How much of a carpet’s intended performance will actually be enjoyed, and for how long, now depends on the quality of the maintenance program, and on the choice between a program of planned preventive maintenance, and one of corrective maintenance - the "clean it when it looks dirty" approach. A consistent and effective carpet maintenance program can maintain the initial facility image and dramatically extend the life of the carpet investment.
Life cycle costing makes the difference:
The first chart above shows that, with planned maintenance, overall appearance retention shows a slow rate of decline. With corrective maintenance, the loss of appearance is significantly greater. The second chart shows how planned maintenance costs are steady and predictable, while corrective maintenance costs show sharp, disruptive fluctuations and, on an average, are equal to or greater than planned costs. The conclusion is clear: Planned preventive maintenance improves the appearance retention and satisfactory life of any carpet and is usually far more economical as well.
How to Plan A Life Cycle Maintenance Program:
While the frequency of a maintenance schedule will vary with the level of traffic, all seven of the following elements should be included:
- Key-traffic area mapping.
- The use of walk-off mats.
- Regular vacuum cleaning.
- Spot removal planning.
- Key-traffic area cleaning.
- Overall extraction cleaning.
- Indoor air quality management.
This program was developed by Allied-Signal Inc.’s own technical staff in conjunction with Allied's National carpet Research and Advisory Board, a group of premier experts from carpet cleaning companies, chemical manufacturers, carpet mills, independent carpet inspection services and university research departments. you can follow this maintenance plan with confidence.
1. Map The Key-Traffic Areas:
The key traffic areas are high-traffic areas and other special areas which will present the most difficult maintenance problems. Controlling the appearance of these areas is the most important part of your commercial carpet maintenance program.
Key traffic areas require more regular maintenance than other areas, and more frequent attention and inspection for spots and stains that other parts of the carpet.
A floor plan such as this one can be used in mapping the key traffic area.
- Entryways and doorways
- Halls
- Traffic lanes created by the placement of furniture
- Pivot areas
- Areas where these high traffic areas cross or converge will be extra prone to soiling. Other key traffic areas can be found near or around:
- Vending machines
- Kitchens
- Copying/FAX machines
- Cashier booths
- Service/information booths
- Receptionist area
- Elevators
2. Install Walk-Off Mats:
Over 80% of all carpet soil is tracked in on the bottoms of shoes. If your maintenance program is to be effective, walk-off mats are mandatory at ALL entryways which lead in from the outside.
With walk-off mats, most of that dirt can be trapped at the door, or "localized," before it has a chance to reach the carpet. It takes several foot treads for friction to remove most of the dirt from the bottoms of shoes, so the longer the walk-off mats, the better. Outside soil-removal mats that have a coarse texture, are able to brush soil from shoes and hold large amounts of soil in their pile.
Walk-off mats must be kept clean. If mats are allowed to become and remain heavily soiled, they can actually deposit dirt onto shoe bottoms and cleomes part of the problem. Daily vacuuming and periodic cleaning or replacement is recommended. To facilitate cleaning, two mats should be purchased for each location and used on a rotating basis. Remove the soiled one to be cleaned, and put the clean one in its place to protect the carpet. It's also important to always to keep walk-off mats dry.
Inside mats should be water absorbent to prevent tracked-in moisture from getting to the carpet. Mats that extend for 6 to 15 feet inside the entrance will trap eighty percent of soil and moisture from the first five or six steps. Protective mats should be used around food stations, water coolers, elevators and stair thresholds to prevent moisture and dirt from becoming ground into carpet.
NOTE: A 15 foot long walk-off mat can effectively remove about 80% of soil and moisture before it reaches the carpet.
For mats to continue to trap soil, they should be cleaned on a regular basis, more frequently than the carpet. If accumulated soil is not removed, the mat will become overloaded and cannot prevent soil from entering the building and will become a source of soil.
3. Vacuum Cleaning - The Key to Preventive Maintenance:
Removing dirt from carpet through regular vacuuming is vital in the maintenance of its appearance and extension of its useful life. Most common dirt, even fine dust, is made up of hard, sharp particles. These gritty, sharp-edged particles abrade the pile fibers like sandpaper. Regular and thorough vacuuming removes them and extends carpet wearability. Remember, most commercial carpets are designed to hide dirt, so there may be substantial levels of dirt in a carpet even when it looks clean. The carpet must be vacuumed when it looks clean to keep it clean.
It is important to use a good quality top fill commercial vacuum or pile lifter with the power beater-brush to agitate and loosen the dirt - anything less will not do a satisfactory job. At least two to three passes should be made in high traffic areas. Basically, the more you vacuum, the better - you cannot over-vacuum a carpet. Also, be certain to periodically inspect vacuum cleaners for drive belt or brush replacement and empty or change the bag frequently.
4. Be Prepared to Remove Spots and Stains Immediately
One small spot or stain can adversely affect the appearance of a carpet more than tens of thousands of foot treads. Act immediately whenever a spill happens. We recommend that maintenance people read over and become familiar with the various removal procedures and that they always keep an ample supply of the necessary cleaning agents and materials on hand. By following these procedures, they can minimize or remove most common stains and prevent serious damage to the appearance of your carpet.
5. Select the appropriate maintenance schedule
Observe key traffic areas and select a maintenance schedule from the table below based on an average traffic count or on the rate of carpet soiling.
traffic treads per week
less
and up
or more
or less
areas and hallways
weekly
weekly
days
days
day
day
weekly
6. Monitor and adjust your schedule
Keep a close watch on key traffic areas for visible soiling and adjust the maintenance schedule as necessary. Note the effect of weather changes or variations in traffic and be prepared to cope with them. That's all there is to planning. It's easy - but important!
