If you dread the time during your carpet cleaning job when you must remove your favorite floor tool and grab that stair tool, it may be time to analyze your stair cleaning system.

Stair cleaning is challenging for obvious reasons — the main one being that the dirtiest areas of stairs are the hardest to clean.

Add in the Berber element and you have what is sometimes referred to as a nightmare of a job. Olefin Berber carpet, due to the stiff, uneven weave, is hard enough to clean when using a floor tool … on stairs, it is much more difficult. In addition, olefin tends to wick more than other fiber types.

While carpeted rooms in your customers” homes are vacuumed frequently — if they follow your recommendations — it”s rare that the stairs receive the same treatment. Weeks, even months, can go by without stairs receiving a proper vacuuming. This means that the soil load that builds up in stairs can be extreme at times.

Preparation
As with routine carpet cleaning, prevacuuming is important.

While you can”t use your typical upright vacuum, a small, handheld vacuum should be sufficient — or you can use a turbine-powered handheld unit, one that hooks up directly to your truckmount or portable extractor.

After prevacuuming, removing as much dry soil as possible, the application of a preconditioner with high lubrication and suspension properties is best. Remember that the soil load is going to create a challenge, and the use of better chemistry makes this chore easier.

Some cleaners utilize encapsulation preconditioners and rinsing agents, saying the soil is suspended and then surrounded or “locked in” by the polymers typical to encapsulation products.

After applying preconditioner, agitation is vital. Using a small, handheld brush is common, although some cleaners use an electric buffer-type device typical to the carwash industry.

Cleaning and rinsing
There are a variety of tools you can use to rinse away the loosened soils.

Small hand tools or wands are most common. The length of the handle can vary, but the trend in recent years has been to use longer handles in order to better protect the backs of cleaning technicians.

The key is to move the tool slowly over the surface of the carpet, using high heat and flushing to remove soils. The nose of the stairs need extra attention, so be sure to run your tool over these areas multiple times.

The use of an absorbent towel, much like you would use on upholstery, helps remove additional soil and moisture from the nose of the stairs and from hard-to-clean areas such as along edges.

Final touches
Be sure to perform several dry strokes on the stairs you are cleaning. Many complaints arise because stairs can take many more hours to dry than do typical carpeted floors. This is because the amount of dry vacuuming passes during cleaning is usually less.

After cleaning, the application of an anti-soiling agent, typically an encapsulant, helps with appearances — especially the nose of the stairs. Apply the product and work it in well with a brush. Upon drying, the carpeted stairs should have maximum appearance.

Jeff Cross is the executive editor of Cleanfax and an industry trainer and consultant, and offers carpet cleaning marketing, disaster restoration marketing and contract cleaning marketing seminars and classes.

Natural fibers aren’t as common as synthetic fibers in carpet today, but when encountered it is important to know what they are and which specific cleaning technique(s)/chemical(s) should be used.

These are fibers that originate from plants, animals and insects.

Most natural fabrics are very absorbent and require special care and skill, especially with the chemistry used in your cleaning process.
 
Protein fibers
 
Protein fibers come from animal or their by-products (wool and silk). Sodium hypochlorite, also known as common household (chlorine) bleach, will soften and even completely dissolve protein fibers, causing permanent damage.

Protein fibers are naturally flame resistant, and normally will hide dirt and give fabrics a “warm” look and feel. For commercial applications, this is a consideration, as more architects and building maintenance managers are concerned with safety (flammability).
 
Wool specifics

The fleece of a sheep or lamb; the most common natural fiber.

This three-part fiber (epidermis – the outer layer of the fiber – cortex and medulla) dates back to 2,000 BC. Wool has a natural crimp which makes it resilient (bounces back when crushed).

Use care with alkalinity. Most cleaning chemicals are alkaline. Damage to wool fibers can be caused by strong alkalinity and, in some cases, acidity. Detergents chosen for cleaning wool should be approved for wool fibers. Dye migration can occur with high pH.

When agitating wool fibers, be cautious. You can “felt” the fabric. Felting is the interlocking of the scales of the wool fiber and can make the carpet appear “slimy” during cleaning. Felting is also caused by high alkalinity.

Only use fluorochemicals (which lower surface energy of fibers, resisting water, oil and dry soils) as fabric protectors (Teflon, Scotchgard, various brands). Silicones block the pores of wool fibers, causing degradation (and rapid resoiling on any fiber).

Wool can be damaged and degrade and lose strength if left for prolonged time periods in direct sunlight.

Lamb wool is the first fleece that is sheered from a sheep that is eight months or younger. It is soft and fine compared to subsequent sheering.

Virgin wool is wool spun for the first time. Pulled wool is taken from slaughtered animals.

Wool hides dirt, so the carpet may have much more soil than first estimated.

Wool can sustain insect growth.

Bleeds (with moisture), crocks (with or without moisture, but with agitation).
 
