Extend The Life Of Carpet With Spotting Techniques Sometimes, cleaning minor blemishes can revive your carpets without the need for restorative cleaning. As the trend of building service contractors (BSCs) and in-house custodial professionals per-forming increasing amounts of non-traditional cleaning and maintenance tasks evolves, one area garnering increased attention is carpet maintenance — more specifically, carpet spotting. Carpet spotting is a relatively easy task that, with minimal investment in training, chemicals and equipment, can dramatically increase the life of carpet. Because spotting techniques can rid carpet of unsightly spots, stains and various other soil-based discolorations, the frequency that carpets need replacing decreases, saving building own-ers vast amounts of money that can be invested in other parts of a facility. Moreover, employing spotting techniques can leave a carpet looking cleaner and newer, leading directly to happier building occupants and a more positive first impression — and second, third, etc. — of a facility. Although the progression of our industry is to that of cleaning and maintaining objects and sur-faces for health and hygiene, appearance is still crucial in the eyes of many. What would your reaction be if you walked into a facility that had mud, food or bodily fluid stains scattered across the carpet? Depending on the setting — office building, educational institution, restaurant, health care facility, etc. — your response may vary; however, you would likely find it off-putting to some degree. Because minor, removable stains do not warrant replacing an entire carpet, spotting techniques are necessary to maintain clean, like-new conditions. Because of this, it is important to know what you are removing so you can employ the proper spotting chemical and technique as to not cause damage to the carpet. Some spotting chemicals can cause discol-oration or harm to carpets, so it is always a good idea to test a chemical on an inconspicuous area before using it to remove a spot. Failure to do so can result in permanent dam-age to the carpet and can prove costly if the result warrants replacement. Oftentimes, a neutral carpet spotting detergent will suffice in removing unwanted spots, so this will be your go-to chemical. However, most of the carpet spots you encounter will be slightly acidic — having a pH By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor A for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Carpet Cleaning . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Spotting . Know What You’re Removing The composition of carpet and what caused a spot can both vary greatly. Utilizing the wrong carpet spotter or employing an improper technique could lead to fading, which can be more noticeable than a small spot. 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • August 2010
CMM – Archives Aug 2010: 18
