Clean carpets improve confidence in businesses

A recent Harris Poll has discovered that a well-maintained carpet influences how much confidence 83% of respondents have in an organisation.

A stained carpet that shows signs of wear and discolouration negatively impacts how people perceive an organisation. The importance of clean carpets in an establishment has increased since the pandemic, which has focused attention on hygiene. Clean carpets in hotels and restaurants make customers feel confident about the cleanliness of the kitchens and other facilities.

Over a third of the people who took part in the Harris Poll survey said that clean carpets in shops, offices, schools and care homes show that an organisation has a commitment to cleanliness.

High-quality carpets in Chester and North Wales premises will last a long time and will continue to look attractive, provided they are cleaned regularly. In commercial premises, daily vacuuming is recommended, with regular deep cleaning to remove stains and bacteria that gets trapped in the pile.

The Harris Poll was conducted for Whittaker, the organisation that owns the brand Smart Care, a commercial carpet cleaning system. According to CleanLink, a cleaning expert at Whittaker, Joe Bshero, recommended hiring a professional carpet cleaning service, and he added:

“A strategic carpet care program incorporates high-quality chemistry formulated for various types of stains and soils, as well as reliable equipment that keeps carpet looking its best.”

Carpets that are cleaned regularly are safe and hygienic, and therefore won’t spread the Covid-19 virus to staff and members of the public.

How can you protect laminate floors?

Able to appear like hardwood, but far more affordable and easier to install, laminate flooring has become an increasingly popular selection for both commercial and residential buildings. It’s worth noting, however, that along with resembling a wood floor, laminate also shares many of the same weaknesses.

To help homeowners and enterprises with laminate flooring meet these challenges head on, we’ve compiled some important points on how to keep this type of floor in tip-top condition.

What is laminate flooring?

A hybrid floor material, typical laminate is made using a wood board core, an image layer that looks like real wood and a protective wear layer. Invented in Sweden back in 1977 by a company called Perstorp, it was originally designed to put waste wood to good use to create a durable flooring solution. Today, numerous enterprises supply laminate, and it can be found in a wide variety of applications, like living areas, bedrooms, hallways and office receptions.

Protecting laminate flooring from water

Just like wooden floors, the number one enemy of laminate is water. Laminate floorboards contain medium-density fibreboard substrates that absorb water. This process can happen gradually, which means that water damage is not always immediately apparent. However, once the boards have soaked up the liquid, they will swell up, causing them to buckle and bend. Not only does this ruin the appearance of your floor, but it renders them susceptible to damage. Cracks and splinters can occur and raised corners will chip, making them look even worse.

To prevent this happening, first and foremost, tackle spills instantly. Ensure any standing water is quickly dried up to avoid damage. It is particularly critical that any spilled water is not allowed to enter between the joints. When you’re cleaning your floor, remember never to use water, but instead a dedicated cleaner designed for laminate flooring.

Among the best approaches to defend your flooring against water is adding a topcoat of polyurethane. However, this is often a job best left to the professionals, as it can be a tricky task. Most laminate has a resin layer that rejects any coating processes, so you must build up layers of protection gradually, adding a coat and letting it dry before applying another one.

After laminate is installed, the joints between planks should be sealed to stop unwanted moisture seeping in. Floor sealant is ideal, as it won’t glue gaps too tightly, which can make it impossible to remove them when repairs are necessary.

Protecting against scuffs and scratches

Add soft coverings to the feet of heavy furnishings like sofas and tables to prevent scratches on your floor when you move them. If you have pets, keep their claws clipped or well-worn with walks to avoid more marks. It’s also worth using a soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to stop small particles being pushed into the laminate, causing unwanted scoring, and you could place mats and rug in areas that see more traffic.

Providing you follow these easy-to-remember rules, you can get the most value from an investment in laminate flooring and you can enjoy a lower maintenance and far more affordable solution than real wood.

What is the best season to replace home flooring?

While buying high-quality floor coverings can ensure you enjoy carpets, engineered boards, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and other flooring types for longer, there will likely come a time when your flooring choice requires replacing. Hiring professionals to install new flooring can have numerous benefits. Not only do professional fittings tend to last longer and look better, but they also usually include the added service of removing and disposing of your old carpet or tiles, which can be both convenient and cost-effective.

However, whether you’re tackling the task of an installation yourself or hiring expert floor fitters, you’ll still want to schedule the work for the optimum time of year. For the most part, homeowners find that spring and autumn are among the most suitable times for home floor replacement. In the following sections, we’ll examine the top three reasons why this is so often the case.

Having doors open causes less discomfort

Whether you’re putting LVT in the kitchen or carpeting your living room, the process of having floor coverings fitted will involve the doors to your home being open for extended periods. Old coverings are carried out, and then new flooring solutions are brought in. Furthermore, if you use a professional team for the installation, they may be in and out of your home getting equipment and tools periodically.

