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Carpet Care Guide
Carpet Cleaning
The use of carpeting is becoming more prevalent. Advances in carpet design, manufacturing and maintenance have made it a viable alternative to hard floors in many areas. Carpets, like hard floors, do need a regularly scheduled maintenance program to maintain an attractive environment.
Carpet can generally hide dirt better than hard floors, so waiting to clean a carpet until it looks dirty is too late. You have to stay on top of it. By following this program your carpets will consistently look better, the building will be cleaner and the carpet's life will be extended.
A good matting system is as important to carpet care as it is to hard floor care. Matting can collect up to 70% of the soil tracked into the school. Soil that is collected in the mats does not have to be removed from the carpeting, which makes the carpets easier to maintain.
Placement - Matting should be placed both inside and outside entrances.
Location Type of Matting
Outside Scraper - removes solid soils
Inside Absorbent - holds liquid soils
Size - Matting should be large enough to cover the area and the flow of traffic.
Traffic Area Size
Heavy 3 Steps in length
Moderate / Light 2 Steps in length
Maintenance - Since mats collect a significant amount of soil, it is important to clean them routinely.
Procedure Frequency
Vacuum / Spot Clean Daily
Extract or Wash Monthly, or as needed
Matting, and maintenance of the same, at all main entrances is an integral part of maintaining the floors and capturing the dirt. Approximately 70% of dirt is deposited on the mats. These must be vacuumed daily. If not maintained, the dirt will return to the floor.
Some soil will make it past the mats, and it is important to pick this soil up as quickly as possible. The longer soils stay in the carpet, the more damage can occur. Some of the soil that is tracked in is abrasive. It falls below the carpet surface and can wear away at the carpet fibers as traffic passes. Other soil, like spills, can be sticky or oily. This attracts more soil and the carpet's appearance deteriorates quicker that it should, resulting in the need for more frequent restorative cleaning. Routine maintenance procedures consist of vacuuming and spot cleaning and are the keys to picking up this soil. Vacuuming and spot cleaning are done frequently, anywhere from several times a day to once a week depending on traffic patterns, weather conditions and other factors.
Routine Maintenance - Vacuuming
Vacuuming is your first line of defense in carpet maintenance. Thorough vacuuming collects most of the soil deposited on you carpets. It is important to remove soil deposited on carpets quickly. The extent of potential carpet damage depends on how long soils are present and how much traffic the carpet receives. Therefore, different areas will require different vacuuming frequencies.
Location Frequency
Heavy traffic areas (Entrances, Lobbies, Etc.) Two times daily
Moderate traffic areas One time daily
Light traffic areas (Offices, Conference Rooms, Etc.) One time weekly
The purpose of cleaning is to remove dirt and soil from the surface. This requires you to collect and contain the soil so it can be removed from the area. You do not want to just move the dirt around and re-deposit it on another surface.
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Collect - |
Dual motor vacuum cleaners effectively pull the soil out of carpet. |
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Contain - |
Soil particles range in size from small pebbles to microscopic particles. To keep indoor air quality its highest and to prevent the re-depositing of soil, vacuum cleaner bags and filter systems need to be able to contain these microscopic particles. |
Ordinary vacuum filters and bags allow these particles to pass right through. These particles are then circulated through the air, and inhaled by people or re-deposited on other surfaces. High efficiency filters and bags can contain a significant amount of these microscopic particles which makes your facility cleaner.
Open Areas - (Performed similar to dust mopping a hard floor)
| Move your vacuum cleaner slowly across the carpet. Turn and move it in the opposite direction with a 2-3 inch overlap. For heavy traffic areas, use a double pass. |
Confined Areas - (Such as class rooms or offices)
| Vacuum the traffic lanes thoroughly. Maneuver around furniture as needed. |
Baseboards
| Vacuums can clean the carpet, but cleaning the baseboard and area where the baseboards and the carpet meet can be a challenge. Use a duster to clean the baseboard. Use a detail vac or attachments on the dual motor vacuum to clean the edges. |
Routine Maintenance - Spot Cleaning
Carpet spot cleaning should be treated similar to spill clean up on hard floors. Clean spots as soon as possible after they occur. The quicker a spot or spill is cleaned, the less chance it has to become a stain. If you see a spot, clean it. It usually takes less than a minute and makes the whole area look better.
