Keeping your office carpets clean and hygienic is more important than you might think. The benefits of a clean and tidy office are numerous and range from boosting employee morale to lowering instances of absenteeism thanks to fewer germs and diseases circulating in the workplace.
If you are an office or premises manager, understanding how regularly office carpets should be cleaned to ensure they not only look great but will keep your employees and clients safe can positively impact employee wellbeing and boost productivity.
Factors that influence how regularly you should clean your office carpet
How often your office carpet should be cleaned will be determined by several factors. Carpets come in all different colours, sizes, thicknesses, and materials. Some are much easier to clean than others, some will show up every speck or dirt or mark, and some will absorb more dirt, germs, and bacteria in the material. The location of your carpet will have an impact too. The first step is to know your carpet type and how these factors will impact your cleaning schedule.
Where is your carpet located?
Consider how often the carpets are used. Carpets in a rarely used meeting room, for example, will require less frequent cleaning than those in a reception area.
What’s the style and colour?
Carpets that show up stains more obviously will need more attention than others. A large stain or dirty mark is a massive eyesore and won’t create a very good impression if potential customers, clients, or partners see it when they enter the office premises. Generally speaking, the lighter your carpet is, the more often you’ll clean it. However, pile and density also play an essential role as a thicker pile, more dense carpet is likely to harbour more dirt and germs and therefore should be cleaned more regularly.
What’s the weather like?
The seasons also play a role when it comes to deciding how often your office carpets should be cleaned. Typically you should clean your carpets more when the weather is cold and wet. Autumn and winter can be particularly brutal times for carpets as the leaves fall from the trees and the cold, damp weather sets in, making the ground underfoot much dirtier – with dirt that you are likely to bring into the office with you as you enter.
The type of office space and number of employees?
If your office is spacious with few employees, your carpets will likely take less damage than if your office is small or densely packed, so this is another factor to consider when creating your carpet cleaning schedule. It’s also essential to think about what takes place in the room where the carpet lies. For example, a kitchen carpet subject to lots of spillage, crumbs, and rubbish should be cleaned more regularly than one where no such activities occur.
What’s the minimum frequency for office carpet cleaning?
Regardless of any of the above factors, it’s a good idea to get your office carpets professionally cleaned once a year.
It’s important to do this because, regardless of how clean and conscientious you and your employees are, a carpet can collect many particles of dirt and debris as well as unpleasant germs, bacteria, and viruses. Without proper care and attention to remove these, your office carpets can quickly become a breeding ground, dampness and mould may begin to appear, and it will get to a point where it is difficult to get the carpet back to a decent and usable state.
How to maintain your carpets in between professional office carpet cleanings
Preventative cleaning can ensure your carpets look great and are safe and hygienic for day-to-day office use. You can opt for preventive cleaning services every few months, which is different from a full deep clean. You should also tackle stains as and when they appear to reduce them as much as possible before a deep clean.
Naturally, hoovering your office carpets regularly is also an important task. If your office is subject to heavy footfall, hoovering your office carpets daily, at the end of the day, can be a smart move to ensure that your offices remain looking clean and smart and that employees can start the day refreshed and motivated by stepping into a clean and tidy office each morning.
Hoovering will keep your office carpets presentable and remove a lot of the surface dust and dirt that can cause allergies, coughs, and colds. However, if you do not think you have the time to do a daily hoover, you could employ the services of an office cleaning company to help you. Most professional office cleaning companies will incorporate hoovering your floors and carpets as a standard part of a general office clean.
If you do wish to do it yourself, just remember to invest in a good quality hoover. Doing so will give you peace of mind that the dirt and debris are actually being sucked up, not just smeared around your carpets!
Extra office carpet cleaning tips
if you are in between professional office deep cleans and want to spruce up your workspace carpets yourself, here are some valuable tips for doing so as effectively as possible.
– Move all your furniture out of the way first – the way you’ll be able to get into all the nooks and crannies.
– Hoover your carpet before any deep cleaning activity to ensure the deep clean is extra effective
– If you are washing or deep cleaning your carpets, try putting a stain remover on any tougher marks first. You can use any number of carpet cleaning stain-removing solutions or try washing detergent and a soft-bristled brush. However, check your carpet type beforehand, as some carpets, such as wool carpets, may become damaged if you use harsh chemicals and forceful scrubbing.
After any washing or deep cleaning process, ensure the carpet is completely dry before anyone walks on it. This could take over 24 hours, so bear this in mind when booking a commercial carpet clean.
Is it time you had your office carpets cleaned?
If you require a professional, high-quality office carpet cleaning service for your premises, Alliance Cleaning can help. Get in touch with our customer team to learn more today.