Floors experience the most wear and tear within a building and are the first thing visitors notice when they walk in. Day-to-day foot traffic can wreak havoc on facility floors – especially during winter months. The debris brought in creates scratches and can negatively impact your business’s image.

Businesses have different floor types which are affected differently by the harsh inclement weather. When salt is applied outside your facility the melted residue will be tracked into your building and begin to attack floors, causing excessive wear and damage. Protection is cheaper than restoration, so it is only smart to take steps to preserve floors from harsh conditions. Here are proactive tips for winter floorcare.

Floor Mat Plan

It may sound obvious but having floor mats at every entryway to the building is essential. Not only that, they have to be of the right type to catch debris, salt and moisture from being tracked into other parts of your building and they have to be kept clean.  Go over your exterior and interior matting with a winter ice melt neutralizer solution in an automatic scrubber or carpet extractor. This will help get rid of the white haze on matting and should prevent ice melt residue from being tracked into your building.  You could even consider teaming up with a floor mat service like HealthMats to change your mats on a regular basis.

Increase Mopping and Auto Scrubbing

It is important to increase the frequency of mopping and auto scrubbing on harsh winter days. Regularly mopping entryways and other floor areas throughout the building will remove salt and reduce water accumulation from heavy snow. Using appropriate mops will help to capture and remove moisture from floors.

Cleaning Products

The type of cleaning product used can impact the floors in your building. Use the appropriate cleaning product for your building’s floors. The cleaning product should remove salt residue and clean the floors.

Cleaning Equipment

As floors become dirtier, cleaning equipment and machines do to. Remember to clean out your equipment so that salt does not damage your machine or allow bacteria to build up inside. Rinse and wring out wet mops and mop buckets frequently to extend the life of your equipment and prevent bacteria buildup. 

Periodic Deep Cleaning

Keep up with regular deep cleans – especially during the winter months – to minimize the burden of daily cleaning and extend the life of floors. Deep cleaning can also restore facility floors to “like new” condition.

Customizing Floor Care

Not all are floors are created equal and each different type of flooring requires its own maintenance plan. For example VCT flooring can benefit from monthly buffing, and semi-annual scrub and recoat and and a full strip and wax on an annual schedule.  Another example is staying on top of your tile floors can prevent grout issues and nasty odors.  Lay out a schedule for your floor care as part of your preventative maintenance plan and you will not only make your building look its best at all times but save money in the long run as well. 

Outsourcing

Unsure about whether you want to execute step 1 through 6 yourself? Consider hiring a commercial cleaning company that specializes in floor care.  Here are some tips when you are looking to find the right partner.

The state of your floors makes a large impact on the overall look of your building. To improve the feel of your facility, floors are key. Make a better impression on clients and visitors and a more pleasant place for employees by giving your floors the care and attention they require. The issue many property managers run into is finding the right help to take proper care of their floors. Without the proper tools and expertise, you may be falling short in keeping your floors in the best shape. Your floors are a long-term investment and on-going maintenance is a huge part of keeping up the appearance over time.

System4 of Delaware will work with you to create a customized floor care plan that covers all floor types within your building. If your flooring needs a little more attention or just continual wear and tear, System4 can coordinate more substantial restoration services – strip and wax, refinish, repair, etc. System4 has the expertise to make your floors shine again. We understand how important your floors are to you and your business’s image. Contact System4 today to learn more about Floor Care Services and other Commercial Cleaning or Building Maintenance Services