Chicago Chic Inlaid Logo Mats Cleaning and Maintenance Guidelines:
Regular daily maintenance and prompt action on treating spillages and stains will help prolong the life of
Chicago Chic carpets and tiles.

How often should they be cleaned?
Carpet and tiles should be vacuumed daily using a powerful upright cleaner with a rotary brush head or
beater bar.

What is the first action in the event of a spillage?
Remove as much of the spillage as possible immediately, then overlay an absorbent material and press
down as if blotting. A combination of capillary action and pressure will remove the majority of the spillage
and minimize staining.

What about residual stains?
Any residual stains may be spot cleaned by the use of the appropriate solvent or cleaning system. Care
must be taken not to use excess solvent, especially in the case of chlorinated (dry cleaning) solvent when
used on Anchorite ‘B’ backed carpet tiles.

How much of the area should be ‘dirt’ protected?
To achieve satisfactory results, a barrier carpet should be at least eight feet long.

How can I minimise wear on areas of particularly heavy traffic?
Either use a heavier duty tile or carpet or, in the case of tiles, simply rotate them with tiles that are not
subject to as much traffic. Remember that tiles can be easily replaced so keep some extra ones back
from the same batch should heavily soiled or damaged tiles need replacing. The basis of planned
maintenance is the regular cleaning of those areas that undergo regular traffic, typically only 20-30% of
an installation. Consequently, planned maintenance is cost effective and maintains the appearance of the
carpet at a high standard at all times. The required frequency and method of cleaning will be determined
by product type, color, traffic intensity and soiling type will vary widely from one installation to another. If a
planned maintenance program is followed through, the need for intensive wall-to-wall cleaning may be
required only once a year. The timing of deep cleans will be determined by the cleaning contractor based
on assessment of the type of soiling, the traffic frequency and the location within the building.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
Your carpet is not only a valuable investment but its appearance tells your visitors something about you.
The main object of a maintenance program will be to preserve, as nearly as practical, the original beauty
and appearance of the carpet and prolong its useful life. Preventative maintenance will protect your
investment, but you must plan, or program, that maintenance.

In the past, carpets have been neglected only to be cleaned when it was obvious that attention was
necessary. This is known as “crisis cleaning”. This approach is not only old fashioned but has been
proven to be a false economy. In addition to the carpet looking scruffy, its life is being drastically
reduced. Preventative maintenance, which has to be planned, will extend the life and enhance the
appearance of the carpet because the carpet “destroyer”-soil- will be effectively removed.

KEEP SOIL OFF THE CARPET
Shoe wiping mats, barrier mats and special soil traps collect most of the dirt before it reaches the carpet.
When these are placed properly at entrances from the outside, they reduce the amount of soil being
tracked into the main building. But, even with these precautions, soil will find its way into the building to
penetrate and damage the carpet or fine flooring.

When left in the carpet, soil particles penetrate and become difficult to remove. The particles, if not
removed, combine with atmospheric impurities, which dull the carpet’s original brightness. Additionally,
when walking on the carpet, the particles virtually grind and cut the fiber, thereby destroying your
investment.

DANGER AREAS
A further objective of preventative maintenance will be to confine the majority of maintenance efforts to
the areas with the most need. Foot traffic accounts for 80% of the soil deposited on the carpet, which
builds up in two main areas.

1) Track-off Areas:
Where foot soil is tracked from outdoors or from hard surface floors indoors. This is where the carpet
catches and holds most of the dirt.

2) Funnel Areas:
Where foot traffic is squeezed through concentrated areas such as a doorway or stairwell.
Soil builds up imperceptibly in these areas. That is why planned attention must be given in advance of soil
buildup.

Attention must also be given to the high risk areas where spills and stains easily occur, such as by
vending machines, drinking fountains and washrooms.

VACUUM CLEANING
The purpose of vacuum cleaning is to remove soil from the carpet and restore the pile. Naturally, heavy
traffic areas require more attention to remove dirt particles. These areas should be vacuumed at least
once a day, as should primary and secondary traffic lanes. Medium traffic areas should be attended to at
least twice a week. Light traffic areas and the rest of the carpet should be thoroughly vacuumed at least
once a week.

