The entire industry is in a bit of flux, explained Bill Griffin, president of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc. in Seattle. Changes are occurring in labor, surfaces, chemicals, customer expectations, budgets, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

“If you’re not staying on top of that and continuing to educate yourself as a manager or owner and training your employees to deal with the most recent surfaces, then you’re going to be having some troubles,” Griffin said. “It just gets expensive. You can damage a floor really quickly by using the wrong processes.”

Griffin advised starting hard floor care by reviewing the manufacturer’s instructions for installation, maintenance, care, and warranty. If any problems occur, the manufacturers will either stand behind the claim or decline it, he explained.

Labor problems

Labor is the No. 1 problem, said Taf Baig, owner of Magic Wand Co. in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Often, owners do not adequately train team members, and employees can become liabilities. Employee burnout is also real and must be addressed before it affects productivity. Additionally, scheduling too many employees for pre-cleaning or setup consumes time and money.

Equipment breakdowns, failure to fix equipment, and bringing too much equipment to a job also reduce productivity. For example, some cleaners will use whatever equipment is available when a machine breaks down.

“Low-production machines will just kill time, and that costs you money,” Baig said. Infrequent maintenance usually displaces problems, he added, leading to more serious equipment malfunctions.

Additionally, chemistry is often ignored.

“Chemistry really cuts your cost down quite a bit,” Baig said. “If you have the correct chemistry, the cleaning time will be reflected in that because the chemistry is going to do the work. The problem is that people don’t really understand [chemistry] that much. They’re almost afraid of it.”

Additionally, owners must provide team members with written expectations and instructions that can be enforced. “It gives them the ability not to forget a lot of the things that are important,” Baig said.

Time and money

Bob Merkt, owner of Kettle Moraine Professional Cleaners Inc. in West Bend, Wisconsin, speaks often in his training about production killers because it’s all about time and money. “Sometimes it’s not hours; it’s minutes that you save,” he explained.

Merkt breaks hard floor cleaning into three categories: pre-cleaning, cleaning, and post-cleaning. Cleaning professionals often overlook pre- and post-cleaning procedures that gobble up person-hours and are unproductive. To avoid wasting time, during pre-cleaning, a team member must go to inspect the job and test the floor for cleanability and results.

“Test cleaning the floor is going to eliminate a million problems,” Merkt said. “… You have a good idea what it’s going to take to meet the customer’s expectation, and the customer will have a realistic look at the end result.”

Another production killer at the beginning of the job is failing to obtain all pertinent information, such as entry issues. To manage the indoor environment, Merkt advised asking questions, including: How are we getting in? What is our alarm code? Where are the lights? Where’s the breaker box? Where’s the water source? Will there be any security issues? Will the air conditioning be shut off?

“Much of our work is done at night and on weekends,” he explained. “If we’re applying a coating or a finish or a sealer of some sort and the indoor environment is not such that is conducive to rapid drying, you may be sitting on a floor that’s taking forever for that finish to dry.”

Merkt also recommends having a clear understanding of what you expect from your customer and what the customer expects from you. For example, is the customer or the cleaner moving the contents, and what does that entail?

“I’ve walked into jobs where the customer said, ‘We got it all ready,’” Merkt explained. In reality, Merkt’s team moved everything, while the customer had moved only a few chairs and garbage cans.

“You have to set that expectation,” he said. “What are you moving so that you can plan accordingly if you’re the one expected to move it, and you can get enough manpower in there and enough time.”

Managing teams

Regarding labor, Merkt has also seen companies spend thousands of dollars a year on developing a prep-and-landing team. Instead, Merkt advised that if you are going out to do a big job, such as at a school or healthcare facility, where you need eight employees, not all of them need to meet at the shop.

“All of those people do not have to load the van and get everything ready for this assignment,” he explained. “When you bring them to your facility, you have to pay them from the time they get there. If you have a prep team, it only takes one or two people, three in some cases, to load the equipment, get there, and have everything all set up. Then you assign the workers to show up at the appropriate time after you have all that prep work done. They walk in, they jump on a machine, and they’re going instantly.”

By having people show up to the job when you properly plan for their arrival, you can let them go when they need to as well.

“If you have six people standing around, and they can’t go because Johnny is not done with his task and he’s driving the van, or we only have one van, then you’ve got people standing around doing nothing,” Merkt said. “When they’re done, they can go.”

Additionally, when a team member finishes using a piece of equipment, they can clean and prepare it for the next job.

“A production killer is taking it back to the shop and leaving it sitting there until the next time you need it,” Merkt explained. “It’s all gunked up, and you’ve got to clean it before you go.”

Smarter planning

Organizing, managing, and assigning crew members to their tasks is essential.

“Don’t leave it up to the crews,” Merkt said. “Everybody has their area of expertise, and this guy may be better at that, or this guy may be better at this. You want to assign the task to the person best suited for it. And of course, establish the flow of work. You, as the manager, should understand we’re starting over here, we’re going to end over here, and do we need to do certain areas first?”

