With the constant traffic of people moving through your commercial space, your carpets can start to look rough in no time. The question for many businesses isn’t a matter of if they should have their carpets cleaned, but how frequently carpets need to be professionally cleaned.
As a locally-owned commercial cleaning company, Unified Janitorial Services has over 25 years of experience helping Bay Area businesses keep their carpets clean and presentable. How often carpets should be professionally cleaned depends on a few factors: carpet material, foot traffic, and type of commercial business.
Find out what the proper carpet cleaning schedule is for your building here.
How Often Should Carpets Be Professionally Cleaned?
To keep your carpets looking their best, we recommend having your carpets professionally cleaned anywhere from twice a month to once every six months.
Here's How to Tell How Often Your Carpets Need Cleaning
1. Carpet Color and Style
The composition of your carpet has a hand in how often carpets should be cleaned, including
- Carpet color - The lighter the carpet's color, the more often you should schedule professional carpet cleaning services.
- Carpet nap- This is the part of the carpet you see and walk on — for example, carpet yarn can loop or be cut in a specific direction. Foot traffic against the nap causes the pile to change direction and look different from the rest of the carpet.
- Pile type - Pile type is the height of the carpet fibers. High pile types, like plush carpeting, collect residue faster and take longer to clean.
- Density - Carpet density refers to how close the fibers are sewn into the carpet backing. Long, densely packed fibers attract dirt more easily.
If you’re not sure how often you need your carpets cleaned, our commercial cleaning experts can help! We'll determine your carpet type while explaining the differences in detail.
For more information on our commercial carpet cleaning services in the Bay Area, get in touch today!
2. Foot Traffic
How often your carpets should be cleaned also depends on the foot traffic in your commercial building. If you have a lot of traffic on your carpet, you should be vacuuming and having your carpets shampooed more often.
Removing carpet grime daily, or even a few times per week, will reduce wear and prevent traffic patterns from forming. Scheduled carpet cleaning services can also help extend the life of your carpets.
Does Your Business Vacuum Regularly?
Because vacuuming removes loose particles before they settle deep within a carpet’s fibers, vacuuming at least once a week will help your carpets last longer. In general, regular vacuuming also allows buildings to go longer between professional cleanings.
Regardless of how often you vacuum, however, you’ll eventually need to hire professional carpet cleaners to eliminate the dirt and dust from your carpets. If you rarely vacuum, now is the time to schedule a professional cleaning to extend the life of your carpets.
Unified Janitorial Services provides vacuuming and carpet cleaning as part of our janitorial services. Commercial carpet cleaning is reserved for our regular janitorial clients — we will not take individual carpet cleaning jobs.
3. Type of Commercial Property
The type of commercial property also determines how often carpets should be cleaned. For example, most medical facilities have sanitation protocols that require frequent carpet cleaning while office buildings may go months between cleanings.
Here are some general guidelines for how often each type of commercial property needs its carpets cleaned
- Office buildings - Depending on the number of employees, office buildings should have their carpets deep cleaned every six months to a year. Also, consider the conditions your clients and employees walk in before entering the building. For example, if you live in a rainy area, professional carpet cleaning is needed more frequently.
- Medical facilities - Because there are regulations concerning the cleaning and sanitation of healthcare buildings, they require routine carpet cleaning. Carpets in medical facilities should be cleaned every one to three months to prevent possible contamination.
- Schools - Most schools have their carpets professionally cleaned every three to six months. Industrial-strength products should be used to ensure all classrooms, hallways, common areas, and corridors are spotless.
- Banks - If your bank has a lot of foot traffic, we recommend having carpets deep cleaned every three to six months. As part of bank cleaning services, we’ll apply a protective solution to protect any high-traffic areas.
- Warehouses - Warehouse carpets should be cleaned quarterly. While your entire building might not need to be cleaned every three months, particular areas may need extra attention. With daily/nightly janitorial services, you can have different cleaning schedules for your high and low-traffic areas.
To keep your carpets clean on the day-to-day, Unified Janitorial Services will build a cleaning program to fit the particular needs of your business. Commercial cleaning services can be performed on a daily, weekly, or monthly routine. We’ll show up when you need us, as often as you want.
Professional Carpet Cleaning FAQs
How Does Carpet Cleaning Work?
Even if your carpets are vacuumed every day, they won’t be completely clean. Professional carpet cleaning works by employing different carpet cleaning methods, including
- Carpet shampooing - This method uses a scrubbing machine to work a foaming cleaning solution deep into the carpet fibers. Once the carpets are dry, a vacuum is used to remove dirt.
- Hot water extraction - Otherwise known as steam cleaning, hot water extraction uses a cleaning solution and hot water to break down debris within the carpet. Hot water extraction is commonly used by professional carpet cleaners because it deep cleans the threads of the carpet.
- Dry cleaning - Carpet dry cleaning is a low moisture process that picks up dirt and pollutants trapped in the carpet’s fibers. Dry cleaning doesn’t use as much water as carpet shampooing or hot water extraction, making it perfect for high-traffic areas that need to dry fast
- Spot cleaning - Spot removal is used to eliminate any carpet stains and is often used preventatively. This process ensures your carpets remain spotless after carpet cleaning services.
Generally speaking, the carpet cleaning method depends on the needs of your commercial property. For example, if you don’t have much time for carpets to dry, dry cleaning is the best option. However, if you’re looking for a deeper clean, carpet shampooing or hot water extraction is preferable.
How Long Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Take?
Typically, professional carpet cleaning takes anywhere between 3 to 12 hours. This time frame includes setup, cleaning time, and drying.
How long carpet cleaning takes also depends on several factors, including
- Condition of the carpet - Carpets that haven’t been professionally cleaned in a while take longer than carpets that are routinely cleaned.
- Size of rooms - Larger rooms require more effort and take longer to clean. For each large carpeted room, expect at least 10-15 minutes to be added to the average cleaning time.
- Cleaning method used - Most carpet cleaning methods take different timeframes to perform. Dry cleaning is better for regular janitorial cleaning, whereas hot water extraction is the preferred method for deep cleaning.
How Long Does It Take for Carpet to Dry After Professional Cleaning?
Carpets take 2-10 hours to dry after professional carpet cleaning. However, this time is calculated based on the cleaning method, carpet materials, and airflow within a building.
The best way to speed up the drying process is to use fans and turn on your building’s air conditioning or heating system. Areas with high levels of humidity, cold air, or poor circulation can have an adverse effect on the time it takes for carpet to dry after cleaning.
Is It Worth Getting Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned?
We’d say professional carpet cleaning is worth it, especially if you’re already paying for janitorial services such as warehouse cleaning or school upkeep.
One of the benefits of professional carpet cleaning is that it’s great for keeping your carpets like-new. Not only does regular cleaning help your carpets last longer, but it also saves you money by not having to replace carpets as often.
Commercial Carpet Cleaning Services in the Bay Area
As a locally owned business and a seasoned commercial cleaning company, we offer 24/7 support to our client’s requests. With over 25 years of experience, we proudly serve the Bay Area, including
For more information on our carpet cleaning services call us at 831-229-9120 or contact us today for a FREE quote.
