How to Tell When Your Office Carpet Needs to Be Replaced
An office carpet isn’t just something you walk on. It’s important to realize that the carpet is actually part of the office environment, and that it’s also a health issue, and sometimes an OHS issue for various reasons. It’s also critically important to realize that commercial cleaning services are your best line of defence for keeping your carpet hygienic and prolonging its product life.
Recognizing the danger signs
There are several very straightforward ways of checking the state of your office carpet. Some are obvious, some aren’t:
- Dust in the air: If you see fine dust in natural light, it’s rising from the carpet. The carpet has become severely impacted, and dust which was ground down into the carpet and underlay is now being released. This will cause significant irritation, and even allergic reactions in some cases. These problems can cause absenteeism, because the allergic reactions can be quite debilitating. (Note to managers- People reacting like this also have perfectly legitimate causes for complaint in relation to the workplace environment. These complaints may be legally actionable in some cases. Best practice is to ensure that a work environment which is clearly causing health issues is properly managed and the problems eliminated.)
- Smells: A smell like mold probably is mold. It may not be visible, and may be under the carpet, but it’s not a good sign- You may have moisture issues related to plumbing in the area, and you may also have an office carpet which is literally rotting away under your feet. These molds may also cause sinus irritations and allergic reactions.
- Frays and surface damage- Depending on the type of damage, these obvious signs of wear are also a definite sign of chronic deterioration. The tears and frays are likely to cause further degeneration of carpet fibers. Wide splits in the fabric mean the carpet is effectively unraveling as it’s put under pressure. Carpets in this condition can also be OHS issues. They can be tripping hazards, and because they can move, and/ or unstable surfaces for furniture and equipment.
- Toxic carpets- Some carpets, particularly older ones, require massive efforts to clean. They have so much dirt and other materials in them that they’re more like mud puddles than carpets. Modern industrial cleaning methods like deep cleaning and carpet restoration can do wonders with these carpets, but the old broadlooms really are extremely difficult to clean in these circumstances. If the carpet is too far gone, you’re better off getting a new carpet.
The good news about office carpets
There’s a new type of commercial flooring on the market. This is a new design of carpet tiles which are much more durable and far easier to maintain. The new carpet tiles have their own backing, and they can even be customized using new software for visualizing office designs.
These tiles are glued, not stitched, together. This makes their joins more secure than stitched joins as traditionally used. They can be replaced easily and don’t require more than a few minutes, not hours, to be maintained.
If your office carpet is on the way out, give these carpet tiles a look. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised.