Take the street out of the office: Part 4

Preserving Your Workspace Carpet: The Art of Targeted Cleaning

If you're staring at your workspace carpet, recognising the 'sheep track' wear areas we discussed previously, your carpet is now in what we could call 'damage mode.' The soils have been well-tracked in, and the dry, gritty soils have bonded with oily residues. As traffic flows each day, this dry grit abrasively impacts and further damages your carpet fibres.

The solution isn't necessarily a full carpet clean; rather, it involves frequent cleaning of only the soiled areas. Let's outline a basic, cost-effective carpet maintenance plan designed to extend the carpet life, foster a healthier environment, and improve aesthetics:

• 5% of your carpet encompasses the entry area, the point of transition from hard floors.

• 15% of the carpet covers primary traffic areas.

• 50% of the carpet is located within workstations, offices, and meeting room areas.

• The remaining 30% lies beneath furniture or in areas that are rarely walked on.

Following this breakdown, the cleaning plan would be:

• Clean the 5% entry area six times annually, accounting for 30% of the total carpet.

• Clean the 15% primary traffic areas four times annually, representing 60% of the total carpet.

• Clean the 50% workstation and office areas twice annually, covering 100% of the total carpet.

In total, you would be cleaning 190% of your carpet annually, which equates to slightly less than two full cleans annually.

Considering that the carpet in a building represents a significant investment, it is important for owners and occupants to extract the most value from it. Moreover, a clean, appealing floor contributes to a healthier, happier workspace.

To wrap up this series on minimizing outdoor influences on our indoor spaces, I want to revisit some key points:

• Correct entrance matting with full fiber coverage, the right depth for soil absorption, and appropriate length for maximum soil removal from footwear.

• Frequent vacuuming and cleaning of entrance matting.

• Implementation of the right carpet maintenance plan to prevent soils from damaging your carpet asset and contribute to a healthier, more appealing workspace.

If you've put these principles into practice, congratulations! You are now effectively minimising the street's intrusion into your office.

-Colin Saddington