COMMERCIAL
CARPET CLEANING
(Differences from Residential Carpet Cleaning)

Commercial carpet cleaning is different from residential carpet cleaning because commercial carpets and residential carpets are specifically manufactured to be used under different conditions.

Carpet for the home usually has fibers and padding that are thicker than typical commercial carpet, since its usage is based on appearance, comfort underfoot, and noise reduction.

Commercial carpet, on the other hand, is specifically made to handle a great amount of foot traffic, some of it quite heavy. The thickness of the carpet fibers as well as that of the padding, if there is any, depends on the many different usage requirements found in commercial settings.

CHALLENGES FOUND IN COMMERCIAL CARPET CLEANING

The commercial carpet cleaning technician has to be able to handle a variety of challenges not normally found in residential carpet cleaning. These include:

• Heavy foot traffic.
• Exposure to many more (though not always much different from residential carpet) contaminants, such as grease, tar, gum, beverage and food spills, copy toner, and even blood.
• The clean up of spills and other contaminants in a timely manner is in the control of the building staff (usually at night). If the staff is not trained in proper spot and spill removal or the removal is not timely, these contaminants may become permanent stains and the carpet cleaning technician may not be able to remove them successfully. 
• Although truck-mounted hot water extraction is the recommended cleaning method for most residential carpet, commercial carpet cleaning may require different methods or a combination of methods, such as portable hot water extraction, bonnet cleaning, dry cleaning, etc. The choice of methods depends on the unique situation of each commercial building or area, as well as how soon it needs to be dry.
  

• Commercial cleaning must usually take place out of business hours and on weekends.

LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN CLEANINGS

Many factors come into play when determining the length of time between either commercial or residential carpet cleanings. As a general recommendation, residential carpets should be cleaned at least once a year while commercial carpets should be cleaned every 6 months. Of course, these are just estimates.

The homeowner can more easily keep track of the requirements of individual areas of carpet in the home. The company providing commercial carpet cleaning will often make recommendations to the manager of a company for the appropriate times for carpet cleaning for a particular building.  This estimate is necessary in order to efficiently manage dirt and stains and improve the appearance of the carpet in the building.

MAINTENANCE OF CARPETS BETWEEN CLEANINGS

In the Home

The homeowner can maintain the appearance and cleanliness of the carpets in the home by picking up spills and spots as soon as possible and vacuuming on a regular basis.

Regular vacuuming is so important because the carpets in the home filter the air and trap contaminates. Unfortunately a carpet can become saturated if not vacuumed regularly (preferably with a Hepa filter) and will start releasing those contaminates back into the air.

An easy way to determine how often to vacuum is 1 time a week per the number of people and pets living in the home. Thus, 2 adults, 2 children, a dog and a cat would require 6 cleanings a week. If this is impossible due to time restraints, at least the high-traffic areas should be done once a day. Thus, the loose soil and grit from the heaviest-soiled areas will effectively stop this soil from spreading throughout the house.  

The combination of vacuuming and regularly scheduled professional carpet cleanings will keep the carpets in the home looking good and feeling good for a long time.

In the Business Building

For the commercial carpet, maintaining carpeted areas by removing spills and spots as soon as possible and regular vacuuming often falls to the custodial division of the company.

The personnel of the carpet cleaning company providing professional commercial carpet cleaning services can take steps to arrange training in spot removal and maintenance with the commercial building maintenance staff. Thus, small problems will not become permanent ones that can compromise the appearance of the carpet.

Vacuuming in commercial settings should be thoroughly done at least 3 to 5 times per week. High traffic areas should be vacuumed nightly.

CARPET CLEANING IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Carpet cleaning is good for business because the appearance of a company can be very important for its success.

Regularly cleaned carpet is a great confidence builder with customers and it can help workers to feel good about their work environment as well.

Additionally, regular professional carpet cleaning will prolong the life of the carpeting and improve the indoor air quality of the building as well.

SCHEDULE A COMMERCIAL CARPET CLEANING APPOINTMENT

Because of the special challenges involved with scheduling commercial carpet cleaning, please call our office well ahead of time for an appointment.

Our estimates are free and we also provide estimates for scheduled maintenance cleanings with special pricing.

Our office is open from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday and on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 10am to 1pm.

Call 607-272-1566.

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