Even though time consuming, regular vacuuming is very cost effective and can remove up to 80% of
surface dirt.

A vacuum cleaner with a motor driven brush and beater bar does the best job of cleaning. The beater bar
loosens the compacted dirt making it easier for the brush and vacuum effect to remove the particles.
Operate the machine slowly back and forth and let it do the work. Don’t hurry- this is another false
economy.

The brushes of the cleaner must be kept free of lint and fluff. The belt should be free from damage and
have good tension and dirt bag should never be allowed to be more that quarter or at the most half filledor efficiency is reduced.

CARPET CLEANING
Routine vacuum cleaning does delay general cleaning but eventually the carpet color dulls. As dirt
compacts into the carpet, a point is reached where it is not collected effectively at the track-off areas.
The dirt is then carried further into the building to form more soil reservoirs. Additionally, the oil content
(15%) of the soil causes particles to stick to carpet fiber and resist vacuuming. To restore the carpet to its
best condition, frequent light cleaning gives the best result and is often very cost effective.

There are two main types of soil extraction cleaning systems- wet extraction and rotary disc.

Wet Extraction.
Used where there are heavy soil buildups and deep cleaning is required, this system works by spraying a
hot detergent and water solution under pressure into the pile immediately followed by extraction by a
vacuum head mounted adjacent to the spray nozzle.

Care must be taken with wet methods. Over saturation causes shrinkage and seam splitting. Drying time
can extend from several hours to a day or more. The operator must be skilled and have the experience
to understand the relationships between soil conditions, humidity and the amount of moisture to apply to
avoid over wetting.

REMOVING STAINS AND SPOTS
Remember to apply cleaning agent to a blotting towel rather than directly onto the carpet. First remove
any excess caused by stain, food, etc. and ensure that the area affected does not grow in size. Blot the
area with a full roll of kitchen towels in order that as much fluid as possible can be absorbed. Always
work towards the center.

Pretest your carpet by pre wetting a small area (2” x 2”) in an inconspicuous area with the solution you
plan to use. Blot the damp area with a white towel and look for any color absorbed into the towel, or any
color change on the carpet.

Dab the spotting agent onto the stain with the moistened towel- working from the outer edge of the stain
inward towards the center to keep the stain from spreading. For effective blotting action use pressure
from the hand- for even more pressure use the heel of the foot. Avoid the natural tendency to scrub.
Try blotting for a prolonged period of time. (The stain will naturally soak up into a weighted sack of
towels.) Stains marked with a “P” will definitely require professional attention.

*Traces remaining after procedure 2 should be treated with cooking oil, blotted and followed by procedure 1.

SEQUENCE OF PROCEDURES
Apply the following procedures in the correct order. Blot after each procedure.
Code Procedure
1- Solvent, blot, Detergent, blot, then water, blot.
2- Detergent, blot, Ammonia, blot, Detergent, blot, then water, blot.
3- Detergent, blot, Vinegar, blot, Detergent, blot, water, blot.
4- Detergent, blot, Ammonia, blot, Vinegar, blot, Detergent, blot, water, blot.
5- Detergent, blot, Ammonia, blot, water, blot, Solvent, blot.
6- Freeze with ice cubes, shatter with blunt object. Vacuum out chips, apply solvent, and blot (or, for
wax, place paper towels or bag over wax, iron with warm (not hot) iron to absorb).
7- Cool water, blot, Ammonia, blot, Detergent, blot, Ammonia, blot, water, blot.
8- Polish remover (not oily), blot and repeat.
Detergent Solution- Mix a quality carpet/upholstery shampoo or soap flakes dissolved at the rate of two
tablespoons per gallon of lukewarm water. Do not us washing up soap.
Solvent- Any consumer brand of dry cleaning solvent.

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THE MAT KING
740 West End Avenue; Suite 1
New York, NY 10025 USA

Phone: (646)998-4208
Fax: (646)998-4073
Phone: 800-442-6544
Fax: 800-Mats-Fax (628-7329)
Phone: 800-442-6544
Fax: 800-Mats-Fax (628-7329)