Clean soft floors, carpets and furnishings
Overview
This standard is part of the competence area related to providing cleaning services, including the use of equipment. It is about cleaning soft floors, carpets and furnishings. It is for cleaning operatives who remove stains and apply independent treatments to carpets and soft furnishings. This standard covers a range of specialist methods including dry suction, pile agitation, bonnet mopping absorption, dry powder extraction, water extraction, dry solvent application, shampooing, pile realignment.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Preparation and protection
1. carry out health checks and follow organisational procedures for safe working practice
2. follow dynamic risk assessment requirements of your organisation within the workplace
3. take the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
4. ensure all required products and protective equipment are available
5. wear the relevant protective equipment while carrying out cleaning
6. follow organisational procedures for reusing or disposing of protective equipment
7. ensure the safe systems of work and requirements are followed
8. select the appropriate colour-coded equipment
9. ensure any relevant safety and warning signs are displayed clearly
Controlling the risk of infection
10. follow your organisation's requirements for mitigation of risk of infection in the workplace
11. follow the cleaning procedures depending on environment and identified risks
12. examine areas for cleaning and identify any high contact touch points
13. carry out cleaning in accordance with work schedule and required frequency depending on the outcomes of risk assessment
14. use cleaning products including specialist cleaning solutions, antibacterial and antiviral chemicals
15. use disposable cleaning equipment to reduce viral loading in the areas being cleaned
16. follow the enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for suspected or confirmed virus contamination
17. use specialist equipment for disinfection, including fog, mist, vapour and ultraviolet (UV) systems and follow relevant procedures for re-entry
18. dispose of used cleaning and protective equipment in accordance with specified safety procedures
19. clean and disinfect reusable cleaning equipment
20. wash and dry your hands thoroughly and safely in accordance with organisational requirements
21. ensure the hand washing facilities are maintained with an adequate supply of washing solution, disinfection gels and a hygienic means of hand drying
Prepare to clean soft floors, carpets and furnishings
22. ensure your level of personal hygiene meets your organisation's standards of the specification and is followed throughout the cleaning process
23. prepare your working areas and your equipment so that you can do the cleaning as required
24. ensure the objects obstructing the working area are moved safely
25. identify the correct surface material for treatment and decide on the most correct treatment
26. examine the surface material to ensure that it is suitable for the planned treatment given the nature of the material and its type, position, form and the amount of soiling
27. identify whether the surface material is colourfast and shrink-resistant
28. identify and report damaged or deteriorating surfaces
29. identify any factors that will affect how you clean the surface material
30. identify any additional standards to be applied to the work other than your supervisor's instructions, for example customer's instructions in relation to the material you are to treat
31. ensure there is enough ventilation in the work area when carrying out deep cleaning, and to aid any drying process
Maintain cleanliness of soft floors, carpets and furnishings
32. remove loose dust and debris before you apply the cleaning agent or treatment
33. soften ingrained soil and stains with relevant agent or solution before trying to remove them
34. apply the treatment safely, according to the manufacturer's instructions and without over wetting or damaging the material
35. examine the treated area and apply more treatment if required to remove the stain safely
36. ensure that surfaces have an even appearance when you have finished cleaning
37. leave the material free of excess moisture and ingrained soil when you have finished cleaning
38. dispose of waste away in accordance with the workplace guidelines
39. report any stains you cannot remove to the relevant member of staff
40. restore everything in its initial arrangement
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Preparation and protection
1. the health checks and relevant procedures for safe working practice
2. your organisation's principles of dynamic risk assessment within the workplace
3. the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
4. the products and protective equipment for carrying out cleaning and infection control
5. how to reuse the protective equipment or dispose of it in line with your organisation's safety procedures
6. the organisational requirements for safe systems of work
7. how and where to display the relevant safety and infection control signage for cleaning areas
8. your organisation's requirements for minimising risk of infection while working on premises
9. why it is important to choose the correct colour coded equipment and how to use it
Controlling the risk of infection
10. your organisation's procedures for mitigating the risk of infection
11. the frequency of routine cleaning in communal areas, facilities and high-contact areas
12. the enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for suspected or confirmed virus contamination
13. the areas for cleaning and how to identify high contact touch points
14. the range of specialist cleaning products and how to use them safely and effectively
15. the cleaning procedures to follow, depending on the environment and risks identified
16. how to use specialist equipment for disinfection using fog, mist, vapour and ultraviolet (UV) systems and awareness of residual vapour emission after application
17. your organisation's procedures for cleaning and disinfection of reusable equipment
18. your organisation's procedures for disposing of used cleaning equipment and protective equipment
19. the duration of hand washing procedures after the protective equipment is removed
Prepare to clean soft floors, carpets and furnishings
20. the level of personal hygiene required for the area of cleaning and why it is important to maintain it
21. how to prepare the working areas and the equipment to use
22. how to remove obstructive objects safely
23. the correct surface material for treatment and the correct treatment to use
24. the nature of the material for cleaning, its type, position, form and the amount of soiling
25. how to test the surface material for being colourfast and shrink-resistant
26. why there are checks and restrictions for the use of cleaning equipment and why these must be adhered to
27. your organisation's health and safety instructions and why these should be checked against workplace procedures
28. how to assess whether the material is suitable for the planned treatment and what factors to consider
29. why it is important to have the working area ventilated
Maintain cleanliness of soft floors, carpets and furnishings
30. why it is important to remove loose dust and debris before commencing the deep cleaning process
31. how to soften ingrained soil and/or stains, when it is soft enough and why it is important to do this
32. how to identify the most suitable place to carry out test cleans and why this should be done before applying treatments
33. the circumstances under which the surfaces should be pre-treated
34. why treatments should be applied to surface materials evenly and the effects of not doing this
35. how to avoid damaging the surface and the possible results of damaging it
36. the reporting procedures for the stains that could not be removed
37. the workplace guidelines for disposing the waste
38. how to restore everything in its initial arrangement