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One of the best things about carpets is that it can hold as much as seven times its weight in soils before it looks like it needs to be cleaned.

This ability to retain soils and allergens has proved very beneficial. At one time, carpeting was blamed for an increase in respiratory problems among school-aged children. However, in many schools when the carpet was removed, these problems increased, proving that carpeting helped protect indoor air quality.

Hard-surface floors are quick to show soiling, which could mean they need to be scrubbed or refinished to restore their appearance. This is both labor-intensive and potentially harmful to the environment. Carpets can go months, possibly years, before they need major cleaning restoration.

However, just because a carpet "looks clean" does not mean it is clean. More specifically, its appearance does not mean it is healthy for the indoor environment. This was confirmed and outlined in considerable detail at the recent Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) symposium held in June at the University of Maryland. According to studies conducted by microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba and biologist Sheri Maxwell, both from the University of Arizona, carpeting can be much more contaminated than once realized.

Much of their research into carpet contamination was conducted in medical facilities; however, they also presented information that dealt with carpets installed in homes, schools and even airplanes. The following are some of their findings:
• The carpets analyzed had 200,000 bacteria per sq. in., compared to a toilet seat, which had only 49 per sq. in.
• The number of endotoxins, a form of bacterial toxin, on airplanes was 51 EU/mg in the seat, but 140 EU/mg in the aircraft's carpet.
• Brush rollers on vacuum cleaners designed for home use had as many as 18,000 grams of bacteria covering at least 50 percent of the brush roll; E. coli was found on 13 percent of the brush rolls tested; and as many as 3,000 grams of mold were detected on some of the rollers.

This contamination, although it can remain under the surface for an extended period of time without impacting the carpet's appearance, certainly does not mean the carpet is healthy.

What this means for distributors

As most of us realize by now, today we are really more a part of the health industry than the cleaning industry. True, our customers -- which include schools and universities, as well as building service contractors -- turn to us for help with improving the appearance of their facilities. But, they are also much more conscious of the health ramifications that are the result of poorly maintained facilities -- to the point that cleaning for health is now the primary focus and appearance is secondary.

As with any challenge, there is usually a solution, and even better for jan/san distributors, an opportunity. The first thing we should do is educate our customers of the need for high-performance matting systems. A small mat at the door will no longer suffice. Instead, matting should be viewed as a system, which includes: placing scrapper mats outside, to scrape off larger soils from shoes; having wiper/scrappers placed directly inside a facility, to remove remaining large soils and particulates; and using wiper mats, to help remove remaining soils and moisture. With a high-performance matting system in place, estimates report that as much as 80 percent of the soils and moisture on shoes are removed by the time building occupants take their first step onto carpets and hard-surface flooring.

However, distributors must educate their clients that matting systems must be cleaned or replaced regularly. If they become impregnated with soil, they become ineffective.

Further, although carpet shampooing, bonnet cleaning and dry methods allow carpets to dry quickly, are relatively easy to perform, and the products and equipment involved tend to be inexpensive, these should be viewed as interim carpet cleaning methods, at best. Again, we must educate our clients as to the need for carpet extraction, the only system available to deep-clean carpets, removing the microbes that can harm health. Although there is mixed opinion regarding the value of heat when cleaning carpets, distributors should encourage their clients to follow the carpet manufacturer's recommendations on this.

Many benefits are evolving as cleaning becomes more technical and can be scientifically evaluated. The respect it is having is considerable and long overdue. It is also helping us to educate our customers on the value of cleaning. Often, when the economy takes a tailspin, cleaning is one of the first budget items to cut. Hopefully, scientific studies, as well as organizations such as CIRI, will cause our customers to look for other ways to cut costs, and leave cleaning where it should be -- a top priority.