Soft Floor Maintenance Programs (Commercial facilities / Health and Aged Care Sectors)
Do you have a soft floor maintenance program in place? If not, why not?
The purpose of a soft floor carpet maintenance program is twofold: to retain the original texture and appearance of the soft flooring for as long as possible, and to ensure that it is hygienic.
Did you know AFL is the only Western Australian company currently endorsed by all the major soft flooring distributors (Karndean International, InterfaceFLOR, Tuftmaster Carpets, Ontera, Victoria Carpets and Tarkett Australia) as their preferred supplier to perform maintenance, restorative and warranty treatments to their soft flooring products?
The beauty, performance and value of soft floorings make it the right choice for schools, healthcare facilities, offices and shopping spaces. Carpeted floors cushion the impact of slips and falls, dampen noise and make it easier to learn and concentrate. Soft flooring is also less expensive than other flooring options over time.
First impressions say a lot about an organization. Dirty, smelly, unsightly soft flooring says a lot about an organization. Spending large amounts of money on marketing will be wasted if the first impression your client develops is of an organization that can’t maintain good hygiene standards.
AFL offers a service in soft floor hygiene that will ensure your clients receive the right impression first time, every time. Without a healthy image consumer confidence will suffer. Our proven soft flooring maintenance programs give both you and your client’s confidence in your organization and the services you provide.
Sustainability is the key in maximizing your soft flooring investment. Many organizations soft floor maintenance has been relegated to the bottom of the jobs to be done. In most instances the ongoing maintenance of this, one of your most valuable assets, has been allocated to untrained and inexperienced staff including outside contractors.
Budgeting for soft floor maintenance in the majority of facilities is negligible and is considered to be insignificant in the overall scheme of the day to day running of the facility. Soft floorings are frequently purchased under a capital expense and limited allowance is being allocated in an operational budget.
A customized comprehensive soft floor maintenance program consists of five important elements:
1. Soil Containment – isolation of soil entering the building using walk off mats at entrances.
2. Vacuuming – scheduled frequency for removal of dry soil using an upright vacuum cleaner with HEPA filtration and power head.
3. Spot and Spill Removal Methodologies - using professional spot and spill removal techniques. Daily removal of spots and spills helps maintain the soft flooring’s appearance. Immediate action against spots and spills also reduces the probability of a permanent stain.
4. Interim Cleaning – scheduled frequency appearance cleaning for all main traffic areas.
5. Restorative Cleaning – scheduled frequency deep cleaning to remove residues and trapped soils in the soft flooring.
There are some conditions where appearance change is unavoidable i.e. in areas where the oily material from asphalt sealers is tracked into the building. Check the main traffic flow areas as there is often a slight dulling of colour; this indicates a build up of soil. It is virtually impossible to remove all of this material once it has penetrated the fibre of any soft flooring. Entrance mats and scheduled periodic treatments can reduce this phenomenon. Areas where large amounts of sandy soil enter the building may become dull in appearance over time. This is due to the abrasion of the fibre surface, affecting the reflection of light. Frequent dry vacuuming helps to minimize this problem.
Periodical maintenance and preventative measures are critical in extending the life of the soft flooring, sustaining an optimum performance and appearance level, and maintaining a healthy indoor environment within your facility.
Organizations often replace still serviceable soft flooring due to maintenance difficulties such as persistent odours and frequent re-soiling. Incorrect maintenance techniques are often the reason these problems re-occur. Ultimately, new soft flooring is put in its place and the cycle is repeated. AFL can eliminate this wasteful practice. Sound maintenance programs and quality reporting allow you to maximize the value you receive from your soft flooring and only replace when necessary not when difficulties arise.
Are you aware of the cost to replace the soft flooring in the average room at an Aged Care facility? Between $1800 - $2200 per room (including removal, sub floor treatment, disposal, purchase and relaying) excluding disruption to your facility and non-revenue generating time being lost as a result of this option.
The small investment made now to maintain your facility’s soft floorings will far outweigh the replacement cost.
AFL encourages facility managers and maintenance personnel and all who are responsible for commercial carpet maintenance to contact us to develop and suggest a complete soft floor maintenance program for your commercial facility.
