Protection. Longevity. Appearance.

The key to keeping carpets looking their best is approaching carpet care with a specific strategy. Carpet care can be broken down into five maintenance best practices, and Hillyard can help you excel at each.

Best Practice #1: Entry Matting

Since 85 percent of soil is tracked in by visitors’ shoes, entry mats that capture dirt are essential. Fortunately, Hillyard offers some fantastic options in its Gator Matting line. Hillyard Account Managers can meet with you and give you specific recommendations for the best entry matting for your facility.

Best Practice #2: Daily Vacuuming

High and moderate-traffic areas, including entry mats, must be vacuumed daily. By removing the soils daily, they won’t become embedded into the carpet fibers, causing damage. Beyond soil removal, vacuuming also removes dust and allergens from the building, improving indoor air quality and making it healthier and more comfortable for the occupants.

Best Practice #3: Prompt Spot Removal

By addressing carpet spots quickly, facility managers reduce the likelihood of the spot becoming a permanent stain. Two techniques are available to cleaning crews: spot extraction and encapsulation.

Spot extractors, like the MS2 Mini-Spotter, are lightweight and make extraction easy. As an added benefit, the MS2 Mini-Spotter is also capable of cleaning upholstery.

Hillyard’s Double Down® is a system that combines the power of hydrogen peroxide with polymer encapsulation to treat spots without extraction. The peroxide excels at brightening and deodorizing carpets. It reacts with soils to break them down without leaving a residue like traditional carpet surfactants. The polymer technology in Double Down encapsulates the remaining soil residue. After the polymer quickly dries to a non-tacky, crystal powder, vacuuming thoroughly removes it from the carpet.

Best Practice #4: Low Moisture Interim Cleaning

Low Moisture Interim Cleaning, an often-overlooked part step in carpet maintenance, is the key to keeping facilities looking great between restorative extractions. Hillyard Deep Action® for carpet encapsulation is specially formulated to encapsulate dirt, spots, and stains. After the application application of Double Down and mechanical agitation into the carpet fibers, the carpet will dry in about 20 minutes. Vacuum the carpet after drying to remove the encapsulated soil.

Hillyard offers two best-practice machines for interim cleaning, the Trident FMD 20 Orbital Floor Machine, and the ICS 17 Interim Cleaning System. The Trident FMD 20 is a versatile machine for hard floor maintenance and bonnet encapsulation carpet cleaning. The ICS 17 has two counter-rotating cylindrical brushes that lift and groom the pile during interim cleaning. Your Hillyard Account Manager can help you decide which one is the best for your facility.

Best Practice #5: Restorative Extraction Cleaning

Restorative carpet extraction cleans deep down to the base of the carpet. This deep-cleaning process helps extract soils missed by vacuuming and interim cleaning methods. Two best practice methods are available to cleaning crews: the “In-The-Tank” method and the Pre-spray method.

With the “In-The-Tank” method, the custodian uses a cleaning solution, like Hillyard HD Extraction Cleaner diluted per the instructions on the bottle, directly in the carpet extractor’s solution tank. This method extracts the solution almost immediately. The “In-The-Tank” process produces good results. However, the Pre-Spray method is even better.

To perform the Pre-Spray method, the custodian sprays the carpet with Hillyard Carpet Pre-Spray solution. After allowing the Carpet Pre-Spray solution to dwell for five minutes, the custodian extracts the carpet with Extraction pH Rinse in the solution tank, diluted per the bottle’s instructions.

Finally, regardless of the method used, place Trident FD 15 Floor Dryers throughout the area. High-volume airflow is the key to quickly drying the carpet and preventing mold and mildew growth. Carpets must be dry within 24 hours of cleaning to avoid mold and mildew growth.