Commercial Carpet Steam Cleaning
Office building in a medical park Amherst NY.
Commercial Carpet Steam Cleaning
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Berber Carpeting Information
Olefin Berber Carpet Fiber Information
Olefin- 90 of all wall to wall carpet backings have been of this materials. Olefin dislikes water and if you place a fiber in water it actually floats. This material s also inert and will not react with acids or alkaline . It is the least absorbent of water of all the modern carpet fibers. Unfortunately it is loves oil and oil based stains can be difficult to remove. Because of these characteristics professional cleaners often work a slower pace and place air movers in the area to prevent water from wicking back up and resoiling an area that was just cleaned.
Strengths
-Very affordable and long lasting, making it the #2 most popular construction in the US. Olefin is a synthetic or man made material
-Chemically inert or will not chemically react.
-Does not shrink this material only absorbs 1% of water , making this common backing of most constructions.
Weaknesses
-Least resilient of all fibers especially with the popular Berber style carpeting. If the nap crushes it cannot be made to spring back with a steam cleaning. Common in commercial carpet mills will make it denser which helps with reslientcy.
-Lowest melt temperature, cleaners need to be careful of using high heat or can melt areas accidentally. Homeowners need to be careful moving furniture also because friction can cause permanent damage
-Normal wear and tear will leave permanent traffic lane patterns because the face of the yarn is scratched and not dirty. Although it often looks dirty.
-Water Hating= wicking. Berber easily overwets and is the biggest problem with this material.
Berber Carpeting Information
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Types Of Carpet Fibers
Types of carpet fibers.
Acrylic- Feels and looks like wool and is actually stronger then wool. The biggest downside is it becomes stiff and hardens over time. Also does not last as long as other types like nylon, olefin. This material dislikes water but loves oil, meaning it will not hold water but easily absorbs oily substances. Acrylic can fuzz easier then other materials and can be difficult to dye. This fiber is washable and is mostly used for area rugs.
Polyester- PET is the short acronym and loves to absorb oily spills but does not hold water and does not need any added blockers to resist water based spills and stains. Currently represents about 10% of the marketplace and is a favorite in apartment complexes for its cost. Poly is very sun resistant and so is popular for sitting rooms that receive a lot of sunlight. It is not very resilient and will show wear from walking on it or traffic patterns. This material is prone by even normal wear and will not spring back like nylon.
Types Of Carpet Fibers
Commercial carpet cleaning using encapsulation detergents.
Commercial carpet cleaning using encapsulation detergents.
Encapsulation is fast becoming one of the most sought after carpet cleaning methods for commercial office buildings. Most manufacturers recommend using encapsulation using a counter- rotating brush system.
The benefits are
-fast dry times of an hour
-prevent soda stains from wicking back up
-better brighter appearance
Commercial carpet cleaning using encapsulation detergents.
Encapsulation Commercial Carpet Cleaning
Commercial carpet cleaning using encapsulation detergents.
Encapsulation is fast becoming one of the most sought after carpet cleaning methods for commercial office buildings. Most manufacturers recommend using encapsulation using a counter- rotating brush system.
The benefits are
-fast dry times of an hour
-prevent soda stains from wicking back up
-better brighter appearance
Encapsulation Commercial Carpet Cleaning
Sunday, July 27, 2014
History of Nylon Carpet Warranties
History of Nylon Carpet Warranties
There have been six generations of nylon carpeting in residential homes. Each time improvements have been made to make nylon more desirable and reduce some of the weaknesses.
5th Generation Nylon added what the mills called an acid dye blocker to “block” stains and make the fibers less receptive to dye based stains like beverages. Acid dye is what is found in foods and some beverages. These type of spills were common in living rooms and with the introduction of acid dye blockers the goal was to make food stains wash out easily.
6th Generation nylon was focused on becoming more crush resistant, meaning after a cleaning a traffic area would spring back.
History of Warranties
After the 5t gen was introduced mills realized a problem had developed. The chemicals most carpet cleaners were using were too strong alkaline for the dye blockers. The carpets were browning, yellowing and becoming less effective in preventing stains, the whole purpose.
The good news was the manufacturers and cleaning trade associations came to an agreement.
- Cleaners agreed not to use solutions stronger then a ph of 10 . This applied to any general cleaning steps including pre conditioning and hot water extraction.
