Protecting Your Investment

Commercial carpeting represents a large capital investment. This is justified by the benefits it brings in terms of comfort, luxury and aesthetic appeal. However, in order to protect your investment there are a number of simple maintenance issues to be aware of.

Prevention comes first:
Quite simply, carpets get dirty because they are walked on, most of the dirt coming from the street outside. Therefore, it is imperative that adequate walk-off areas be provided at all external doors.

There are many types of walk-off matting to choose from. Textile matting is recommended as the best means of trapping both water and grit. In areas where moisture is not a factor then a grille type system can be appropriate.

Research has shown that a 20-foot long textile mat prevents practically all soil from tracking into a building. Unfortunately, not all premises can accommodate 20-foot long walk-off mats. Look for creative solutions, such as placing recessed matting in revolving doorways where people tend to shuffle their feet as they enter, or the use of outdoor matting in conjunction with indoor matting.

Remember also that grease from kitchen areas and oil from plant rooms can also be tracked onto the carpet. Placing walk-off matting inside the doorways leading from such areas will easily avoid this problem. Matting in elevator cabs will prevent water and soil from tracking onto different levels.

Regular, thorough maintenance of entrance matting is mandatory, or the matting itself becomes a reservoir for soil, which increases rather than reduces soiling in a building.

Effective vacuuming takes some beating:
Upright vacuum cleaners with rotating beaters and /or brushes remove more soil than tub machines fitted with flat-headed wands. This is because the added vibration provided by the brush or beater bar helps to loosen grit trodden into the base of the carpet pile. Ineffective removal of this grit can cause damage and lead to premature carpet wear.

Vacuum cleaners need to be adjusted to suit the carpet they are used on. The vacuum head should be set as close as possible to the face of the carpet, without being so close that the vacuum is difficult to push. Machines should be well maintained and bags should never be more than 2/3rds full.

Remember that new carpet will shed loose fibres. This is perfectly normal. However, this can cause vacuum cleaners to clog up more quickly than normal so bags need to be emptied more frequently at the beginning of your carpet´s life.

Prompt action stops soiling:
Wool has good natural stain repellent properties, provided soiling is dealt with promptly. In most cases, if a spillage is simply blotted with a clean cloth or paper towel within 5 minutes of the spillage occurring, then staining can be avoided. Of course, in most cases stains are not reported and remain undiscovered until cleaning personnel are working on site. There are a number of simple rules to follow for anyone attempting to deal with carpet stains.

• Blot, don´t rub. Rubbing can cause distortion and fuzzing of the pile, so that even if the stain is removed the carpet is permanently disfigured.

• Familiarise staff with products before using them in the field. Test spot removing materials on leftover pieces of carpet as soon as new carpet is installed. In this way it can be determined if spot cleaning products might possibly have an adverse effect on the colour of the carpet and, if so, alternative products can be chosen.

• Attempt to identify the stain immediately so that the correct spot remover is used. Always use a chemical that bears the WOOLSAFE APPROVED logo.

Navan Carpets does not recommend the application of topical soil and stain repellents to the carpet.

Cosmetic cleaning is often all you need:
In many locations, particularly where there is adequate protection from walk-off matting, carpet soiling may be only superficial. Therefore, only superficial cleaning may be necessary – to brighten colours and freshen the carpet´s appearance. Regular cosmetic cleaning will lengthen the intervals at which carpet will require more thorough deep cleaning.

Bonnet Cleaning:
Bonnet cleaning involves skimming the surface of the carpet using a soft pad impregnated with a detergent solution. Navan Carpets does not ordinarily recommend the use of rotary cleaning techniques due to their tendency to cause pile burst and superficial fuzzing. However, with very dense carpet constructions, where traffic levels are high (such that the pile is well consolidated), and where there is limited time available for cleaning (where there is a high throughput of people at times when cleaning may be undertaken), bonnet cleaning may be carried out with care. Only WOOLSAFE APPROVED chemicals should be used.

Absorbent Powder: This cleaning method (also known as Dry Powder and Dry Extraction Cleaning) is an acceptable way to brighten the carpet´s appearance whilst keeping drying times short. However, because this process involves brushing a detergent laden powder into the carpet pile it is critical that effective vacuuming is carried out at the end of the cleaning process. Otherwise particles of the powder will remain trapped within the pile and ultimately contribute to overall levels of soil in the carpet.

More thorough cleaning:
Despite your best efforts at protection and cosmetic cleaning, there may be times when more thorough cleaning is necessary. We recommend only hot water extraction, supported in heavily trafficked areas by vacuuming using a dual motor vacuum machine, sometimes known as a pile lifter. Such machines have two motors, one to drive a rotating brush and another to apply suction, and are usually dragged backwards over the carpet. These machines open up the carpet pile and thus make soil trapped at the base of the tuft accessible for removal in the subsequent wet extraction process.

Before commencing the extraction process all areas to be cleaned should be pre-sprayed using a suitable Woolsafe Approved solution. This solution should be allowed to dwell in contact with the carpet pile for approximately ten minutes before extraction begins.

Woolsafe Approved:
Woolsafe Approved is a Woolsafe Organisation logo which signifies that a cleaning agent has been subjected to stringent independent tests to ensure that, when used properly, the cleaning agent will have no deleterious effect on a wool carpet. Navan Carpets recommend only Woolsafe Approved chemicals for use on their carpet.

Listed below are names and telephone numbers of suppliers of Woolsafe Approved chemicals and equipment for use in the maintenance and care of your Navan carpet:

United States - Chemspec Inc. 1-800-638-7370
Europe - Prochem Ltd. 0181-974-1515
Ireland - Fiber Seal 01 2802799