Floor Covering Fails

As inspectors, we see all sorts of manufacturing, installation, or locally caused issues. Occasionally, we will encounter a flooring problem that is cleaning related. In those cases, we get called by a consumer, owner, or manager of a facility who is desperately trying to determine whether they must contact their insurance company or if they didn’t cause it.

As a cleaning professional, you should look out for both what you may have caused and what you did not cause.

Adhesive problems

Oozing adhesives are easy to discover, as planks will move, and you may see black smears at the plank edges.

We’ve all seen or heard about the oozing adhesive, the planks that move when you walk across the floor, and the black globs and smears at the plank edges. Some have been told it happened after they cleaned the floor because the machine used too much water and “re-emulsified” the adhesive. It sounds plausible.

When we dive deeper into the floor and pull back a plank, the entire space is squishy, and the adhesive is more liquid than solid everywhere. This is caused by the wrong adhesive or moisture becoming trapped and causing the adhesive to emulsify. While we have seen a few instances where this is related to cleaning, the evidence is apparent when we pull back a plank. Cleaning-related moisture intrusion will only be around the plank’s edges, not the unaffected center.

Spots and stains

Discolorations can show up after cleaning, as the dyes are removed.

One of the saddest things carpet cleaners get blamed for is latent spots and stains. The homeowner said, “It wasn’t there before you cleaned it!” And the cleaner agrees!

Hot water extraction can reveal many issues that are discovered once the carpet is cleaned. Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most common, and butenafine hydrochloride (athlete’s foot cream) is another.

A favorite tell-tale sign is of a hand or footprint, usually shown in how it was applied to the carpet. These lotions can sit on the carpet for an extended period and magically show up when the carpet is cleaned because these products are heat and moisture-activated.

Grout issues

Often, grout issues are caused by an improper mixing before installation.

Cleaners have been blamed for grout issues as long as grout has existed. Soft, powdery grout cracked, missing grout, and grout color are all concerns often blamed on the cleaner.

Your cleaning of the tile and grout does not cause any of these. Soft, powdery grout is usually caused by the grout that needed to be adequately mixed when installed. Cracked and missing grout may sometimes rear its ugly head after cleaning, but it is only because cleaning moved it enough for release. Cracked and missing grout is the first evidence of poor installation.

Carpet disintegration

Another carpet problem we came across is the carpet disintegrating.

Carpet degradation can impact the color of the carpet, leading to customers thinking it is the cleaner’s fault.

One customer said that after cleaning, her carpet looked grayer in color. The carpet was cleaned again with no improvement. A closer look revealed the cream-colored yarn in the cream and gray carpet was no longer visible. A test of the carpet revealed the cream-colored yarn was disintegrating, typically due to insufficient ultraviolet light inhibitor.

The cleaner did not cause this. This has also happened in commercial installations, so it’s not limited to residential carpet.

Cleaners have been blamed for many things that are not their fault. Oozing adhesive, carpet spots, and grout problems are just a few of the concerns for which cleaners have been blamed. Use the resources and consultants available to help you determine the cause of these issues.

Don’t take the blame for something you did not cause.