Maintenance and Cleaning Tips MULTICO

Maintenance and Cleaning Tips MULTICO

Dear Carpet Layer, Dear Customer, 1.0 Preliminary Remarks You have made an excellent choice. tretford Multico meets highest standards. The use of solution-dyed polyamide 6 and state-of-the-art production techniques ensure that this product has optimal characteristics with regard to both appearance and durability. But even a hardwearing carpet such as Multico requires the right kind of care and cleaning to preserve its value and ensure that it performs optimally. Maintaining the carpet s original attributes essentially depends on proper care and cleaning, thus, it is important to pay close attention to the care instructions. A well-cared for appearance of your carpet also depends on a proper maintenance and cleaning program. With the right planning, it may be possible to avoid problems even before they arise. 1.1 Colors When selecting the color for your carpet, bear in mind that visible soiling will be greater with light colors than darker colors. 1.2 Precautionary Measures To avoid as far as possible tracking in dirt from outside, or transferring waxy care products from hard or elastic floors to the carpet, it is absolutely necessary to set up an efficient entrance mat system with a dirt trapping zone. This consists of a heavy duty mat for coarse dirt removal and a walk-off area. These measures should be taken into consideration during the building s planning phase because the entrance mat system for coarse dirt may require built-in fitments. An effective dirt-trapping zone should be large enough to allow more than three steps. Generally the larger this area, the more effective it is. Textile walk-off zones should be installed not only at entrances but also, for example, at transition areas separating production facilities from administrative offices, in front of and within elevators and in front of escalators. In other words, at all locations where dirt accumulation can be expected. Obviously, these setups will also have to be cleaned regularly to ensure that they effectively serve their purpose. Any dirt that is captured with an effective mat system/dirt-trapping zone cannot enter the building and do damage to the carpeting. 2.0 Maintenance Cleaning Maintenance and cleaning measures must begin as soon as the carpet has been installed. Maintenance cleaning refers to daily spot removal (detachur) and vacuuming.

2.1 Vacuuming with Brush Action Thorough vacuuming of loose dirt particles should be carried out exclusively with professional grade vacuum cleaners with brush action. For regular upkeep-cleaning, it is indispensable that a vacuum cleaner outfitted with a motorized brush head be used. This simultaneous brushing and vacuuming can effectively access loose dirt from deep within the carpet pile and also remove dirt that clings to the carpet fibers. A regular vacuum cleaner with a smooth nozzle does not allow for effective maintenance cleaning for carpets. 2.2 Spot Removal (Detachur) To remove spots permanently, it is necessary to not only loosen the stain but also to completely remove the stain from the carpet. About 80 % of all spots can be removed with clear water. New, wet spots should be dabbed with cloth or paper towels. This is done by placing a clean, white absorbent cloth or paper towel on the stain. Using the palm of your hand, add pressure to the towel. Repeat this process until no further liquid is absorbed by the cloth. Dried and hardened substances should be removed with a palette knife or the back of a regular knife and either brushed or vacuumed off. Water-soluble stains should be re-moistened with water and treated as described above. Work from the outside of a stain to its center to avoid enlarging it unnecessarily. Repeat as necessary. Some stains require a commercial stain removal product. It should, however, never be applied directly to the carpet but only using an impregnated white cloth. This method seeks to avoid damage to the pile and color as well as to the carpet backing, while also preventing the dissolution of the adhesive material. For ecological reasons, unknown stains should be treated as watersoluble stains first. If this treatment is unsuccessful, the stain should be allowed to dry and then treated with a commercial stain removal product. Before the treated area is ready to be walked on, it should be allowed to dry first and then be brushed off. Many kinds of spots can also be removed using a dry cleaning method, i.e. a granulated or powdered cleaning product. Here, the granules are scattered onto the stain and gently worked into the carpet with a hand brush. Thereafter, the carpet is vacuumed.