Silk specifics

Produced by the silkworm, it is the strongest of all natural fibers.

Silk fibers will easily watermark, so be sure to clean them evenly.

Texture distorts easily. Yellows with age. Spots easily. Damaged by alkaline and perspiration.
 
Cellulosic fibers:
 
These come from plants or vegetation. Examples are cotton and jute. Rayon is regenerated cotton product (cheap and weak).

Only these fibers can have “cellulosic browning” from “lignin”, the substance in plant matter. Alkaline agents (see section on “chemistry” later in this manual) intensify this, and are not effective in removing browning. If you need alkalinity (such as ammonia), always neutralize with an acid (such as citric or acetic – vinegar).

Using too much water or not drying a fabric fast enough contributes to browning.

Cotton is highly absorbent which means longer drying times. These fibers are taken from the seed hairs of the cotton plant via ginning.

Jute is made from the stalks of the jute plant. It is used mostly as a secondary backing on tufted carpet and warp and fill yarns for woven carpet, and blended with sisal for mats. It has good dimensional stability and resistance to dry heat. But it may shrink and rot or brown with over wetting and improper drying. Natural fibers may take longer to dry because they are more absorbent then synthetic fibers.

Other natural fibers found in carpet and rugs include coir (coconut husk), seagrass and sisal (agave plant) – use low moisture cleaning with these fibers and wet the surface evenly.

As seen in Cleanfax...

By Richard Driscoll

If you are a frequent reader of Cleanfax, you may remember an article I wrote titled “The Carolina Protocol.” It was the cover story of the June 2015 issue.

As someone who has worked in the restoration field and now teaches mold remediation, I am always seeking a lower-labor cost method of removing mold from surfaces, rather than the traditional methods of the past: Sanding, scraping, wire brushing, media blasting, etc.

The first lower-cost method I discovered was “blasting.” And while soda blasting and dry ice blasting have their place, and, if done correctly, do a really good job of removing mold, they also have some drawbacks.

When I discovered that hydrogen peroxide really works, as explained in “The Carolina Protocol” article, I thought we had finally found the best mold remediation process. The standard and guidelines in our industry describe the guiding principle of mold remediation as “mold removal,” but how the actual mold-removal process is performed is left up to the skilled technician.

As time moves on, other ideas and concepts come forward and must be considered, evaluated, and either accepted or discarded. In mold remediation, we now have two “cleaning” solutions that can be used for mold removal: Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide. This article looks at both solutions, comparing them to see which is better, or more appropriate, for our work.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide, which is an oxidizing agent, is the same solution that most people have at home in their medicine cabinet. We use it as a common antiseptic for small cuts. When used for mold remediation work, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide is higher than what is in the medicine cabinet.

Thousands of mold remediation jobs have proven hydrogen peroxide to be an effective mold removal (not mold killing) cleaning product.

The benefits of hydrogen peroxide

• It is an EPA-registered disinfectant with a very broad spectrum and very aggressive antimicrobial efficacy.
• A good oxidizing agent, it can attack malodors and stains.
• The odor is extremely mild and not offensive.
• It does not generate environmentally objectionable byproducts.
• If accidentally contaminated, it does not generate any hazardous gases. The decomposition products are water and oxygen.

Limitations of hydrogen peroxide

• Solutions of hydrogen peroxide are not stable in sunlight, so packaging and storage are an issue.
• It is capable of damaging certain textile dyes.
• If contaminated, the container will undergo rapid pressurization with the risk of bursting.
• Hydrogen peroxide has no bacteriostatic or fungistatic capability.
• It is susceptible to degradation if contaminated; therefore, containers and any water diluent must be very clean.
• Peroxide is stable only under acidic conditions. As a result, it can damage surfaces that are not acid stable.

Chlorine dioxide

A more recent cleaning solution to arrive on mold remediation jobs is chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is a chlorine-based oxidizing agent that is somewhat like the well-known sodium hypochlorite, or standard chlorine bleach. Chlorine dioxide, however, has significant advantages over chlorine bleach.

First, for the chemists who may read this, chlorine dioxide, strictly speaking, is a gas at normal temperature and pressure. It is quite unstable and dangerous as a gas, so it is normally generated in water solution by a salt known as sodium chlorite. Please note that this is distinguished from table salt or sodium chloride. The “ite” versus “ide” suffix is important. For convenience, however, I’ll still refer to this item as chlorine dioxide.

Benefits of chlorine dioxide

• It is an EPA-registered disinfectant that is active with a very broad spectrum and very aggressive antimicrobial efficacy. Of course, this substance can be a component of products that are not registered disinfectants, but, whether a product is Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act registered, always follow label directions. Also keep in mind that our goal is to remove, not necessarily kill, the mold and associated spores.
• A good oxidizing agent, it can attack malodors and stains.
• Operates at mildly acidic pH conditions rather than the strong alkaline conditions required for chlorine bleach; nevertheless, it is still effective over a wide pH range.
• The odor is less objectionable than that of chlorine bleach.
• It does not generate environmentally objectionable byproducts as would chlorine bleach.

