6 Tips for True Blue Clean Carpets

Ready or not, winter is coming. It’s time to get your carpets ready for the tough months ahead.

Tip #1. Know your warranty.

If your carpet is less than two years old, it’s still probably covered by a warranty. So before you start on a rigorous cleaning program, you should know what your warranty requires. For example, most carpet manufacturers want you clean your carpet a minimum of every 18-24 months in order to keep your warranty. And some are quite specific about the type of cleaning required. The warranty for STAINMASTER® Carpets, for instance, says that “you must have had hot water extraction performed by a trained, qualified carpet care professional at least as frequently as every 24 months.”

Tip #2: Use equipment with the CRI Seal of Approval.

Your equipment matters. That may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people think that all equipment is pretty much the same. It’s for that very reason the Carpet and Rug Institute developed the Seal of Approval (SOA) program, “the carpet industry’s only scientific program to test and measure the effectiveness of cleaning products and equipment.” Evaluated on seven performance attributes—including soil removal efficacy, resoiling (the tendency for some cleaning products to actually accelerate soil attraction after cleaning), residual moisture, surface appearance change, and more—cleaning equipment with the CRI Seal of Approval is simply proven to be effective.

Tip #3. Act quickly.

Some of the best carpet cleaning advice we can give is to simply act as soon as a spill or soiling has happened. For example, dry soil removal is often not taken as urgently as wet spills, but if left neglected, dry soil can really set into the fibers of your carpet. The results you get will almost always depend on how quickly you start the cleanup. The same advice goes for a wet spill or moisture damage. Spot the area immediately; leaving it to dry will only increase the likelihood of permanent fiber staining. The Clarke® EX40™ self-contained extractors are the ideal machines for quick cleanups. With the optional hand tool and hose accessory on the Clarke EX40™, spot cleaning is a breeze.

Tip #4. Use a protectant.

A protectant essentially adds an invisible shield between spills and your carpet fibers. This allows for much easier weekly or post-event vacuuming. Protectants can also help your carpet withstand water and moisture absorption from wet and soiled shoes. Using a protectant won’t guarantee you can completely get rid of a stain; it just gives you more time to get to the soiled area before it sets in. Because once a stain sets into the fibers, there may be little you can do. Also, adding a protectant can void warranties with some manufacturers. Make sure you check with your particular manufacturer.

Tip #5. A stitch in time.

General wear and tear can lead to permanent damage in carpets, especially along skirting boards, door jams and elevator tracks. Even tiny loose ends can turn into big repairs if put off too long. So make sure to take care of those minor repairs before the winter months subject your carpets to even more abuse.

Tip #6. Keep on top of maintenance.

Protecting against the hard effects of winter is not just a one-time event; to truly protect your carpet, you must maintain and protect it continually. Increase your vacuuming and implement an interim cleaning regimen throughout the winter months, particularly when there’s a long stretch of bad weather or a big storm.

Planning ahead will help keep your carpet looking sharp all winter and contribute to the True Blue Clean of your whole facility.

Attack Tough Carpet Stains

The Bext® Pro features a simple clam shell design, which permits easy component access and maintenance, while a 13 gallon solution tank enables you to tackle large jobs or easily maneuver in compact areas. Equipped with exclusive circuit finder technology on heated models, the Bext Pro easily identifies when the machine is plugged into separate circuits. The Bext Pro also offers self-contained storage for the power cord and a compartment for detergent bottles, hand tools and other cleaning accessories—providing increased cleaning convenience.

Your Soil Is Showing

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

Just like any other floor surface, carpet takes a beating from foot traffic. And, if a facility has extended hours of operation and a high occupation density, the carpet can receive quite a bit of abuse. However, building occupants do not walk on all parts of a carpet; they track soils indoors in specific patterns that quickly develop into traffic lanes.

Facilities that take a proactive approach and clean their carpets on a consistent and regimented basis rarely need to worry about traffic lane soiling. But, locations with lower operating budgets, insufficient staffing relative to foot traffic or those not making use of floor matting tend to view traffic lane soiling as problematic.

