Commercial carpeting is often a good-sized investment for a business. The Carpet and Rug Institute states that commercial carpet is manufactured to have a lifespan of between seven and 12 years, but that doesn’t mean you can simply have new carpeting put in and expect it to last a decade. In fact, this lifespan range assumes you have proactive maintenance and cleaning done regularly. Otherwise, you may find that your office building or retail space carpet needs to be replaced in as little as three or four years.
What causes a carpet’s lifespan to decrease so dramatically? The biggest issue is typically commercial carpet stains that aren’t immediately dealt with. With residential carpet, the occasional spill isn’t necessarily a big deal. In a commercial space, though, the high-traffic environment typically means spills, mud, and other issues are almost continuously being introduced.
When a spill occurs in a professional setting, using standard carpet cleaning products can actually do more damage. It may cause permanent discoloration, for example, or it may simply be ineffective because the stain has been walked across multiple times.
Let’s take a look at the science behind stains, reliable cleaning techniques, and how partnering with SourceONE can help extend the lifespan of your commercial carpets.
The Chemistry of Commercial Carpet Stains
The first step in effectively treating a stain is to identify what caused it. Treating a chemical stain with the wrong cleaning agent can cause the chemicals to bond with the carpet fibers, making the stain impossible to remove. Commercial stains usually fall into one of four categories:
- water-based organic stains
- oil-based inorganic stains
- biological stains
- synthetic chemical stains
1. Water-Based Organic Stains
These are the common types of stains people think of when they think of something spilt on a carpet: tea, soda, coffee, fruit juices, and other drinks. In the workplace, coffee stains are the most common water-based organic stain. These organic materials contain natural pigments that can dye wool and nylon if they dry and oxidize.
2. Oil-Based Inorganic Stains
Things such as motor oil, printer toner and ink, and grease fall into the category of oil-based inorganics. These substances don’t mix with water, which means trying to clean them with a water-based product won’t work. You must use cleaners made with special solvents to dissolve the bonds that hold these inorganics to the carpet.
3. Biological Stains
Healthcare facilities, daycares, and educational facilities often have biological stains on their carpets. These include stains from blood, vomit, and food. These contaminants are high in protein and typically require the use of a cleaner that can dissolve them through enzymes before the substance can coagulate.
4. Synthetic and Chemical Stains
Certain medications, ice-melt products, bleaching agents, and industrial dyes are the main contributors to synthetic and chemical stains. These substances actually change the dye molecules in the carpet fibers, meaning products that remove stains don’t work here. Instead, the fibers need to be restored to their original state.
Why Standard Janitorial Spot Cleaning Often Fails
Have you experienced this before: Your in-house cleaning crew spots a stain on the carpet and scrub away at it using standard cleaning supplies. But a week later, it’s back, and it even looks larger and darker than it did before. Why did this happen? Do people keep spilling things in the same place? No, instead it’s caused by two carpet care errors: wicking and trapped residue.
Off-the-shelf cleaning solutions often leave a sticky residue behind when cleaning. They might remove the original spill, but this chemical residue then attracts dust and dirt, creating a new spot. Then there’s wicking, which occurs when excess liquid cleaner is applied to the space but isn’t extracted correctly. This causes the spill to liquefy even more, making it seep down into the backing of the carpet and even the carpet pad. As the carpet dries, the liquid then emerges back into the fibers, causing the stain to return.
Advanced Solutions for Eliminating Tough Stains
Professional commercial floor care is more than just mopping, using chemical cleaners, and scrubbing at stains. Here are some of the advanced cleaning solutions SourceONE uses to eliminate though stains:
Targeted Chemical Neutralization
The key to advanced stain removal is pH balancing. For example, dealing with spills such as some fruit juices, which are highly acidic, requires using an alkaline agent. This stabilizes the fibers for cleaing. On the other hand, alkaline stains like ice-melt compounds or concrete dust must be cleaned with a mild acidic rinse so the carpet doesn’t brown.