Procedure - Spot Cleaning
| Always wear protective clothing. Even if you know what the spill is, play it safe. Always wear your gloves. If the spot is larger than your hand, you may save time by using an extractor to draw the spot out of the carpet. |
| 1. Remove any solid matter, using the scraper if necessary. | |
| 2. Apply spot remover to spot. Do not overwet. | |
| 3. Gently pat or agitate the spot if necessary with the brush or scraper. Allow spot remover to dwell for 5 minutes. Scrape or brush from the outside in towards the center to prevent spreading the spot. |
| 4. Blot -Use the white absorbent cloth(s). - Blot the area as dry as possible. Blot at the edges of the spot and work towards center. - If some of the spot remains, apply spot remover again. Wait 5 minutes and blot. - If the spot still remains, notify your supervisor. |
| 5. Wash your hands when finished. |
Interim maintenance for carpet consists of light extraction and bonnet cleaning. Over time, particularly in heavy traffic areas and traffic lanes, the carpet can become soiled to the point where vacuuming and spot cleaning are not adequate. A more thorough surface cleaning or deep cleaning is needed. (Both methods will be discussed below, but check with your supervisor for the procedure you are to use.) Interim carpet care maintenance is similar to interim hard floor care maintenance in that they both extend the life of the carpet/floor, enhance appearance and provide a cleaner environment.
Interim Maintenance - Bonnet Cleaning
Bonnet cleaning is ideal when you need to remove surface soil and the area needs to be opened to traffic quickly. Bonnet cleaning does not remove deep down soil, so it only should be used as a supplement to extraction cleaning.
If carpet has been previously cleaned with another product, use defoamer in the recovery tank. Defoamer quickly and efficiently eliminates suds in all types of recovery systems, allowing for maximum performance from your equipment.
Location- Frequency-
Heavy traffic areas Monthly
Moderate traffic areas Quarterly
Light traffic areas Bi-annually
Preparation - Bonnet Cleaning
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1. Dilute carpet surface cleaner in the first pump sprayer. If only one pump sprayer is available, dilute carpet surface cleaner in a mop bucket with wringer. |
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2. Dilute traffic lane cleaner in other sprayer. |
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3. Remove furniture if required. If furniture cannot be removed, place wax paper, plastic film, etc. under the legs to prevent staining. |
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4. Vacuum areas thoroughly before surface cleaning. |
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5. After vacuuming, pre-spray traffic lanes, spots and heavily soiled areas with traffic lane cleaner. Let dwell for 5 minutes |
Procedures - Bonnet Cleaning
| 1. Apply carpet surface cleaner |
| a. With a pump sprayer, apply carpet surface cleaner to both sides of the bonnet or soak bonnet in carpet surface cleaner solution in mop bucket and wring. Bonnet should be damp, but not overwet. |
| b. If applied with pump sprayer, also apply carpet surface cleaner to the area of carpet to be cleaned. |
NOTE: It is important to apply enough carpet surface cleaner to the bonnet/pad and to the carpet to reduce friction and lessen the likelihood of carpet fiber damage.
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2. Place bonnet/pad on area to be cleaned. |
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3. Center the low speed machine on the bonnet. |
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4. Move machine slowly across the carpet. |
| a. Use overlapping passes. |
| b. Soil is transferred from the carpet to the bonnet. When one side of the bonnet is dirty, apply more carpet surface cleaner to the clean side if using the pump up sprayer, then flip the bonnet over and continue to clean. |
| c. When both sides are dirty, replace bonnet with a clean bonnet treated with carpet surface cleaner and continue. Or, if using the two bucket technique: |
| 1. Place dirty bonnet in clean water. |
| 2. After soaking, wring out bonnet. |
| 3. Place bonnet in second bucket of carpet surface cleaner. |
| 4. Wring bonnet so it is damp, not over-wet, and continue. |
| NOTE: A small amount of foam should be generated. Apply more solution if needed. |
| 5. Allow carpet to dry (Normally requires 15-20 minutes or less. Use a carpet fan to accelerate drying.) |
| 6. Vacuum |
| 7. Clean and return equipment to storage. |
Interim Maintenance - Extraction Cleaning
Location- Frequency-
Heavy traffic areas One time monthly
Moderate traffic areas One time quarterly
Light traffic areas One time every 6 months
Extraction cleaning is the preferred interim maintenance method. Using extraction cleaner with hot water through your hot water extraction machine will clean the surface and deeply embedded soils. It is also ideal for any spot or soiled area that is larger than your hand.