Limitations of chlorine dioxide

• Solutions of chlorine dioxide are not stable in sunlight, so packaging and storage are issues.
• It is capable of damaging certain textile dyes.
• It can produce toxic chlorine gas under certain conditions, especially if contaminated.
• Chlorine dioxide has no bacteriostatic or fungistatic capability.
• It is susceptible to degradation if contaminated; therefore, containers and any water diluent must be clean.

Summary

We therefore have two mold removal cleaning solutions that work. Both are effective and have been proven effective in field use.

Which is the better product? Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide are almost totally equal in mold remediation effectiveness. But, in my own objective opinion, I would personally choose hydrogen peroxide, primarily because it does not leave any residual.

Richard Driscoll has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, an MBA from the University of Dayton and is currently working on his doctorate. He is a professor at Webster University where he provides graduate and undergraduate level lectures. He is an IICRC Certified Master Restorer, Master Textile Cleaner and an approved instructor. Driscoll has been consulted by state governments on legislation related to the cleaning and restoration industry. He also is the author and instructor for Restoration Sciences Academy’s MR-110 and MR-210 microbial remediation classes and MR-211 trauma scene clean up class. He is IICRC approved instructor teaching WRT and AMRT. He can be reached at [email protected].

Gypsum, in the past, has been the bane of the flooring industry a a flooring prep material. It was soft and chalky, didn't bond well, stuck to the back of flooring materials, was affected by water and otherwise not up to par with cementitious-based patches, levelers and substrate prep materials.

It gained a bad rap. What about NOW?

Click here for the full report.

Not much is better than sitting with the warm glow of the sun beating down as you sit on the white sandy beach.

Nothing much worse than the wrinkles and aging that will result from the exposure to the sun.

The same can be true with our interior finishes. Learn all about this issue by downloading your own PDF copy of the latest Flooring Report (click here)!

In the latest Commercial Flooring Report, you will find valuable information on how the conditions of the space where flooring is to be installed is becoming a challenge for not only installers but then also those who maintain the floors.

With construction schedules being turbo-charged to speed completion, what you are often seeing is flooring failure because installation is occuring before the building is closed in.

Don't miss this PDF report. Download your own copy by clicking here.

by Mike Kerner

Activated charcoal filters are used in countless devices and processes to remove impurities from gases or liquids. Restorers frequently ask how long a charcoal filter is effective before it has to be replaced.

Unfortunately, there is no precise answer. To explain, we need to consider how activated charcoal functions.

Activated charcoal is a carbon-based substance with a large number of pores providing an extraordinarily large surface area. These pores adsorb, or trap, molecules. These molecules (we will refer to them simply as the “contaminant”) get trapped in the pores.

As a liquid or gas (we will simply call this “air”) passes over the charcoal, a certain percentage of a contaminant is retained on the surface of the carbon material.

It might take several passes through a filter to remove enough of the contaminant so that it no longer causes problems.

The degree to which a specific contaminant becomes trapped on the charcoal depends on several variables.

• Type of contaminant. Some molecules are easily trapped on the charcoal while others have a very poor attraction. For example: Toluene, a solvent with a very strong odor, is highly attracted to charcoal; but formaldehyde, a well-known indoor air pollutant, is poorly attracted.
• Airflow. The contaminant is trapped only when the air containing it moves over the filter. As the airflow rate increases, more air is being cleaned, but the contaminant also has less time to get trapped by the charcoal.
• Temperature. In general, the higher the temperature of the air, the less efficient the scrubbing action. The efficiency drops about 0.25% for every 1°C increase in temperature. Indeed, at very high temperatures (well over 212°F and under special conditions), contaminants are released from the carbon. This is how carbon is “activated.”
• Humidity. Water molecules will compete with contaminant molecules for space in the pores. At some point there is so much water that the contaminant gets “squeezed out.”
• Capacity. At some point all the pores become filled with contaminant molecules. Think of a sponge holding all the water it can. This is the critical factor that determines how soon a carbon filter must be replaced.

It would be possible to estimate the life span of the carbon filter for the HEPA unit if the values of all these variables could be known accurately; however, it’s likely that any estimate will be so vague it will be of little value.

The best option? Rely on your sense of smell when using a HEPA unit to remove malodors. When the filter no longer traps odor, then it is time to replace the filter.

Mike Kerner is the senior scientist for Legend Brands. He has a master’s degree in chemistry from Purdue University. Kerner has worked in the industry for more than 28 years in capacities ranging from technical consulting to regulatory compliance to quality control standards. He understands every facet of chemistry from manufacturing efficiencies to formulation performance. He also has a talent for distilling complex scientific principles into information people can use.

