How Often Should Commercial Carpets Get Cleaned?

Commercial carpet inevitably gets dirty over time, and when your clients walk into your office, it is usually the first thing they see. The last thing you want is to tarnish your client’s perception of your company based on soiled carpets.

Keeping your floors and overall workspace clean is not only a matter of reputation but also safety. 

Every employer has a responsibility to their team to maintain a clean and safe working environment. As a result, fewer people become ill — viruses can’t spread as quickly when everything is properly cleaned and sanitized.

Another perk of decluttered offices is your employees’ productivity. When everything is well-organized and mess-free, everyone can focus on their task in a pleasant and professional working environment.

Overall, maintaining your facility makes a good impression on your clients and enhances the morale and productivity of your staff.

When it comes to carpet cleaning, many factors affect how often you should clean it. 

Factors That Affect How Often Commercial Carpet Should be Cleaned

Every company should have regular carpet upkeep, no matter how big or small a company is. Carpets get dusty fast, so they should be vacuumed and maintained daily. Deep cleaning and other carpet cleaning tasks can be performed more sporadically, and the need for it depends on various factors, such as the type of industry you’re in, color, amount of foot traffic, and type of carpet you have. Some need detailed maintenance twice a month, while some can get away with once every six months.

Depending on the following factors, you can roughly see how often the carpets in your workplace need a deep cleaning. 

Type of Business

Not every industry requires the same level of cleaning and maintenance. For example, it’s enough for office building carpets to be deep-cleaned every six to twelve months, depending on the number of employees and the total foot traffic.

Retail stores have more frequent customers coming in and out of the store, which results in heavier foot traffic that requires a cleaning every three to six months.

Schools and educational facilities usually have a schedule of carpet cleaning every three to six months as well.

On the other hand, restaurants and bars should maintain a more frequent schedule and deep-clean carpets quarterly. Greasy stains and spills are better addressed right away than waiting for them to get deep into the surface. 

Hospitals, healthcare providers, and educational institutions are facilities where proper deep-cleaning and regular sanitation are critical. The past two years taught us the dangers of airborne viruses and contaminants. There was never a more significant urgency for hospitals to increase their carpet sanitation schedules to the maximum.

Color and Type of Carpet

Carpet pile type, nap, and color will affect your cleaning schedule. 

You should vacuum daily if you have a light carpet with a high nap. The type and depth of the carpet’s pile also affect how often it has to be deep-cleaned and vacuumed.

Vacuum cleaning is essential almost daily if you want it to seem fresh and prevent dust and grime from building up in the fibers.

Amount of Foot Traffic

The amount of foot traffic your company receives is one of the most significant factors determining how often commercial carpet cleaning should be done. The more employees and clients you have, the greater foot traffic, which results in a more frequent carpet cleaning schedule.

Low-traffic areas such as conference rooms don’t need to be vacuumed and cleaned more than once a week, while high-traffic spaces such as offices and hallways should be vacuumed daily.

Hiring professional carpet cleaners twice a month is also something to consider for areas exposed to high foot traffic.

Types of Commercial Carpet Cleaning

Your office carpet’s type, condition, age, and even accessibility to your workspace play a role in choosing the proper commercial carpet cleaning procedure.

Some carpets are made of sensitive materials. Consequently, not every cleaning method will be suitable for these delicate fibers. If left for non-professionals to handle the cleaning, it can result in severe damage, which no one wants after spending top dollar for a high-quality carpet.

Here are some of the most effective and standard methods for professional carpet cleaning.

  • Vacuuming: It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to keep your carpet dust-free. It would be best to use a high-quality vacuum cleaner and go over the carpet in multiple directions to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency.
  • Shampooing: Your expert cleaners may shampoo your workplace carpets using rotary brushes and hot water extraction if you haven’t been able to maintain them properly.
  • Dry Foam Cleaning: Because dry foam carpet cleaning allows your carpet to dry quicker than shampooing, it’s ideal for businesses that can’t afford long periods of downtime. Once dry, the dirt will be easy to remove from the surface by regular vacuuming, thanks to a foam spray cleaning solution.
  • Bonnet Carpet Cleaning: A rotating floor machine (a bonnet) with a cleaning pad saturated in solution is used for bonnet cleaning. This procedure cleans the face fibers of your business carpet, but not as thoroughly as hot water or shampooing treatments. 
  • Restorative Hot Water Extraction: This method is excellent for thorough and deep cleaning. First comes shampooing, which helps get rid of the surface dirt and grime, and then it’s time for hot water extraction to remove more deeply embedded dirt and debris. This technique is perfect for carpets that are old and neglected.

So, What’s the Answer?

As a general rule of thumb, carpets should be cleaned immediately after spills or damage, while regular vacuuming should be done at least once a week — if not every day.

Professional cleaning should be performed once or twice a month, while it is okay to deep-clean your carpet once or twice a year. Again, it all depends on the factors above.

Keeping up with commercial carpet cleaning in-house can be difficult and very time-consuming for businesses with high foot traffic and ample square footage. Not to mention that it affects employee morale if they have to participate in daily cleaning — a task they’re probably not employed to do.

When the thought of in-house cleaning is too much, consider hiring a commercial cleaning company to help. Professionals will know how to properly maintain your carpet without causing damage or letting dirt build up.

Choosing a trusted cleaning service to partner up with can be quite a daunting task if you’re unsure what to look for. Here are tips to help you choose a commercial cleaning company.