Carpet Spotting Basics for Home Cleaning Companies
It's as predictable as morning and night and that is your customers carpets will get spots and stains on them. Coffee, Kool-Aid, lipstick, food, blood, pet urine, or just about anything you can think of will get dropped or spilled. The good thing is that if addressed immediately, most of those unsightly soils can be removed before setting in permanently. That is where carpet spotting comes into play.
With minimal training and investment, residential cleaning companies can offer this service to all their customers, and make it a win-win for everyone. The customer will be happy that the spots are gone, their carpet life has been extended, and you can put a few extra dollars in your pocket.
Begin with some carpet spotting knowledge
Cleaning and maintaining quality carpet is an important and time consuming effort on the part of your cleaning technicians. If spots or stains are not addressed as soon as possible, they can become permanent, and any discolorations or blotchy areas definitely take away from the overall appearance of an otherwise beautiful carpet.
Regular cleaning and maintenance combined with carpet spotting, will help keep up the carpets appearance as well as its longevity. Many homeowners simply replace a carpet because of staining and that "dirty" appearance, long before the carpet has actually been worn out.
Most spots are a result of everyday man-made or organic material dropped or spilled onto the carpet, then rubbed and ground in when walked on. The most common culprits are dirt, mud, coffee, soda, or just about anything that people carry in on their shoes or carry around the home with them.
Spilled or walked in substances will become a “deep soil” or even a permanent stain if they are not treated promptly and properly. If left untreated, they will not only look unappealing, but will also cause the fibers of the carpet to wear prematurely.
Without a good carpet spotting routine, a spot or stain that took only seconds to form, can become an issue that will remain as long as the carpeting is on the floor. Therefore, by taking a few small carpet spotting steps, you can avoid that entire conundrum.
Carpet spotting basics
Be careful which cleaning agents you use for carpet spotting. Remember that some substances will take the color right out of the carpet, along with the stain. This discoloration is just as unsightly as the stain itself. Bleach and cleaners containing bleach is a primary offender in this situation. If unsure about a cleaning product or trying something new, test it in an inconspicuous area first, before using it somewhere noticeable.
The first step for carpet spotting is determining what the offending substance is since different stains will require different cleaning agents. If the substance is liquid, the carpet spotting trick is to re-liquefy it using water to flush the area, and then apply the carpet spotting solution. Once the carpet is wet, use a clean, white towel to blot, never rub, the water. Repeat this step as many times as necessary.
Be careful not to over-wet the carpet, this can cause the stain to spread. This is the same reason that blotting, and not rubbing is critical. You want to keep the stain localized to a small area. By rubbing, or over-wetting, the staining substance can move across to other carpet fibers, making the stain larger.
If oil or grease has spilled onto the carpet (or has been tracked in on someone's shoes) use a cleaning agent specially designed for dissolving oil and grease, in order to emulsify it.
Avoid over scrubbing the area being spot cleaned. Over aggressive scrubbing can cause the carpet to become frayed and tattered, damaging the carpet fibers.
Educate your customers to be on the constant look out for spotting and stains on their carpet and to blot up spills as soon as they happen.
There is nothing complicated about carpet spotting. It begins with identification of the foreign material, soil, or particles, remove as much of the access as possible, apply cleaning chemical to the spot, provide proper dwell time, agitate, rinse, and quickly dry. There may be additional steps necessary depending on the make-up of the spot, and using multiple spotting chemicals to release the spot totally.
Above all, remember to be patient. It's better to take your time and do a good job, then botch the effort by rushing.
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Do you have problems getting the spots out of your customer's carpets? Training your employees on the right way to remove spots will make your client's homes look better. PLUS, it's another income stream for your cleaning company! The Carpet Spotting Training Program gives you step by step directions on how to clean a variety of spots. Cleaning to Perfection - Carpet Spotting Training Program (PDF Download) |