From cornrowing carpet to vinyl plank installation issues to adhesive failure and more, contractors are often blamed for problems with all types of flooring although they did nothing wrong. These details in the latest Commercial Flooring Report will help you with dealing with sensitive issues that are not your fault.

Click here for the latest report.

This issue of the Commercial Flooring Report includes a must-read technical bulletin on the issue of moisture in concrete and testing for it. The issue is not going away and continues to plague the industry. This bulletin helps you understand how to test correctly and deal with frustrating challenges.

Click here to get your own PDF copy of the report.

Mark Violand, a flooring inspector and a good friend of mine, recently shared this PDF with me and said I could share it with you as well... download it and enjoy. It has some great information on all kinds of scenarios you might face as a cleaning professional. From chemical burns on carpet to friction burns from cleaning tools and equipment and much more. Really cool article with lots of photos.

Click here to download or open a copy of the PDF on "The Effect of Heat on Flooring".

Enjoy!

Jeff Cross | Executive Editor | Cleanfax

P.S. We all need marketing help. If you need your "own" graphic artist and some help with what to post on social media and put on  your website, sign up for a program I'm involved with: MarketingZoo.com - Click here for info.

We were discussing this issue at the lab the other day after seeing a new series of problems with some of the most popular products in the flooring market. Carpet tile will inherently have a bit of doming so that when pressed in place it fits snugly. This physical characteristic, which is very slight, nearly imperceptible, has always been part of carpet tile. However, this also now presents a new dilemma...

Click here to open/download the PDF of the Commercial Flooring Report/May 2016

The latest version of the Commercial Flooring Report (click here for your own PDF copy) is of interesting to those involved with both hard surface care and carpet care. Some really cool information in this issue. Hope you enjoy it!

Jeff Cross | Executive Editor | Cleanfax

...and you can click on the image below for your copy as well. Thanks, LGM and Associates for this information.

I received the Commercial Flooring Report recently from LGM and Associates. Some pretty important information on concrete flooring.

Click here to access your own copy of the PDF.

Question:

I seem to be having a problem (recurring) with some spots on a light grey nylon carpet. The initial problem was when the roofers got some tar stains on the carpet and I cleaned the spots with POG. Unfortunately for me the spots went away and I was left with what appeared to be a residue stain. I used an acid rinse with hot water used a portable extractor. Hot water was used from a coffee machine. This worked for a bit but the dark spots came back. I then used my extractor with hot water only no chemicals, and lo and behold they returned. I spoke with my supplier and they said that I might still have some residue from the tar. The fibers are dry and their is no evidence of any residue. I tried to use an oxidizer again no luck. What would you recommend for my next step.

Solution:

You’ve done quite a bit with this spot… good to see the dedication! The next step? There are several other things you can do, but for me, I’d try a good gel solvent with lots of flushing. Has to be residue if the spot is gone but then returns darker, like it is attracting soils over a period of a few days.
 
I’ve found that POG works well but does often leave a residue. And sometimes, as your supplier contact indicates, there could be some residual tar remaining as well. Either way, another cleaning is warranted and you need to ensure you remove all the tar plus any greasy, soil attracting residue. So while you could use a volatile dry spotter, I recommend a gel that will flush out with super-hot water and detergent.
 
Try that, and after cleaning, put a little encapsulant spotter on it, according to directions. It will limit resoiling. Or, if you don’t do that, put a white, disposable cotton towel on the damp spot and put a weight on it, like a gallon milk jug with water in it, so any recurring spotting substance or residue might go into the towel.

Even better? Do both - the encapsulant spotter plus the weighted towel (also referred to as a "poultice".)
 
Let me know how it goes…

The Cleaning Professor

By Jeff Cross, Executive Editor, Cleanfax

Olefin carpet, especially in the common Berber style, causes many cleaning technicians to groan.

Why? There has to be a good reason. After all, it's just carpet maybe 1/2 inch thick, right? And these same technicians have powerful portables or truckmounts, which should make easy work of any carpet cleaning job.

It's all about the style or weave of the carpet and the type of fiber itself.


Since most cleaning today is done via hot water extraction with a traditional floor tool, cleaners find the Berber style (whether wool, nylon or olefin) to make the physical action of cleaning difficult. When the cleaning tool (wand) skips and jumps over the carpet, overwetting occurs and this leads to a carpet turning ugly a day or two later, in addition to the inevitable recurring spots.

To overcome this challenge, changing your cleaning direction can help, as well as the use of wand glides and using different cleaning tools, such as electric rotary extractors. Using a bonnet machine with an absorbent pad can help remove more moisture and soils. An airmover used immediately after cleaning each area dries the carpet faster and leads to less wicking.

Then there is the fiber type. Olefin resists water, it's not absorbent. This means your cleaning solution may follow the yarn shaft right down to the backing of the carpet, resulting in overwetting and potential wicking of soils and spots. That's why the callbacks on olefin are much higher than other fiber types.