Merkt emphasized that pre- and post-cleaning procedures are essential to increasing productivity.

“At the end of the day, when you look at how many man-hours it took you to do the job, and then you divide that by what you make, you go, ‘Wow, I hardly made any money,’” Merkt said. “‘Well, if I could eliminate six, seven, ten man-hours on the job, I might have broken even.’”

Bonus Video Content

The post Productivity Killers Lurking in Hard Floor Care appeared first on Cleanfax.

In the world of commercial floor care, people hold a dangerous misconception that a floor is just a floor. Whether you are looking at luxury vinyl tile (LVT) in a corporate corridor or sheet vinyl in a sterile hospital suite, the chemistry and the mechanics required to maintain them are worlds apart. I have found, over decades in floor care, that if you don’t respect the specific demands of the environment, you aren’t just cleaning—you’re likely accelerating the asset’s lifecycle failure.

To truly manage the care of flooring in a facility, you have to look past the surface and understand the “occupancy DNA” of the space. Regardless of the environment, every successful program is built on five core principles of cleaning. If you skip a step, you aren’t just being inefficient; you’re leaving soil behind.

The Five Pillars of the Cleaning Process

1. Dry Soil Removal: This is the most critical step (on both soft and hard surfaces), yet it is most often skipped or rushed. Up to 75% of the soil in a building is dry particulate (sand, grit, dust). If you apply wet chemistry before removing this, you’re wasting chemistry. Chemistry is designed to work on the remaining 25% of soil, which are the binders that hold the soil to the surface.
2. Application of Chemistry: This isn’t about more is better. It’s about the type with the right pH and the correct dilution for the specific floor type and soil load.
3. Dwell Time: Chemistry needs time to work. You cannot apply and immediately remove. Dwell time allows the chemistry to work, whether it’s surfactants lowering the surface tension of the water or emulsifying oils and soils.
4. Agitation: We need to mechanically assist the chemistry, breaking the bond between the soil and the surface. Whether it’s a cylindrical brush, a rotary pad, or oscillation, agitation supports the chemistry and ensures it reaches the entire floor’s texture.
5. Removal (Extraction): Once the soil is suspended in the solution (or dried for encapsulation chemistry), it must be physically removed from the environment. If you apply chemistry and let the floor “air dry” with the solution containing the soil suspended in it, the soil simply settles back down, often more stuck than before.

1. Corporate: Managing the Expected Appearance

• The Approach: We focus on a service visit program designed around low-moisture cleaning. Because these spaces are occupied by people sensitive to noise, we prioritize Dry Soil Removal with high-efficiency vacuums during off-hours.
• The Technical (Carpet): Technology advancements in chemistry and equipment have shifted away from traditional hot-water extraction toward encapsulation technology, using systems like the fast foamer or other low-moisture systems. The ability to effectively clean triple the square footage while removing the same amount of soil—and returning the space to use in under 45 minutes—is what separates today’s floor care professional.
• The Technical (Resilient/Hard Surface): With the rise of LVT, rubber, and woven vinyl, maintenance must be adaptive. For natural stone, we have moved from “old world” powders to diamond-impregnated pads (DIPs), mechanically polishing the stone to maintain a beautiful shine without the need for restorative acrylic finishes.

2. Healthcare: Beyond Visual Cleanliness

• The Approach: Dry soil removal here must use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration to prevent aerosolization of pathogens.
• The Technical: Dwell time is the king of healthcare. We must leverage chemistry to provide deep cleaning so that disinfection or sanitization can actually occur. Crucially, the final step in the disinfection process is removal. Without extraction, the cationic-charged surfactants found in most disinfectants build up, causing “sticky floor syndrome” on resilient surfaces and reverse saponification on carpet.

3. Hospitality: The “First Impression” Gauntlet

• The Approach: Because of the constant traffic, we emphasize high-frequency care.
• The Technical: In a hotel lobby, we might vacuum three to four times throughout the day and utilize encapsulation technology every evening. This provides high-production cleaning with a rapid return to service, ensuring the lobby never looks neglected.

4. Industrial: The War on Porosity

• The Approach: We move to heavy-duty mechanical scrubbing.
• The Technical: In large areas, the use of ride-on equipment to perform all five steps. The machine pre-sweeps, lays down chemistry, allows dwell time, uses large-format agitation (rotary or oscillation) with downward pressure, and then rinses with a squeegee vacuum for immediate removal.
• Preservation: We advocate reapplying coatings or densifier sealers as needed to protect porous flooring from deep-seated contaminants.

5. Retail: Combating the “Sandpaper Effect”

• The Approach: Daily Dry Soil Removal—multiple times a day during slow periods—via dust mopping or battery-operated vacuums is vital to keeping soiling at bay.
• The Technical: We use compact, self-contained equipment with cleaning solutions to agitate textured surfaces, keeping soil from micro-scratching the finish and dulling the store’s appearance.

