Fibre-Bonded Carpet Maintenance

This information covers: Alpha Cord, Delta Cord, Euro Rib, Delta Plus, Martred, Saxon Velour, Trident Broadcord.

All carpets need maintenance in order to keep them clean and to maximise their life. It is important that maintenance is considered right from the beginning, as this will ensure the carpet (and colour) is suitable for the location and that appropriate cleaning arrangements are in hand before the carpet becomes too heavily soiled. In carpet maintenance, prevention is always better than cure.

Installation

Temporary protective covering may be needed for the carpet after installation, particularly if other building work is still going on.

Barrier Mats

Barrier matting at entrances (such as Marlings Camouflage) will trap a large amount of dirt before it reaches the carpet. The barrier matting should cover the full width of the entrance and be several paces deep.

We also recommend the use of mats under castor chairs.

Daily Maintenance

Carpets should be vacuum cleaned daily, to remove loose dirt. Loose dirt becomes harder to remove if it is allowed to work into the carpet, and hard sharp particles can damage the fibres.

We recommend the use of an upright commercial vacuum cleaner with a driven brush set to make contact with the pile. (Suction alone is not very effective on carpets which are bonded to the floor).

The Sebo Automatic X2 and X3 vacuum cleaners are recommended for general use on Marling floorbrand carpets and are available from Marlings.

Spillages

Spills should be scraped up or soaked up using absorbent material (e.g. a dry cloth or paper towel) as quickly as possible. In severe cases, local use of a "wet extraction" vacuum cleaner may be beneficial.

Spot cleaning should be carried out as soon as possible, preferably before the stains have dried. If the mark cannot be removed by a stiff brush or a damp cloth, proprietary spot removers are available for different types of stain.

The general principle is to absorb or lift the spill or stain out of the carpet, not to spread it further into the carpet.

Coffee stains are particularly difficult to remove, as the hot liquid acts as a dye on the fibres.  Staff should be encouraged to wipe up spillages immediately.

Periodic Maintenance

Even if vacuuming is carried out regularly, not all soil is removed, particularly anything sticky which clings to the fibres, resists removal, and attracts other soil.

It is therefore necessary to shampoo the carpet periodically, depending on site conditions - typically at yearly intervals for lightly-used areas, more often in heavily used areas.

Flat and ribbed needle punch carpets should normally be cleaned using the "rotary shampoo" methods.
After local treatment of any spots or stains, a "dry foam" shampoo is applied with a rotary scrubbing machine, allowed to dry, and the residue vacuumed up. A variation on this method is the "bonnet buff" technique, where again very little water is used.

The "spray extraction" method may help in the restoration of severely soiled needle punch carpet, but great care must be taken not to over wet the carpet. Excessive wetting will take a long time to dry, may leave water marks and may weaken the adhesive bonding the carpet to the floor.

General

Cleaning of carpets, particularly if heavily soiled is a specialist subject. If in doubt:

• Try a small inconspicuous area first.
• Use a reputable professional cleaning company.

Helpful contacts include:

Prochem Ltd manufacturers and suppliers of specialist carpet cleaning chemicals and equipment and are pleased to provide technical advice on carpet cleaning.

For further information on Marlings Camouflage dirt barrier or Sebo vacuum cleaners, contact the Marling Floorbrand Sales Office.

Marlings Limited reserves the right to change or modify specifications.

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