Clean As Can Be Services, LLC

Protecting Your Investment - Part 1

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Welcome Back!

Would you ever carpet your floors with hundred dollar bills? Of course not!!!

However, many people invest thousands in carpeting and then walk all over it without a Carpet Care Plan? This costs them hundreds in unnecessary early replacement, poor indoor air quality, and compromised appearance. In commercial environments this last factor, compromised appearance, can communicates a message to customers that can cost you in revenue and reputation.

In this series of Blog posts you will learn the critical parts of keeping your carpets beautiful and extending the life cycle of your carpeting. We'll help you think through the steps of Carpet Care Plan.

WHAT IS A CARPET CARE PLAN?

Just a like an automobile, your carpets should be put on a regular preventive maintenance plan, called a Carpet Care Plan. What are you preventing? As mentioned, compromised appearance, unhealthy indoor air quality and early replacement.

A Carpet Care Plan starts with your building design and use patters. Good walk-off areas at every entrance will greatly extend the life of your carpet. If you don't have good walk-off areas, place inexpensive entry mats or rugs at each entry. Make sure these rugs have water proof backings. Many synthetic entry rugs can be cleaned with a gentle soap, a hose and a stiff bristled push broom on your side walk or driveway.

Next, in regards to building design, make sure you choose the right carpet for your environment. There are confusing number of options in carpeting.

Find a carpet retailer you can develop a relationship with and that you trust. You may be spending thousands on your carpet investment with the help of this person, so go with referrals and do your homework. Make sure you are not buying a particular brand and type of carpet because that is what the carpet retailer got a good deal on or is being pushed by their supplier.

Invite them to your home or business and be specific about foot traffic and your expectations for appearance, longevity and ease of care. Ask very specific questions about the skill of installers and the particulars of each carpet type they recommend. Get in writing any promises they make. Ask for a copy of the warranty and read it carefully before making the purchase.

For instance, in my business I see a lot of Berber carpets. And I meet a lot of customers that are not happy with their Berber carpets. Why? When they made the purchase they were not aware that the the fiber most often used in Berber carpets is Olefin. Olefin is hydrophobic. That is, it hates water. The fibers do not actually absorb water. As a matter of fact, a tuft of Olefin floats on water. 

why is this important? Put water on an Olefin carpet and break the surface tension, as with a truck mounted hot water extraction unit, and the water runs between the fibers and into the pad. Once the water goes that deep it is very slow to evaporate for the same reason. Olefin does not want to soak up that water and move through the evaporation process to the surface.

Because we offer an excellent alternative, actually several excellent alternatives, to truck mounted on traditional portable hot water extraction units, we end up cleaning a lot of Berber carpet. And we get excellent results.

Building design, use patters and carpet type; that gets you to carpets in the business or home. And more than you ever knew about Olefin Berber carpets.

Now what? Well, you have lived happily on your carpets for 6 months. Your carpet investment has caught some red wine, lots of dust, dander, sand and pollen and maybe a couple unwanted 'gifts' from your pets. Now you are looking for a carpet cleaner.

In the next post you will learn how to save money with all contractors and be particularly savvy with carpet cleaning contractors.

Sincerely,

Eric Nei, The Cleaning Guy

Clean As Can Be Services, LLC

PO Box 246

Woodruff, WI 54568

(715) 892-4290