If you remove dry particulate soils from carpets frequently and thoroughly, less intensive cleaning will be necessary. Especially in entrances and hallways, foot traffic is intensified and fibers become prematurely worm, matted down and rapidly soiled. If not cleaned properly and frequently, traffic lanes can be a real eyesore to an otherwise clean carpet.

So, the question is: “How can traffic lane soiling be remedied or even prevented in the first place?”

The answer is not universal to all facilities and can change with the seasons. Read the full article here to learn about four key factors in you carpet care procedures.

Top Ten Soils in Carpets Identified

This article was originally published in CleanLink News.

The key job of carpet cleaning is to remove soils from carpets. However, there are actually several different types of soils and contaminants found in carpets, and knowing what type of soil is in the carpet is frequently the first step in effectively removing it.

Because of this, this month's U.S. Products Carpet Cleaning Advisory focuses on the top ten soils that most often end up in carpets and how they got there in the first place.

1. Sand, clay, and other "gritty" materials
2. Natural fibers such as lint from clothing
3. Gum
4. Petroleum, oil, and grease
5. Human hair and skin
6. Dust mites, fleas, and other insects
7. Organic soils and materials (minerals and soils from landscaping areas, for example)
8. Airborne carbon and automotive exhaust
9. Spilled food or beverages
10. So-called "miscellaneous unknowns"

To tackle these soils, learn about various carpet cleaning solutions that are available to you. 

Vacuuming During Day Cleaning

This article was originally published by Contracting Profits

If I want to use a vacuum for day cleaning: How quiet does it need to be?
In this article, industry manufacturers answer common questions asked by building service contractors.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification requires that a vacuum be under 70 dBA in order to qualify for the IEQ credit. This should be sufficient for most schools and hospitals. In facilities where peace and quiet are critical, a vacuum with two modes can be used, a power mode for after hours cleaning, and a quiet mode that runs at just 51 dBA for daytime. A normal conversation is around 67 dBA, so these vacuums are practically invisible to building occupants.
— Jacalyn High, director of marketing, ProTeam, Boise, Idaho

At minimum, day cleaning operations require quiet, commercial-strength vacuums that operate below 70 decibels, so staff can clean day and night with less impact on the workers around them.

— David Parkes, general manager, Sanitaire, Charlotte, N.C.

This is dependent on the facility that is being cleaned. Every facility that goes to day cleaning wants a lower sound level, which all manufacturers are striving to achieve. The challenge is the trade off, since reducing sound levels also reduces cleaning effectiveness of the vacuum cleaner; in most cases, small motors and reduced air flow are required to achieve needed sound levels for day cleaning.

— Brad Nyholm, product manager: commercial/dealer for Hoover/Royal Brands, TTI Floorcare North America, Glenwillow, Ohio

Learn about Clarke carpet vacuum cleaning solutions at: http://www.clarkeus.com/products/carpetvacuums.aspx

The Evolution of Green Carpet Cleaning

This article was originally published by Housekeeping Solutions

Looking at how green cleaning established itself in the jan/san industry, it's easy to see that much of its evolution began with chemicals. The goal was to encourage chemical manufacturers to develop products that are both effective and compiled from ingredients that have a reduced impact on the environment. Facility managers now also want the ingredients to be more sustainable, which generally means being derived from renewable resources instead of being petroleum based.

Once manufacturing caught up with these end user demands, green cleaning soon expanded beyond chemicals to include equipment and cleaning processes. Vacuum cleaners with advanced air filtration systems, chemical-free cleaning systems, low-moisture floor machines, certain restroom cleaning equipment, and even chemical-dilution systems have all become key components of departmental green cleaning strategies.

Another part of the green cleaning evolution specifically targeted carpet cleaning, which became greener and healthier with the aid of new technologies and cleaning and maintenance strategies. One such strategy is to base carpet cleaning more on need than on specific cleaning frequency.

For example, even though many building managers want carpeting in executive offices cleaned every month, these areas are not heavily soiled. Not only is monthly cleaning unnecessary, it is also costly and can have adverse implications on the environment. These areas would benefit from a deep cleaning only two to three times a year.

Looking at frequency is just one way facility managers are greening their carpet care. Learn more about greening carpet cleaning and green equipment by reading the full article: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/The-Evolution-of-Green-Carpet-Cleaning--14166