Maintaining Clean Floors in Commercial Spaces: Not a One-and-Done Effort
Commercial-grade carpeting can fool even the most critical observer. To the naked eye, it looks perfectly normal. Yet below the surface are millimeters of soil, mud, and allergens. By the time they become noticeable, the carpet has already suffered from worn-out fibers and heavy matting.
Still, many businesses continue to neglect their carpeted spaces, assuming that daily vacuuming solves the issue of tracked-in debris. What they don’t consider is that with each passing season, the textile surfaces become duller and dirtier, eventually emitting unpleasant odors and earning an early ticket to the landfill.
Of course, running a vacuum makes sense and is an important part of carpet maintenance: It gets rid of the top level of hairs, residue, and larger particles. But it doesn’t revitalize the carpet’s fibers or pull up ground-in dirt. The only way to do that is by investing in regular deep cleaning, ideally via an energy-efficient dry carpet cleaning system.
Ignoring Carpets Is an Expensive Venture
Most facility and property managers know how expensive it can be to rip up and install new carpeting. A business can expect to spend $350,000 to cover a 90,000-square-foot commercial space. Regrettably, most high-traffic carpets only last around six years. However, they don’t degrade because of rough treatment by customers or employees — but because they receive inadequate cleaning treatment.
As a result, companies spend far more money replacing carpets than they would if they’d simply allocated money for proper maintenance. This type of maintenance should not be confused with typical janitorial services, however. It involves studying the space, examining usage patterns, and committing to a predictable dry cleaning care cycle. Commercial establishments that focus on extending the usefulness of carpets through this kind of cleaning can sometimes keep their carpets up to three times longer than expected.
There’s more at stake than just the cost of replacing poorly maintained carpet. Carpeting that loses its filtration ability can contribute to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). When IAQ levels drop, employees may suffer the consequences through allergies, respiratory illnesses, the flu, and the common cold. Every time a worker cannot be on the job, productivity drops — and that’s expensive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sick employees cost their employers more than $225 billion each year.
Finally, customers remember when a location appears dirty or smells iffy. Carpets that look worn or filthy turn off shoppers, leading them to look elsewhere. Who knows how many browsers enter a store with the intention to buy, only to leave after noticing unattended floors?
Keeping Carpets Healthy Starts With Regular Maintenance
No carpet can stay clean without constant attention, yet maintaining the cleanest facility doesn’t have to be overly pricey or require downtime.
Even if MilliCare only comes in two or three times a year to conduct a carpet refresh, it can make a significant difference. Resources spent on averting any problem — including a grimy, stained carpet — always pay off in the long run through prevented losses and expenses.
And for budget-conscious 24/7 operations, our proprietary cleaning protocol requires 99.5% less water than hot-water extraction systems. Not only does this equal a cost savings for our customers in both water and energy usage, but it also makes sure that your carpet is usable immediately. A MilliCare technician can clean a busy showroom during normal business hours while salespeople and customers continue as usual. We also provide cleaning services after business hours.
Breathing Life Back Into Old Carpets
Carpet on its last breath? Don’t be so sure. It’s rarely too late to resuscitate commercial carpeting and keep it looking wonderful through periodic dry cleaning. To learn more about the MilliCare system and develop a customized Total Care Plan for your space, contact a technician today.