2.3 Cleaning Intervals Some stains may become impossible to remove completely if the cleaning intervals are too long. For this reason, apart from a thorough annual deep cleaning, regular interim cleaning is also highly recommended. Interim cleaning operations serve to treat partial areas, for example, walkways, entrances, stairs, hallways and the like to ensure that these areas will continue to conform optically to the rest of the carpet. If areas with heavy traffic are cleaned according to a well-planned maintenance schedule right from the start, a good condition of the entire carpet can be preserved. 3.0 Procedure Professional intensive carpet cleaning is always carried out according to RAL 991 / A2 to ensure verifiability of the executed cleaning operations and comparability of the cleaning prices. RAL guidelines define the proper and recommended procedure as follows: 1. Determination of the type of carpet 2. Checking to see how the carpet is secured to the floor 3. Vacuuming using a professional grade vacuum cleaner with brush action 4. Checking for stains / Stain removal 5. Deep cleaning process 6. Checking for stains / Follow-up stain removal 7. Vacuuming using a professional grade vacuum cleaner with brush 3.1 Dry Cleaning Methods 3.1.1 Yarn Pad Method For this method, the carpet must first be carefully vacuumed. Thereafter, a cleaning agent is evenly sprayed on the carpet using a pressure sprayer and processed with a special pad. A rotary disc machine equipped with a pad holder, moves the yarn pad across the carpet in a horizontal circular motion. This dissolves the dirt and draws it onto the pad. The carpet is hardly stressed during this procedure and need only be vacuumed upon completion of this operation. Depending on the amount of cleaning agent used, the carpet may be opened to traffic flow in as little as 20 30 minutes. 3.1.2 Granulated Cleaning Product Method Another recommended dry-cleaning method is the use of granulated or powdered cleaning products. This too allows for hassle-free cleaning of partial areas as no drying time is necessary. The carpet may even be used

during the cleaning process without taking on damage. 3.1.3 Thermo-electric Cleaning System TEP-TOP-CLEAN is a cleaning system that was developed especially for deep cleaning purposes, whereby loose particles or loosely adhering dirt is removed using a vacuum cleaner with brush action. After the preliminary (pre-treatment) spot removal process, an eco-friendly enzyme solution is applied evenly to the carpet. During this actual cleaning process, the dirt is released and absorbed by special cleaning pads. The cleaning system s interior construction will achieve a constant temperature (thermoelectric) of ca. 30 C. Following treatment, the carpet is vacuumed using a vacuum cleaner with brush action. This method leaves behind no chemical residue and permits immediate traffic flow. 3.2 Wet Cleaning Methods Cleaning agents are applied to the pile surface and deep within the pile. The following are wet cleaning methods that are typically employed: 3.2.1 Rug-Doctor-System Among the wet cleaning methods, the so-called rug doctor system is recommended as an especially effective combination system. In the automated washing machine, an oscillating scrubbing brush rather than a rotating brush is moved primarily vertically into the carpet pile using high speed. 3.2.2 Spray Extraction Method Before this method is applied, the carpet must first be thoroughly vacuumed. Thereafter, the cleaning agent is evenly applied to the carpet by means of a pressure sprayer. After a short exposure period but without any kind of mechanical assistance - clear water is sprayed into the carpet pile using a spray extraction machine. Immediately afterward, the dirt-infused cleaning liquid is vacuumed off. Depending on the dwell time of the spray nozzle, more or less cleaning liquid is sprayed into the carpet pile. Attention should be paid to avoid a soaking of the carpet, which should be dampened though not soaked. When the carpet has dried, it should once again be vacuumed using a vacuum cleaner with brush action. 4.0 Solution-Dyed Yarn Among the available fibers, currently solution-dyed polyamide has the most superior cleaning properties. Over the short term, polyamide is

even acid and lye resistant. tretford s Multico carpet is manufactured using this fiber. All conventional staining substances can be removed from the carpet using the above-mentioned cleaning guidelines. This ensures flawless hygiene for the carpet s entire life cycle, provided that thorough maintenance cleaning is carried out using industrial grade vacuum cleaners with brush action. Polyamide s color fastness is extremely high. Owing to the solid pigment content of the fiber, it can safely be assumed to have the highest possible colorfastness. In contrast to the vast majority of carpets available on the market, carpets made of solution-dyed yarn have excellent non-fade characteristics. This will be especially noticeable when aggressive liquids are spilled as these carpets have the ability to withstand this without taking on damage. 5.0 Cleaning Methods for Multico Tiles Wet cleaning methods should be carried out very cautiously if at all as water can penetrate the seams. Should wet cleaning become absolutely necessary to remove sticky beverage rests, for example, either the very effective combination rug-doctor method or the thermoelectric system is recommended The best large surface cleaning method is the yarn pad system. All three variants also enable easy cleaning of partial carpet areas. These tips are the result of testing and experience. We cannot assume liability for damage resulting from non-compliance with these general guidelines when maintaining or cleaning your tretford Multico carpet. For any questions of a technical nature including installation please feel free to call us. Weseler Teppich GmbH & Co. KG Emmelsumer Straße 218 46485 Wesel, Germany www.tretford.eu Telephon:e +49 (0)281 81935 Telefax: +49 (0)281 81943 E-mail: service@tretford.de

Notizen Notes Notities Notes

Weseler Teppich GmbH & Co. KG Emmelsumer Str. 218 l D-46485 Wesel Tel. +49 (0)281 81935 l Fax +49 (0)281 81943 www.tretford.eu MULTICO.-VERL.-PFL. 11/2011