6. Food Service: Greases are the Enemy

• The Approach: This is a battle requiring specific chemical degreasing.
• The Technical: We leverage chemistry to emulsify or digest the oils and greases. Dwell time cannot be shortened and often needs to be extended. Agitation is essential to suspension. Once suspended, I have found that a “Rinse and Remove single-step process via a portable extractor and hard surface wand is the most effective (and efficient) way to remove the slurry and finish the job, ensuring a safe, slip-resistant floor.

7. Education: The “Summer Reset” Strategy

• The Approach: The annual restoration is the ultimate expression of the five principles.
• The Technical: During the summer, a “strip and finish” is typically performed because periodic maintenance cannot be done. An appropriate pH-stripping chemistry, depending on the floor material being worked on, is applied, allowing sufficient dwell time to emulsify the old finish. Scrub with an appropriate level of aggressiveness, using either a pad or a brush, depending on whether the material is smooth or textured. Agitate and perform a rinse and removal. Always ensure the post-stripped flooring is pH-neutral, providing the correct foundation for the new finish application.

The Bottom Line

The post The Landscape of Floor Care: Why the Environment Dictates the Process appeared first on Cleanfax.

Cleanfax: Does LVP really require less maintenance than hardwood or tile?

Quinlan: Not necessarily. All types of floors require a weekly maintenance schedule. However, because LVP is more resistant to moisture, it doesn’t require the same immediate attention to make sure spills are removed to prevent damage like warping, swelling, and buckling.

Cleanfax: What cleaning mistakes can shorten the lifespan of LVP floors?

Quinlan: Over time, strong chemicals like high-pH cleaners and solvents can degrade the top wear layer, increasing its susceptibility to scratches. To prolong the lifespan of LVP, it is crucial to use gentle, neutral pH cleaning products.

Cleanfax: How often should LVP floors be professionally cleaned or maintained?

Quinlan: To help maintain your floors, regularly remove dust, sand and debris that could potentially cause scratches. We recommend using a microfiber flat mop for this task, as it effectively captures dust without releasing it back into the air, a benefit for those who suffer from allergies.

While weekly maintenance removes visible soil, it often leaves behind a residual film of contaminants from the mop water or soiled cleaning pads. For a more thorough and effective removal of ingrained soil and contaminants, professional cleaning is recommended annually for residential floors and four times a year for commercial floors. Professionals utilize specialized equipment that ensures positive soil removal by applying the cleaning solution, agitating it to lift the dirt, and then powerfully extracting the solution, soil and contaminants away from the floor. This extraction system leaves a deeper, cleaner result that works to extend the life and durability of the flooring.

Cleanfax: How does moisture affect LVP over time and what can homeowners do to prevent damage?

Quinlan: LVP is water-resistant and is a very good choice for areas of the home where moisture and spills are present. In most cases, LVP’s waterproof core beats laminate’s moisture sensitivity, making it better in areas where there is high humidity or where there are frequent spills.

Cleanfax: What types of cleaning products and tools are safest for LVP?

Quinlan: The best tool to clean your LVP flooring is a flat, microfiber mop, which will sweep the floor and prevent dust from getting thrown back into the air (unlike a broom). Preventing the accumulation of dust from getting airborne can also help people who are subject to asthma-related conditions. It is also important to use cleaning products that do not contain a high pH, solvents or acrylic polish. While acrylic polishes create a temporary shine, they are not durable and scratch easily. Over time, these polishes build up and dramatically reduce the floor’s beauty, eventually requiring expensive professional stripping to remove.

Cleanfax: What signs indicate LVP floors may need professional attention?

Quinlan: When standard cleaning methods no longer achieve the desired results for your floors, professional cleaning may be necessary.

Cleanfax: What everyday habits help LVP floors stay looking new longer?

Quinlan: Clean up spills immediately to prevent sugary and oily soils from being tracked around, sweep and mop the floors at least once a week depending on the level of soil, and have your floors professionally cleaned once a year.

The post What Does the Rise of Luxury Vinyl Plank Mean for Long-Term Care? appeared first on Cleanfax.

Maintenance of LVT/LVP is more comparable to finished wood floors than to carpet or traditional vinyl composition tile (VCT). Like wood, LVT/LVP:

• Has a factory-applied surface layer.
• Shows cosmetic wear before structural failure.
• Benefits from surface protection.
• Responds best to controlled enhancement rather than repeated aggressive cleaning.

Best-practice maintenance typically includes:

1.     Regular vacuuming or dust mopping to remove abrasive soils.
2.     Neutral-pH cleaning to protect the wear layer.
3.     Controlled moisture—never flooding the floor.
4.     Periodic restorative maintenance instead of constant deep cleaning.

