Keeping Restaurant Carpets Clean: Top Tips

Restaurant carpets are a great way to add a sense of warmth and are ideal for muffling the sometimes loud noises and chatter from table to table. Unfortunately, they are quick to attract bacteria and can become unsightly if left neglected. Even worse, dirty carpets can affect you financially as well since customers will associate the cleanliness of your carpets (or lack thereof) with the cleanliness of your restaurant.

Restaurant carpets attract far more foot traffic than residential carpets, and as such attract more stains, spills, bacteria, and foul odours. Bacterial buildup can lead to mould and mildew, so regular cleaning is essential to keep these problems in check. One unique problem that restaurant carpets face is the spread of aerosol grease from kitchen to carpet, which acts as a magnet for accumulating bacterial growth and foul odours.

Floodcare in Melbourne specialises in treating and deep cleaning carpets, and we’re also experts in treating water damaged carpets. Experts such as Floodcare should be used to properly deep clean and treat your carpets at least twice a month. Deep cleaning involves addressing bacterial growth, mould, and stains at the source as well as making your carpets look and feel fresh and clean again. Your customers and employees will appreciate a clean carpet, so this is a small expenditure when considering the overall appeal and appearance of your restaurant.

It’s recommended that you have a plan in place to keep your carpets clean on a daily basis. A good idea is to vacuum every night after closing and to deal with food and drink stains and spills as they occur. If you employ staff, incorporate this task into their nightly routine and ensure that they have appropriate vacuum cleaning equipment available to them.

Although you cannot prevent grease particles from seeping into your carpet completely, you can greatly reduce strain in problematic areas such as entrances to the kitchen and front door by placing floor mats atop the carpet at these key points. Food spills, grease, and water are much more likely to accumulate at the kitchen entrance, so this spot should always be protected.

Carpet sprays and products designed as carpet finishes can help to reduce the amount of grease particles absorbed by your carpet and can also be a worthwhile investment, but these products should never be substituted for regular deep cleaning. Also, be sure to use these products outside of regular business hours and ideally in the evening so that it has time to absorb properly and also not cause harm to customers or staff when the product is more powerful chemically.

There are a few additional tips that you should bear in mind if you’d like to keep your restaurant carpets as clean as possible. Firstly, if you’re planning to replace your carpets, opt for shorter carpet length as opposed to longer. Thicker carpets attract more bacteria deep down and are tougher to clean properly. Furthermore, try to select a patterned carpet with different tones or colours so that when spills or stains occur, they blend in more and don’t stand out so much.

Remember that mould and mildew can cause serious respiratory problems, so treat your restaurant carpets as you would your hood vents and kitchen equipment. Regular deep cleaning is an essential service for not only you and your customers’ health, but also for maintaining a clean and welcoming appearance.