cleanthoughts Basics A return to the fundamentals of carpet care will give you a solid foundation upon which to grow. Back To The Publisher Matt Gallinger [email protected] Associate Publisher Micah Ogburn [email protected] Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo [email protected] Managing Editor Aaron Baunee [email protected] Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] Account Executives Susan Pierce [email protected] Pat Harrington [email protected] Art Director Marty Harris [email protected] Graphic Designer Justin Lancaster ext. 3159 ext. 3179 (516) 404-4532 ext. 3157 ext. 3154 A As 2012 continues to zoom by, it is again time for our annual CM/Spotlight: Carpet Care. While caring for carpeted surfaces can be a bit perplexing when it comes to things such as fiber identification, the pH scale and cleaning chemistry, it doesn’t have to be. Sure, your carpets will need periodic extraction and you will likely have to deal with spots that warrant attention, but getting back to the basics of carpet care will decrease soil loads and lessen the necessary frequency of restorative deep cleanings. 2. 3. 4. Start At Square One The best way to clean carpets is to not allow them to become soiled in the first place. Since it would be wholly impractical to expect building occupants to remove their footwear before entering a facility, a proper matting system is the next best option. It is recommended that a matting system consist of several parts — an aggressive scraper mat just before the entrance of the building, a less aggressive wiper/scraper mat inside the vestibule and a final wiper mat inside the building — and be between 15 and 20 feet in length to allow for eight to 10 steps per foot by a building occupant before he or she walks onto a hard surface or carpeted area. An effective matting system can remove upwards of 90 percent of the soil from shoe bottoms, significantly reducing clean-ing loads. But, since even the most effective matting system will not prohibit all soils from entering a facility, knowing how to effectively remove them is important. As such, Tornado Industries Inc. offers their top 10 informational tidbits on proper vacuuming techniques: 1. Always first inspect the area to be vac-uumed. If a carpet is wet, for instance, the moisture can be vacuumed into 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. the machine and potentially damage internal components. A quick inspec-tion can prevent such damage from occurring. Pick up coins, paperclips and large debris before vacuuming. Do not assume the machine can safely “digest” these larger items. Check the filter bag before each use, especially if the vacuum is used by other users. Change the bag when it is half to two-thirds full. Check the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. Ensure that connections and connectors are tight and remove any debris. Check the brush. If twine or debris is caught in the brush, use a comb or similar object to remove it. Put greater time and effort vacuuming heavy trafficked areas and less time in periphery areas. This strategy can reduce vacuuming time. Vacuum in a forward moving, overlap-ping direction. Do not vacuum stairs/steps by picking up the machine. Instead, use the wand and proper wand attachment, if avail-able. Change vacuuming directions from time to time, which helps remove soils from fibers. When done vacuuming, do not pull on the cord to unplug the machine. Instead, reach for the plug to discon-nect its base from the outlet. CM (256) 715-0342 ext. 3153 Director of Business Operations Michael Perkins [email protected] ext. 3133 Ad Materials Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] CMI ® Administrative Manager Sharon Hillis [email protected] NTP Media, division of ext. 3137 ext. 3165 Editorial, Advertising & Publishing Offices 19BritishAmericanBlvdWest•Latham,NY12110-6405 (518) 783-1281 FAX: (518) 783-1386 Subscription Questions or Inquiries Toll Free (866) 721-4807 Outside U.S. (847) 763-1867 or e-mail [email protected] Subscribe / Renew / Change of Address: http://www.CMMOnline.com/Subscribe Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations [email protected] Brent Kizzire Chief Marketing Officer, Publishing Services Group [email protected] Hank Brown Vice President of Business Publishing [email protected] Tracy Aston-Martin Vice President of Finance [email protected] Brad Youngblood Director of Circulation & Fulfillment [email protected] Delicia Poole Circulation Manager Stacie Tubb Circulation Analyst Anna Hicks [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board: Benjamin Tanner, Antimicrobial Test Laboratories; Bill McGarvey, Phillip Rosenau Company; Darrel Hicks, St. Luke’s Hospital; David Holly, The Ashkin Group; Kathleen Stanton, American Cleaning Institute (ACI); Jeff Cross, Cleanfax magazine; Russell Kendzior, National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). Aaron Baunee, managing editor Send comments or thoughts on this topic or any other article that appears in CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine, to [email protected] CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.CMMOnline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • June 2012
CMM – Archives June 2012: 4