In the summer months, this can result in a home full of freshly hatched insects, while in winter, it means your house will get incredibly cold. Spring and autumn provide more even temperatures for the floors to be fitted in, so when doors are open, you won’t be quite so uncomfortable.

Easier to ventilate your home

Similarly, selecting spring or autumn is also ideal when you want to get fresh air into your home. Different types of flooring demand different kinds of installation materials, and some of them can give of unpleasant odours that you’ll want to remove from your property. Floor adhesives, wood stains, sealers, carpet tape and adhesive removers can all give off scents you’ll want to alleviate via ventilation as soon as you can, and keeping the windows open in spring and autumn will be more pleasant.

Moderate humidity and temperatures

Finally, most kinds of flooring, especially those that involve wood, will require acclimatisation to an indoor environment prior to installation. They must take on the temperature and humidity level found inside, or problems can occur.

Wood can absorb moisture in humid temperatures, and if it isn’t acclimatised properly, it will dry out after it’s been installed. In the winter months with the heating on, and over the summer when temperatures are higher, homes can get very dry, causing the wood to shrink, crack and pull apart.

Autumn and spring offer the quickest acclimation times with the lowest risk of issues as homes are unlikely to have extreme temperatures and humidity levels. So, for best results, it can be a wise move to schedule in your flooring installations for the most opportune times of the year.

What makes artificial grass ideal for autumn?

It’s not uncommon for property owners to neglect their gardens when autumn arrives. While spring and summer are ideal times to enjoy fresh air, warm sunshine and cool breezes, when the colder temperatures and rainy spells start to hit, many of us prefer pastimes indoors.

If left uncared for, homes with a real grass lawn can run into trouble when the seasons change. Littered with fallen leaves and debris blown by the wind, they can become unsightly, while rainfall can pool in patchy areas, creating muddy areas.

In the next sections, we’ll explore some of the advantages of choosing an artificial lawn when autumn arrives, and we’ll explore how it can allow you, your family and friends to enjoy your garden for more of the year.

Green and soft all year round

Synthetic grass has come a long way in the last 10 years. Designed to resemble the real deal, artificial lawns capture and keep the look of a vibrant spring or summer lawn and offer it to homeowners all year.

This authentic appearance is never impacted by the sun or rain, and if properly cared for, it continues to provide a perfect lawn you can always enjoy. Unlike real grass, which can be discoloured by sunlight, the latest artificial options are treated with UV protection.

Great with rain

If you have children or pets and real grass, you’ll know the chaos that comes in autumn, when your lawn gets waterlogged and muddy. From digging dogs to messy games, kids and animals will then drag the dirt indoors, trampling it into carpets and across clean floors, meaning you’ll then have to tackle baths and piles of laundry.

Artificial grass has a permeable membrane specifically engineered to filter water harmlessly away from the surface of your lawn, ensuring it can’t pool. With the earth below completely covered, pets and children never interact with mud, keeping the mess minimal and reducing your chores around the house.

Additionally, it’s ideal to be able to let your pets out to the garden if they need the toilet in any weather, avoiding the need for walks in the rain or litter trays indoors. Fortunately, pet mess is very easy to clean from artificial grass, which doesn’t see the same harm suffered by real grass.

An easy-care solution

While real lawns may require reseeding, mowing and weeding, synthetic grass is exceptionally low maintenance. Simple sweeping is all that’s required to remove any leaves and debris blown by autumn winds, and if you should happen to spill a drink or food on them, they can easily be hosed down.

Artificial grass – an answer to autumn

As you can see, there are numerous reasons that make artificial grass a much easier lawn to cope with when autumn rolls around. With a life expectancy of around 15 years, you’ll get a significant return on any investment you make, and every product offers you far more free time than you’ll receive if you opt for a natural lawn.

Bold staircase carpets create striking first impression

While neutral hallway and stair carpets are seen as a safe design option, there is a growing trend of choosing brighter, bolder carpet designs for entrance areas to create a striking first impression of a home.

Stripes, geometric and floral patterns add impact to a once-plain hallway. For example, brightly coloured stripes add colour to dark hallways. Fit them on stairs to draw the eye upwards and away from a dim hall. Geometric patterned carpets add interest to small halls and provide a sense of flow in the space. Floral patterns are not to everyone's taste, but a bright floral carpet in a hallway that otherwise has plain features can work.

Many believe that a dark hallway needs light colours to brighten it up. According to Livingetc, designer Abigail Ahern says the opposite can be true, and that dark colours can work well:

“White walls just make the lack of light even more obvious. Instead, embrace it, go with dark strong colours and you’ll immediately have oodles of intrigue, drama and glamour.”

Halls in period properties often have decorative tile floors, and homeowners feel that they should have a plain stair carpet. However, a contrasting pattern stair carpet can also work well.

Stairs and halls are high-traffic areas that require durable and hard wearing carpets. People walking on hall carpets in Chester and North Wales homes often come in from rainy weather, spreading mud and water. Durable and easy to clean hall and stair carpets are ideal.