Category: General

Cleaning hotel carpets can be challenging. Most often special cleaning processes need to be considered prior to attempting to improve their appearance. Too often, people who are not qualified or properly trained and try every spot cleaning product available. 95% of the time this approach will set a spot or stain making it permanent. At this time, repairing becomes costly.

What is the difference between a spot and a stain?

• A spill can quickly become a spot or a stain if not removed quickly.
• A spot is typically foreign matter on the surface of a carpet fiber. Usually can be removed easily.
• A stain is the addition of color to a carpet fiber. Usually in the form of a dye or pigment. More difficult to remove.
• Color loss is the removal of color typically due to high pH chemicals, oxidizers, reducers (bleach) or acids.

“Making smart carpet care decisions right after you take over the management or install new carpet in a luxury hotel, convention center, motel or boutique hotel is very important. At a minimum, carpet maintenance personnel should be trained by a carpet maintenance specialist to follow manufactures maintenance guidelines and should have access or be provided with the proper cleaning solutions and equipment to do their job properly. ” See suggestions from the Carpet & Rug Institute.

What type of carpet is being cleaned?

• Woven Wool Carpet (Administers) – Natural fibers
• Nylon, Olefin or Polyester Carpet – Synthetic Fibers
• Broadloom or Carpet Tiles – Different Backing systems
• Inlays or Area Rugs – surrounded by other flooring surfaces

What areas are you cleaning?

• Guest rooms & Suites
• Hallways, Lobbies & Dining rooms (Restaurants)
• Meeting rooms, Ballrooms & Convention areas

What does cleaning hotel carpets the right way cost?

The cost of cleaning hotel carpets the right way will include a carefully designed maintenance plan that takes into consideration:

• LEED-eco-friendly equipment & cleaning solutions
• square footage of carpet being cleaned
• location of the carpet
• turn around for rooms (drying times necessary)
• type of carpet and installation (stretch in, glue down or double stick)
• frequency of cleaning and
• the carpet cleaning procedures necessary to do get the job done right.

Typically this can be between 12-20 cents (DC-Baltimore-N.Virginia) a square foot but this rough estimate varies across the nation. Per guest room costs can vary… but typically without moving furniture you can be anywhere from $25-$60 per average room with 2 queens, a couch, desk and bathroom. Budget appropriate funds if you intend to get the expected use life from your investment in floor coverings!

For any Additional Information please call Doug, Justin or Aaron at:

Eco Interior Maintenance

301-261-1966 or 410-647-2800

 

 

What is carpet roll crush?

As an Certified Carpet Inspector roll crush is one of the most frequent issues I am asked to go out and correct. It is noticeable immediately after or during installation. if it does not disappear in the first 2 weeks it can be professionally addressed. 98% of the time it can be fixed by steaming and pile lifting the carpet pile. It can happen to broadloom carpets or carpet tiles. If you notice roll crush talk to the person who sold you the carpet soon after installation.

According to The Carpet &Rug Institute:

Carpet Repairs affect Appearance and Safety

Carpet repairs are not always fun to deal with. These unsightly issues can happen immediately after an installation or after time. Typical repair issues include but are not limited to:

• Bad seams performed by the installer
• loose fibers
• pulls in the carpet
• wrinkled carpet (caused by not power stretching)
• de-laminated carpet (carpet separates from the backing)
• bubbling carpet
• Stains and tears

There are installation guidelines written by The Carpet and Rug Institute. The CRI 104 & 105 Installation Guidelines. These guidelines should be strictly adhered to by all installers. Many times repairs are necessary due to installation related issues.

“No matter if it is commercial or residential installation it pays to make sure that after you purchase your carpet you read over these guidelines and make sure that your installer knows what they are.”

The installer sometimes is subcontracted by the retailer. Many carpet dealers have in house installers. No matter if it is commercial or residential installation it pays to make sure that after you purchase your carpet you read over these guidelines and make sure that your installer knows what they are. This can save you a lot of time and aggravation.

How do these things happen?