-Cleaners agreed not o use Catonic detergents
-Warranty only applied to residential homeowners and not apartments or commercial buildings
-Warranty was limited to common household food and drinks and not pet accidents, bleach etc.
History of Nylon Carpet Warranties www.methodclean.com
Saturday, July 26, 2014
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Nylon Carpeting
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Nylon Carpeting
Nylon is the most common carpet fiber found in wall to wall carpet. Over 60% of homes have some nylon or nylon blend.
This material wears great and usually springs back after people walk on it but it also stains easier then some other constructions. To help mills will often dip the carpet in a stain protector to fill in the dye sites and give better protection
Strengths
- long lifetime and very resilient. Yarns usually will spring back with some agitation used during a professional cleaning.
-Holds it heat set crimp which makes it a popular choice for plush in living rooms.
- Less affected by abrasion people walking than any other construction
Weaknesses
-Easily damaged by acids, common household acids like toilet bowl cleaner
-Stains easily, especially susceptible to food and beverage stains like coffee/soda.
-dyes are destroyed by chlorine bleach
After six generations of nylon each one has helped reduce some of the weaknesses and keeping nylon the most popular choice. The latest generations have focused on addition of flurochemicals protectors to make the fiber more resistant to soiling and staining. They also are focused on making fiber smoother o the touch and less water absorption.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Nylon Carpeting
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Synthetic Carpet Fiber Information
Synthetic Carpet Fiber Information
Synthetic carpets are made from plastic resins that are made in fibers. These fibers are see through and generally stronger then natural carpet materials.
Synthetic carpets start off as plastic chips actually then melted in a machine and forced through a spaghetti like strainer. After this process they are crimped, this is the wrinkle or style you see. Olefin and polyester carpets don’t hold their crimp very well so they often wear very quickly in high traffic environments. Not a great choice for living rooms.
The fibers are then heat set to hold the twist you see, this creates a memory so the carpet springs back after you step on it.
Nylon- Nylon carpet was the first available to give homeowners wall to wall carpet. Previously most homes had hard floors with area rugs over them. Current estimates is 60-70% of homes have a nylon carpet, making it by far the most popular.
Synthetic Carpet Fiber Information
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Learn More About Natural Carpet Fibers
Learn More About Carpet Fibers
Mohair- is a silk like fiber that comes from goat hair, some of its characteristics are similar to wool. Mohair is very resilient,durable and is often known for its high sheen. Several carpets blend in this material because of the benefits noted above. This is very warm in winter and cool in summer which makes it popular for family rooms. Like wool it is flame resistant and does not bend permanently easily or wear. The main downside is the cost, this is considered a luxury material.
Silk- this is a material that can be woven into textiles. Silk comes from the silk worm and is extremely strong. As a face fiber (the side you see)it does not work well for carpeting but is sometimes used in area rugs. Some expensive rugs can have a silk backing woven in.
Regenerated fibers- These fibers are commonly referred to a synthetic because they are made from similar machines as synthetic fibers. They also carry some of the same characteristics like degrading from sunlight easily. They also can can suffer from browning and shrinkage if not careful with cleaning solutions and processes
http://methodclean.com/2014/07/24/learn-more-about-carpet-fibers/
Learn More About Natural Carpet Fibers www.methodclean.com
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Ceramic tile and grout cleaning pictures
Below are creamic tile and grout before and after pictures.
Ceramic tile and grout cleaning pictures
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Learn Different Carpet Fiber Types
Learn about the different carpet fiber types and their characteristics.
Plant based carpet fiber examples
Sisal- sisal comes from the leaves of the sisalana tree native to certain areas of mexico. It can be used in walk off mats, area rugs and wall to wall carpeting. Often you find it in walk off mats at entrances, it is very rough to the touch and shrinks when wet.
Coir- comes from the hair of a coconut and is used in walk off mats and area rugs. It is rough to the touch and expands when wet.
Sea Grass- sea grass comes from ocean grass and is used in walk off, area rugs and wall to wall. It is very slick looking and has a shiny appearance
Abaca- comes from a banana leaf grown in phillipines, its is coarse to the touch
Protein fibers- comes from animals and insects. These materials are sensitive to high alkaline detergents may bleed colors if slightly acidic chemicals are used.
