Carpet is a popular flooring in office complexes. You’ll either find it in the hallways between offices, used as flooring in the lobby or applied to an entire office (except the kitchen, of course).
If you have carpet in your building, you have probably noticed how easily it retains any kind of stain. Stains come from beverages or oily/saucy food dropping onto the floor, and they leave a clearly defined mark on an otherwise gorgeous carpet that is impossible to ignore.
How Do I Deal with Carpet Stains?
While it takes little time and effort to wipe the lunchroom table down, a stain on the carpet is there for all to see. Maybe you spent half an hour trying to scrub out a coffee stain with soapy water and a rag but to no avail.
Dealing with carpet stains can be quite a hassle if you don’t know the tricks. Here are three tricks of the janitorial trade that will come in handy the next time a co-worker spills his diet coke in the hallway on the way to a meeting.
Tip 1: Don’t Scrub – Just Blot!
As you may have already noted from past attempts, scrubbing the carpet with vigour will only make it worse. Your insistent scrubbing will only push the stain farther into the carpet fibres, thus only deepening the gravity of the situation.
Solution: Blot! Blotting means using a dry rag or paper toil and applying to the stain itself. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it’s the best way to absorb unwanted liquids until you apply a more permanent solution.
If you feel like you lack a permanent solution, contact a janitorial company in your area and have them take care of the details.
Tip 2: Use Water Before Chemical Solution
It makes sense to lunge for the chemical solution when a stain happens. The assumption is that chemical solvents will do a better job tackling the spilt liquid than hot water. Such an assumption would be wrong.
The best thing you can do to a fresh carpet stain is apply hot water. It should not be soapy either, because soap will congeal into a chalky consistency and make it hard to walk past the carpet. Hot water is the both the easiest and most effective, so apply some and see what it does.
If the stain remains quite visible, then it’s time for the chemical treatment.
Tip 3: Ideally No Outdoor Shoes
Will my shoes mark up the carpet? Yes, and no. Shoes that have been worn outside will mark up carpets because they track dirt and moisture. Outdoor shoes also bring in dry soil, and dry soil is proven to cause abrasion in the fibres of the carpet which weakens their resolve against a stain.
On the other hand, indoor shoes will not do harm to the carpet. Though it might be too much to ask, if your office is full of carpet it’s advisable for your office staff to leave a pair of shoes at the office.
Are Janitorial Services Worth It?
If you are dealing with any kind of nuisance around carpet stains, hiring a janitorial company will ease your worries.
About Zia Building Maintenance
Zia Building Maintenance provides full-service commercial cleaning services to Albuquerque businesses of every size. Their customer service and care for employees have made them a top janitorial service provider in Albuquerque for 32 years.