This framework aligns closely with how professionals already approach engineered wood and specialty hard surfaces.

The role of professional floor finish on LVT/LVP

Whether professional floor finish should be applied to LVT/LVP is a frequent point of debate. Manufacturers often state that finish is not required, which is typically accurate from a warranty standpoint. From a performance and appearance standpoint, field experience presents a more nuanced reality. When LVT/LVP is left unprotected:

• Micro-scratching accumulates.
• Soils embed into surface texture.
• Visual clarity diminishes over time.
• The oleophilic plastic wear layer can retain oily residues and appear dingy.

When a compatible, professional acrylic floor finish is applied:

• A sacrificial wear layer absorbs abrasion.
• Soils remain on the surface rather than embedding.
• Visual “dinginess” from oily residues is significantly reduced.
• Resistance to moisture intrusion is improved.
• Visual clarity and controlled sheen are restored.
• Chemical exposure to seams and edges is reduced.

A properly applied finish acts as a sacrificial barrier above the factory wear layer, allowing wear to occur in the finish rather than the floor itself. The finish can be refreshed through recoating rather than replacement.

Appearance drives client satisfaction

While protection is necessary, appearance ultimately defines success in the client’s eyes.

In both residential and commercial environments, clients tend to associate:

• Clean floors with brightness
• Well-maintained floors with controlled sheen.

Cleaning alone often leaves LVT/LVP technically clean but visually flat. Two thin coats of professional floor finish typically:

• Restore depth and clarity.
• Improve reflectivity without excessive gloss.
• Enhance perceived cleanliness
• Add protection against moisture and abrasion.

This approach is not about creating a high-gloss floor in every environment. It is about meeting expectations consistently.

A practical professional workflow

A typical professional LVT/LVP maintenance cycle includes:

1.     Dry soil removal through vacuuming or dust mopping.
2.     Use a neutral cleaner that can break the oily bond on the wear layer, then rinse and recover.
3.     Use of purpose-built wood floor cleaning machines that scrub, recover, and squeegee in a single pass.
4.     Application of two thin coats of a compatible professional floor finish.

Finish chemistry matters. Well-formulated acrylic finishes abrade evenly rather than peeling, allowing restoration through recoating instead of stripping. Cleaner formulation also matters, as the vinyl wear layer attracts oily residues that require specific chemistry to remove.

This process is not strip-and-wax and does not rely on aggressive chemicals, and it is well within the skill set of most professional cleaners.

The business opportunity

As LVT/LVP continues to expand, cleaning companies focused exclusively on carpet risk becoming less relevant. Those who understand how to clean, protect, and enhance LVT/LVP position themselves as comprehensive floor-care providers.

Key advantages include:

• A rapidly expanding market.
• Higher average ticket values than carpet cleaning.
• Reduced labor intensity.
• Predictable maintenance intervals.
• Strong commercial demand.
• Higher perceived value.
• Less physical strain on technicians.

For new businesses, LVT/LVP offers an accessible entry into hard-surface care. For established carpet cleaners, it represents a logical and profitable expansion.

It’s here to stay

LVT/LVP are not passing trends—they represent a structural shift in the flooring market. Carpet remains widely used, but the future of professional floor care is multi-surface by default.

LVT/LVP is easy to care for—but only when maintained correctly. Cleaning alone often falls short of client expectations. Thoughtful professional finishing bridges the gap between technical cleanliness and visual satisfaction while protecting the floor in the long term.

The post How to Clean and Maintain Luxury Vinyl Tile appeared first on Cleanfax.

Cleanfax: What should cleaning professionals emphasize when explaining how wood and vinyl floors age over time?

Quinlan: Wood floors will display stains, discoloration, wear marks, gaps between the planks, and potential buckling if there has been past exposure to excess moisture. As for vinyl floors, they will show excessive scratch marks, particularly from table and chair movement. Sun fading occurs in areas exposed to direct sunlight, and wear patterns are prominent in high-traffic zones.

Cleanfax: How can pros guide clients on preventing everyday wear from becoming permanent damage?

Quinlan: Cleaning is essential for both floor types. Small dirt particles, especially in high-traffic areas, can scratch and damage the topcoats. Over time, these coatings may appear dull and faded. Regular daily and weekly cleaning helps remove these soils, preventing damage and maintaining the floors’ appearance.

Cleanfax: What key differences should pros highlight when comparing long-term care for wood and vinyl?

Quinlan: When it comes to long-term care, a key difference between wood and vinyl floors is in their coatings. Most wood floors are finished with a stain, either oil-based or water-based, followed by a polyurethane topcoat to increase durability. Over time, wood floors usually require refinishing several times during their lifespan. In contrast, vinyl floors are essentially plastic surfaces coated with a tough urethane layer embedded with aluminum oxide, making them highly durable. Once vinyl floors appear worn or damaged, repairing or restoring them becomes difficult or even impossible, often leading to the need for replacement.

