Practical Guide for Maintaining Your Commercial Carpet

I have been in this line of work for nine years now, and one of the most frequently asked questions is, " Can you make my carpets look better?" There is no universal answer to this question, but we can look at contributing factors that can determine your carpet's longevity.



The most important thing about any carpet is this, vacuum. VACUUM, VACUUM, VACUUM. You cannot vacuum a carpet too much. The major reason for carpet wear and discoloration is a lack of vacuuming. Regular vacuuming will remove 80% of the dirt that is brought in on people's shoes. Vacuumiing also gets out the oils that bond with the dirt and break down the carpet fibers.



How often should the carpet in your office be vacuumed? If you have moderate to heavy traffic, the answer is once a day. Low traffic offices can get by with once or twice a week vacuuming. Daily vacuuming picks up loose dirt that will wear a carpet out. If the dirt is not vacuumed up regularly, the dirt will grind against the fibers, causing the carpet to develop "wear patterns."

The easiest way to explain wear patterns is to think about a child's blue jeans. Some children develop spots at the knees, especially boys. I know this from my own son. No matter how many times they are washed, the spots of discoloration at the knees will still be there. This is exactly the same with carpet. Once a wear pattern develops, there is no way to remove them.



Another way to increase the life of your carpet is to use mats in the outside doorways. Mats will catch some of the dirt and debris before it gets on to your carpet. If your facility is located near dirt roads or an unpaved parking lot, then mats are a must.



Mats and vacuuming will maintain a carpet far better than getting your carpet cleaned once a month. It is the daily wear and tear that breaks down the carpet's fibers.



I have seen carpets that are less than six months old, that already look like they need to be replaced, simply because they were not vacuumed. When "wear patterns" begin to appear, there is really nothing you can do about what is already there. But, you can prevent further damage to your carpet by doing the following:
1. placing a mat over the affected area
2. increase the frequency of vacuuming of the affected area
3. make sure there are mats at each outside entrance
4. if there is a shop or warehouse at your facility, make sure there are adequate mats at these entrances

A good plan for the cleaning and maintenance of your carpets is to have them cleaned by a hot water extractor at least once a year. This will get up the remaining dirt that the vacuum did not get.

Most of all, monitor the results. If you see that the carpets are getting dirty and developing a wear pattern in the walk ways, increase the frequency of the vacuuming. Also, make sure the mats are being vacuumed.

If you would like a free consultation about your commercial carpets, please feel free to contact us. 903-291-8169 or toll free 877-291-8169 or check out our wesite at www.allianceofeasttexas.com. We would be more than happy to assist you.

Our service area includes: Longview and Tyler, Texas and Sheveport, La.