NOTE: Always thoroughly vacuum the area before extracting.
Preparation - Extraction Cleaning
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1. Remove furniture if needed. If furniture cannot be removed, place wax paper, plastic film, etc. under and around legs to prevent stains. |
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2. Vacuum the area thoroughly. |
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3. Dilute traffic lane cleaner in a pump sprayer. |
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4. Post "Wet Floor" signs. |
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5. Pre-spray spots and heavy soil areas with traffic lane cleaner and allow a 5 minute dwell time. |
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6. Dilute extraction cleaner in the extractor. Water should not be hotter then 140 degrees. If the carpet has been previously cleaned with another product, use defoamer in the recovery tank. |
Procedures - Extraction Cleaning
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1. Extract |
| a. Move the machine slowly across the floor. |
| b. Check fluid release to ensure carpet is not over-wet. |
| c. Control speed of extractor to give the solution and brush time to work. |
| d. Make over-lapping passes to ensure uniform cleaning. |
| e. For deeper pile carpet, when complete, brush carpet pile in one direction for uniform appearance. |
| f. Apply soil retardant, if needed. |
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2. Use carpet fans to accelerate drying. |
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3. Vacuum carpet after it has dried to lift the pile. |
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4. Remove "Wet Floor" signs. |
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5. Clean and return equipment to storage. |
Over time, the soil level in carpets will build to the level where routing vacuuming and light extraction are not adequate. A thorough deep cleaning is now needed. Deep cleaning will remove the deeply embedded abrasive soils and the sticky, oily soils that are in the carpet. Removing both types of soil will revitalize the carpet appearance, lengthen carpet life and provide for a cleaner environment.
Hot water extraction cleaning with extraction cleaner, followed by an application of soil retardant will thoroughly clean the carpet and reduce re-soiling. Hot water extraction cleaning in restorative maintenance is similar to extracting in interim maintenance, except it will cover a larger area. Interim extraction cleaning focuses on spills and traffic areas, while restorative maintenance covers the entire carpet.
Location- Frequency-
Heavy traffic areas Bi-annually
Moderate traffic areas Annually
Light traffic areas Annually
Preparation - Deep Extraction
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1. Remove furniture if needed. If furniture cannot be removed, place wax paper, plastic film, etc. under and around legs to prevent stains. |
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2. Thoroughly vacuum area to be extracted. |
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3. Dilute traffic lane cleaner into pump sprayer. |
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4. Post "Wet Floor" signs. |
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5. Pre-spray spots and heavily soiled areas with traffic lane cleaner. Lightly agitate with carpet brush. Let traffic lane cleaner dwell for 5 minutes. This gives the traffic lane cleaner time to dissolve the soils, which make them easier to extract. |
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6. Dilute soil retardant into pump sprayer. |
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7. Dilute extraction cleaner into the extractor. Water should not be hotter than 140 degrees. If the carpet has been previously cleaned with another product, use defoamer in the recovery tank. |
Procedure - Deep Extraction
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1. Extract by moving the machine slowly across the floor. Use the 2-pass procedure, making pass 2 perpendicular to pass |
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2. Check fluid release to ensure carpet is not over-wet. |
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3. Control speed of the extractor to give the solution and brush time to work. |
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4. Make overlapping passes to ensure uniform cleaning. |
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5. Apply soil retardant. |
| 5a. Brush into carpet fibers. |
| 5b. Vacuum carpet after soil retardant dries. |
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6. When finished extracting, brush carpet pile in one direction for uniform appearance. This is only necessary for deeper pile carpet. |