Why Your Puget Sound Facility Needs A Winter Floor Care Program
Winter floor care takes more time and attention than any other season due to the mix of dirt, rain, slush, and ice melt that gets tracked into buildings. The Puget Sound region can often experience severe winters. Although the area doesn’t typically get much snow, it does get a lot of rainfall (averaging from 3.9 to 5.4 inches) during the winter months. In a facility, a hard surface floor is the first area to be directly affected by winter weather. Adhering to a winter floor care program in your facility is important, as it will extend the life of your floors, reducing the need for costly upgrades or further deep cleaning.
Commercial Floor Maintenance
Snow and rain often mean that ice melt, soil, and moisture are most likely to get tracked inside the building. Ice melt compounds that get tracked inside can severely damage floors. Sodium chloride ice melt leaves a white residue, while calcium chloride and magnesium chloride ice melts leave an oily residue. If left for too long, these residues can dull floor finish, splinter wood floors, and cause dry rot to carpets. Regular mopping, and the use of an auto scrubber, with a neutral floor cleaner, can be very effective in these situations because it removes grit and greasy residue left by ice melt.
When mopping, it is important to change out the cleaning solution in the mop bucket after every use to avoid re-depositing the soil back onto the floor. A dual bucket system can also be used to separate clean and dirty water. If mopping doesn’t provide satisfactory results, an auto scrubber is another effective way to remove soil from the floor. Floor mats should be removed from any areas to be cleaned as water can seep under the mats and cause damage to floors.
High-Performance Matting System
The best preventative measure for your facility’s floors during the winter months is a high-performance matting system. Without adequate matting, 42% of a floor’s finish can be removed within the first six feet of an entrance after only 1,500 people have entered a facility. Matting helps minimize the tracking of contaminants such as ice melt, soil, and moisture into a facility by stopping it at the door. High-quality matting will also store soil for easier removal, help reduce slip-and-fall accidents that may occur on hard surface floors, and keep the mess tracked in from spreading to other areas of the building.
Matting can be used for outside entryways and vestibules and should be placed at all back doors and service entrances in addition to main entry points. It’s advised to implement a dual mat system that includes scraper mats and carpet mats. Scraper mats feature active blades of various heights that scrape grime and debris off shoes outside front entryways and carpet mats pick up excess debris. Matting should be wide enough to cover the entire traffic area and extend 15 feet into the building to properly capture the maximum amount of dirt.
You never want to vacuum matting that is wet unless you are using a wet vacuum as it can cause extreme damage to equipment or injury from shock. Routine cleaning of matting is often the most neglected task in a daily winter cleaning program. Matts should be regularly cleaned and changed out as once they become wet, they are ineffective.
Floor Finish
During the winter months, your facility’s floor finish can take a beating. However, winter is not the recommended time to strip and refinish floors as cold weather can affect how well the finish dries and adheres. Additionally, your floors are susceptible to winter elements and may only lead to more work. The best winter floor care program is to continue to clean and maintain hard surface floors during the winter months and burnish when necessary.
If a facility’s floors are getting dull or there seems to be a salt film, increased mopping and burnishing with a good restorer to bring back the shine is recommended. If burnishing is required, the floor should be adequately cleaned before the process, especially in winter because grit and soil can get ground into the finish, change its appearance and cause it to turn yellow. When winter weather starts to fade is when stripping and recoating should be done.
Cleanstart Commercial Floor Care Programs
Floors experience the most wear and tear within a building and are the first asset visitors notice when they walk in. It is important to implement a floor care program that includes frequent cleanings and deep cleans to enhance the appearance of floors. Cleanstart has over 28 years of experience developing and implementing floor care programs for all types of facilities.
By combining a carefully crafted floor-cleaning program with top-quality cleaning equipment, experienced cleaning technicians, and regular maintenance, we are able to help businesses overcome the challenges of floor care all year long. We offer daily, weekly, monthly, and after-hour cleaning services as well as emergency cleanings. Our highly trained cleaning crews use the most effective cleaning supplies and state-of-the-art equipment to get the job done right. If you are looking for consistent, high-quality cleaning services you can depend on, give the experts at Cleanstart a call today!
Why Your Facility Needs Cleanstart:
✓ Over 25 years of experience in the commercial cleaning and janitorial industry
✓ Thoroughly trained and vetted cleaning professionals
✓ Commitment to the highest quality clean
✓ Local, licensed, bonded, and insured
✓ 24/7 cleaning options & support
✓ Quick response times
✓ Customized cleaning solutions
✓ Electrostatic spray disinfection service
✓ One-time and recurring cleaning services
✓ 100% satisfaction guarantee
✓ OSHA, HIPAA, EPA, CDC, AORN compliant
✓ A+ BBB-rating
For more information about our expert floor care and total facility cleaning services, please give Cleanstart a call today at (253) 921-2593. Request a free cleaning estimate now!
We proudly services the following locations in the Puget Sound region:
Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Factoria, Fife, Gig Harbor, Kent, Lakewood, Olympia, Puyallup, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, and Thurston County.
5013 Pacific Hwy E unit 16 Fife, WA 98424 • Phone: 253.921.2593 • Email: Caleb @ thecleanstart.com
Commercial Floor Cleaning and Maintenance – Puget Sound