• accidents
• poor installation
• manufacturing defects
• normal wear and tear
• adhesive failure or improper adhesive application and set up

Bad carpet seams and failing transition strips and can many times be repaired. So can wrinkled or wavy stretch in over pad carpet. Power stretching can often fix this. In general double glue down and glue down installations are more difficult when it comes down to repairng bubbling or wrinkled carpet issues.

Carpet Manufacturers also have manufacturing defects that can cause the need for a repair. It is important to catch these issues in the first year. Depending on the warranty and maintenance frequency, waiting to let the dealer or manufacturer know that you think there may be something wrong with your carpet may not be in your best interest.

Carpet backing can break down due to age, traffic or water damage. Generally speaking water does not effect carpets dimensional stability unless it has natural fibers in the backing or has been subjected to a water damage for an extended amount of time.

Stains and burns can often be easily repaired using a cookie cutter. This replacement cut out tool can be used with more success when you have cut pile carpet vs. loop style carpet. If the carpet has a pattern or if it has a texture repairs may be more difficult.

Carpet repairs may not always be perfect but if safety and use life are important to you… it may be the way to go. For more information call Eco Interior Maintenance. 410-647-2800

If you want to know how to get carpets really clean…. you first need to understand what a clean carpet is.

Clean = Free of Unwanted Matter.

To get carpets really clean you need to remove unwanted matter. What is unwanted matter? Unwanted matter is anything foreign to the carpets original construction. For instance outdoor soil, skin dander, dust, bacteria, lint, food and drink spills all fall under this category.

Some of this unwanted matter that settles in your carpet is visible and some is invisible. It many times is the invisible stuff that creates asthmatic issues for people, floating around until it settles. Pre-vacuuming and hot water extraction is the method most recommended by industry professionals.

Carpet plays the role of an air filter: carpet traps dust, pollen and other particles, taking them out of the respiratory zone until they can be removed easily by vacuuming. Visit www.carpet-rug.org to learn more.

So you can hire a professional to clean your carpet or you can do it yourself using a rented or store purchased machine. These do it yourself machines have improved over the last several years due to industry testing done by CRI Seal of Approval Program. Most of them have a rotating brush along with pretty decent suction or lift. Key is: Take your time, follow directions, do not over use cleaning solutions and dry as quickly as possible.

No matter what type of cleaning products or systems you use it is important to remove as much settled cleaning detergent residues, moisture and soil as possible followed by drying the carpet quickly. Professional or home fans or HVAC can accelerate this process.

-Doug Bradford, CR, LEED AP, SCI- Eco Interior Maintenance CEO

Are walk off mats helpful? Preventative Maintenance

Walk off mats protect interiors of commercial buildings, help preserve floor covering warranties and help insure against costly slip/fall claims. Strategically placed interior and exterior walk off mats are essential to a complete commercial building maintenance program. If maintained properly, these mats can add years to the use life to your interior hard and soft floor coverings.

Dry particulates are any floor coverings nemesis. Almost half of the soil in a building is made of sand, quartz, dolomite, clay, feldspar and limestone. A single grain of sand has 32 cutting edges and equates to 120 grit sand paper. The constant abrasion from particulate soil prematurely wears carpet fibers, causing light to reflect differently, i.e. dull appearance. Hard Floor surfaces do not hold onto this particulate like a textile, however, particulate soil will dull your freshly polished Italian marble and even the hard stones like granite.

80% of soils trapped in carpets and spread onto hard surfaces is brought in from outside. Studies show 1,000 people entering a building for 20 days can bring in 24 pounds of soil.  The correct size, type and placement of walk off mats can reduce this up to 90%, or about 20.6 lbs of this soil. A good rule of thumb is a minimum of 12 paces on the mat for them to be effective. Outside or exterior entrance mats are more aggressive at removing the dry soils and tend to be heavy duty. These can be power washed by building staff.

