tech tip Tackling Tracked In ASPHALT AND SEALER On-site case studies reveal the effectiveness of different removal techniques. By: Scott Warrington Asphalt, parking lot sealer, oil and oily soils tracked onto commercial carpets are a recurring nightmare for many building maintenance staffs. Synthetic carpet fibers, especially olefin which makes up the largest proportion of commercial carpet fibers, are created from petroleum and related products. Chemically they have an affinity or tendency to bond with other petro-leum based products and oils. Over time, these oils oxidize and dry out, creating a yellow or brownish lacquer-like film in entryways or high-traffic lanes. Once bonded to the fibers and oxidized, this film is nearly impossible to remove. Image courtesy of Frank Lombardi Jr./Hemera/Thinkstock A Prevention Step The most important method of prevention is proper use of entryway track-off mats. Matting can be changed out, cleaned and replaced more easily and less expensively than installed carpet. Matting must be long enough to ensure several footsteps by each foot on the mat before the carpet is reached. According to a The American Institute of Architects (AIA) survey: ● 5 feet of matting at the entry to a building will capture 33 percent of soil entering a building ● 10 feet will capture 54 percent ● 20 feet will collect 86 percent ● 25 feet will stop nearly all outside soil from entering a building. Image courtesy of Scott Warrington Image courtesy of Violka08/iStock/Thinkstock Cleaning Frequency Reducing the amount of tracked in oils and sealer will not completely eliminate asphalt and other oily contamination from soiling the surface of the carpet. Thus, another key to preventing permanent discoloration is the fre-quency of the carpet cleaning schedule. Cleaning must be done often enough that oily soils do not have time to oxidize, discolor or permanently bond to the fiber. Cleaning should take place at least every three months and in many cases more often. 14 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® June 2014
CMM – Archives June 2014: 14
