Catch Dirt at the Door
Approximately 70 percent of carpet soil is tracked in from outdoors via foot
traffic. The rest of the building stays cleaner if dirt is collected and held at the entry point. To catch dirt at the door there are two important strategies. The first is to keep entrances clean outside. Clean entrances that are free from dust and litter outside reduce what may be
tracked or blown into the building and carried throughout the building. Frequent sweeping and cleaning around building entrances will reduce the amount of damaging soil that enters any facility.
Sweeping entrances is accomplished with brooms or mechanical and powered
sweepers. Washing the entrances is aided by waterbrooms, pressure washers and automatic scrubbing machines.
The second element that keeps dirt at the door is to provide adequate, clean mats
and matting at all entrances to the building.
Entrance mats and walk off mats catch and hold large amounts of tracked in
outside soil, at the door. A 12 to 15 foot entrance mat traps 30 percent of the incoming soil within the first three feet, and 85 percent is trapped within 15 feet. Also, place walk‑off mats in front of service elevators which are also the source of soil entering a building from the
outside.
Vacuuming is very important to the maintenance of carpet in a commercial facility.
Much of the soil tracked into a facility is dry soil. Vacuuming removes loose
dust, dirt and soil before it is worked down into the carpet. Soil that builds up deep in a carpet is removed by vacuuming and is more difficult to clean out of the carpet.
How to Increase Vacuuming Effectiveness
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Vacuum frequently in entrances and heavy traffic (funnel) areas
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Change vacuum bags before they affect cleaning efficiency
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Provide clean, efficient filters on vacuums
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Make sure that the brush is in contact with the carpet
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Check that the height adjustment on the vacuum is not too low or too high
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Check that the belt is not loose and is driving the brush
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Avoid beater bars on glued down carpet
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15% of household dust passes right through the bag. |
