A clean, quality carpet can really tie a room together. The color and texture can add aesthetic comfort. They dampen sound and absorb shock to help quiet a room. But what if a carpet has been neglected? Here are 6 little secrets your dirty carpet may be keeping- and why you should do something about it.
1 – Carpets Trap Greasy Residue, which Trap Dirt
Wheels, carts, shoes and paws…grease begets more grease, dirt and soil. The Amazon delivery guy and the turnstile of customers venturing in/out are tracking in dirt from outside. And who knows where they’ve come from. Oil and grease are stubborn and will stick around until scrubbed away. With each passing step it gets further embedded into the carpet fibers. This snowball effect can discolor the carpet and create visible high traffic lanes- an eyesore nobody asked for.
The best solution is periodic carpet cleaning, at minimum every 12-18 months. Hot water extraction emulsifies these stubborn oils. It rinses and extracts them from the carpet bed.
2 – Your Carpet is One of the Biggest Air Filters in Your Business
Your skin constantly sheds dead cells, roughly 30- 40K cells every minute. That’s about 9 lbs. per year! And nearly half of the dust in your business is made up of dead skin. Much of this will end up in your carpet. Now, imagine working in a busy office full of cubicles for 8-10 hours a day. Vacuum please!
3 – Small Rocks and Sand can Destroy Carpet Fiber
Abrasive or rough foreign bodies in the carpet such as sand and small rocks can wear down the carpet. With each trip Larry takes to/from the watercooler, his shoes are pushing the sand into the carpet, creating friction and pressure that will grind at the fibers. This damage is often permanent and irreparable.
4- Your Carpet is Likely Home to a Bundle of Bacteria.
According to Home Advisor, the average carpet has 30.2X more germs than a kitchen refrigerator handle, 16X more germs than a cell phone and 5.7 times more germs than a toilet seat. Carpet fibers don’t discriminate when it comes to what they’re willing to trap. Our old friend gravity will ensure that airborne contaminants will eventually find their way to the floor. This includes pollen, mold, bacteria, cigarette smoke, and various chemicals. These things can live, breed, and thrive in your carpet…that is…until you decide to do something about it. Repulsive, right? The good news: hot water extraction via professional carpet cleaning can effectively kill and remove these contaminants.
5 – Moist Carpet Can Become Moldy Carpet
High-humidity indoor environments that receive little to no natural sunlight can sometimes become the perfect home for mold to thrive. Dust and dirt gathers in carpet fibers to produce food for mold spores. If you’re in a rainy climate, wet shoes can track in water; moisture being the final ingredient necessary. Mold spores can then spread to other areas of your business, and even feed on upholstered furniture. Oh, the joys of microbial growth!
6 – Malodors: A Sign that Something is Seriously Wrong
-One of the first signs of mold and mildew is a musty smell. A red flag.
-Unfortunately fecal matter is often hitchhiking in on the soles of shoes. If you’re operating a dog-friendly office, this can become exponentially more problematic. Malodor madness!
-Accidents happen: dog-friendly offices should also be aware that dogs will dribble, drop, secrete, and vomit (only when they know you’re not looking) numerous bodily fluids. This will soon have you conducting impromptu smell tests if you don’t have a carpet maintenance plan.
Finally, the Cleaning Solutions.
Carpet cleaning- an annual service is always a good idea. At minimum every 12 – 18 months. There are different service options available depending on the type of carpet you have and it’s conditions. Service options include spot cleaning, low-moisture, encapsulation, and of course the classic hot-water extraction.
We hope you enjoyed this expose on 6 little secrets that your dirty carpet may be keeping. Questions? Need a quote? Contact one of our service consultants today.
Our copywriting and content wizard specializes in Digital Marketing for commercial cleaning. He can make dirty subject matters interesting and palatable enough for a good lunchtime read. With over a decade of experience in Commercial Cleaning Management and marketing he hopes to inspire more businesses to look good, feel good, and perform good! BA, University of Oregon. pixelforestmarketing.com