Once inside the building the challenge is not over. Interior mats are necessary. Many times these are placed down during inclement whether (rain & snow) to prevent costly slip & fall accidents. Soil can be tracked throughout your office space. In addition to your own staff, foot traffic from clients, tradesmen, couriers and vendors inherently move these soils throughout your interior spaces. Placing additional interior mats at service elevators, kitchen entrances/exits and inside mailrooms will continue to help trap additional dry particulate soils. These mats will also trap soluble soils such as food, drink and grease. Interior mats are generally more pleasant to look at and can be maintained by a professional company such as Eco Interior. Clients can customize these mats to color size and add logos or slogans.

All mats should be vacuumed at least daily, possibly more depending on the season and outside building conditions. Mats should be placed on a meticulous deep cleaning (water extraction) schedule as well. Do not let “unsightly & neglected” walk off mats damper the visual appearance of your building entrance lobby or freshly renovated café area? We will gladly recommend, purchase and maintain your customized walk off mats saving valuable asset replacement dollars. Call 410-647-2800 for more information.

 

Removing pet odor can be a tricky task to tackle. First of all, you do not often know where the odor is coming from. The accident may have happened months ago, but you just started smelling it yesterday. Humidity or water extraction cleaning carpet can sometimes intensify the smell. Secondly, you may not know what the source of the odor is. Third you may not know how much damage is under the surface.

How can I find the source of the Odor?

• Use a black light (urine fluoresces)
• Use your nose
• Look for stains
• Find what pet or person looks guilty

No matter if the urine is from a cat, dog, child, roommate or pet pig, treatment can vary. Urine residues should first be rinsed free as best as possible before treatment. If pet odor is if it is not completely removed either physically or by cleaning solutions the pet or other pets may add to the problem by marking their spot again.

Pet stores and some grocery stores carry a variety of different types of enzymatic cleaners. A good one is Natures Miracle. These type of cleaning agents work by breaking down the protein in urine and sometimes mask odor with a fragrance. Fragrances do not usually work but can be a temporary fix until the odor source is addressed. Sometimes it is tough to tell if the odor is gone if a strong masking agent is used.

Disinfectants are usually not very effective on pet odors. They may kill germs on hard surfaces but do not usually work well on urine in carpet. Using bleach is typically not recommended on any textile. Hydrogen peroxide odor cleaning products can be effective but still you need to have some professional training on how to use them. Many do-it -yourself articles recommend use baking soda and vinegar mixtures but then can make a big mess and usually do not remedy the odor issues.

Many times odors can penetrate into carpet padding and sub-floors (wood & concrete). Remove and replace contaminated pad. It is usually a cheaper, time saving path to follow.  Wood and concrete surfaces are very porous and tend to absorb moisture creating perfect environments for the multiplication of the bacteria that causes odor. If you can thoroughly clean and dry these hard surfaces many professionals will suggest sealing the wood or concrete after treatment.

There are also other types of products that work well on removing pet odor. These are typically associated with neutralizing malodors and can reactivate and continue working if moisture is reintroduced. Most of these type products require treatment of all surfaces that could have been contaminated, including the pad, wood & concrete floor subsurface or carpet/rug.  Professional products are available from industrial cleaning suppliers like Interlink Supply and require some training to use.

 

Many of our customers are confused when it comes down to replacing carpet…

Choosing the right carpet for your home or commercial facility is no easy task for the average consumer. After spending almost 3 decades cleaning the fuzzy stuff I can certainly give you some pointers. It is easy to get some bad or misleading information by carpet sales people, wholesalers or marketing propaganda. You may not know until months after the installation if you made the right choice.

Be wary of believing everything you hear, see or read when it comes to picking your carpet. After all, do interior decorators or retail sales people get to install and use each product. No!!  They have to rely on marketing material, videos, the manufacture’s testing and peer recommendations. So it is very important to know how the manufacturer, retailer or installer will stand behind the product they specify or choose for you.

