Expanding Service Offerings: Incorporating Carpet Care Offering services beyond vacuuming can increase your company’s value and bolster your bottom line. By: Aaron Baunee, Associate editor F Facility service providers are always looking to increase revenue, especially in these trying eco-nomic times. Add-on services are no secret in the building service contractor (BSC) market, but what you might be overlooking is carpet care, beyond basic vacuuming. Who knows a facilityʼs needs better than you? You are there every day and/or night cleaning and maintaining floors. You are the first to realize when traffic lanes are becoming soiled or when Bob from accounting spilled his morning coffee (again). Facility owners have already entrusted you with keeping their facilities clean and healthy, so why not increase your companyʼs value in your cus-tomersʼ eyes by incorporating carpet care into your service offerings. Knowledge about the different types of fibers used in carpet and its backing — both organic and synthetic — is very important, and according to Brent Crawford, president of Core Products Company Inc., not all cleaning methods or chemi-Training Is Essential As with any aspect in life — disregarding the notion of innate instincts — we, as humans, only know what we are taught. Following this model, a comprehensive training program on the essentials of carpet cleaning is necessary before one attempts to perform any procedures foreign to their acquaintance. According to Mike Sawchuk, vice president and general manager of Enviro-Solutions Ltd., funda-mental procedures every carpet cleaner must be trained on include: Not over-wetting; drying car-pets as quickly as possible; using proper cleaning products and dilutions; rinsing properly; and fiber identification. “The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has excellent training courses,” states Sawchuk. “A lot of quali-ty distributors sponsor the IICRC Training Programs or offer hands-on training based on the IICRC Programs.” for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Carpet Care . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Carpet . Carpet spotting procedures ensure that carpet will stay looking clean in between restorative cleanings. 30 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • May 2009
CMM – Archives May 2009: 30
