Grubby carpets? Don’t let them floor you

Adjust your approach when cleaning different carpets

Certain cleaning techniques will work best for different kinds of carpet. So, unless you’ve used the same flooring throughout your hotel, you should analyse each room and decide what kind of approach is likely to work best.

Looped carpets like those with a Berber weave tend to hide dirt quite well, and are also the easiest to clean — vacuum cleaning them three times a week will go a long way to keeping them in great condition and looking their best.

You don’t have to stress too much if something gets spilled on a Berber carpet, either. If it’s water soluble, gently scrubbing the area with a cool, wet cloth should do the job.

And, if you’re dealing with any other type of fresh stain, sprinkling baking soda onto the affected area, leaving it to draw out excess moisture, and then going over it with a vacuum cleaner should solve the problem for you.

Cut pile carpets are usually denser, which means they can harbour a lot more dirt.

To help remove as much of this as possible, you should always use a vacuum cleaner that’s fitted with a beater bar or brush.

Cut pile carpets can also stain far more easily than those that are looped and, in order to prevent your hotel’s flooring from being irreparably damaged, you should ensure that both you and your staff know how to tackle different kinds of spillages.

The UK-based National Carpet Cleaners Association has an in-depth online guide to teach you how to tackle every kind of stain, and what you should have on hand for emergencies.

Make sure you have all the essentials to hand

To ensure you can keep your carpets in good condition and deal with any spillages or stains as soon as possible, you need to ensure you have a full carpet cleaning tool kit.

This should include clean white cloths, baking soda, plain white vinegar, specialist detergents, and a vacuum cleaner that can withstand daily use.

If your hotel has a lot of rooms and tends to be quite busy, it might even be worth investing in a carpet cleaning machine that will help you to perform deep cleans with minimal fuss.

If this is a route you would like to go down, you need to think carefully about what kind of machine will be suitable and, most importantly, what kind of carpet cleaning brush will give you the best results.

An industry insider said: “When choosing carpet cleaning brushes, there are three things you need to consider: what kind of carpets you have, how often you plan to clean them, and whether you’re looking to use wet or foam shampoo.

“Polyester brushes are particularly stiff, and should only be used to clean rugs, rather than large sections of carpet. These typically work best when you’re looking to wet shampoo your flooring.

“Polypropylene brushes can also be used for wet shampooing, but their bristles tend to be softer, which means they can be used to clean wall-to-wall carpets, as well as rugs.

“Finally, there are two kinds of nylon brushes — those that work well with wet shampoo, and those that are great for generating the foam that some carpet cleaning systems use.

“Again, while their bristles are durable, they’re soft enough to be used on both rugs and large areas of carpet.”

Devise a deep cleaning schedule

While vacuuming on a daily basis and dealing with stains as and when they happen will go a long way to keeping your flooring in good condition, you should also deep clean your carpets on a regular basis.

The frequency will depend on how busy your establishment is. Particularly busy hotels will typically do this every few weeks, while those that are on the smaller side can get away with two deep cleans a year.

Once you’ve calculated how frequently you think your flooring will need to be refreshed, plan your deep cleans for the next year and put the dates in your diary. Then, make sure you stick to them.

It’s important that your hotel always offers your customers a clean and comfortable place to stay, and ensuring your carpets are in good condition will certainly help with this.

Take these tips on board, and your flooring will always look its best.