Here are a couple of things you should know before you pull the trigger and purchase:

1. How often do I have to clean? Anyone who says that you do not have to clean it often is not giving you a straight answer. There are many variables associated here. (How many people in home, pets, traffic areas, climate, color, style, etc.)
2. Clean at least every 18 months just for the health of your indoor environment. Cleaning does not shorten the life of carpet when done professionally.
3. Is the carpet style you like easier or harder to clean than others? Shag(see picture) vs. cut pile
4. Who will be installing my carpet? Retail company or a subcontractor? A bad installation may be a headache for you later.
5. Any light solid color carpet will show spots and stains easier. (May look great new, but most likely will need to be cleaned more often)
6. Choose style to fit your needs. Patterns, cut and loop styles, higher densities and level loops may help to hide soil between cleanings. (This link provides you with some of Shaw Industries carpet selections.)
7. Stain protection or pet stain protection does not mean you will not have odors or stains if left untreated.
8. Carpet density will help if you do not want to see footprints or traffic lanes. Higher density carpets are usually more expensive. Higher density means there are more carpet tufts per square inch helping to maintain resiliency (carpet tufts that spring back /do not lay on their side or mat down).
9. Different types of fibers have different types of characteristics. How does each fiber perform? See links below.
10. Natural and Synthetic fibers need to be cleaned using different cleaning solutions. Know what you are buying. Especially if you plan to clean it yourself!
11. What are the manufacturers warranties, retail store warranties and installation warranties. Many stores now offer performance satisfaction guarantees or they will replace the carpet within a certain period of time. (most carpet issues appear in the first year).

HOME: Here is a great link for basic things you should know before you spend hard earned dollars on carpet for your home by the World Floor Covering Association.

COMMERCIAL: Here is another couple great links for commercial specification of carpet from the Carpet and Rug Institute and Lew Migliore at LMG & Assoc. in Dalton GA.

 

Protecting carpet during construction is an absolute necessity. Too often carpet is installed during the construction phase. Why does this happen? It is simple…

• poor planning
• delivery mix ups & rushed jobs
• use during construction
• acclimation requirements
• installation schedules

We live in a world where after a decision is made everything “must be ready yesterday”. The trades really do not have time to do the job completely according to spec. How can a corner be cut with minimum risk? It’s the world we live in.

Years ago when I first started cleaning carpets I used to see rolled paper, plank boards, plywood or particle board set over a freshly installed carpet in commercial facilities. Carpet runners were common place. You would also see plastic, but it was loose or taped down. Of course the duck tape caused issues but some solvent and a piece of carpet could remove that easily…at least until sticky tape lines reappeared after a few months. Today there are different issues.

Quick and easy products used to protect carpet after installation from spills, traffic or construction debris are typically thin plastic rolls with a mastic or quick release adhesive on the back. This protective application of plastic is meant to easily stay in place after it is rolled out. It does a good job at this initially, but if it is installed too soon (on a direct glue down), it is left in place too long or experiences heavy traffic (typically associated with moving furniture etc)….it can transfer the mastic to the carpet making it tacky or sticky or cause fume fading (color loss of carpet fibers). Both of these issues are difficult and sometimes impossible to correct. Often the warranty is voided immediately when the manufacturer finds out.

It is important to know what you are placing on a carpet when your intention is protecting carpet during construction. Many carpet manufacturers do not recommend the use of plastic films used for carpet protection. Not knowing what the manufacture recommends could cost you extra time and money.

 

 

A quick note on removing ink from upholstery from Sean Mooney, ECO’s Senior Account Manager.

Removing ink from upholstery can be difficult. There are many variables that exist that will either assist in its removal or make these stains more permanent. Often when a professional gets to the ink spot many people have already tried to remove it with various types of stain removers. This often spreads the ink, makes it more difficult to remove, or even can make it permanent .

Some of the factors that may help when removing ink are:

 

• The type of fabric it is.
• Fabric protectors that have been applied before the spill. (ex. Teflon®, Scotchgard®)
• If ink is printer toner…vacuum up first & do not apply water.
• Spot clean from the outside of stain towards the center so you do not spread it.
• When using solvents/spotting agents rinse immediately using an extraction machine.