How to maintain your floors

December 9, 2021
By Adam O'Laughlin | Janitorial & Sanitary Supplier Development Manager

Your flooring literally carries the weight of your entire company. So, it’s wise to have a proactive floor maintenance plan in place to control costs and ensure longevity. To get started, create a schedule for routine and deep cleaning. Take into consideration your budget, the size of your facility, and the amount of foot traffic in designated areas.

Not all floors are treated the same, so it follows that floor cleaning methods shouldn’t be uniform either. The type of machine, cleaner, and pad you use is determined not only by the type of floor you have but the size of the space.

To get the most out of your floor, focus on the different types of cleaners and pads, and know the steps you should take to extend the life of your floors.
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Types of machines
Sweepers get rid of debris and come in mechanical or electric (battery-operated or plug-in) models. Sweepers are often used in conjunction with a scrubber.

Scrubbers allow for the quick cleaning of large spaces. There are two types of scrubbers to choose from, walk-behind and ride-on. After choosing a machine, you’ll also need to know the type of solution to use for cleaning. To choose the right cleaner, first, consider how soiled the surface will be, then consider the type of flooring you have. Make sure to follow the floor manufacturer’s instructions as well.

• Walk-behind scrubbers are best for facilities where obstacles might be encountered. These are heavy machines that require effort from the operator to turn, not to mention the paid hours to push it through the facility. So, these are not recommended for expansive areas
• Ride-on scrubbers are best for larger areas that might be too large to navigate with a walk-behind or where obstacles are not an issue.

Buffers are used for both cleaning and buffing but can also be used for stripping, carpet maintenance, grinding, and even sanding. Due to the versatility of this type of machine, there are different abrasive levels for floor pads. The industry-standard color-coding system is that a lighter color handles lighter duty and darker colors are more aggressive.

• Polishing – White
• Buffing – Red
• Conditioning/Surface Prep – Violet
• Scrubbing – Dark green
• Stripping – Black

Be sure to choose the right pad for the job. Too weak and it wastes time and money. Too strong and you risk ruining your floors.

Burnishers are used to polish floors and restore their shine. Pads for burnishing do not follow a color-coding system but are typically more aggressive as they are used at a higher speed.

Commercial carpet cleaners are made to tackle tasks that residential carpet cleaning machines are not built to handle. These cleaners apply water and a cleaning solution deep into the pile to suck up dirt, grime, and odors, depositing the dirty water in a holding tank.
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Types of floors
Carpet: For popular commercial options like carpet tiles and broadloom tiles, the most important routine maintenance is vacuuming. If excess dirt is allowed to sit in the carpet fiber it can lead to unsightly matting. Spills should be cleaned immediately with a spot cleaner. Commercial carpet cleaners should be used periodically to deep clean the fibers. The schedule should be determined by your budget and the amount of foot traffic.

Wood: Daily sweeping and spot mopping may be necessary depending on the amount of foot traffic and dirt tracking in your business. Weekly vacuuming will help get into the seams of the flooring. A monthly deep cleaning will keep your floors beautiful but do not use harsh cleaners like those for vinyl tile as they can strip the protective coating from the wood. You’ll also want to consider yearly refinishing to take care of any dulling, fading, or scratching on the wood’s surface.

Vinyl: There are two types of vinyl flooring common in commercial use: Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT).

• LVT is the lower maintenance of the two. Dust mopping or vacuuming can be done regularly to combat dirt buildup that can mar the tile’s surface. Wet mopping can be done as needed based on the amount of foot traffic. Periodic cleaning should be done with a scrubber, but only after the routine maintenance is complete; otherwise, dirt could get ground into the tile.
• VCT is a more cost-effective vinyl option but requires more maintenance. VCT requires regular vacuuming and wet-mopping to prevent debris build-up. Additional deep scrubbing and coats of polish are required periodically. VCT can also require periodic resurfacing, which includes stripping, scrubbing, and reapplying of polish.

Ceramic tile offers more custom design possibilities than vinyl. Routine maintenance includes vacuuming and mopping, though some stains (like paint, oil, and soap) require spot cleaning. Liquids can decrease the slip resistance of ceramic tile, so take care when mopping and cleaning. Also, periodic deep cleaning is necessary to remove dirt and mineral deposits.

Porcelain tile is a great choice for low-maintenance flooring as it is resistant to scratches and stains. However, porcelain isn’t entirely off the hook. Porcelain can be stained by permanent dyes and should be rinsed immediately if it comes into contact with them. Daily dust mopping, sweeping, and cleaning with mild soap and water will keep your floors tip-top, but depending on traffic, those tasks can be done weekly. Specific cleaning regimes will apply when dealing with glazed, unglazed, or textured tile. If routine maintenance is kept up, no periodic deep cleaning (like buffing and polishing) should be necessary; however, steam cleaning can be done for extremely dirty floors.

Stone: Maintenance of your stone floor starts with dust mopping as the most destructive materials to stone are sand, dirt, and grit. This can be done multiple times a day depending on the amount of traffic your flooring sees. Daily cleaning with a pH-neutral cleaner or stone soap should be done in high-traffic areas. Periodic polishing will be necessary to maintain the shine. This can be done with a buffing machine, buffing pads, and polishing powder. How often you perform this maintenance will depend on the type of stone, the amount of traffic, and how good of a job of dust mopping is being done.

Concrete: Polished concrete flooring is perhaps the lowest in annual maintenance costs of all industrial flooring. Low maintenance, however, doesn’t mean no maintenance. The first step in caring for your polished concrete floor is to take care of spills and stains immediately. Routine care consists of daily dust mopping and regular wet cleaning (by mop or machine, determined by the size of your facility), the schedule determined by your foot traffic. Floors should be refreshed, typically twice a year, which consists of stripping the flooring and a reapplication of the manufacturer’s protective treatment.
 
The most important rule of thumb, regardless of your type of flooring, is not to skimp on your routine maintenance. Sticking to a strict schedule for routine maintenance will help keep your floors healthy and should help you avoid excessive costs down the line in refurbishing or replacing.


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