After determining if a Berber is an olefin Berber, you might consider using less moisture in your cleaning process (perhaps one of the various low moisture cleaning methods).

Olefin's characteristics

Since most Berbers have a high olefin fiber content, that's what we will highlight in the remainder of this technical bulletin.

As most carpet cleaners know, olefin fibers like oil. If oil is tracked onto an olefin carpet from the garage, street or anyplace that has high oil content, you have a tough job to contend with. That''s why olefin is a bad choice near floors with high oil content ... Olefin loves oil, but resists water.

Olefin does have some good characteristics. It''s naturally stain resistant. Most water based spills have no effect on olefin. It''s extremely colorfast (due to solution dyeing).

Some good places to put olefin carpet: A room where water is tracked in, around a swimming pool, a room where the kids spill Kool Aid, laundry rooms, etc. - all because olefin is resistant to water and chemicals.

Olefin has weak resiliency and is a weaker fiber compared to nylon, and will matt and flatten down in traffic lanes in a short period of time. Abrading creates another problem as this can look like soil.

Remember these negative characteristics so you can explain this to your customers or facility management. There''s really nothing you can do as a cleaner if matting or abrading occurs.

Cleaning results

Your typical cleaning process is often going to disappoint you when it comes to olefin Berbers. (Remember: Dry vacuuming before cleaning will give you better cleaning results.) After all, isn't it true that most carpet isn't cleaned until it looks really soiled?

There are many olefin-specific preconditioners on the market today. Typically, they have more surfactancy, emulsification ability and solvency to remove oily soils, and higher pH. You can use virtually any chemical on olefin without fear of harming the fiber. You can even use household bleach, or sodium hypochlorite, for spot and stain removal, although most companies do not allow that type of chemical to be used on carpet.

But you can use other bleaches - safely.

Add oxygen, reduce problems

Many olefin carpet, especially Berbers, suffer not only from oil tracking, but also wicking. The use of oxygen in your cleaning process helps with this problem.

This would be either liquid peroxide or sodium percarbonate (a powdered-type of peroxide). Liquid peroxide is fairly neutral on the pH scale, and safe for many fibers. But some strengths are harmful to the skin, so be sure to inquire about that from your supplier. Sodium percarbonate is very easy and safe to use, except when high alkalinity is a concern. The problem is the end result of mixing sodium percarbonate in water: Alkalinity is released, which activates and accelerates the peroxide element so better bleaching can take place. That's why you shouldn't use it on stain resistant carpet or natural fibers, but it's acceptable to use on olefin.

The results you will obtain with a safe oxidizing bleach product is impressive, as many issues are solved, such as that dull appearance or yellowing from asphalt driveways, etc.

Oxidizers also attack smaller soil particles, a huge plus in your cleaning system.

Prespray and rinse away worries

Another tool at your disposal is the use of encapsulation presprays and rinses. An encapsulation presray/rinse helps limit the return of ugly traffic lanes and recurring spots. It means your chemistry is actually a good residue, not a soil attracting residue, and the carpet may remain clean longer.

Using an encap rinse by itself does have anti-soiling and anti-wicking properties, but not as much as the "one-two" punch of preconditioning and rinsing with encap chemistry.

Some companies produce an anti-wicking agent (using the same encap principle) that can be applied after cleaning, if you prefer to continue to use your traditional rinse.

By Jeff Cross, Executive Editor

Wouldn't it be a better world if your customers, clients or facilities believed that listening to your experience and expertise would result in cleaner carpet and a healthier indoor environment?

Because of a lack of cleaning education on their part, it's a fact that most complaints about carpet are due to cleaning and maintenance issues.

There are billions of yards of carpet on the market crying out for better cleaning and maintenance.

Instead of analyzing current cleaning programs and increasing frequency of cleaning, consumers blame the product - the carpet.

Can we educate?

Because of the aforementioned problems, the carpet often looks terrible and the solution - to the consumer - is to replace them with hard flooring.

It's interesting that the hard floors in a home or facility will get a frequent cleaning, while carpet is ignored until it is blamed for non-performance.

And therein lurks the problem - and the solution. Clean each surface equally, with the same dedication, and you will see myths dispelled.

If we, as cleaning professionals, have a solid education as to how to clean all surfaces effectively and to the best of our abilities, we can pass this information on to decision makers, whether these are homeowners, building owners or facility managers.

Carpet myths abound in today''s world. Let's look at some of these that affect your customers or facilities.

Health comes first

A study commissioned in Sweden is often cited as proof that carpet is a good choice for healthier indoor air quality.

Many blamed carpet as the culprit for allergy sufferers. They said that carpet was the cause of poor indoor air quality. Interesting is the fact that allergic reactions and other illnesses blamed on carpet in homes and facilities went up dramatically during the years of less carpet usage.

Quite the opposite of what was expected.

Sweden has become a nation consuming less and less carpet, and at the same time, suffering more and more from what was originally blamed on carpet.

