Juices, Wine, Soft Drinks

Method

Blot the stain, remove any solids, apply warm water on a clean cloth or sponge, and do not over-wet. Work from outside of the stain towards the centre, repeat if necessary. Treat remaining residues with spot remover (contract service master for the current

product). Thoroughly blot, allow to dry and then vacuum.

Butter, Wax, Lipstick, Fat, Face Creams, Oil

Method

First, remove any solids, and blot the affected area. Apply citrus gels, rinse thoroughly, allow to dry and then vacuum. Caution:

Follow manufacturer instructions, ensure adequate ventilation and prohibit smoking. Some chemicals may cause damage if used excessively.

Ice Cream, Milk, Gravy, Chocolate Drinks

Method

Remove any solids, and blot the stain. Apply warm water on a clean cloth or sponge, do not over-wet. Work from outside the stain towards the centre, repeat it if necessary. If stains remain, apply citrus gels, rinse thoroughly, allow to dry and then vacuum.

Caution: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, ensure adequate ventilation and prohibit smoking. Some chemicals may cause damage if used excessively.

 

Having made the decision to choose carpet as a floor covering for your premises it makes sense to protect the investment which this represents. Over 80% of soiling deposited on interior flooring is tracked in from outside the building.

All carpets will eventually become soiled and will lose their pristine appearance long before they are worn out and need replacement. Regular maintenance will help preserve the appearance and extend the carpet's life.

Programmed maintenance has proved that regular attention to basic cleaning is far more beneficial in every way. In areas of extreme and heavy soiling for example entrances and lobbies at the street door, restaurants (particularly serving hatches) and lifts, carpet requires particular attention to preserve its appearance. Mats and washable carpet runners assist in removing soil from these areas. It is necessary to clean doormats and runners regularly to enable them to accept more dirt. Failure to do

this will result in them becoming saturated or excessively dirty and spreading the dirt onto the surrounding carpet. The wearing surfaces are comprised of tufts of fibres in a vertical position at right angles to the floor surface.

These are compressed by normal foot traffic and point loads. This can give rise to apparent discoloration of the pile, and in

some cases causes an irregular patch known as pressure marking’ to spear. The latter is a feature of a fine velvet pile and does not detract from the wearing qualities, nor is it regarded as a manufacturing or product fault. Pile distortion normally appears as a lighter shade than the surrounding carpet, as light reflection is greater from the side than from the end of the fibres.

Upright cleaners with strong suction and driven brushes are the most effective models for cut pile carpets, suction-only cleaners should be used on loop piles. Your cleaner needs to be maintained in good working condition and should be inspected regularly.

Slow passes of the cleaner head in directions at right angles to each other over a given area of carpet will allow the suction to remove most surface soiling and soil which has penetrated to the base of the pile.

Most vacuum cleaners have different height settings to allow adjustment to different pile heights and constructions. Experience will show which height setting is most suitable, providing the slight resistance to cleaning passes which is desirable.

 

Main traffic lanes leading from entrances, lobbies and reception areas are places where the heaviest

soiling occurs, where people queue or stand waiting for lifts, etc. These areas require daily vacuum cleaning with several passes in different directions to expose the pile to maximum suction action.

 

Those areas that receive infrequent traffic or can only be reached by walking some distance over other carpeted floors are likely to receive very little soil contamination and may be cleaned less regularly or following use. Examples are meetings rooms, board rooms and archive storage.

Barrier mats and regular vacuum cleaning will keep soiling to a minimum but eventually some effects of soiling will show

themselves. The carpets fresh appearance may begin to fade and the surface becomes dull. Stains from spillage may become increasingly evident and at this stage action beyond regular vacuum cleaning is called for.

 

There are several methods of wet cleaning to choose from. The most effective method is hot water extraction which flushes out ingrained soiling using shampoo, then rinses the carpet to remove any detergent residues which could encourage re-soiling. There are cleaning contractors who specialise in this type of operation or a suitable machine can be purchased or hired for the purpose. Care should be taken to avoid saturating the carpet and causing shrinkage.

Manufacturer’s instructions for use should be carefully followed and staff must be trained to operate the machine correctly. The carpet becomes wet during the cleaning cycle and should not be walked on until it is absolutely dry (24 hours is usual). This time may be reduced significantly by adequate ventilation, ambient temperature and the use of air movers (Turbo Dryers).

This disruption to the usual business may not be acceptable or possible and an alternative cleaning process may be required.

 

In this process, a detergent powder is brushed into the carpet, left for half an hour or so then removed by vacuum extraction. The powder is moist but the carpet will only become slightly damp with a very short drying time. As with wet cleaning,

professional specialists can be called in or machinery bought or hired, again staff should be trained in correct operation following manufacturers instructions.

Staining caused by spillage or by the deposit of adhesive substances to which soiling will stick usually becomes immediately obvious. It is important to treat spillage stains early, preferably before they dry out, to reduce pile penetration and remove as much of the spillage as possible. Staff should be vigilant and report spillage incidents immediately so that effective, remedial action can be initiated.

 

Tea, coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks etc. All compounds which include a high proportion of water should be blotted with clean dry clothes or absorbent paper towels, any solid particles should be wiped or scraped up. When most of the liquid spillage has been removed the residual staining should be diluted with water applied with a clean cloth or sponge. Care must be taken not to over-wet the carpet or to scrub the surface. A gentle action working from the outside edge of the stain to the centre will prevent the

spread and concentrate the stain for removal.

 

Butter, face and hand creams, wax, cooking oils and fats are examples of spillage which can be treated with methylated spirits. An impregnated cloth is applied to the pile which loosens the grease. Larger deposits of chewing gum, blue tack etc, can be removed by the application of citrus gels, which must be rinsed out. Care must be taken to ensure adequate ventilation, and excessive application instructions must always be followed by staff carrying out the cleaning process.

Please contact customer.services@tradechoice.com if you require additional information about flooring maintenance.