Don’t sweep correct procedures under the carpet – Carpet Cleaning

Hi there and welcome back. In my last blog I explored all the different kinds of carpets that can be found in the workplace, helping you understand the ins and outs of one of the most popular floor coverings.

This week I am going a step further, sharing with you the best ways to clean all of the various types of carpets and what equipment you should use. So, whether it’s wool, silk, cotton or polyester carpet, this blog has got it covered.

Equipment is key

It’s crucial to plan and implement an effective and rigorous cleaning regime to ensure your carpet not only looks in tiptop condition but does its job properly too.

My previous blog helped you understand what type of carpet you have; here’s a look at all the processes you can choose from to ensure you get the most out of your carpet.

Vacuuming

As I mentioned in my previous blog, there are two types of soil, wet and dry. Wet is usually from internal factors whereas dry is often trafficked in from outside, easily removed with your regular vacuum cleaner.

How does it work?

Vacuuming creates an air stream through the carpet pile that surrounds the larger, dry particles to dislodge them allowing them to be sucked up into the vacuum cleaner.

So many choices

Now the choice of vacuum cleaner is entirely up to you – a single motor vacuum will suffice for low traffic areas while a commercial upright vacuum cleaner with a separate brush motor is far more effective in heavy traffic areas and will cut down labour costs when operated in a “one pass” action.

If you do have an upright vacuum cleaner or are looking at purchasing one for your workplace these three simple steps will ensure maximum efficiency.

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Spot and Stain Removal

It may be time consuming and somewhat frustrating but spots and stains, when left, can quickly build up and ruin your carpet’s whole appearance.

“What is the difference between a stain and spot?” you may ask. Well, a spot is a concentrated substance lying near the carpet’s surface, which can be removed using general purpose spotters and shampoos. Stains however, have already penetrated the carpet fibres, making it more of a task to remove.

There are several factors that can affect spot and stain removal:

  1. Age of Stain – for most effective removal, spots/stains should be treated as soon as possible.
  2. Type of Stain – the composition of the stain will determine the method you should use when removing.
  3. Temperature – stains produced by hot spills are normally more difficult to remove than cool or warm. Heat expands carpet fibres making them more porous.
  4. Concentration – the higher the concentration the more difficult to remove.
  5. Carpet Pile – shag pile presents more difficult removal of stains than loop pile.
  6. Carpet Construction – wool fibres absorb stains faster and are harder to treat. Nylon and polypropylene have good removal properties while acrylic fall between the two categories.
  7. First Removal Attempts – sometimes incorrect treatment can cause a bigger problem, such as permanent discolouration, carpet pile distortion, spot migration and wicking where upper levels of the spot are removed but the lower levels remain.

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I also have a handy animated guide to help you on you way with spot and stain removing here.

Extraction Cleaning

Known as the most effective method of removing soil from carpets, extraction cleaning essentially involves injecting cleaning fluid at high pressure and sometimes at a high temperature into the carpet pile.

Soil is then loosened, dissolved then almost immediately vacuumed up again. Although this is not necessary for regular maintenance, it can prove highly effective when carried out periodically.

SM20-image_3Never tried extraction cleaning before? Why not take a look at our video, which shows you how to use the equipment safely and efficiently, while explaining the process of extraction cleaning.

Bonnet what?

Yes, bonnet buffing. This is a technique used to remove soil held in the carpet by an oily film, which cannot be removed by vacuuming. This can either be carried out monthly in low traffic areas or weekly in high traffic. If this is kept up regularly enough it can actually prevent soil spreading from entrances into other areas of the building.

This method is quick, with the drying time extremely short. A basic bonnet buffing technique involves the use of a slow speed rotary floor machine fitted with a yarn pad or bonnet, which has been soaked in a cleaner solution and wrung out thoroughly. The cleaner loosens the soil and attracted onto the yarn bonnet, while the friction between the bonnet and the carpet helps the drying of the carpet.

If you would like some further advice on the best way to clean your carpets, check out our Safe Working Procedures guide here.

These cleaning processes are the most common techniques used to clean workplaces carpets. Of course there are other options including, foam shampoo, rotary shampoo, dry foam shampoo and dry absorbent granules so, if you do have any questions about the techniques I haven’t delved into, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line of my social media pages.

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To explore all the different carpet cleaning products available to you, why not visit our website to find the right product for you?

If you are looking for any further information on how to care for your carpets, contact Jangro on 01204 795955 or email enquiries@jangrohq.net

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Introduction to Cleaning Machinery

I hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Easter weekend and that you are raring to go.

