Thorough Control
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy
Regardless of the type of flooring, a well-organized maintenance regimen will help floors and carpets last.
An effective cleaning and maintenance program is critical for education institutions that want their floors to last.
Educators and administrators may differ over what kind of floor surfaces they prefer in their facilities — carpeting or hard flooring. Advocates on each side can make a case for their choices, depending on how a building is being used, the wishes of building occupants, or the budget they have available.
But no matter what kind of flooring a facility has, most people involved in maintaining schools would agree that an effective cleaning and maintenance program is critical for education institutions that want their floors to last. Poor or inconsistent cleaning and upkeep can result in surfaces that are dirty, unsafe and unhealthful.
Carpet cleaning
The Carpet & Rug Institute says that an effective carpet maintenance program has five elements: soil containment; vacuuming; a spot and spill removal system; interim cleaning; and restorative cleaning.
Its “Carpet Maintenance Guidelines” recommend outside and inside mats, which minimize the dirt and debris that people track into a building. The institute says outside mats should have a coarse texture that enables people to brush soil from their shoes; the mats should be able to hold large amounts of soil. Inside mats should be waterproof to prevent moisture from soaking into the indoor carpet.
The institute says that an inside mat of 6 to 15 feet will collect 80 percent of the soil and moisture entering the building on peoples' shoes. Such protective mats also are beneficial around food stations, water coolers, elevators and stair thresholds.
Vacuuming is a fundamental part of carpet maintenance, and it's important to use your vacuuming resources efficiently.
“The most important features of your vacuuming maintenance program will be identifying high-, medium- and low-traffic areas by continually monitoring carpet performance and making any necessary adjustments to the schedule,” the institute's guide says.
The guide suggests categorizing areas of a building based on the amount of traffic they receive: high, moderate or light. High-traffic areas (entrances, hallways, break rooms, cafeterias, corridors, elevator lobbies, stairways, main aisles, waiting areas) should be vacuumed daily, or more often if necessary. Moderate-traffic areas (research areas, conference rooms, classrooms, atriums, secondary aisles) should be vacuumed at least two or three times a week. Light-traffic areas (offices, cubicles, storage rooms, executive areas) should be vacuumed at least once or twice a week.
On the spot
To prevent spots and stains from permanently marring a carpet's appearance, maintenance workers should act immediately to treat or remove a stain. “The longer the delay, the higher the probability a spill will become a permanent stain,” the institute's guide says.
Workers should use a rounded spoon and vacuum to scrape up solids or semi-solids that could cause stains. Liquid stains should be blotted with a dry, white absorbent cloth or paper towel. Do not scrub the area, the guide warns. If a stain is present, it should be treated first with water. When water does not remove a stain, the guide recommends consulting a spot-removal chart. (The institute's Spot Solver database is at www.carpet-rug.org/commercial-customers/cleaning-and-maintenance/spot-solver.cfm.)
The final element of a carpet maintenance program is restorative cleaning. This should be done before dirt is easily visible. The steps in restorative cleaning are dry soil removal, soil suspension (using chemical action, heat, agitation and time), soil extraction, pile setting (with a carpet brush or comb) and drying. The guide estimates that after restorative cleaning, a carpet will dry in six to eight hours. In humid conditions, the drying could take a few more hours. Good ventilation, commercial air movers and dehumidifiers can accelerate the drying.
Mopping up
For keeping hard floors clean, vacuums sometimes are used, but the more common tool for daily cleaning is a broom or dust mop. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Best Practices Manual Volume IV-Maintenance & Operations says that an effective maintenance program for resilient flooring should include a daily regimen of sweeping, dust mopping or vacuuming. Dust mops should be made of microfiber materials and properly treated to capture dust.
As with carpeted areas, walkoff mats should be used at entrances and other high-traffic areas to remove dirt on shoes before it reaches a building's hard floors.
In addition, hard floors should be cleaned with a wet mop at least once a week. Depending on the color of the floor, type of soil being tracked in, and the function of the area in question, a floor may have to be wet mopped more frequently. Maintenance workers should mop up any excess detergent and follow up with a clean water rinse to remove residues. Any excess water left behind could harm floor seals and adhesives, and cause a floor to deteriorate more quickly.
