Professional Carpet Cleaning Tips for Winter Care

Caring for commercial carpets during the winter months comes with many benefits. Most business owners know to have the carpets vacuumed daily or weekly as part of routine maintenance. Simple vacuuming, however, is not equivalent to a professional commercial carpet cleaning. Many business owners do not know the proper time to get this done.

While every business has its own unique needs, we can help by outlining common factors involved with professional carpet cleaning. These factors include material, carpet color, location, and usage. Let’s dive in a bit further.

Carpet Material

Commercial carpeting comes in many different materials, from nylon and polyester to a synthetic blend. Each type of fabric requires its own cleaning techniques. Some carpets have delicate fibers. Only a few cleaning methods are suitable for these sensitive carpet types. Others are more robust, allowing for a variety of cleaning methods. A professional cleaning company will know which method is best for your office, no matter what material your commercial carpets have.

Carpet Color

Light-colored carpets can brighten up any office space, but they are notorious for revealing dirt and stains. Maintaining a light-colored carpet will almost always require a more frequent professional cleaning than its darker counterpart. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Having a lighter color carpet allows you to detect an increasing level of dirt easily. This helps to know the best time for deep cleaning.

Foot Traffic and Location

Location and usage are significant factors when determining cleaning intensity and frequency. Carpeting located at the ingress and egress locations of the office space will need more frequent attention than others located at the interior of a building. Additionally, a smaller business with fewer daily client meetings will require less professional carpet cleanings than a high-volume department store.

Seasons

Your carpet’s filthiness is also heavily influenced by what time of year it is. During a wet, cold winter, everyone tracks in sidewalk salt, muddy slush, and a whole lot of wet slop. Combined, these elements can soak your carpet, creating an environment for mold growth, not to mention a stinking cesspool of allergens that can negatively impact employee health.

At the same time, salt buildup in the carpets can degrade the materials and cause permanent staining. Rock salt crystallizes and turns into an unsightly white crust that is hard to remove from the carpet. Your professional cleaning company can help prevent damage from rock salt by implementing regular cleanings.

So, when is a good time to schedule a commercial carpet cleaning?  Let’s look at a few different scenarios.

Office Buildings

Assuming you have strategically placed floor mats in areas to help minimize the tracking in of salt and slush, you’ll likely get away with just a couple of cleanings a year. This is, of course, on top of daily maintenance and keeping in mind the factors outlined above.

Times to consider these cleanings would be before winter begins (September or October) and once at the end of winter (April or May). If your office building has a high level of foot traffic during the winter months, consider having a professional carpet cleaning in January to prevent any permanent damage.

Restaurants/Bars

Carpets in restaurants and bars need increased attention. Not only do these commercial spaces have to deal with salt and slush, but these carpets have to battle grease tracked from the kitchen and regular spills and crumbs. A professional cleaning service can set up a schedule to coordinate cleanings with you based on your business’ needs.

Retail Stores

Many retail stores use colorful, bright carpeting. So, their needs can be a little tricky when it comes to professional carpet cleaning. It will depend a lot upon the type of carpet and the amount of foot traffic the retail store sees.

We have already discussed that lighter-colored carpets will need more regular care, which is especially true with a high level of foot traffic. Quarterly cleanings are a good start with perhaps more frequency during the winter months.

Along with regular professional carpet cleaning, you should discuss deep cleaning them. This should be performed regularly, such as quarterly, semi-annually, or annually, depending on your facility’s volume of traffic. Companies offering excellent professional cleaning services will employ special project teams whose primary focus is restoring carpets and flooring as well as other special services. Be sure to do your homework.

We know how hard it can be during the winter months to maintain commercial carpets, but we’re up for the challenge! Let our Team keep your commercial space clean and inviting regardless of what the weather is doing outside.