Use and Care Guide

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
KEEP THE DIRT OUT
An often overlooked, but vitally important part of
a maintenance program is preventive maintenance, which
prevents soil from being deposited into the carpet. The
best way to do this is with proper and adequate walk-off
systems at all entrances and other sources of soil.
Proper walk-off material is able to scrape and hold large
amounts of dry soil as well as absorb water or oil-based
moisture. Mohawk walk-off tiles are made to do both, or
you can use separate mats for soil containment.
Adequate walk-off material should capture ve or six foot-
steps (roughly 10-15 feet). This amount has been shown to
trap 80% of the soil and moisture that would have migrated
into your facility.
Along with placing walk-off material at all entrances to your
facility, you can use mats at other sources of soil, such as
break rooms, water fountains and coolers, to prevent soil
from being deposited into the carpet.
For walk-off material to be effective, we recommend daily
vacuuming, just as with your other surfaces. Actually, walk-
off material requires more frequent cleaning because it is
your rst line of defense and accumulates soil much more
quickly. If this accumulated soil is not removed, the walk-off
material will become saturated with soil and lose its ability
to prevent soil from entering your facility.
THOROUGH PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE INCLUDES
Keeping sidewalks and parking areas clean
Using chair pads to prevent casters from grinding soil
into the carpet
Placing trashcans in easily accessible areas
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE FACTS
A 15 ft. walk-off tile area effectively removes about
80% of soil and moisture before it reaches the carpet.
Removing a pound of dirt once it is inside a buildIng
is estimated to cost more than $500.
It is estimated that up to 24 lbs. of dirt can be tracked
in by 1,000 people entering a building over a 20-day
work period.
1.0 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE