MAXIM Carpet Protectant

MAXIM is a line of post-cleaning carpet and fabric protectants from Bridgepoint Systems, one of the larger suppliers to the professional carpet cleaning industry. It’s applied after a hot-water extraction clean, while the carpet is still slightly damp, and dries in along with the fibers. The fluorochemical chemistry bonds to the fiber surface and creates a layer that resists oil-based and water-based staining, slows soil from embedding, and reduces what the industry calls “wet-out” — the tendency for a carpet to instantly absorb spilled liquid.

The pitch on MAXIM (and similar competitors like Scotchgard Professional, Capture, and DuPont Teflon Advanced) is that it extends the time between professional cleanings and makes interim maintenance more effective. In our experience that’s generally true, with two caveats:

1. Protectant only works on a clean carpet. Applying it over a soiled carpet locks the dirt under the chemistry. The carpet has to be extracted first; protectant is a finishing step, not a substitute for cleaning.
2. It wears off with traffic. Heavy-traffic corridors will see the protection break down at 6 months. Lobbies and conference rooms can hold the protection 12+ months. Reapplication happens on the next cleaning cycle.

When does it make sense to spec? Higher-end commercial lobbies, medical office waiting rooms, hospitality common areas, executive suites — anywhere a stain is a visible asset problem and the carpet is going to see traffic between cleanings. For back-of-house corridors and warehouse offices, it’s usually not worth the cost.

MAXIM is one specific protectant; we’ll spec the chemistry that fits the carpet fiber. Wool and natural fibers want different protectant chemistry than synthetic nylon or PET.