The Commercial Carpet Inspection
by Bob Goffredo

"To inspect is to know what to expect", has been taught to professional cleaners over and over again, but do they actually pre-inspect or just say, "It’s commercial and we’ll clean it the same way we have done in the past". If this is true, I would suggest you read on and see if these hints may be helpful.

When going to the commercial site, whether it is a restaurant, office building, factory or any commercial business location follow these guide lines and your cleaning operation should go smoothly.

Always listen to the customers problems and make a note of there main concern.

When going to a commercial site or any customers place of business, drive safely and park your vehicle in a proper parking place.

Observe and note parking areas for your vehicles and employees should you get the cleaning service requirement.

If using a truck mount system, check the location and distance to the door you would be using for cleaning.

If the entrance to the property is cluttered with leaves, dirt, trash or anything that has not been swept or cleaned when discussing the cleaning ask if anyone maintains this area and if they will be cleaning this area before your crew arrives.

Has the parking lot or driveway been sealer coated? If yes, how long ago and are there yellow or darkened walk areas? Olefin carpets love driveway sealer.

How old is the carpet? When was your carpet last cleaned? If so, when and what method was used?

What are the spots? Some will know others will guess and usually say it’s coffee. If near a rest room the spots could be from strong restroom cleaners or even bleach. A kitchen area could have just about anything and coffee stations besides coffee can be tea, herbal tea or cocoa. Entrance ways can have outside soil and grease, ice melting products and anything mother nature has to offer.

Location of the Janitors sink for water and waste water disposal.

If your using a truck mount system of cleaning, what doors can be left opened? What is the distance from the open door to the furthest place to be cleaned? This should be added to the distance from the truck to the open door for the exact distance. Don’t arrive with an insufficient amount of hose for cleaning, that can make you look like an amateur.

Will employees be told to pickup all loose objects on their office carpet, such as files, books, clothing, bags and anything that may cause delays or damage during the cleaning?

Who do you call in an emergency and who is the back up person to call?

Where are the Emergency exits and will any employees be working during the cleaning and where will they be working?

Phone numbers of the Police dept, Fire dept and other emergency numbers along with the location of the first aid center and fire extinguishers.

The entrance for bring in equipment and parking for the cleaning crew.

Do not talk about any cleaning equipment problems, help problems or any problems. This type of talk will bring unnecessary attention and may cause complaints or lack of confidence from the customer. Do not talk about politics or religious matters.

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