Be smarter than the dirtby Jeff Cross

Soil composition can create cleaning challenges that are not always expected.

Soil is defined as anything foreign to the carpet - and some soils are very troublesome, especially when the soil is found on a fiber that "likes" that kind of soil. A successful cleaner is "smarter" than the soil.The three types of soils are:

• Water soluble (about 10% of soils)
  • Solvent soluble (about 10% of soils)
    • Insoluble (about 80% of soils)

    Water soluble soils can include starchy materials, food spills, etc. Solvent soluble would be tars, inks, oils, etc. Insoluble would be sand, clay, gypsum, skin or dander - basically, anything that will not dissolve in liquid.

    Let's do some sleuthing and determine a cleaning plan for some typical carpet challenges.

    Let's be smarter than the dirt.

    Look at this photo. It was taken at a major university, in an office where students walk up to a counter, stand and fill out paperwork, talk to administration, etc.

     

    As you can see, there are heavy amounts of soil in the carpet. And the soil isn't the type that responds to dry vacuuming. They are "ground" into the carpet pile.

    The challenge

    This is a "commercial" setting (photo above), which means heavier amounts of soil is brought in from the outside because shoes remain on, as opposed to most residences, where occupants are encouraged to remove their shoes at the door.

    Adding to that problem, not many feel the inclination to wipe their feet - after all, this isn't their home, and they don't have to do the cleaning.

    Although you can't see the outside ground area at this location, it has a concrete sidewalk, but also many areas of "dry dirt" (this often gets wet with inclement weather, so foot traffic picks up more water soluble soil.)

    On top of that, an asphalt roadway leads up to the building, which contributes a different type of soil - oily, which is solvent soluble.

    There are also sandy soils outside the entry - contributing to insoluble soils.

    All of this adds up to all three classes of soils - in various amounts - being brought into the building and deposited on the carpet above.

    Adding insult to injury, the students "grind" these soils into the carpet as they stand at the counter. The longer it takes them to complete their business, the harder the cleaning of the carpet becomes.

    Cleaning solution

    To determine the best cleaning solution, you have to think about how the soil got into the carpet.

    It took a lot of agitation to get the soil ground in as they are in the photo. This means it will take a lot of agitation to remove the soil.

    Since most soils are insoluble, it's important to vacuum completely areas such as in the photo above. However, keep in mind that many insoluble soils are ground into the carpet fibers and will not respond to vacuuming.

    Many carpet cleaners apply a quality preconditioner, allowing some dwell time, and then rinsing the carpet.

    Then they are upset, after cleaning, because the appearance of the area is still terrible.

    Many of the problems can be solved with sufficient agitation - either with a simple carpet groomer, a brush, or a mechanical machine (brush on rotary machine, cylindrical brush machine, etc).

    The key, then, is agitation, and plenty of it, with the best chemical action that matches the soil and fiber surface. But just be careful you don't use too much agitation that it damages carpet fibers.

    To help remove the smaller particles that remain in the carpet, and that keep the carpet looking "gray", you can also use an oxygen booster, which will also brighten the appearance of the finished, clean carpet.

    Be sure to use the best detergency for heavy soils.

    Dirty appearance (apparent soil) that remains despite your best, professional cleaning efforts is not your fault; damage is.

    Specific soil challenge

    Next, we have another challenge. This one is mainly "water soluble".

    Look at the photo below. Before reading past this paragraph, analyze it and try to determine what caused it and what types of soils are present... then, after coming to a conclusion, read on.

     

    This spot is in a hallway near a kitchen area (still in a commercial setting), with a door that is typically shut and locked.

    No one really knows how this spot got onto the carpet, but it probably follows a typical scenario:

    Someone is carrying a cup of coffee, tea, or a can of Coke. As that person comes up to the door, he or she gets out a key and tries to juggle the beverage in the crook of an arm while attempting to open the door.

    The inevitable occurs. The beverage drops and spills and saturates the carpet, creating the spot in the photo above.

    Now you have a water-soluble spot that needs more water-soluble cleaning procedures. If a full 12 ounces or more was spilled, you will need enough cleaning agent to dissolve that amount of soil.

    The soils are not ground in but still needs some agitation, but more importantly - more flushing .

    And what you see on the surface isn't the entire story. What's in the backing and on the subfloor can create troubles, so the flushing is important.

    Drying is next. Many, many dry vacuum passes is best, followed with a toweling or bonneting of the area, and then speed drying.

    Remember, on the cleaning pie, flushing is part of "agitation". So the more flushing, the more agitation you are using.

    Leaving a weighted poultice (white, cotton towel with a weight) after complete cleaning will also help with the possible wicking action.

    Application of an anti-soiling agent also helps.

    This procedure is just one of several that will work on a spot such as in the photo. Bonnet cleaning and dry compound cleaning will also be effective in this scenario.

    With the cleaning chemistry and tools available to carpet cleaners today, there is no reason not to be successful in removing virtually any type of soil in any soiling situation.

    You just have to be smarter than the dirt. Analyze the soils and plan your cleaning protocol accordingly.

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