Cleanfax: Which common homeowner cleaning habits should pros warn clients to avoid?

Quinlan: The most common mistake homeowners make when cleaning wood and vinyl floors is using harsh chemicals, such as high-pH cleaning agents or solvents. These types of chemicals can damage the protective urethane layer, leading to yellowing and color fading. Over time, excessive use of these chemicals can also harm the wood plank or design layer.

Cleanfax: How should pros advise clients on the right schedule for protective products and professional cleaning?

Quinlan: We suggest that clients with wood and vinyl floors get their floors professionally cleaned once a year.

Cleanfax: How should pros coach clients on handling scratches, scuffs, and dull spots before they spread?

Quinlan: Unfortunately, do-it-yourself methods are at a high risk of damaging the floors. Often, these methods result in irreparable damage and can make the expert’s resolution more challenging, if not impossible.

Cleanfax: What should pros tell clients when helping them decide between repair and replacement?

Quinlan: Wood floors offer a significant advantage over vinyl when it comes to repair and replacement. If a wood floor gets damaged, it can be sanded, refinished with water- or oil-based stain, and sealed with polyurethane. This process can be repeated multiple times. In contrast, damaged vinyl floors cannot be repaired and must be replaced.

Cleanfax: Which long-term maintenance mistakes do pros see most often, and how should they address them with clients?

Quinlan: Most clients avoid caring for their floors in a routine manner. They skip moving furniture when cleaning, which can also mean they miss unseen spills or damage. And, it can be too late by the time an expert is brought in to help.

Harsh chemicals, with a high pH or solvents, can damage the floor’s surface in ways that may not be repairable. Consumers should consult with a professional for the proper cleaning solutions and equipment for their flooring types.

For wood floors, water can be an enemy. Avoid excessive amounts of water when cleaning your wood floors.

A lot of consumers confuse laminate floors with vinyl flooring, which has its own set of risks tied to water, abrasion, and chemicals. Advise customers to keep a small sample of their flooring from installation to help maintenance experts should questions ever arise about the flooring types.

Cleanfax: What simple habits should pros encourage that help clients keep floors looking newer longer?

Quinlan: Extending the life of your flooring investment means ongoing maintenance, as with any meaningful investment. Consulting with a true floor-care expert on how to best care for and service flooring is key to keeping a home or business’s floors looking their best for years to come.

First and foremost, clients need to understand their specific floor types. Customers especially need to be aware of the real risks that can come with a lack of maintenance or upkeep. Additionally, using the wrong products or finishes on a given flooring can create an entirely new set of future problems. The part-time hardware store attendant is not likely trained to offer the level of expertise and care that the modern homeowner demands. So, start with expert advice. Reinforce your expertise with customers and don’t be afraid to let them know you’ll research any gaps in knowledge you may have, as we always are improving our knowledge base in this ever-changing industry.

Proper use of routine cleaning processes with the appropriate equipment and solutions can really make a difference. Avoiding harsh chemicals to protect the surfaces and the environment can be a key way to align with consumer preferences. And, recommending a professional deep cleaning that is not only regular, but also designed to enable the experts to stay on top of potential issues and resolve them before they cause real damage:

• When there is a spill, clean it up immediately. Time is an enemy for virtually every flooring type.
• Perform dry soil and debris removal every other day. Sweeping up and vacuuming can remove large amounts of dirt and dust. More traffic requires increased frequency.
• Also perform weekly cleanings with minimal amounts of water. Avoid saturating the flooring, getting liquids in areas where they could seep into baseboards or furniture.
• Contact an expert at the first sign of something abnormal that may require repair or expert care. DIY tends to result in more damage and expense.
• Hire a professional deep cleaning expert, empowered with the appropriate chemistry for your flooring types, the appropriate equipment, and the competent expertise to ensure you get the most from your flooring.

The post Extending the Life of Wood and Vinyl Flooring appeared first on Cleanfax.

Bona commissioned this new study to build on the findings from a 2019 Swedish study. Both studies aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of replacing a worn, damaged, or outdated flooring surface compared to refinishing the flooring surface which may include sanding, finishing, staining, or painting.

The new research focused on Germany, a market with a population eight times larger than Sweden, and analyzed a 20 square meter scenario, reflecting a smaller, domestic floor and a 100 square meter scenario looking at larger spaces. It also included linoleum, a surface not covered in the original study.

Calculations followed ISO 14040/44 and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards. While the new study used updated EPD standards, preventing direct comparison to the original research, the findings align closely, reinforcing similar conclusions.

The study found:

• Carbon Emissions Savings: Refinishing a flooring surface reduces carbon emissions by an average of 89% for wood, 89% for vinyl flooring, and 83% for linoleum.
• Energy Savings: Refinishing wood floors saves an average of 97% in energy use, with vinyl at 93% and linoleum at 89%.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP): Floor replacement has a significantly higher GWP compared to refinishing—five to 12 times higher for parquet, nine to 10 times higher for vinyl, and four to eight times higher for linoleum.

