Blog
Back to all Blog posts

Carpet Cleaning & Maintenance Guide

12/12/2013

All Birch carpets and carpet tiles are designed to give maximum performance, but to keep them looking "as good as new" certain guidelines need to be followed:

Preventative Measures

Firstly, careful thought must be given to preventing as much dirt as possible from entering the building and limiting the dirt that does enter, to the entrance area. Where practical, the first line of defence - a scraper type product - should be installed outside the building.

Secondly, a combination of a scraper/textile product should be installed in the entrance lobby.

Finally, and just as important, a good textile matting should be installed in the internal entrance area. The Dura Tech® system, comprising Dura-Well®, Dura-Brush® and Dura-Mat® is an ideal combination for these preventative measures.

Dura-Tech Maintenance

Birch Carpets Dura Tech by nature will be the most abused of all floor covering finishes within a building. We therefore recommend the following maintenance regime:

  • Daily cleaning - Use a good upright vacuum cleaner with a rotary brush action. The additional benefit of the brush action is to groom the pile and to reduce pile flattening. We do not recommend the use of a suction only machine such as a tub vacuum cleaner.
  • Cleaning in cases of heavy soiling - A dry powder soil extraction system is recommended for heavy soiling.

The frequency will depend on the site conditions and the volume of traffic over the matting. If a hot water extraction system is used, the temperature should not exceed 60°C.

Care & Maintenance

Carpet and carpet tiles should be vacuumed daily to prevent a build up of soil, particularly in entrance and heavy traffic areas.

A powerful upright vacuum should be used with a brushing action or beater bar to ensure efficient dirt removal, and to raise the pile.

Spot Cleaning

Spillages should be removed as soon as possible. If left, staining can more easily occur making it more difficult to remove. Remove any excess solid spillage by gently scraping with a blunt spatula or knife.

Remove liquids by blotting (not rubbing) with an absorbent cloth or paper (white) and continue until all transfer ceases.

Spot Clean Guide - following removal of excess (see previous topic: Spot Cleaning)

STAIN TREATMENT

  • Coffee, Tea and fruit juices     Mild detergent carpet shampoo
  • Alcoholic drinks     Mild detergent carpet shampoo
  • Oils, greasy foods, wax     Proprietary dry cleaning fluid followed by dry detergent carpet shampoo.
  • Chewing gum     Freeze with proprietary aerosol remover. Scrape off followed by mild detergent carpet shampoo.
  • Cooking Oils, Butter etc     Spot clean followed by mild detergent carpet shampoo.
  • Urine, Vomit and Faeces     Remove solids followed by mild detergent carpet shampoo.
  • Blood     Remove solids, mild detergent carpet shampoo.
  • Asphalt/Tar     Solvent spot remover followed by Dry foam carpet shampoo or Hot Water Extraction.
  • Milk     Solvent Spot Remover followed by dry foam carpet shampoo
  • Paint    Water based - mild detergent carpet shampoo, Oil based - Dry Cleaning fluid
  • Cigarette burns     Use a circular cutter to remove the damaged area, and insert a new piece.

Cleaning

It is important that the Cleaning agent does not leave a sticky residue on drying, which in turn attracts and holds dirt.

Ensure that only detergents that dry to a crystalline form (more easily removed by vacuuming) with a maximum pH of 8.5 are used.

Cleaning Methods

It is imperative that this be carried out by a reliable Cleaning Contractor.
The methods used will vary with the type of soiling and the frequency and amount of traffic.

The cleaning methods recommended are as follows:

Dry Powder Extraction

We recommend the 'Envirodri System', or similar systems. The advantage of this system is that there is no "down time". It does not involve any liquids and the carpet can be walked on, during and immediately after cleaning. For further information of the 'Envirodri System' call: 0115 989 9210

Hot Water Extraction

In this system, hot water and a crystalline detergent is injected into the carpet under pressure, and is then immediately extracted by suction removing the water, detergent and captured dirt.

Planned Maintenance

This is based on an assessment of the various parts of the building, and the dividing of these parts into areas of heavy, medium and low usage.

Regular cleaning in heavy use areas will be balanced by infrequent cleaning in areas of low usage.

The intention is to keep the carpets always looking good, rather than leaving them to deteriorate to a level which then becomes unacceptable, and requires a major total clean.

Leaving carpets to deteriorate not only looks unsightly, but significantly reduces their life expectancy, leading to replacement earlier than should be necessary.