Phil Jones, Prochem Sales & Training Manager on how regularity wins through…

A maintenance regime prolongs the life of a carpet. If cleaning and maintenance are not programmed, then pretty much anything will become soiled more quickly.

In the case of carpet, the abrasiveness of walked-in dust, grit, sand soiling could start to damage and wear out the material and reduce its lifespan.

The main issue is that both residential and commercial sectors try to extend cleaning interim periods to save money – and it is almost always a false economy.

When cleaning periods are extended, flooring naturally becomes more soiled, the technician consequently having to spend more time attempting to restore the material to match client expectation. More time cleaning, more cost.

Enhancing the environment

If clients understood the value of carpeted areas, they may well take a different attitude.

More than simply a substrate to walk on, carpet is often specified by interior designers and architects to give an impression of space and added light to an environment. Carpet manufacturers produce a wide range of styles and colours to choose from because they understand this.

Regular cleaning removes impurities such as pollen, dander, dust particles which often aggravate users’ allergies, greatly improving the natural air quality of the office, hotel or home. Soiling if left to increase leads to a cycle where re-soiling occurs depositing greasy matter layer over layer until the carpet becomes a sticky mess.

Bacteria are more likely to form and create a health risk as well. Untrained cleaning staff can also cause problem by not adhering to the manufacturer dilution rates for cleaning detergents.

Providing good air quality: no small matter

For the commercial user, there is the matter of air quality to consider, also.

Every business has a duty of care to ensure that it offers staff, visitors and customers a healthy environment. Regular carpet cleaning is an integral part of the hygiene programme for a commercial property.

It can all start with correct dry vacuuming, ideally with an upright vacuum machine with a brush roller or beater bar to help to remove the dry particulate soil further down the pile fibre.

Effective removal with one of these machines will help maintain the lifespan of the carpet and remove the potential food source for bacteria.

Regular deep cleaning, such as via hot water extraction, can also greatly improve the effectiveness of eliminating bacteria and viruses from materials.

In terms of solutions, most technicians come into the hot water extraction cleaning business using a compact, portable machine such as Prochem’s evergreen Galaxy and the larger Steempro range. Both deliver a deeper clean and can help to restore neglected carpet (like our friend pictured at the start of this article).

Commercial contractors looking for a more regular, maintenance system would benefit from using a dry and wet carpet and floor cleaner like the PRO 35 with WoolSafe approved S745 Procaps soil encapsulation spray cleaner.

Perfect for interim maintenance, these provide a fast way of making carpets look and stay clean, on schedule.