by Brianna Crandall — July 5, 2019 — With the arrival of summer and all it entails, many businesses can expect heavier foot traffic, increasing the risk of carpet stains, wear and tear and even permanent discoloring and damage. To protect your carpet investment, Whittaker, a provider of low-moisture carpet cleaning with over 30 years of experience, offers the best practices and cleaning tips listed below to help prevent and remove tough carpet stains.
Joe Bshero, product manager, Whittaker, remarked:
From airports to hotels to retail stores, summer is a busy time for businesses and introduces numerous types of carpet challenges. Flooring is often the first thing customers see, so it’s important to properly care for carpet by both preventing spills and addressing soils immediately with the right equipment and chemistry.
To maintain spotless carpet during the summer season, Whittaker offers these tips to address some of the most challenging summer carpet stains:
- Beverages: A cold glass of sangria or an iced coffee is the perfect way to cool off on a warm summer day, but if it spills on carpet, a stain is unavoidable. Blot beverage stains with a towel immediately after a spill and use a spotting agent specifically designed to remove wine, coffee and juice stains in a simple one-step application. Add heat to address particularly stubborn beverage stains.
- Food: With condiments such as ketchup and mustard and treats such as ice cream, there’s an array of food stains to watch out for during the summer. To remove food stains, blot the area and use a spotter designed to remove things like oil, grease and dyes. If there’s a carpeted area particularly prone to food stains, treat the carpet with a stain-resistant additive.
- Grass: Due to chlorophyll, the pigment that gives grass its green color, grass stains soak into carpet fibers and stick around. The key to removing grass stains is to address them right away. Blot the area and use a spotting agent that targets tough-to-remove pigments and dyes.
- Mud: Workers’ and customers’ shoes can bring in mud from outdoor activities and summer storms. If mud is dry, thoroughly vacuum the area and spot-clean any leftover stains. If the mud is still wet, absorb the dirt and moisture by blotting the area with towels and apply a spotting agent. Agitate the stain until it is fully removed. To prevent debris from being tracked in, implement a matting program to catch dirt and mud at the door.
- Organic: In the summer, there’s an increased number of foodborne illness cases, pet visits, and trips and falls, resulting in organic stains like blood, vomit and urine. Always wear gloves when dealing with these stains and use an effective organic stain and odor remover for carpet to address soiling caused by bodily fluids.
- Paint: Some facilities repaint interiors during the summer, but these projects can result in drips and spills. Avoid this by covering carpet with plastic tarp and tape. If a paint stain occurs, use a water-based ready-to-use formula that is non-flammable. Finish with a spotter that encapsulates residue, and vacuum to remove.
- Tar: Construction season and hot parking lots can result in tar, grease and oil being tracked into a building and onto carpet. When tar and grease dries, it becomes difficult to remove, so blot the area while still wet if possible. Use a non-flammable solvent-based formula that targets tough oil and grease stains, and follow up with a carpet spotting agent.
A comprehensive carpet care program requires the right tools and cleaning solution, reminds Whittaker. For daily stain removal, the company offers its CARPET ROAMER Spotting Tool and its proprietary CRYSTAL Chemistry line, a low-moisture encapsulation carpet cleaning chemical and method developed by its founder over 25 years ago as a “revolutionary” alternative to the “disruptive, inefficient, expensive and sticky residue” cleaning systems commonly used to clean commercial carpet.
Whittaker’s CRYSTAL Chemistry line includes CRYSTAL SPOTTER, CRYSTAL RED STAIN, CRYSTAL ODOR & PROTIEN, CRYSTAL OIL & GREASE and CRYSTAL STAIN BLOCK. The line is Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) approved, Green Seal certified and WoolSafe approved.
For additional cleaning tips or more information on the CRYSTAL Chemistry line or the company’s other cleaning and spot-removal products and services, visit the Whittaker website.