Protein or animal based carpet fiber examples
-Wool comes from fleece of lamb or sheep, the most popular countries producing these are australia and new zealand. Around the world wool is still the most popular fiber but in the united states it makes up less then .5%
Learn Different Carpet Fiber Types
Friday, July 18, 2014
What Is The Backing of Carpet Made From
Materials the backing of carpet is made from.
Carpeting made from natural fibers can be put into 2 categories cellulosic and protein. Cellulosic means it is made from plant based materials and protein equals animal based. This article focuses on cellulosic or plant base materials that some carpet backing is made from.
Some of the elements that make up plant based:
-Can lead to browning or brown discloration
-degrades with high alkaline cleaning solutions
-resistant to mild detergents
- dissolves in strong acids
Plant based fiber sometimes found in the backing of carpet
Cotton- comes from comes from a plant and is usually found in backing of woven carpet. It is rarely ever found on the face side side you see, touch. cotton is very soft to the touch and increases in strength with water,it stains very easily and brown easily. Other downsides include shrinkage and mildew if too much water is used in cleaning process. This fiber is resistant to alkaline detergents and acid will dissolve it.
Jute- this fiber is found in the backings of tufted rugs made in US before the eighties. Some common household items might be walk off mats, area rugs and some wall to wall. It is rough to the feel and becomes weak when wet.
Linen- It is extremely rare to find linen in carpet because it doesnt wear well to foot traffic.
What Is The Backing of Carpet Made From
Monday, July 14, 2014
Technical carpet cleaning info for homeowners
Carpet Cleaning information for homeowners
Carpet fibers absorb liquids like water and oil. Different fibers will absorb water at different rates while some carpet fibers will absorb oil more. Generally speaking natural material like wool absorb the most water and precaution needs to be taken to avoid longer drying times. Man made carpeting like nylon take in far more oil.
What does PH values mean with carpet cleaning detergents?
The PH is a number scale used to show the alkalinity or acidity of a cleaning solution. The numbers go from 0 -14, with the strongest acids starting at 0 and going up to 7. 7 Is also neutral meaning the detergent is neither alkaline or acidic. Alkaline goes from 7 14 with 14 being the strongest solutions.
Most carpet manufacturers recommend using solutions no stronger then a PH of 10. Make sure to ask your cleaner what the ph is of the cleaning agents they will be using in your home.
Another note, the scale is using a base of 10.What this means is if a cleaner is 1 degree higher then it is 10 times stronger. Example
Cleaning agent A has a PH7
Cleaning agent B has ph8
B is not 1 stronger BUT 10 times stronger. Also if a detergent is 2 numbers higher then it is 100 times stronger! and 3 1000 times stronger.
Technical carpet cleaning info for homeowners
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Commercial carpet cleaning safety checklist
Method Carpet & Tile Cleaning, Inc.
SAFETY RULES
Objective
To provide guidelines for the establishment of a safe work environment. The Safety Rules listed in this program apply to everyone employed by the company.
On Location
● Wet floor signs
● Caution tape
● Care with moving furniture
● Furniture blocks and tabs when returning furniture
● Door guards and plastic tabs to cover hoses from contacting furniture
● Walk off mats used as staging area to place unused equipment or chemicals
● MSDS Sheets
Employee Rules
• Proper footwear and clothing shall be worn at all times.
• All employees will wear, as required; the personal protective equipment assigned to them and maintains it in a sanitary condition.
• Do not operate any machine with which you are unfamiliar without first obtaining the proper instruction.
• Equipment must never be repaired until after the machine is turned off and unplugged.
• Never leave equipment running when it is not in use.
• Never operate electrical equipment around wet areas.
• Never jerk cords out of outlets.
• Do not leave objects or spills on the floor which might cause others to trip and fall.
• Do not block fire exits or traffic lanes.
• Always observe proper lifting procedures. Get help when lifting heavy objects.
• Never dump dirty mop water or other liquids outdoors.
• Always stay in assigned areas. Failure to do so is a violation of safety and security.
• Wash hands as often as possible.
• Never mix chemicals or remove labels from chemical bottles.
Whenever in doubt about the safety of any given situation, contact a supervisor before continuing. As previously stated, our work is never so urgent or important that we cannot take time to do it safely.
Commercial carpet cleaning safety checklist
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