Dirty Carpets Reduce Facility Credibility

Dirty Carpets Reduce Facility Credibility

Regardless of the facility type, first impressions count, and they start with the floor, resulting in significant losses for businesses that fail to prioritize cleanliness and occupant safety.

Dirty Carpets Reduce Facility Credibility - Palmdale, Lancaster, Bakersfield, Fresno, Valencia

Dirty Carpets Send Customers Walking

Everyone knows that first impressions count, but few are aware of where those impressions start or how quickly a prospective customer can be lost forever.

According to a recent Harris Poll conducted on behalf of Whittaker Systems, 93% of those surveyed stated a dirty carpet would negatively impact their impression of a business or organization.

Dirty carpets most adversely affected consumer impressions of:

  • 80% - Hotels.
  • 72% - Long-term care facilities.
  • 70% - Apartment and condos where the common area was considered dirty.
  • 66% - Retail locations.
  • 64% - Office buildings, and;
  • 58% - Schools and universities.

When asked how they would respond when encountering a facility with a dirty carpet, respondents stated:

  • 58% - Assume the rest of the facility wasn't clean.
  • 56% - Look for an alternative facility.
  • 50% - Spend less time in the facility, and;
  • 47% - Tell friends, family, and coworkers about the lack of cleanliness.

Source:

 

Floor Care 101

A common question regarding floor care is, "how often should the floor be cleaned?"

Unfortunately, there is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer.

That's because the level and regularity of service and maintenance are contingent upon several criteria, including:

  • The type of facility.
  • The volume and type of traffic, and;
  • The age and type of the floor.

As an example, a high traffic veterinarian office would need to have their floor serviced more often than a low-traffic small office.

Stripping and waxing, scrubbing and recoating, and shampooing or deep extraction services for extensive facilities can be expensive.

Regular, high-performance floor care and maintenance, such as:

  • Vacuuming with a commercial-grade vacuum cleaner every day.
  • Regularly scrubbing hard floors in accordance with foot traffic.
  • Mopping with a flat head microfiber mop every day, and;
  • Cleaning up stains immediately;

will lengthen the time between deep cleaning services and help keep the cost of floor maintenance down.

Additionally, the strategic placement of floor and walkway mats will significantly reduce wear and tear, as well as dirt and stains on heavily trafficked walkways.

 

Germ Prevention Through High-Performance Floor Care

The outside of the average shoe contains hundreds of thousands of bacteria, including E.coli and Klebsiella.

A study conducted at the University of Arizona examined germs on shoes and found an average of 421,000 bacteria on the outside of shoes, with nine different strains of bacteria.

Some of the harmful strains found on shoes included Escherichia coli, otherwise known as E coli, which can give you intestinal infections, diarrhea and in rare cases, meningitis; Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause urinary tract infections; and Serratia ficaria, which can cause respiratory infections.

3 Gross Reasons You Shouldn’t Wear Shoes In The House

Further, there is some evidence that COVID-19 may not only survive for hours on certain surfaces, but that shoes may be spreading the virus from high-traffic commercial facilities, such as grocery stores, to our homes and other facilities.

A study published by the National Institutes of Health [...] showed that the virus can live on cardboard for 24 hours and for two to three days on stainless steel and plastic.

However, shoes can be a potential source of contamination [...] especially if they’re worn in heavily populated areas (in grocery stores, on mass transit, etc.) and in workplaces.

Infectious disease specialist Mary E. Schmidt said the time can actually be five days or more (according to studies done on materials closely related to shoe materials at room temperature).

However, whether you wear sneakers or work boots, [...] it’s important to paying attention to the sole.

The sole of the shoe is the breeding ground of more bacteria and fungi and viruses than the upper part of a shoe.

Can Coronavirus Live On Shoes And Be Brought Into Our Homes?

 

Takeaway

Dirty carpets and floors significantly reduce the credibility of a business and speak volumes to employees and consumers regarding how much an organization does or does not care about the people who work, shop, or learn there.

Additionally, dirty floors and carpets facilitate the transmission of germs and bacteria, including, potentially, COVID-19, meaning routine high-performance floor care isn't just about ensuring your facility looks good or makes money, but that it is doing what must be done to protect the health and safety of those who come in and out on a daily basis.

If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance floor care and maintenance, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059

In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Palmdale CA, or Lancaster CA, call (661) 371-4756


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley