CARPET CARE
Clearing the air on
carpet care
Although carpet cleaning has not received as much attention as other aspects of cleaning during COVID-19’s focus on hyper hygiene, it is a crucial element that can contribute significantly to healthier buildings and superior indoor air quality when it is done properly.
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n the back of growing demand for carpet-cleaning machines during the pandemic, industry veteran Tony Antonious says customers are demanding two key things. “It’s all about speed and efficiency,” says Antonious, the owner and managing director of Polivac International, a manufacturer and distributor of commercial and industrial cleaning equipment. The emphasis in the wake of COVID-19 has been on targeting dirt and debris in the carpet pile with powerful carpet extraction machines and vacuums. “People are asking for stronger pumps,” Antonious says. 46 INCLEAN July / August 2022
Words Cameron Cooper “They want to clean the carpet quicker, so they need a small, powerful machine that they can fit into the back of station wagon and move quickly. They’re easier than the bigger truck-mounted machines.” A new pandemic-led focus on indoor air quality has also led to cleaners and facility managers opting for more frequent cleaning of carpet, according to Antonious. Any commitment to more regular carpet care should be welcomed in the quest for cleaner and more hygienic workspaces as far as Hako Australia managing director Frank Cupido is concerned. “At the end of the day the key is the frequency of the cleaning and the quality of the equipment,” he says.
While acknowledging that scientists believe carpet is crucial because it acts as an indoor air filter by collecting and trapping volatile organic compounds that can harm people’s health, Cupido says that is only part of the story. An effective combination of quality vacuums and appropriate HEPA filtration is essential. “HEPA filtration is important because it’s what captures and emits the cleaner air out of the machine, so it’s a barrier,” Cupido says. “But it doesn’t matter how good the HEPA filter is if the machine has a terrible vacuum motor without the appropriate amount of power. You need a certain amount of air-flow capacity in order to draw dust into that filter and exhaust the clean air out of it.”