“Research like this drives innovation and advances our sustainability journey at Bona, helping us better understand the impacts of floor refinishing and replacement,” said Björn Johansson, Bona sustainability director. “It also highlights the significant environmental benefits of refinishing and reinforces our commitment to reducing the climate impact of our products and processes.”

The study also highlighted the importance of transport distance and electricity mix as factors influencing total climate impact. Among these, travel distance by craftsmen had the largest effect, suggesting that promoting local refinishing services could further enhance sustainability outcomes.

The post New Study Validates Environmental Benefits of Floor Refinishing Compared to Replacement appeared first on Cleanfax.

In the 2025 Cleanfax Carpet and Floor Cleaning Benchmarking Survey Report, respondents shared their experiences with the challenges they face and the actions they are taking to overcome them. What follows is a candid examination of those pain points and a preview of the themes that will be reflected in the data.

Inflation

The first drumbeat is inflation. Supplies, insurance, chemicals, and fuel—everything is more expensive than it was a year ago.

“Inflation and getting customers to understand price increases,” one survey respondent said. Another pointed to margin pressure coming from every direction: “National companies operating on very small margins.”

The math is brutal and straightforward: If your inputs rise and your rates don’t, your profits vanish. The owners who are staying sane are the ones pricing with intention, building clear scopes, and teaching customers the difference between “cheaper” and “less expensive over the life of the floor.”

Competition

Right behind costs comes competition, at both ends of the spectrum. At the low end, underpricing erodes trust.

One industry professional worried about “operators lowballing who don’t have a clue how to do the job.” At the same time, some customers are negatively impacted by “companies overcharging without the right equipment,” another business owner said.

It creates a noisy marketplace where you can’t claim to be better. You must demonstrate it with documentation, before-and-after proof, measurable outcomes, and guarantees that mean something.

Labor

Labor isn’t far behind. Finding people with the right attitude, training them effectively, and retaining them long enough to become professionals remains the central challenge.

Regarding labor, one respondent said, “getting people who want to work,” along with “not being negative,” yet just “truthful.” Others described the consequences, such as callouts, scheduling chaos, overworked leads, and owners who never seem to get off the truck.

Several respondents believe this year into next will be the year they finally stop being the primary technician. They will hire lead techs, cross-train crews, add a dispatcher, and install a small leadership layer, such as “adding a call center manager, a sales manager, and a director of operations.”

Marketing

Marketing and sales are evolving fast, and many of you are reshuffling the deck.

Some plan to spend more consistently. One respondent wrote that they planned to finally “increase our marketing budget.”

Others are shifting channels toward content and search, such as SEO efforts, content creation, and more targeted marketing to specific demographics.

Some respondents will also return to basics in a few places, such as door-to-door, referrals, and neighborhood service bundles, because nothing beats being visible in the exact areas you want to win.

The solution, according to many, is to show the outcomes, not just the equipment. Speak to building managers and homeowners in their language. Additionally, make it ridiculously easy to book jobs, ensuring customers don’t have to work to get an appointment.

Technology

Technology is no longer a novelty; it’s a lever to be used. On the operations side, customer relationship management (CRM) systems and integrated tools are moving from “nice to have” to “how we run.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate workflow, as well. “AI has been very useful in certain aspects of our business, most importantly time savings with bidding and administrative tasks,” claimed one respondent. Others were more direct: “Implement as much AI as possible.”

Whether you’re using Copilot, ChatGPT, or others to draft emails and proposals, or automating job notes and checklists, the early wins are in tasks you do every day, touch them once, standardize them, and move on.

Service variety

The service mix is changing. Some of you are engaging in window cleaning, grout color sealing, and stone or concrete polishing. Others see adjacent restoration work. “Move more into mold remediation, water damage, and commercial cleaning” are the next logical steps. A few are eyeing air duct cleaning or even solar panel cleaning.

These aren’t random additions, but ways to deepen the revenue stream with existing customers and smooth the revenue curve across seasons.

Just as important, several respondents said their “next move” was internal: “Focus on efficiencies,” “maintain consistent staff,” “new approaches to marketing,” and “hiring more technicians so the owner can focus on sales.”

Educating the customer

Customer education remains a tightrope. With luxury vinyl tile (LVT) replacing carpet in many homes, claims about cleanability and maintenance can be unrealistic.

“Convincing hotels to use our deep cleaning services” is an issue, one pro said, capturing the tension between perceived savings and the real cost of dingy floors, damaged coatings, and failed warranties. The owners who win these conversations bring documentation, such as manufacturer care guides, slip resistance and gloss readings, and clear service schedules that tie appearance to safety, durability, and total cost.

