The average commercial carpet installation has a useful life of 8 years. With a proper cleaning and maintenance plan that useful life can be extended to over 20 years.

To find out how much of a difference, an effective carpet maintenance program can make to your bottom line, the example below shows, based on a 20,000 area at an initial installed cost of $4.50 per square foot a potential savings of $85,000!

Commercial carpet should be analyzed according to its construction, the type and frequency of traffic, and the soiling conditions encountered, and other extenuating circumstances, such as occupant activities, structure design and indoor air quality. Specialized maintenance and cleaning programs (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, etc.) should be developed based on individual needs.

Moreover, frequent cleaning of entrances and high traffic areas reduces the contaminants and soil particulates tracked in from outside the structure that accumulate in these areas.

One of the most critical, though often neglected, responsibilities of carpet owners involves effective routine maintenance. The useful life and appearance of carpet are affected substantially by the type, quality and frequency of maintenance procedures. Carpet that is properly cared for will provide many more years of beauty and service. Following the IICRC recommended four steps of carpet maintenance will protect your carpet investment.

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Why is data center cleaning so important?

The data center is the brain and central nervous system of the organization. Unclean areas negatively affect the performance and longevity of the equipment. One of the least seen but most dangerous culprits is dust, which can collect on server processors and act as a thermal insulator by impeding airflow. Overheated processors cause intermittent freezes, crashes and can fail prematurely. Large data center operations can lose up to $1 million per minute due to systems outages brought on by processor performance degradation.

What types of services do data center cleaning companies provide?

Cleaning services are typically provided in three situations: 1. for newly constructed data centers, both before and after the equipment is installed, 2. after a disaster or major renovation and, 3. as part of an ongoing maintenance program. Cleaning involves a number of different activities including debris retrieval, vacuuming, wipe down and the application of static dissipative cleaning solutions. It’s how it’s done that is important.

What all can be cleaned in a data center?

In short, everything can and should be cleaned. Inside the server areas one should clean under all access floors and within plenum spaces, access floor panels, server racks, CRAC (HVAC) units, UPS (power) units, light fixtures, walls and ceilings, and all non-raised floor surfaces. An often neglected area is outside the server environment including all carpeted and non-carpeted flooring, upholstered items such as chairs and systems furniture (modular) panels, lobbies, break rooms, loading docks and storage areas.

What goes into the cleaning process?

Work is typically performed in stages: 1) Above floor including light fixtures, racking, and equipment, 2) Under floor cleaning, and 3) Surface floor cleaning. Rack interiors, when cleaned, are done with a hover-vacuuming technique that avoids touching any of the wiring or equipment. Under floor cleaning involves removal of all “large” debris. The concrete sub-floor, risers and stringers, and conduit are vacuumed using the appropriate attachments, without touching any of the wiring or cable. Above floor cleaning involves vacuuming and cleaning with an anti-static solution appropriate for the flooring material. At all times the emphasis is on safety, through the use of cones, signage, safety glasses, clothing and, above all, a solid and consistent process.

What should companies look for in a data center cleaning vendor?

When looking for a data center cleaning vendor, it is important to look for companies with:

• Liability insurance coverage of at least $3.0 million
• Strong adherence to a consistent, safe and error free process
• Deployment of the most effective equipment and supplies for the given task
• Employees that are security clearance/background checked annually, and drug tested at least twice a year, with a high average technician tenure measured in several years, not a few weeks or months.
• A proven reputation for attention to detail and demonstrated competency
• Impeccable Client references
• Willingness to conduct a free test cleaning of a representative area of your data center
• When asked if you can sleep at night knowing they are on the job, you would answer unequivocally “Yes!”

How often should companies invest in a data center cleaning?

Frequency depends on type of facility, area within the facility, frequency of system maintenance/modification, interior and exterior environment, and age of the facility. Typical frequencies are:

1. Under floor: annually
2. CRAC/UPS and other systems/areas: annually
3. Top of floor: monthly to semi-annually

What are some “best practices” tips for data center cleaning?

1. Advise your insurer that you have an active scheduled data center maintenance program. Regular maintenance, including cleaning, is required by most risk management agencies.
2. Ask to see all debris retrieved from the cleaning process. This alone can justify the cost of the cleaning. (See the file photo attached.)
3. Don’t allow heavy pallets or carts onto data center flooring, eliminating a major cause of scuffing.
4. Require progress reports from your cleaning vendor, daily.
5. Standards: no food or drink, use sticky mats and change them daily, limit non-essential materials

For more information on how we can support your building operations please contact: sam@squarecare.com or call 1.800.200.9680.

Here are some tips on choosing the right carpet cleaning service:

Reputation: Choose a carpet cleaning service that is well known and liked in the business. Ask for references from the service provider.

Time in business: You need to find out how long the business has been in existence. Avoid businesses that are too new, or are trying to get a carpet cleaning franchise with little experience. Work with established businesses, who’s knowledge base of how to care for and extend the life of your expensive carpets can be trusted.

Cleaning methods: You do not want a carpet cleaning service that will damage your carpet with chemicals that can do more harm than good. Inquire regarding the carpet cleaning equipment and solutions to be used. You do not want your carpet ruined by the wrong process or wrong kind of chemicals, just to save some money.

Insurance: Verify that they have quality commercial coverage, with at least $3 million in liability insurance.

References: Check at least 3 references that have comparable sizes and types of facilities. A reputable company will allow you to speak with any of its clients.

Get the facts about carpet cleaning services: If you are considering water based commercial carpet cleaning service over dry carpet cleaning, then you need to know certain things such as weather the carpet backing is permeable or impermeable, how it is affixed to the floor, what type of yarn is used (loop pile or cut pile) and what fibers are used. With this information you can choose the right kind of carpet cleaning service.

Finally, be very careful with how much water is used in the cleaning process. More water used contributes to more water getting left behind in the carpet, causing problems such as molding, stretching and adhesive damage.  All of these ultimately reduce the useful life of an expensive carpet investment.

So before you go and hand over your carpet to a commercial carpet cleaning service, do all your research. Work with a carpet cleaning company who do knows what they are doing.