GENERAL CARPET CARE MAINTENANCE - VACUUMING

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2 GENERAL CARPET CARE MAINTENANCE - VACUUMING FELTEX CARPETS, EXPERIENCE WHEN CARRYING OUT VACUUMING TRIALS OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, SUPPORTS THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF CONSUMER MAGAZINES THAT UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANERS WITH CORRECTLY ADJUSTED BEATER BARS ARE FAR MORE EFFECTIVE IN MAINTAINING YOUR CARPETS NEW APPEARANCE THAN VACUUM CLEANERS THAT RELY ON SUCTION AIR FLOW ONLY. THE UPRIGHT WITH BEATER BARS SHOULD BE USED WITH A VACUUM BAG IN GOOD CONDITION AND TO OBTAIN PEAK PERFORMANCE, THE BAG SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO BE MORE THAN HALF FULL. VACUUMING PLAN THE CARPET WILL NOT BECOME SOILED EVENLY. DIRT WILL BE CONCENTRATED IN CERTAIN DEFINED AREAS, THE TRICK IS TO IDENTIFY THESE AREAS AND CONCENTRATE THE VACUUMING THERE. IN ALL CARPET INSTALLATIONS, THESE AREAS CAN BE READILY IDENTIFIED. AS A GUIDE, WE SUGGEST THAT VACUUMING IS CONCENTRATED IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS. A) THE GREATEST SOILING AREAS ARE WHERE HARD SURFACES JOIN CARPET. THESE AREAS COULD BE IN ENTRIES TO THE SHOP OR BUILDING OR IN AREAS INSIDE THE BUILDING WHERE CARPET JOINS VINYL FLOORING. WHATEVER THE HARD FLOOR, IT DOES A VERY POOR JOB OF CLEANING SHOES AND THE INITIAL LENGTH OF CARPET STEPPED ON ACTS AS A BROOM TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOES. THESE ARE GENERALLY KNOWN AS TRACK-OFF ZONES.

3 - 2 - B) INSIDE THE SHOP, BUILDING, OR OFFICE CERTAIN SMALL NARROW AREAS ACT AS FUNNELS RECEIVING MORE FOOT TRAFFIC PER UNIT AREA THAN THE REST OF THE CARPET, E.G. ARE THE TURNING AREAS OF INTERNAL DOORWAYS. C) ALSO INSIDE THE BUILDING, THERE ARE LARGER MAIN TRAFFIC AREAS WHICH RECEIVE REPEATED FOOT TRAFFIC, SUCH AS ENTRANCE HALLS AND CORRIDORS. THESE AREAS SHOULD BE READILY IDENTIFIABLE. THE THREE TYPES OF AREAS MENTIONED ABOVE ARE LIKELY TO ADD UP TO 20 TO 25 PER CENT OF THE COMPLETE CARPETING IN THE INSTALLATION. IT IS IN THESE AREAS THAT VACUUMING SHOULD BE CONCENTRATED. YOUR UPRIGHT SHOULD MAKE 3 PASSES CARRIED OVER THESE AREAS ON A DAILY BASIS. THE MAJORITY OF THE CARPET BEING VACUUMED WEEKLY. PROTECTIVE MATS WITH TRACK-OFF ZONES, BARRIER PROTECTED MATS SHOULD BE USED AT ALL TIMES. THESE MATS BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO ALLOW AT LEAST 2 PACES OF THE MAT BEFORE THE MAIN CARPET IS REACHED. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THESE MATS ARE KEPT CLEAN AS THEY WILL ONLY HOLD A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DIRT BEFORE THEIR EFFICIENCY IS DRASTICALLY REDUCED UNLESS KEPT CLEAN. THE MATS WILL ACT AS A STORAGE SPACE FOR A POOL OF SOIL, WHICH WILL BE TRANSFERRED BY PEOPLE S SHOES TO THE INSTALLED CARPET. THE FIRST ACT AFTER TURNING ON THE VACUUM CLEANER, SHOULD BE TO CLEAN THE MATS. WHILE SPECIFICALLY MADE BARRIER MATS WORK BEST, A SIMPLE MAT MADE UP FROM AN OFF CUT IS CERTAINLY FAR BETTER THAN NO MAT AT ALL.

4 TOUCHING UP TRAFFIC AREAS EVEN WITH CONCENTRATED VACUUMING TO AREAS A, B AND C, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THESE AREAS IN TIME CAN BECOME DULLER THAN THE REST OF THE CARPET. TO SUPPLEMENT THE VACUUMING, ON THE EVENT OF DULLING THE TRAFFIC LANES CAN BE TREATED WITH A DRY POWDER CLEANER AS NEW CREATION. THE POWDER BEING LIGHTLY BRUSHED INTO THE CARPET, LEFT 10 MINUTES - THEN VERY THOROUGHLY VACUUMED OUT. THE USE OF THIS DRY POWDER CLEANER SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED GREATER THAN AT 1 MONTH INTERVALS. IF IT IS NEEDED AT SHORTER PERIODS, THEN THE EFFICIENCY OF THE VACUUMING PLAN MUST BE EXAMINED. OVERALL WET CLEANING AGAIN, THE REQUIREMENT FOR WET CLEANING IS LIKELY TO BE FIRST EXHIBITED IN AREAS A, B AND C. IN COMMON WITH THE RELEVANT AUSTRALIAN STANDARD (AS 3733) FELTEX CARPETS STRONGLY RECOMMEND HOT WATER EXTRACTION (STEAM) CLEANING. HOWEVER TO ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS, THE FOLLOWING MUST BE CARRIED OUT. 1) THE AREA TO BE STEAM CLEANED MUST BE HEAVILY VACUUMED FIRST. IF THE CLEANING OPERATOR CLAIMS THIS IS NOT NECESSARY HE IS WRONG. 2) TRUCK MOUNTED MACHINES SHOULD BE USED (OR THE MINIMUM A PORTABLE WITH TWO VACUUM MOTORS). 3) THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL STEAM CLEANING IS TO GET THE CARPET WET (THE MINIMUM TO CLEAN) THEN DRY IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.