And other industry issues

One pointed this out: “(I am) looking toward retirement, letting the next generation run the business.” That generational note popped up more than once. A few of you are planning exits. Others are grooming new leaders and building systems so the phone can ring without anxiety. It’s all part of the same maturity curve, which includes getting your pricing right, hiring and training deliberately, codifying your processes, then choosing whether to scale, specialize, or sell.

Underneath the tactics runs a simple theme: Margin is a function of discipline. Owners talked about resetting what’s included in the base price, moving furniture, deodorizing, clearly pricing add-ons, and saying “no” to work that doesn’t fit. They discussed the cost of redoing jobs and the value of photo logs, UV inspections for pet issues, and “proof of outcome” to minimize callbacks. They talked about being honest with themselves about their skills, capacity, and the kind of business they wanted to run.

If you recognize your own situation in these quotes, you’re not alone. Others are working hard to carve out some space in the industry. “Standing out and getting customers as a newer company,” was a big issue that one respondent admitted was a challenge for him.

In the pages that follow, we’ll share the survey data behind these stories: Where the money’s coming from, which services are growing, how teams are staffed, which tools are being adopted, and what’s changing in pricing and procurement.

What we have seen in 2025 compared to last year is that your peers tested more AI, shifted toward commercial, pulled owners off the truck, sweetened benefits, widened their service radius, diversified cleaning methods, added window cleaning and other services, bought more online, grew team sizes, and shifted marketing to LinkedIn and short-form video.

But don’t panic. You don’t need to copy everything. Pick a few moves that fit your goals and turn them into routines. That’s how you make 2026 a winning year, without overcomplicating it.

Download the entire report at the link below!

About this report: Survey data is based on results from email solicitations to carpet-cleaning contractors from Sept. 15 to Oct. 7. Results are self-reported and not based on audited financial statements. Percentages in graphs and charts are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Download the entire report at the link below!

The post The 2025 Carpet and Floor Cleaning Benchmarking Survey Report appeared first on Cleanfax.

But what does waterproof mean to the consumer? What does waterproof mean in the language of the manufacturer? And what does waterproof mean in the language of the water loss restoration contractor?

Warranty exclusions

Even as a sales professional, different kinds of marketing can be confusing. What does waterproof mean in the flooring realm? Read any manufacturer’s warranties, and they will state that the flooring is only waterproof from the top down. Note some of the verbiage found:

• “Flooring will resist damage from normal topical household spills under normal use for the specified duration.”
• “The flooring system will resist damage from normal topical and household spills and domestic household pet accidents under normal use for the specified duration. The flooring will also withstand moisture from damp or wet mopping.”
• “The Waterproof Warranty applies to the product itself and does not extend to damage of the subfloor or adhesives. The warranty refers to topical moisture or topical water exposure. It does not cover moisture or water coming from below/underneath the product and does not cover flooding or intentional damage or misuse.”
• “This warranty covers topical moisture as long as the water does not flow over the edge of the surface (edge of the room, cut boards, etc.).”
• “Products, where applicable, to be waterproof from topical moisture. The structural integrity of the flooring plank will not be significantly diminished by exposure to topical water. The integrity of the flooring planks will not be affected by topical moisture.”

Those are a lot of words that basically mean the same thing: Topical moisture is the only thing that is covered under manufacturer’s warranty, whether it is luxury vinyl or laminate. Floods, subfloor moisture, plumbing leaks, and other similar issues are not covered.

Moisture issues

What about the person who may have a moisture issue in their basement? They have had carpet down for ages but now want to switch to a hard surface. Here are some things to think about:

Carpet breathes, as in it lets any moisture pass through from below.

What is under the carpet? Some homes built pre-1975 may have vinyl asbestos tile (VAT) installed on the floor. Most people covered it up and never did anything about it. How does this affect what can go over the floor? Asbestos needs to be professionally remediated or not disturbed.

However, it is important to know that VAT and VCT (vinyl composite tile) are also both porous—meaning they breathe. Capping them off with a plastic, non-permeable layer, such as a floating non-permeable floor, can create issues if there is already moisture vapor transmission through the permeable floorings.

Is there a moisture issue already? If the space feels damp, floods often, or seems musty, a hard surface floor (yes, even a ‘waterproof’ one) may not be your best solution. All that mold and mildew needs to grow is a moderate temperature, damp conditions, darkness, a lack of air movement, and a food source.

Note this manufacturer’s warning:

• “This flooring is waterproof and reliably secures the flooring panels on all four sides. However, excessive moisture in the subfloor could promote mold, mildew, and other moisture-related issues like the trapping of moisture emissions under the flooring, which may contribute to an unhealthy indoor environment.”

That information doesn’t help the consumer whose friend of a friend’s neighbor pulled up their luxury vinyl floor after their basement flooded and put it back down. While we have heard those stories and maybe have done it ourselves, what does the industry standard say should be done with those floors?

