Business owners and building managers in Winnipeg will have many things to do throughout the day, and managing cleaning and maintenance is part of their job. Most days, this only involves minor cleaning and housekeeping.
Sometimes, though, you have a little more to do—accidents can happen at your establishment or offices. As the building manager or owner, you don’t have to clean it yourself, but you have to know what to do about it. Here are things to keep in mind when addressing wet carpets at work.
Should You DIY a Wet Office Carpet
Before attempting to clean and dry your carpet, find the source of the leak. If it is rainwater, a broken pipe, or an overflowing sink, you can consider it “clean.” Only attempt to handle this kind—it’s likely not contaminated, so ordinary cleaning and drying measures are suitable.
“Gray” water usually comes from broken sump pumps, leaking toilets, broken fish tanks, and leaking washing machines. It has microorganisms that could cause sickness. “Black” water is the most toxic and can cause severe infections. If the water that soaked your carpet looks gray or black, call commercial carpet cleaners immediately.
The Best Carpet-Drying Process
According to Darren Chalus, owner of professional residential and commercial carpet & upholstery cleaning service Superior Chem-Dry in Winnipeg, MB, there’s an ideal way to dry then clean a wet carpet. First of all, he recommends that you keep people from walking in the affected area. “The more you press on the carpet, the deeper the moisture seeps into it,” he says.
Besides removing foot traffic, he recommends moving desks, chairs, and other heavy pieces out of the way to prevent them from getting soiled. Throw out things that you cannot repair and shut off the power in the affected area to prevent electrical shock. According to Chalus, you can start the actual cleaning process after doing all of these things.
Remove as Much of the Water as Possible
Before attempting to dry the area the first thing to do is remove as much moisture as possible. A wet-dry vacuum can help you do this on small leads and spills, but for larger areas professional weighted extraction is often required to remove enough of the moisture load. Keep an eye on the tank—don’t let the motor run when the tank is full. Use highly absorbant microfibre towels to soak up water you weren’t able to vacuum. Spread the towel over the damp area and step on them until you saturate the cloth. Keep repeating this with fresh towels until you cannot collect any more moisture.
Use a Fan to Dry it More Thoroughly
Next, Mr. Chalus recommends creating airflow to dry the carpet thoroughly. Set up hi-volume fans in the affected space, open doors and windows, and let the air move through the area. If you’re only drying a small area or patches of moisture, you may be able to use a hair blow dryer instead.
Inspect the Floor for Moisture
Once you’ve soaked up the worst of the seepage and dried it with a fan, pull back one of the corners of the carpet. Check if the pad or the subfloor is wet. If it is, you should call commercial carpet cleaners immediately.
“A wet subfloor means a potential mold problem,” says Darren Chalus. “You need to address it before it gets worse.”
How Commercial Carpet Cleaning Helps
Professionals use the best equipment and cleaning solutions, and they will know exactly what type of disinfectant to use on your office’s carpet. Since they’re familiar with different floor coverings, they’ll know which solutions and materials are compatible with each other. When you hire cleaning experts, you’ll have peace of mind that your office floor won’t have mould and mildew issues, and your carpet will look new.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning office carpets can be a time-consuming process. If you are a busy building manager or business owner, hire a professional and reputable carpet cleaner. Doing so saves you time and effort, prevents sickness from mould, mildew, or contaminated water, and allows you to get back to normal operations in no time.
Superior Chem-Dry is a reputable, top-notch residential and commercial carpet cleaning firm in Manitoba. They are known and trusted for their sustainable carpet cleaning process, ensuring the safety of their customers and the environment while ensuring a deep, thorough cleaning. Get a free estimate or call them at 204-284-0399 today!
