The purchase and maintenance of flooring in a commercial environment is a substantial investment for any business. It is therefore crucial to make the right decision on flooring type and maintenance schedule to ensure your business reaps the maximum benefits form that investment made. The popularity of carpets has grown tremendously as restaurants, hotels, offices and shops have all been quick to see the benefits of carpeted floor. Carpets offer comfort, noise absorbency and aesthetic appeal. The cost of carpeting has been reducing due to improved manufacturing technology and decrease maintenance costs. There is no doubt that carpeting can improve the overall appearance of your premises but without the correct care, a carpeted floor can add to the problems associated with your building’s maintenance. Carpet care need not be a difficult task. With a simple well planned maintenance programme your carpets will not only look good but also stay looking good.
Over many years carpet manufacturers have been evolving their methods of carpet construction as the market has expanded and competition has intensified. Today there are varieties of manufacturing processes and materials that can be used to construct a carpet, each offering different properties that can affect its performance in use. A basic understanding of the different types of carpet constructions and the fibers used in their manufacture will help to explain and simplify maintenance techniques. For carpets that are used in a business or non domestic environment, there are essentially two types, namely woven and non woven. As manufacturers looked for lower cost production techniques they developed the non woven carpets which due to the speedy of manufacture and relatively low cost are now the most common in use today.
Non woven carpets are either needle punch or fiber bond. The most common fiber bond non woven carpets today are available in Acrylic, Nylon, Polypropelene, Polyester and Wool. In the following table we have used a star rating system to rate each fiber type against a key range of attributes. This should help you to make a more informed choice when choosing a carpet, or understand better any issues you may be experiencing with an existing one.
In building an understanding of carpet maintenance it is important to have a discussion on the different types of soil that can be present in carpet. This knowledge will help in taking both the preventive action and in the development of an appropriate cleaning regime. Soil can be distinctly categorized into either wet or dry soil, the latter typically accounting for 85-98% of soil in a carpet.
One of the cornerstones of an effective carpet care programme is to minimize the amount of soil that reaches the carpet in the first place, reducing cleaning requirements and wear, and increasing the useful life of the carpet.
In the case of carpets, almost all problems arise due to the ignorance on part of the user in taking care & maintaining the same. Most carpets give off an odour when wet, for there are certain organic soils that get trapped in the carpet piles and emit bad odour. A soiled, unclean carpet that is left wet for sometime due to incorrect cleaning techniques can therefore become very smelly. In the case of discolorations, an over wet carpet at times develop a capillary action which allows residual stains and jute pigments from the carpet to be drawn up to the fibers giving an impression of an accidental spillage. Correct carpet cleaning programs can eliminate both of the above conditions.
Method 1: Daily Vacuuming
Of the two types of soils that we discussed previously, dry soil that is often trafficked in and can be easily removed by regular vacuuming. Daily vacuuming of carpets is a must to ensure that the larger dirt particles are picked up by the vacuum effect, thereby preventing them from penetrating deep into the carpet pile. The principle of vacuuming is to create an air stream through the carpet pile that surrounds the larger dry particles and dislodges them allowing them to be sucked up into the vacuum cleaner. Special carpet cleaning upright vacuum cleaners are available which are efficient & extremely easy to use.
Method 2: Dry Foam Shampooing
This is used to remove the soil that is held to the carpet pile & which cannot be removed by simple vacuum. This carpet cleaning process requires the use of proprietary dry shampoo machines, where the shampoo is foamed onto the carpet and brushes work the foam into the soil. This method of cleaning can be carried out in low traffic & almost daily in high traffic areas. The operation is efficient; drying time is short and leaves the carpet looking fresh, clean and fragrant.
Method 3: Injection Extraction
This is the best & most effective method of removing soil from the base of the carpet. It involves the injection of a cleaning fluid at high temperatures into the carpet pile. The soil is then loosened and then dissolved into the cleaning fluid, which is vacuumed up again into the machine tank. This is not a regular maintenance technique & is carried out periodically.
Thus once you have made the investment in carpeting all part of your building, it is crucial to develop an effective and rigorous cleaning programme to ensure that the carpet maintains both its aesthetic value, and its functionality well into the future.
The author is Head Marketing, JohnsonDiversey India Pvt Ltd.
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