An office carpet should look pristine and clean if you want to create the right impression of your workplace. However, it’s surprising to discover how many stains can find their way onto the average office floor. Spillages are incredibly common, and some very unusual substances seem to find their way into the fibres of your flooring. Take a good look at your office carpet and you’re sure to find some of the following most commonly found office carpet stains:
Coffee Spillages
The number one office carpet stain has to be coffee. The most common drink in the workplace often seems to end up on the floor more often than it ends up in the stomach’s of its occupants, but it can leave some serious marks that will be especially visible on light coloured flooring. If you accidentally spill coffee, you should take action quickly. Cover the soiled area with kitchen roll and press down using your palm to try to absorb the fluid.
Avoid rubbing or scrubbing the stain as it may cause it to spread. Once the fluid has been removed, spray the area with cool water and blot with a damp, clean cloth until the stain has lightened in colour. Mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with a cup full of water and then spray it onto the coffee stain and blot with a clean cloth. Continue until the stain is gone and then blot with kitchen roll until all of the excess fluid is gone.
Ink Stains
Ink is a common stain hazard in the office environment. From printer ink to broken ballpoints, it is also one of the more tricky stains to remove as it is very easy to spread. Rubbing alcohol dabbed on the area is the only real solution, however it runs the risk of permanently lightening that area of carpet.
Blood
The last stain that you’d expect to find on your office carpet might be blood, however a surprising amount of it ends up on workplace floors. From nose bleeds to accidental cuts and scrapes, blood can be a pain to shift. Swift action is key to its removal, so try to blot up the stain as quickly as possible and always use cold water to blot the area rather than hot water as this will set the stain rather than removing it.
Chewing Gum
Even though chewing gum isn’t recommended in most workplaces, it is still one of the more commonly found stains on office flooring. Gum is especially difficult to remove because if it isn’t immediately picked up as soon as it is dropped it can get stuck in the fibres leaving an unsightly and sticky residue. While the gum itself can be scraped off using a knife, the sticky remaining residue needs to be cleaned off carefully using a toothbrush and methyl salicylate which is a loosening agent.
Of course, when you’re in a working environment, the office occupants are usually far too busy doing their job to waste time cleaning stains off their carpet. A professional office carpet cleaning company can tackle the job, returning the flooring to its original condition and ensuring that the office creates the right impression to visitors once more.
