Commercial Facilities and Vacuums

Often under specified and misunderstood is a commercial office vacuuming program. If most of the soil in the carpet can be removed by vacuuming, whose responsibility is it to remove that soil? Should it be done by the outsourced carpet cleaner or the in-house facility provider? With what frequency should it be performed? What type of vacuum should be used? Professional cleaners have the information necessary to ensure the optimum appearance and life of the carpet in a commercial building. The plain fact is that most buildings’ RFP (request for proposals) may include how often the carpet needs to be vacuumed, but little is stated or defined about how it is to be performed. If you are a facility manager in a commercial building, this is information that should be spelled out in advance. If fact, rarely do RFPs specify different CRI (Carpet & Rug Institute SOA Green Label Program) approved vacuums for different types of carpet or traffic areas in facilities. This is because little is known by the average property or facility manager about the difference between a backpack vacuum, counter-rotational brush machines, or beater bar vacuums. The problem with the vacuum cleaner is we trust it is being used properly. No, we’re not saying your facility is doing something wrong. We are merely pointing out the facts. Depending on traffic and the type of commercial building daily, weekly and monthly vacuuming using several different types of vacuum cleaners may be necessary. You might vacuum the cubical or offices less frequently than a high traffic area or an entrance area. We all know that proper vacuuming is important. Removing soil from your carpet improves indoor environmental air quality, protecting occupants from potentially harmful contaminants. Specifying the proper vacuuming frequency and vacuum machine is very important to the success of your integrated carpet and building maintenance programs. Talk to your commercial cleaning professional. They have the answers you need!