Do’s and Don’ts for Office Carpet Care

Carpets make a significant visual statement to your customers and staff about your standards.

Carpets can also be expensive to repair or replace if not maintained.

Below are some quick tips for Office Managers to share with office staff and also implement with their cleaning contractors.

The DO list:

• Do schedule vacuuming frequently (daily) with your cleaning team. Soil is abrasive and if not removed frequently will cut fibres, obviously damaging the carpet and changing the appearance (light bounces off it differently)
• Do spot clean spills…and quickly. Blotting with a towel (cloth or paper towel) will assist if you don’t have a spot cleaning kit. This can delay the need for more expensive restoration cleaning.
• Do create some office rules for the spill offenders…You Spill It, You Clean It. We do see some offices where coffee spills have not been cleaned quickly and have created very ugly office spaces.
• Do use a desk mat in order to avoid the carpet fibres being crushed by chairs. When you do the office shift and all of a sudden those crushed areas of carpet are visible it’s not a welcome sight.
• Do schedule maintenance and restoration carpet cleaning. For example, a minimum of an annual hot water extraction treatment annually. It will improve the aesthetics, preserve one of your fitout assets and aid staff health (removing dust mites, allergens etc that are held in carpets).
• Do vacuum toner cartridge spills (if in a powder format) immediately, without a brush head, and don’t let the area get wet otherwise this may create a permanent stain. Dry cleaning fluid or rubbing alcohol may be spotted onto the surface with a white terry towelling cloth.

The DON’T list:

• Don’t forget to place barrier mats at your entrances. These have been proven to remove up to 80% of soils which are normally walked in from outside.
• Don’t leave staples and paper clips in your carpet. If not removed quickly, they can become embedded and can damage the carpet when finally removed.
• Don’t ignore those hideaway corners of carpet behind bulky items or awkward locations. They can become a haven for pests eg carpet moths. Try and shift and expose as much as possible during your major carpet cleaning projects.
• Don’t let water damage go untreated. Act quickly and engage professionals to extract and dry the carpet and material below. Otherwise the damage can become extensive and also allow bacteria and mould to grow.
• The key to caring for your office carpet is for everyone to play a role – management, staff and the commercial cleaning team.

 

If you would like some more advice on carpets or any other cleaning or restoration requirement for your office please contact the team at Duticall.

Stay tuned in for further blogs, covering all aspects of office and commercial cleaning.