Clean machines

In this, my second blog, I will be exploring the vast array of machinery you can use for cleaning, from vacuum cleaners to pressure washers and much more.

Tools of the trade

All good cleaning operatives have an armoury of equipment to help them get into every corner of any room and it is vital to choose the right tools for each job to ensure you get the best cleaning results.

Look back at vacs

First up, the humble vacuum cleaner. According to cleaning folklore, the first vacuum cleaner was manufactured in Chicago in 1865 and was christened the Whirlwind.

A Janitor named Murray Spangler of Ohio created the earliest designs and developed the idea after constructing a crude prototype with a desk fan and a pillowcase. He then went on to sell the idea to his cousin who owned the Hoover Harness and Leather Goods Co. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, there are two main types of vacuum cleaner, the upright and the cylinder, which look and work in different ways.

Tub club

Cylinder, or tub machines, employ a bag principle, which means the soil is trapped in a bag that is situated in the main body of the machine between the inlet and the motor.

The walls of the dust bag are designed to let the air flow through while trapping fine dust particles within it. The air then passes through a series of filters, which trap even finer dust and debris. It is imperative to clean the filters regularly to maintain effectiveness.

This type of machine is easy to empty and they are widely used across the industry but it must be noted that as the bag fills the suction power can be reduced.

As an adaptation to the bag principle some tub machines have rigid containers that collect the debris.

Be upstanding for uprights

Upright vacuum cleaners are the perfect choice if a deeper clean of a carpet is required. They contain a special brush roll at the head of the machine, which rotates at high speed to dislodge and collect soil deep within the pile.

The motor, which creates the suction, is situated in the vacuum box on the handle and the air containing the soil is drawn up the machine into a bag or a rigid container. Again, additional filters trap any finer particles.

Added extras

One of the beauties of any vacuum cleaner is the vast array of additional tools and accessories available to suit specific cleaning tasks. These include:

  • Crevice tools for hard to reach awkward spots
  • T-shaped upholstery tools for delicate fabrics
  • Round or oval shaped dusting brushes with soft bristles to dislodge dust particles
  • Combination floor tools for both hard and carpeted floor surfaces
  • Squeegee tools for wet and dry machines to collect excess water

Don’t sweat the wet

Wet pick up machines work on the same principles as tubs with containers and are designed specifically for dealing with liquid.

In addition to the filtering system they incorporate a cut off mechanism to avoid the fluids coming into contact with the motor. This involves a float valve housed in a plastic cage. As the liquid rises, so does the float and when it reaches the set level the float covers the inlet to stop anything else being sucked in.

The choice is yours

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Of course, vacuum cleaners aren’t the only type of machinery used by cleaning operatives. Here is a run down of some of the other machines that can be dubbed a cleaner’s best friend.

Rotary cleaning club

Rotary cleaners are known as the real workhorses of the industry and although they all look pretty much the same, the specifications of the different types of the machine will dictate what they can be used for.

As a rule of thumb, machines that rotate at slower speeds are more suited to scrubbing tasks, whereas the faster machines are used for polishing procedures.

Two in one

Scrubber dryers are clever machines that combine the scrubbing function of a rotary with the suction capabilities of a vacuum cleaner, allowing cleaners to carry two jobs at the same time.

Floors that have been cleaned with a scrubber dryer are clean, dry and ready to be used again straight away.

Scrubber dryers come in a whole host of shapes and sizes, the smallest being no bigger than a conventional vacuum cleaner to the largest, which can be sat on and driven down a street.

No matter what size you need, they all perform exactly the same function, which is to dislodge dirt and debris and vacuum it up. 

Under pressure

Pressure washers have become more and more advanced in recent years and come in a wide range of specifications, starting with the ones available to the public that are used to clean drives and patios, to huge, sophisticated industrial models.

Their job is to physically dislodge soil from a surface and they certainly don’t disappoint! Some of the more advanced machines also increase water temperature and apply steam at pressure.

With so many sizes and models available, they are suitable for tackling small problem areas or huge expanses and they can be used on both horizontal and vertical surfaces.

Pressure washers are favoured by cleaners tasked with removing ingrained dirt such as graffiti, traffic films, bird droppings and much more. They are also the tool of choice for car and commercial vehicle cleaning.

I do hope you have enjoyed reading about the wide range of cleaning machinery available. As you can see, it is important to consider every aspect of the job in hand before selecting the most suitable machine.

Come back soon or hit the follow button to stay up to date with my blog.

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