When you analyze and compare all living conditions in today's world, carpet actually makes a healthier home or facility. You don't have the dust load in the air as you do with hard floors - all things being equal, of course, and cleaned accordingly.

Dust mites and pet dander are often blamed for allergic reactions. Both can build up in carpet, and both can be found on hard floors. We won't even go into tobacco smoke, pollution from automobiles, pollens, and more...

When in carpet, the proper vacuum system - used regularly - along with regular carpet cleaning, keeps allergen levels low.

For hard floors, the proper dusting and mopping system is important. With just a small amount of air movement on a hard floor, allergens are swept up into the air and into the respiratory systems of occupants.

Potential carpet problem

Many people feel that carpet is a "dirt sink" that traps potentially dangerous contaminants.

True, and a positive aspect of carpet.

With carpet, the fibers act as a filter and hold onto contaminants until they can be vacuumed or cleaned. Hard floors do not do that.

One way to see this for yourself is to watch the air in a home or business when the sun is shining into the home. With carpeted surfaces, you see some dust in the air, but not much.

So you have two options:

Option #1: Carpet, which will hold onto dirt and contaminants until the carpet is either vacuumed or cleaned. Option #2: Hard floors, which do not hold onto dirt and contaminants, but still perform well if cleaned regularly.

Regular cleaning makes any building or home healthier. Don''t blame the product - instead, make it perform better with better maintenance.

Carpet has another great trait: There are less slip and fall accidents on carpeted surfaces.

Education is vital.

Carpet and mold

Can mold grow on carpet? Yes. Can mold grow on just about any surface? Yes. All it needs is an organic base - dirt, as one example.

Mold grows most often when it has a food source, moisture, a warm temperature and typically a dark place to reside.

Mold does not use carpet as a food source. Today''s carpet, the vast majority, are made from synthetic materials. Mold has no "appetite" for these materials.

Mold, however, will use contaminants in carpet as a food source, so if a carpet is damaged (water damage, sewage, etc) and not remediated properly, mold can grow on it.

It also will grow on the walls, concrete, furnishings, and hard floors.

It''s not picky. It just needs certain things to exist, just like people need certain things to exist. Control those things and mold should not be a concern.

Carpet and off-gassing?

People who are chemically sensitive definitely have a challenge in today's world.

Carpet is no more of a problem for chemical reaction than any other product on the market.

Some claim that carpet off-gasses fumes, such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde isn't used in the manufacturing of carpet.

Any odors from a new carpet is simply a "new carpet odor", just as you might find in a new car or other manufactured product.

Then people blame the latex in carpet, saying they have an allergic reaction to the natural glues.

Problem is, latex in today's carpet is also synthetic, which studies show does not contribute to allergic reactions.

How can you respond to customers and clients when they begin to question the value of carpet? Educate them. Have documentation from organizations such as the Carpet and Rug Institute. There are plenty of documents you can use as your education arsenal.

By Jeff Cross, senior editor

Carpet cleaners with many years of experience remember the days when red stains were removed with the heat transfer method.

They would first clean the stain, then wet the stain with the red stain removal chemical, agitate it into the fiber, and use a damp towel and iron to transfer the stain out of the fiber and into the towel.

That method is still used today, with positive results, but there are many other tools that make the job even easier.

Analyze the "red" Before you decide which method and which type of chemical is best for the red stain you are trying to remove, you need to determine the cause of the stain.

Was it red wine, Kool-Aid, a soft drink, or something else?

A good rule of thumb to follow is to simply put the red stain into one of two classes: Organic or synthetic.

The removal technique for red wine will be very different than the one for red Kool-Aid.

Also, the following chemicals and procedures work great on a number of colored stains, not just the red variety.

But it is the red stain that has given many a carpet cleaner second thoughts as to his profession of choice.

It goes without saying to always test for fiber content and test your cleaning product to ensure color loss or fiber distortion does not occur.

 Synthetic red stains These types of stains include, but are not limited to, some of the following:

• Kool-Aid
• Food dyes and coloring
• Medicines
• Cosmetics
• Fruit juices (that deep color doesn't come from the 1% fruit juice content!)
• And others

If this is the type of stain you are trying to remove, you need to use a reducing agent (sodium bisulfite, hydrosulfite, among others).

Most synthetic stains require a reducing agent.

You can prove it to yourself… simply make up a small amount of red Kool-Aid or put some iodine in water until you can see the coloring.

Mix up your favorite reducing agent (or use it straight, if you are using a one-part product) and add a small amount to the solution.

In a few moments you will notice the color start to change, and eventually the reducing agent will remove the red.

Any color left behind is much easier to remove. This is the type of reaction you will get by applying the same chemical to the same type of stain on the carpet.

Of course, the age of the stain and what the customer might have already tried (chemicals obtained from under the kitchen sink) can make the job a bit more difficult.