Enzyme and Solubilization Technologies
When cleaning protein-based or organic spills, we make use of bio-enzymatic cleaning solutions. These solutions feature bacteria cultures that actually digest the proteins in the spill, turning them into water-soluble compounds that can be cleaned up using standard methods. For spills involving oil-based liquids, we use special dry solvents that dissolve the grease and oil without damaging the carpet.
Heat and Pressure-Regulated Extraction
In addition to the cleaning solutions used, temperature also plays a part in cleaning up complex spills. Truck-mounting cleaning systems can heat water to two-hundred degrees Fahrenheit and then inject it at pressures up to 500 PSI. This will loosen just about any contaminant. When followed with high-vacuum extraction, the liquid hits the stain, releases it, and is then removed before it can wick.
Treating Commercial Stains Safely
Different types of commercial carpet stains require different cleaning protocols to avoid permanently damaging your carpets. Our team of professionals approach these stains using the correct cleaning technique for the type of stain.
Coffee and Tea Stains: These organic tannin stains are treated using a specialized tannin remover along with an acidic rinse extractor. They should never be cleaned using high heat unless the correct pre-treatment method has been used; otherwise, the stain will permanently set.
Ink: Ink is a synthetic solvent that needs to be cleaned using isopropyl alcohol or an alcohol-based cleaner. Professional cleaners will never scrub at an ink stain because friction will spread the ink around, making the stain worse.
Grease and Asphalt: These are hydrophobic oils, which means any liquid type cleaner isn’t going to be very effective. Instead, a volatile dry solvent will soak up the oil. It can then be blotted up. Cleaners should avoid over-saturating the carpet, though, because the excess solvent can actually dissolve the backing that holds the carpet together.
Blood and Protein Stains: These stains are made by biological contaminants and require an alkaline enzyme treatment. Once that’s done, the carpet should be rinsed with cold water. Hot water should never be used because the heat will set the proteins into the fibers of the carpet.
Establishing an Effective Stain Prevention Strategy
While knowing how to clean serious stains is important, the most cost-effective method of keeping your carpets looking great is to have a good preventative strategy. We make use of the following preventative maintenance plan to keep your investment looking great for years:
1. Create a Walk-Off Zone
According to studies, up to 94% of all the dirt and other debris in a building is brought in from outside on the bottoms of people’s shoes. To combat this, the Carpet and Rug Institute recommends businesses install a walk-off zone, a 15 to 20 foot area of high-quality barrier mats right inside every main entrance to the building. This ensures that anyone coming into the space has to take at least six steps on the mats, which help to scrap away the outdoor dirt, moisture, asphalt oils, and other gunk before the reach your carpet.
2. Implement a 24-Hour Spills Protocol
The chances of completely removing a stain get lower and lower the longer you wait. Once a stain hits the 24-hour mark, it’s very difficult to fully remove because the liquid has fully oxidated, changing it from temporary discoloration to a permanent mark. It’s important your team knows the proper technique for dealing with these stains: blot with a cloth, don’t scrub. This helps prevent the fibers from being distorted and removes some of the substance. Professional cleaners will then deal with the rest.
3. Professional Protective Treatments
We provide regular protective carpet treatments that use commercial-grade fluorochemical formulas such as Scotchgard after a deep cleaning. These treatments create a shield around your carpet, lowering its surface tension and preventing liquids from immediately soaking into the fibers. This means it easier to remove the contaminant before it can set.
Maximize the Lifespan of Your Facilities’ Flooring
Commercial carpet stains are, unfortunately, inevitable when you have any space that sees regular use. Even small offices will eventually face a spilt cup of coffee or leaking ink cartridge. Managing these stains requires a combination of quick responses, stain knowledge, and the right cleaning solutions and equipment.
Here at SourceONE, we specialize in comprehensive carpet cleaning and commercial janitorial solutions that help extend the lifespan of your carpet. We understand the chemistry behind modern commercial carpets and eco-friendly cleaning solutions. We’re here to quickly and safely eliminate even the toughest stains, whether they’re caused by a cup of coffee, spilt oil, or even blood.
Don’t let set-in stains ruin your flooring investment or tarnish your overall reputation. Reach out to SourceONE today to discuss how we can help.
