Make Your Carpet Last Until You Retire
Carpet is expensive! The initial cost is high and then there is installation to consider as well. Good quality carpet in a commercial setting should last 10 years, but many times it is ruined in half that time. Why?
The secret to making carpet last 10 years or even more, is simple maintenance. A dirty carpet suffers from damage to fibres either from cutting, due to abrasive material (think grit), or acid degradation from oily soil accumulation.
An ounce of prevention…
The easiest way to protect carpet is to prevent it from becoming soiled in the first place. Most soil in an office comes from outside. Preventing it from entering starts at the door. Floor mats before and at the entrance of the office will collect the bulk of dirt. Mats of at least six footsteps (5 meters) from the entrance will trap approximately 80% of soil before it transfers to the carpet.
Then we need a maintenance plan:
- Regular vacuuming
- Spot and stain removal
- Periodic deep cleaning
85% of dirt in carpet is dry dirt and can be removed by proper vacuuming. Lightly trafficked carpet, like executive offices, should be vacuumed once a week. More heavily trafficked areas in the office will need vacuuming more often. Cleaning up any spills right when they happen is important too. Finally, regular deep cleaning (every 12 to 36 months depending on traffic) removes oily dirt that accounts for about 15% of soiling in carpet.
Keep Your Money!
Follow these basic steps and you can spend your money on something more interesting than carpet. We don’t have anything against carpet manufacturers, but why give them more of your money than you need to?