Also, the application of most reducing agents requires a wet towel and steam iron, which means you not only get the bleaching effect of the reducing agent, but also the heat transfer effect.

Be careful not to damage the fabric or original carpet color.

A safer heat method would be to use a wallpaper steamer, or simply put a wet towel on the stain and weigh it down with a small bucket of very hot water.

Organic red stains These types of stains include, but are not limited to, some of the following:

• Red wine
• Juice (grape, cherry, etc)
• Food coloring
• Ketchup and other condiments
• And more

An easy way to remember the type of chemical to remove organic red stains is to use word association: Oxidize organics.

Oxidizing bleaches (sodium percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) can work wonders as part of your stain removal expertise.

Again, you can prove to yourself how this works.

Pour some grape juice or red wine into a clear glass and add an oxidizing agent, mixed according to directions from the manufacturer.

In a short time you will notice a desirable color change.

As in the reducing agent procedure, the use of a wet towel and an iron will speed the chemical action and reduce the time needed to remove red organic stains.

A word of caution here: Be very careful with using high heat, as a strong oxidizing agent can remove original carpet color, much easier and faster than a reducing agent.

Jeff Cross is the senior editor of Cleanfax magazine and an industry trainer and consultant, and offers carpet cleaning marketing, disaster restoration marketing and contract cleaning marketing seminars and classes through Totally Booked University, and also IICRC technical training for carpet and furniture cleaning, spot and stain removal and carpet color repair. For more information, visit his technical training website and marketing training website.

In a recent conversation with Gordon Hanks, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bridgewater, I learned that the carpet cleaning business they started almost 40 years ago was based on the principle of “cleaning carpet so that we could sell protector.” 

At The Experience trade show in Las Vegas last year, I manned the carpet protector demonstration table for Bridgepoint and Interlink Supply and asked attendees if they cleaned carpet so that they could sell protector. For most, they immediately understood the point I was making, but there were a few that appeared baffled by the question. It was generally understood, after some explanation, that if you clean carpet for an hour that you can boost your profit 50 percent in just five minutes by apply protector.  

To some of our visitors to the booth, I asked another obvious question. “What are the issues with nylon and wool fibers that have created a need for protection?” Or, in other words, what pre-inspection condition was of utmost concern to both the cleaner and the owner of the carpet?

The common responses were “extreme soiling,” which is usually a combination of soil and oil; “staining” (nylon and wool have dye sites) from a variety of organic and synthetic stains and “extreme issues with urine contamination.”

A protector for nylon and wool carpet should provide oil and water repellency, protection against abrasive dry soils, anti-resoiling and stain resistance or release. 

The stain resistance or release comes from the use of an acid dye resistor, which essentially is a colorless dye that fills vacant dye sites. The concept works by limiting the number of dye sites that can be filled by staining material. The science of fluorochemistry prevents any protector from being great at all these requirements.

Based on my experience in the industry, it is readily apparent that extreme soiling is the easiest issue to effectively solve. Staining and/or urine contamination will be the primary concerns of the cleaner and the owner of the carpet. If staining will be the primary concern, then we need to use a protector which best limits these issues in the long term. 

In short, for protecting nylon and wool carpet, you can easily argue that stain resistance or release would be the primary feature that you will want in this type of protector.

The best choice

Surface repellency has long been oversold, in my opinion, for use on carpet. 

I recognize that this is probably the most important feature for an upholstery protector and a stone sealer. However, in the real world, stains easily overcome surface repellency. 

Most spills on carpet start from two to four feet above the carpet surface. The volume and weight of the spill break most of this surface tension immediately. This often is not an issue if the spill is wiped up within just a few minutes. 

However, in many situations, if the owner of the carpet is not immediately aware of the situation, then the staining material quickly overcomes the repellency and leaves a stain.

When hot liquids are spilled, they penetrate almost immediately. 

Protectors which provide the best surface repellency generally allow the carpet to re-soil at a faster rate than if no protector was applied. For example, solvent-based protectors designed for upholstery provide outstanding surface repellency, but are known for having softer polymers. The soft nature of these polymers will result in re-soiling.

The majority of the water-based protectors for carpet have an excellent profile in limiting resoiling. Some of these protectors will have the typical level of repellency and limited stain resistance and release. 

Another group of protectors will have excellent stain resistance and release and limited levels of surface repellency. Some of these formulas will have some fiber repellency as demonstrated by oil penetrating the surface, but not entering the fiber, but instead going only into the backing. This discussion should lead you to conclude that the best type of protector for a nylon and wool fiber is a formula whose strengths are stain and soil resistance with limited surface repellency.

Common problems

In our industry, cleaning technicians do not sell protector as frequently as they should.

The reasons can vary, but lack of conviction about the effectiveness and value of protectors is a primary concern. We recognized this concern and developed a demonstration kit which shows in dramatic fashion the value of acid dye resistors. 

