Soft Floor & Carpet Care Tips

A clean, inviting environment is as important in commercial settings as it is in residential ones. It can lead to a favorable first impression and simply make your retail space a place where people want to be.

In order to keep soft floors and carpeting looking sharp and fresh, routine maintenance and regular cleaning is required. You've likely heard of the "D.I.R.T." methodology of soft floor cleaning and carpet care before (if you haven't, you can read up on it in Chapter 5 of the Retail Guide to Shine eBook). The D.I.R.T. methodology is an acronym for:

• D: Daily carpet care
• I: Interim cleaning solutions
• R: Restorative carpet care
• T: Treatment of spots.

In this post, we'll further discuss the D.I.R.T. method and how it can help lead to cleaner, more inviting soft floors and carpeting. Here's a look:

Daily carpet care and maintenance

In a commercial setting, the carpet should be cared for every day. Daily vacuuming to remove dirt from high-traffic areas is a must if you want to keep the carpet looking sharp and fresh. It also freshens up the carpet fibers by removing this dirt and debris. Simply put, this can help keep the carpet looking better for longer. At certain periods of the year - like winter when road salt is often tracked into the building - it may make sense to vacuum more frequently than just once a day.

In addition, daily vacuuming can also remove allergens from carpet fibers and help improve indoor air quality.

Interim cleaning solutions

While daily vacuuming can remove some dirt and debris, it's not going to remove all of it. That's where interim cleaning solutions, like a wet cleaner with rapid drying technology, help make a difference.

However, these systems should not be used to clean too frequently or else they could damage the carpet fibers. For this reason, the suggested cleaning is at least once every six months (or more if necessary).

However, these systems should not be used to clean too frequently or else they could damage the carpet fibers. For this reason, the suggested cleaning is at least once every six months (or more if necessary).

Restorative carpet care

Restorative carpet cleaning consists of professional deep cleaning with an extraction machine. This is best done by truck-mounted carpet cleaning systems. Restorative carpet cleaning often consists of a technician pre-treating the carpet with special solutions to loosen stains or soil that are embedded in the fibers. Next, they'll connect a high-pressure hose to the outdoor truck-mounted system, spray the carpet with hot water and then vacuum it up with a cleaning wand that attaches to the hose. Depending on the amount of carpet there is to clean, the process can take several hours to do - and then several more hours to adequately dry.

Again, deep cleaning the carpet too often can damage the fibers. That's why it should only be done once every six to 12 months.

Treatment of spots

Finally, there's spot treatment. This is best done on an as-needed basis with a portable spot cleaner or extractor. One of the downsides of carpeting is that it'll absorb rather than repel spills. But these subsequent stains can be removed. It just takes spotting them and then addressing them as needed. The treatment of stains should be carried out as often as it's needed.

For more information on the D.I.R.T. methodology and best practices on how to keep your carpets and soft floors looking great for longer, contact us today or download our Retail Guide to Shine eBook.

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