Lets begin with the time line of new carpet installed in an office space.
First Day: carpet is obviously beautiful, photos are taken, many posts on social media about the new look, high excitement of new branding opportunity for company. High energy and excitement based on this new and improved office appearance!
Ninety Days: carpet is looking good overall, some small spots in hallways and reception area. Quick use of damp towel to blot and they disappear. A few office staff members question the seemingly dull appearance of some areas, they are told that it’s just the lighting and getting accustomed to the new look. Appearance is accepted as is.
One Hundred Twenty Days: carpet needs attention. Its appearance and brilliance seems to have faded and now everyone is asking, what happened to the initial impression of the office carpet? Someone mentions the solution of cleaning.
Now the story begins.
Opinion: Cleaning Commercial Carpet Makes It Wear Out Quicker.
Fact: Cleaning Commercial Carpet Extends The Life Of The Carpet And This Is Why.
- research shows commercial carpet become scratched with sand, dirt and soil.
- removing the sand, dirt and soil restores the fibers.
- if the debris is not removed, it will continue to scratch the fibers and cause weakness, brittleness and shorter carpet life span.
- once fibers are cleaned-debris removed- they are again agile.
- appearance is restored after cleaning and the fibers can reflect light.
Think of it this way. Carpet is like a kitchen sink, collecting dishes, pots, pans, silverware, bowls. Carpet collects soil and dirt from footsteps, spots from food and drinks, dust from the air. It’s a fact that carpet is the best air filter in the building.
Ok, now think of all of this stuff hiding on and in around the carpet fibers, they abrade the fibers but when removed, the fibers are free from the foreign material and the carpet is again looking good.
Going back to our 120 days, the carpet is in dire need of cleaning. The best time to achieve the best results is to clean carpet before it shows traffic patterns or footpaths and soil, this is before the fibers become heavily soiled and abraded.
A good strategy is for the carpet to be on a maintenance program from the moment it is installed. It will last longer, look better and office staff will be happier and healthier.
This does not seem to make sense, but think again about the fibers in relation to the dirt tracked in from footsteps, food and drinks.
While a maintenance program might not schedule a cleaning during the first three months, depending on frequency of traffic and use of office space by staff, guests and clients, surely a light cleaning will be warranted at the sixth month.
It is all about carpet maintenance, carpet life cycle and carpet appearance. When all three are considered, costs can be mitigated and kept within budget. Many companies save money when contracting with a commercial carpet cleaning company by scheduling out the cleanings and the dollars spent.
So let’s blast off the charts the false myth that “cleaning carpet makes it wear out sooner” when the science, research and experience proves differently.