5 TO THIS END A) PORTABLE AIR FANS SHOULD BE USED SO THAT A CURRENT OF COLD AIR IS DIRECTED OVER THE CARPETS PILE. B) THE DETERGENT SPRAY SHOULD BE CUT OFF BEFORE THE WAND IS REMOVED FROM THE CARPETS PILE. THIS STOPS THE CHANCES OF WAND MARKS OR WET PATCHES. 4) YOUR CARPET WILL CLEAN EASILY. DUE TO THE HIGHER THAN NORMAL FASTNESS PROPERTIES OF FELTEX POLYPROPYLENE CARPET, WE RECOMMEND THE USE OF A ALKALINE DETERGENT (EG. ONE WITH A HIGH PH). THESE DETERGENTS ARE MORE EFFICIENT THAN THOSE WITH LOWER PH AND HENCE, CAN BE USED IN SMALLER QUANTITIES, WHICH WILL REDUCE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DETERGENT RESIDUE TO BUILD UP ON THE CARPET PILE. THIS RISK CAN BE AGAIN REDUCED BY DILUTING THE DETERGENT AT TWICE THE RATE RECOMMENDED BY THE DETERGENT MANUFACTURER. THIS REDUCES THE DANGER OF RESOILING FROM DETERGENT RESIDUE IN THE PILE. IF THERE IS ANY SUGGESTION THAT DETERGENT BUILD UP HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO OCCUR, THIS SHOULD BE REMOVED BY THE USE OF WATER WITH THE ADDITION OF A COMMERCIAL RINSE AGENT APPLIED BY A HOT WATER EXTRACTION M/C, OR BY THE USE OF N.C. POWDER CLEANER. WILL YOU PLEASE NOTE THAT THE USE OF HIGH PH DETERGENTS IS NOT RECOMMENDED ON CARPETS CONVENTIONALLY DYED WITHOUT TESTING FOR DYE FASTNESS FIRST. NEITHER IS IT RECOMMENDED THAT THESE DETERGENTS ARE USED ON WOOL OR WOOL RICH CARPETS.

6 - 5 - STAINS AND SPILLS THE FIRST SUGGESTION IS TO MAKE EVERY ATTEMPT TO AVOID SUCH PROBLEMS LIKELY SPILL AREAS FOR EXAMPLE AROUND DRINK MACHINES AND IN FRONT OF CANTEEN SERVERIES, MATS SHOULD BE USED OR IF POSSIBLE THE CARPET SHOULD BE CUT AWAY AND A VINYL INSERT PUT IN THE FLOOR SO ANY WET SPILLS FROM THESE AREAS CAN BE RAPIDLY REMOVED. FOLLOWING IS A SUGGESTED STAIN REMOVAL PROCEDURE FOR COMMON STAINS. 1. GENERAL DIRT, SOIL AND HEEL MARKS - USE OF N.C. POWDER AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY. 2. OIL STAINS - USE OF A DRY CLEANING FLUID LIKE SHELLITE FOLLOWED IF NECESSARY BY N.C. POWDER. 3. WATER BASED STAINS AND LIGHT OIL SPOTS - USE OF A CLEANER CALLED CARPET CLEAN (SEE LAST PAGE FOR AVAILABILITY). 4. HEAVIER OIL SPOTS - USE OF SHELLITE (DRY CLEANING FLUID). 5. HEAVY COFFEE AND TEA STAINS - USE OF CARPET CLEAN OR N.C. POWDER. BEFORE USING THE LIQUID STAIN REMOVERS MENTIONED ABOVE, WE SUGGEST THE STAIN IS GENTLY DABBED WITH A DRY ABSORBENT CLOTH, STARTING FROM THE EDGE OF THE AREA EFFECTED AND WORKING SLOWLY TOWARDS THE CENTRE. AFTER THIS DRY RUN, THE CLEANING LIQUID SHOULD BE APPLIED TO THE CLEAN AREA OF THE CLOTH AND THE PROCEDURE REPEATED. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE SAY 3 ATTEMPTS TO REMOVE THE SOIL RATHER THAN FLOOD OUT THE STAIN WITH A LARGE APPLICATION OF THE CLEANER. THE VAST MAJORITY OF STAINS WILL STAY IN THE TOP HALF OF THE CARPET TUFTS. THE IDEA IS TO REMOVE THEM, NOT LET THEM GO TO THE BASE OF THE PILE.

7 - 6 - FOLLOWING IS LIST OF SUPPLIERS MENTIONED: 1. NEW CREATION (NC) CLEANER IS AVAILABLE FROM FIRST CHOICE CHEMICALS 1 RAILWAY WALK, CHELTENHAM VIC 3192 (03) CARPET CLEAN AVAILABLE FROM GEMINI CLEANING 1 ANGY STREET, SUNNY BANK HILLS QLD 4109 (07) SHELLITE IS AVAILABLE FROM MOST HARDWARE STORES.