One issue with conviction about the use of protectors is that they are sprayed on the carpet shortly before the technician leaves. The cleaner is not able to observe how well they work over time. I have often said that some carpet protectors sold in our industry would not survive if they were compared to common products, such as pre-sprays. An average pre-spray will be quickly called out by cleaners as worthless as they will see large gaps in performance.

Our suggestion is put your protector to the test. Simply use untreated carpet squares to test your protectors.  It is easy to compare different brands for repellency and stain resistance. Soil resistance is best seen by applying product to a light colored small area rug that has no protection. Spray different protectors on designated areas and place in a high traffic area. Rotate the rug often to try and equalize foot traffic and come to a conclusion over time. 

Once you have decided on your protector for nylon and wool carpet, based on performance, we suggest that you let your techs clean their own homes and apply protector everywhere. This will allow them, on a daily basis, to see the advantages of protector, and also gives them war stories to share with customers on how the protector worked for them. 

When you match conviction with special bonuses and a powerful demonstration, then you will see your protector sales climb through the roof.

End game

In short, you want to clean carpet to sell protector for the health of your company and for prolonging the useful life of your customer’s furnishings. 

Remember that a good protector is better than no protector. However, I believe that you need to determine which product best protects the carpet that you clean. Thorough testing by everyone in your company will help you make that choice. 

This process will also build conviction in the use of protectors among your employees, which will naturally result in increased sales.

A company that cleans carpet to sell protector will be a profitable venture for all involved.

Tom Forsythe has worked as chemist for Bridgepoint Systems for 15 years and has developed more than 150 products. He has formulated 10 protector products in both the original C8 version and the current C6 versions.

There's nothing more frustrating than spending time cleaning a carpet until it looks perfect, and then getting a telephone call a few days later telling you it looks just as bad — or worse — than before you cleaned it.

Although there could be other reasons for the complaint, many times this occurs because of recurring spots.

Recurring spots are spots that seemed to go away during cleaning, but then mysteriously show up after the carpet is dry.

Although some of the following information is common knowledge in the industry, reviewing it and explaining it to your customers or clients will help keep you out of trouble.

Prevention is good medicine

Although not all of your clients will subscribe to the idea of a fabric protector to fight future spots and stains, it’s a tool in your arsenal that will help.

A good fabric protector will repel spots and keep the fibers from absorbing what is spilled, giving you and the customer time to remove the spot before it becomes trouble.

Reality strikes

One of the problems in carpet cleaning is that many of your customers will use anything at hand to attempt “do-it-yourself” cleaning, thus destroying any protection and making the spot tougher to remove.

That means you are going to have to work harder.

Remember that “like attracts like,” and to remove spots means you have to use the correct spotter. But don’t use too much and be sure to rinse out all residues.

Leaving residues behind can be just as bad as not removing the spot in the first place.

An acid-side rinse helps remove more residues.

Remember, too, that when something is spilled, it can go into the backing of the carpet, and even further, and then it spreads out. Then, when you clean that area, the spot that was the size of a silver dollar ends up the size of a Frisbee.

That’s not good for your reputation as a professional cleaner.

Low-moisture cleaning is one tool to keep lurking spots at bay. Cleaning the surface and keeping the backing dry hinders wicking spots.

Air movers are smart, too, and reduce the time a spot has to “wick” back up to the surface.

When you just know, prepare

When your intuition tells you a spot is likely to return, you can treat the area, thinking ahead.

There are several treatments:

Smarter rinses
Use an acid-side rinsing agent to help strip residues and detergents from the carpet. Think about giving encapsulation rinses a try. Even better, precondition with an encapsulant to increase the polymer load on the carpet fiber surface. Cleaners are reporting a tremendous drop in call-backs by using encap preconditioners and rinses. This works by leaving crystallized polymers behind, which then encapsulate material that can create recurring spots.

Anti-soiling treatments
These are products that you apply to the area you think will resoil. These anti-soiling treatments “attract” the soiling residues and are later vacuumed away. Think of these as “liquid poultices.”

Beyond liquid poultices
Another poultice you can use would be of the powdered variety. Apply it to the spot, work it in, allow drying, and then vacuum the area.

A white cotton towel is an effective poultice. Fold it several times, lay it on the cleaned spot and put a weight on the towel and allow the carpet to dry.

The residues will transfer into the towel, which can then be washed. Don’t use anything valuable as the weight; the weight itself may get damp.

Less moisture, faster drying
This is a practice you should use at all times. There’s no reason to use too much water, and no reason not to use an air mover.

By using less moisture and keeping ventilation at a maximum, carpet dries faster and the wicking effect that is part of the cause for recurring spots is reduced.

Jeff Cross is the senior editor of Cleanfax magazine and an IICRC industry trainer offering carpet cleaning classes, furniture/upholstery cleaning classes and all types of marketing systems, including marketing to agents and adjusters and internet marketing for carpet cleaners and restorers.