Commercial carpets don’t seem to get the same attention as our home carpets do. More often we consider commercial carpet cleaning about as important as visiting your worst enemy. They are treated as a burden not worthy of ones time or care. It’s too bad because a little knowledge and your commercial carpets would stay looking like new for a long time. The key to successful commercial carpet cleaning is knowing your carpet.
By the time you are finished reading this article you’ll know how to get to know your commercial carpets better. Once you get to know your commercial carpets your commercial carpet cleaning will be effective and keep your carpets looking new.
Many commercial carpet cleaning processes use water. There are both benefits and disadvantages to using water to clean your commercial carpet. By knowing the type of carpets you have you can choose the appropriate cleaning process for them.
First you need to know what kind of backing the carpet has and how the carpet is attached to the floor. Next you need to know the type of yarn and what the carpet fibers are made of. Once you know this you can extend the life of your carpet by using the correct amount of water solution.
Most commercial carpet cleaning contractors will agree that the more water you use during the cleaning the better the cleaning results will be. Because the more water you flush through the more dirt that is carried away. And this is absolutely true. When you use water is becomes the medium and the dirt gets suspended in the water, however the more water you put into the carpet the more water that is left in the carpet and that can create plenty of problems.
Water left in the carpet can cause mold, stretching, damage to the sub floor, and damage to the adhesive to name just a few of the problems. By knowing the type of carpet you have you can determine the correct amount of water and solution to use so you don’t encounter any of the problems from too much water.
The carpet backing is the layer between the carpet fibers and the sub floor. There are many different types of backing but the two main categories are permeable and impermeable.
A permeable back allows water to travel through the backing to the floors surface. In commercial applications this is generally concrete and the carpet is glued directly to the floor. Over wetting the carpet allows the water to reach concrete which can result in very long drying periods, and staining from wicking which is caused by the wet carpet soaking up minerals from the concrete. Another big problem is that most of the adhesives are water soluble so you know what the water does to the adhesive. It dissolves it.
An impermeable backing doesn’t allow the water to reach the floor surface so the water never affects the adhesive or causes wicking. An impermeable back means your carpet will dry a lot faster.
There are also two main types of face yarn used in commercial carpets. They are loop pile and cut pile. Loop pile has carpet fibers that create a closed loop that is more tightly woven and provides less places for the dirt to get lodged or the water to soak in. Cut pile has open face yarn with individual threads. Because the fibers are looser there is an unlimited number of places for the dirt to take up residence and the water to hold.
So if you have a cut pile carpet with a permeable back on a concrete floor what do you think will be the result. Well you’ll almost have a swimming pool if you don’t use a minimal amount of water. Too much water and you’ll be waiting for days for the carpet to dry and the glue will let go in the process.
There are also two types of carpet fiber. Nylon and Olefin are both common in commercial carpets. Neither absorb water so you can use a good dose of water without worrying about soaked carpets. However you need to watch the chemicals because some of the harsher ones can lift the dye out of the nylon.
Wool is a natural fiber and it holds water which means you need to watch the amount of water you use with wool. You also need to be careful when using harsh chemicals which can react with the wool.
So to sum it up a nylon carpet with an impermeable back is the easiest to clean and maintain. You can use lots of water and you won’t have to worry about the glue lifting or it taking days to dry. Regardless of what carpet combo you have the key to successful commercial carpet cleaning is knowing your carpet.
John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet rugs website.