Categories of water

The ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration is THE standard for how everything should be handled after a water loss. First, we need to understand the categories of water losses.

Water categories refer to the level of contamination, based on both the source and the quality after contact with materials on-site. Time and temperature influence how contaminants grow or diminish, potentially changing the water’s category. Restorers must consider potential contamination—defined as the presence of unwanted substances not typical of a normal indoor environment—which can harm health, damage property, or disrupt building systems.

Water is classified into three categories:

• Category 1: Clean water from sanitary sources (e.g., broken supply lines, rainwater) with minimal health risk. It can become more contaminated if it contacts unsanitary surfaces or remains wet over time, potentially deteriorating to Category 2 or 3.
• Category 2: Water with significant contamination that may cause illness or discomfort (e.g., dishwasher discharge, toilet overflows without feces). It contains unsafe levels of microorganisms or nutrients and can deteriorate further under certain conditions.
• Category 3: Grossly contaminated water that poses serious health risks (e.g., sewage, floodwater, river or seawater intrusion). It can contain pathogens, toxins, or hazardous materials and is highly dangerous upon contact or ingestion.

In the IICRC The Inspector’s Review publication of April 2025, Fred Hueston wrote this about how luxury vinyl floors should be handled after a Category 3 water damage: “Vinyl and LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile/Plank) Vinyl and LVT are usually more resistant to water than wood-based floors. However, seams and joints can allow water to seep beneath the surface, especially if the flooring was a floating installation. If Cat 3 water gets underneath, it can contaminate the substrate, adhesives, or underlayment. And if vinyl is glued down, that adhesive can trap moisture and bacteria. Can it be cleaned? Sometimes – but rarely. If water has gotten under the surface or into the seams, removal is usually the safest option.”

As a consumer, don’t get hung up on the “waterproof” marketing. When people ask me which is better, I tell them, “If your dishwasher leaks, your basement floods, you’re calling the insurance company anyway.”

The waterproof story is a plus but remember it’s only from topical moisture. Anything coming from the subfloor, the toilet overflowing, a plumbing leak, etc., is enough to make the restoration contractor put the floor in the dumpster. It has nothing to do with whether the floor can be dried out and sanitized; it’s more of a question of whether it should.

The post Waterproof Flooring … And the Rest of the Story appeared first on Cleanfax.

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.

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This report highlights significant industry elements, focusing on industry demographics, business structures, revenue trends, operational challenges, marketing strategies, and the use of technology.

One prominent trend emerging from the survey is the operational challenges cleaning companies face. The most significant challenges cited include customer retention, maintaining margins, and cash flow. These challenges are consistent across all business types. Notably, the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still negatively impact about 30% of businesses.

Carpet cleaning as a stand-alone service accounts for 25% of revenue for nearly all companies surveyed, with most offering upholstery, area rugs, and hard surface cleaning.

The most popular pricing structure across the industry ranges from $0.31 to $0.40 per square foot for residential and commercial carpet cleaning. For residential hard floor cleaning, the tally shows that 33% charge $1 or more per square foot, while for commercial hard floor cleaning, it is tied at 18% at both $0.51 to $0.75 per square foot and $1 or more per square foot.

Implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry remains in its infancy. Most respondents (51%) have not yet implemented AI technology. However, around 20% of businesses are in the early stages of exploring AI solutions, such as automating customer service tasks, improving operational efficiency, and partially integrating AI technology.

The affordability of AI technology remains a barrier for many, with smaller businesses particularly concerned about the costs. Despite these challenges, interest is growing to find cost-effective solutions to integrate AI into business operations, although many surveyed have yet to decide what they will do.

The survey data offers optimistic projections for the industry’s growth, highlighted by 87% declaring increased revenue for 2024. Various factors contributed to this growth, including changes in marketing strategies, diversification of services, and the addition of new staff and equipment. However, some businesses expect negative growth due to increased competition and broader economic challenges.

Referrals and social media remain the dominant methods for generating new customer leads. Most  (67%) businesses use Facebook, 27% post on Instagram to attract customers, and 18% promote on LinkedIn to connect with potential customers.

Staffing remains challenging in the cleaning industry, with many businesses reporting difficulties finding and retaining quality staff. The survey reveals that the starting wage for a cleaning technician varies, but most companies pay between $10 and $14 per hour, while more experienced technicians earn $15 to $20 per hour. A mix of wages and commissions is also standard, with 31% of businesses offering commission-based compensation.

Read on and compare the data and statistics to your own as you grow your successful carpet and floor cleaning company.

About this report: The data in this survey is based on results from carpet cleaning contractors responding to invitations for this survey. Results are not necessarily based on audited financial statements. This report was made possible with support from Legend Brands.

Download the entire report at the link below!

The post The 2024 Carpet and Floor Cleaning Benchmarking Survey Report appeared first on Cleanfax.