Carpet Cleaning Auckland – In just a few short months, facility managers across the country have had to become cleaning experts. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a new urgency to cleaning and disinfecting that simply wasn’t there before.
One thing they all have learned is that different surfaces have different cleaning requirements. Carpet can be particularly challenging to clean even in non-pandemic times: Muddy feet trample all over it, coffee gets spilled on it, and food crumbs settle into it. Worst of all, pathogens like bacteria and viruses get trapped in it. While area rugs and upholstered chairs can be removed, it is simply too impractical—and expensive—for most facility managers to remove all the carpet in their buildings and replace it with an easier-to-clean flooring type.
Despite the challenges, carpet can be part of a healthy environment with the proper care. Here are three things facility managers should keep in mind to ensure their carpets are cleaned as thoroughly and safely as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. Carpet cannot be disinfected, only sanitized.
Cleaning is not the same as sanitizing, and sanitizing is not the same as disinfecting. These terms are often used interchangeably, but there are some clear distinctions between them. In fact, carpet cannot be disinfected, only sanitized. As a porous surface, carpet contains small pores, or holes, that can collect dirt and germs. The good news is porous surfaces are less hospitable to viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Because viruses are trapped in the holes of the surface, they are less likely to transfer to other surfaces and therefore don’t survive for very long.
2. The right vacuum makes all the difference in carpet care.
A vacuum is essential for keeping carpet clean and healthy—but it is important to select the right one for your needs. A dual-motor upright vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system can be a vital tool for fighting COVID-19 in any facility. With one motor dedicated to creating the suction and the other motor dedicated to turning the brush, these powerful tools are extremely efficient, allowing the user to thoroughly vacuum a space in a single pass.
3. Robotics can be a game changer.
Vacuuming is a time-consuming and monotonous task. It can also be physically demanding; lugging around heavy vacuums can cause back pain, and the repetitive arm motions can result in shoulder, wrist, and elbow injuries. Autonomous vacuum sweepers can take over this job with little-to-no assistance. Once programmed with their routes, these collaborative robots, or ‘cobots’, can perform routine vacuuming effectively and efficiently, allowing cleaning staff to focus on other tasks that require more attention to detail, like disinfecting high-touch areas.
