How Do You Clean Your Carpet Tiles?
Carpet tiles have come a long way since they were first created. These days, carpet tiles are widely varied in colour and texture. They can be installed in just about any area with great effect. And, carpet tiles are known to provide all the warmth and benefits of broadloom carpeting, plus a few more wonderful aspects too.
But, just like any flooring, carpet tiles do need regular care and maintenance. Neglecting this can lead to the necessity to replace your tiles earlier than they should be (and in some cases, this neglect could potentially negate any warranties that may be in place). Fortunately, caring for and cleaning your carpet tiles is remarkably easy, as long as you stick with it.
Daily Maintenance
No matter where you have carpet tiles installed (unless, of course, they are in a storage cupboard that no one enters more than once a month), they need to be cleaned on a daily basis – or at least every day that someone walks over them. (And, for those other areas, you really shouldn’t go longer than a week without considering your floors.) But, daily cleaning doesn’t need to be oppressive; all it requires is a vacuuming.
However, your daily vacuuming shouldn’t be like mowing the lawn. It’s not a straight pass up and down the floor. To make your daily cleaning effective, you should be moving your vacuum around in different directions. This works to loosen the dirt underneath the pile making the suction function more valuable than it is on its own.
Additionally, you will need to consider the type of vacuum cleaner that you use. Ideally, you will have a machine with brushes as well as a suction feature. When you combine this with movements in various directions, you will soon discover that your vacuuming needs are more succinct, and less work is needed from you to get the job done.
Deep Cleaning Treatments
Often, people use the words deep cleaning to mean shampoo when it comes to the care and maintenance of their carpet tiles. While this truly was the most efficient means of cleaning carpets for many years, that’s no longer the case. You can have your carpets shampooed if that is your only option. But, it is infinitely better to opt for a dry cleaning treatment. This avoids unnecessary loosening or softening of the glue adhesive under the backing of your carpet tiles. It also means that you can walk on your floors just as soon as the cleaning is done (and yes, during too, but do you really want to?).
Usually this means that you will need to call in a professional carpet cleaning service unless you’ve got an extremely large organization with plenty of resources. But, that’s okay because you actually want the professionals to tackle your floors. Their equipment is wonderfully powerful compared to the domestic cleaning machines and those you can hire from local shops. The important thing to remember is that your carpets cannot wait forever between deep cleaning treatments. However, the frequency of this type of cleaning depends, almost exclusively, on the amount of traffic your floor receives.
When There Is a Stain
Carpet tiles are remarkably durable and stain resistant. They’re built to withstand a lot of heavy foot traffic – and to look good while doing it. Plus, there are many carpet tiles on the market today that actually have stain resistance built into the fibres of the pile. That means that you’ll have to work really hard for these carpets to become stained – and they may even come with a warranty that enables you to a replacement if they are stained.
But, if you do spill something on your carpets (or rather someone spills), then you do need to act quickly, just as you would do if something were spilled on any floor. Often that means removing any solid pieces from the area, blotting with a damp towel and then using a mild shampoo on the area. However, this is not always the case. Certain fluids do require a different treatment, and you should always have a stain cleaning chart to hand in the event that something spills. This will alleviate the frustration of making a spill worse rather than better.
Replacing Your Carpet Tiles
The beauty of choosing carpet tiles over broadloom (otherwise known as wall-to-wall) carpeting is that you will have a much easier time replacing damaged carpet tiles. Keep in mind that you should not have to do this often. As long as you chose a carpet that matches your traffic needs, and your floors are generally treated with the respect they deserve, you shouldn’t need to do that much replacing. However, this is always an option if it needs to be – and you have extra carpet tiles on hand.
To replace your carpet tiles, you should always consider the manufacturer’s instructions before beginning. This is likely to save you a headache or two. But, for the most part, it is as simple as lifting the old tile. To do this, you will likely want a tool to help remove it. You will want to loosen and clean any glue, debris or residue left where the carpet tile once was. You should treat this area as though you are preparing to lay a whole new floor as this will help to ensure the resiliency of the new carpet tile. And, your new square (or squares, as the case may be) should be laid exactly like the rest of the flooring was. Ensure that you use the proper glue – and preferably the kind recommended by the manufacturer.
Really, maintaining your carpet tiles is about as simple as that. As long as you stick with your daily maintenance – and you treat stains and damages as soon as they occur, you should have your carpet tiles with you for a very long time. And that’s a god thing now that they are so much better looking than you ever expected them to be.
For more information about choosing the right carpet tiles for your establishment please visit the Birch carpets website - http://www.birchcarpets.co.uk/productrange/type/carpet-tiles