How to Extend the Life of Commercial Carpet

Newly cleaned commercial carpet in an office building.

To prevent carpet wear regular professional cleanings (maintenance programs) is important, however you can extend the time between cleans and therefore reduce the cost of good maintenance by following guidelines listed here:

Regular Vacuuming is the most important and for most businesses this should be done daily. If you run a small shop with just a handful of employees and only a few visitors, you can do this task every other day. All the dust and dirt that falls on and accumulates on the carpet throughout the day must be removed. Essentially, this layer of dust and dirt is like a sheet of sandpaper and when you walk on this it causes a great deal of wear and scratches the carpet fiber. You can clean dirt and spots, but not wear. Everything you see is reflected light, and the scratches or wear on the fiber reduces the reflection. As a result the carpet looks gray and dirty in that area (traffic lanes).
Rugs or floor mats at entrances and transitions from warehouse or kitchen/break areas. Obviously this protects the carpet from serious wear, but also from food and drink spills or spots.
Chair Mats under chairs protect the carpet from the constant crush and extra abrasion caused by wheels or legs. Don’t let your chairs grind away and wear your soft surface floors. Use chair mats on carpet, but also on any rug, vinyl composite tile (VCT), wood or laminate.
Spot Clean spills or spots. If you do not want to do this, have your janitorial staff carry a spotter. Make sure it is residue free (residues will cause the spot to reappear). There are only two spotters which clean residue free, Carbonated and Encapsulation — all others must be rinsed with water.