Anti-Static Cleaning and Treatments Services 

 In everyday life we all usually accept the effects of static electricity as a small but annoying electric shock, usually experienced when leaving vehicles, or more amusingly between two people.
 
However if you, or any members of your staff, experience static shocks whilst carrying out their work, you should really act.

Static electrical shocks can not only be unsettling and annoying at times but can also be very damaging and dangerous, especially if you experience shocks in an area where electronics, flammable vapours, or dust might be present.


Most commonly static discharge can be found in office environments where staff can experience shocks when touching a doors, filling cabinets, lifts or metal objects, and this is because static electricity is being discharged when two conductive materials come into contact. 


 
There are of course physical solutions to problems caused by static electricity, but there are also chemical solutions too. Our Anti-Static Carpet Treatment service applies a layer of aqueous ionic charge on to the surface of the carpet to increase cross-fibre conductivity and eliminate ESD problems. 

Anti-static spray coatings typically consist of a conducting polymer (plastic) and a solvent made from deionised and alcohol. When the solvent evaporates, it leaves behind an invisibly thin conducting "skin" on the surface of the object that will prevent static build-up. It also works by allowing the fibres to retain a little moisture, which makes them more electrically conductive and reduces the chances of static building up. 

Very simple—but very effective! 


Static build up is created simply by friction between carpet fibres and other moving objects such as people’s shoes or electric field currents from equipment such as computers. This effect is made worse in today’s modern buildings due to heating and air conditioning systems creating a much dryer environment.

The general rule of the universe is that all materials hold equal amounts of negative charge (electrons) and positive charge (protons). But if two surfaces have become imbalanced due to one having an excess charge, then when they come into contact with each other the imbalanced charge will be redistributed between each surface causing the excess of charge to flow through to the other surface. 

This release of excess electrostatic charge is known as an Electro-Static Discharge or ESD, and this is when the effects of static shocks are noticed. 

Static Electricity


It is therefore advised that carpets in vulnerable areas are treated regularly to prevent such a build up of static charge. Carpets with nylon fibres in them are far worse left untreated as they can interfere with the operation of electronic equipment and computer terminals.



Unprotected carpets can generate voltages upwards of 20,000 volts. These high voltages can not only cause damage to electronic devices, attract dirt, and cause field effect generation, but in more hazardous areas can cause explosions due to spark generation. An easily applied Anti-Static Treatment to the carpet will prevent such damage by ESD. 

When new, Anti-Static carpets are usually manufactured from materials that are less likely to build up and hold a static charge, and are also treated with an Anti-Static coating, however over time, especially in high traffic areas, this coating will naturally wear off and the carpet will lose it’s effectiveness against the Electro-Static build up.

Anti-Static Treatment should therefore be carried out on a regular basis to maintain its effectiveness, especially in vulnerable operational areas where electronic items or a risk of explosion is present. In this case treatment should be carried out at least every six months depending on traffic movement in that area.

If you have Anti-Static carpets that require cleaning then Super-Clean can undertake this very easily using a variety of Hot Water Extraction machines that we have suited to the task in hand. It must be noted that ANY type of cleaning work undertaken on an Anti-Static carpet will remove the previous treatment rendering it ineffective, we therefore always recommend a re-application of new Anti-Static Treatment to any carpet that has been cleaned. 

 Call us today on 0191 455 2929 for a free no obligation quotation