customer tips for maintaining your floors
The following tips are for customers who have just had their floors completed by us and they are clean and shiny. You have just spent a considerable amount of money having them done, so you obviously care about how they look. I suggest spending just a little more time and effort to keep them looking good for as long as possible.
One- Sand. It's just tiny microscopic rocks. It's the stuff they use on sand-paper, right? You get it on your feet, track it across the floor and it wears the floor like sandpaper. Dust mop daily and use high quality matting at entryways, vestibules, and main traffic areas. Use winter matting just outside main doorways to remove snow and moisture and especially salt, another floor care enemy.
Two-Mopping ABC's- A- What not to use---any household cleaner, bleach, ammonia's,degreasers, dishsoap, laundry soaps, well anything with the word "soap" in it, toilet cleaners, window cleaners etc... These attack the floor finish and make it soft and sticky , which attract and hold dirt like a magnet. If you don't have the proper cleaner use WATER ONLY...sorry for shouting but it's Important......Well , ... only if you want your floors to stay clean and looking good.
B--What you should use--A PH neutral cleaner specifically designed for finished floors. Almost any janitorial supplier worth their salt will have one. These do a good job of cleaning and don't leave those mopping "streaks" you see after you have mopped sometimes. Some health care facilities, and I include veterinarian clinics in this, want or need to disinfect. Remember part "A" where I said no bleach? That creates a predicament...Bigger janitorial suppliers will have a "PH neutral cleaner that also disinfacts" If you must use a disinfectant of a standard type , for example one that kills Parvo for canines, try to use it sparingly, and never more than the amount per gallon on the containers instructions. These are very powerful cleaners and if used daily WILL attack the floor finish killing the shine and durability.You know someones over-mixing the product if the floor is sticky. Take a moment , review what the container says, share it with cleaning staff, and make sure they have a proper measuring cup. I have seen many floors ruined by the "Glug-Glug" method. They think of it as soap, more is better right?---make sure they know better. Think of the money you paid to have your floors done, a few minutes to review this with your staff, seems worth it now doesn't it?
C---Mopping--No, you cannot wash bleach and ammonia's from old dirty mopheads. They will streak and contaminate you fresh wax. Start with a fresh new one. When mopping you probably dip in the bucket [with your cleaner mixed properly of course] , wring the mop, then drag it across the floor in a back and forth motion. There it's clean , right? Nope, think about it you just gave the cleaning chemical approximately a millisecond to work. And you wonder why the floor isn't coming clean?
Give it at least a minute to work. Dip the mop, don't wring it completely and apply the solution to about a 6 foot by 6 foot area. Then wring your mop well and mop up the solution. This gives it the dwell time it needs to actually work.
Three--- Call us to touch up your floors BEFORE they get awful. If caught soon enough we may be able to scrub and recoat instead of the expensive stripping. We have some facilities we buff every 4 to 6 weeks. They take a lot of pride in what they do and want the place to look good, all the time. Your needs may be different.
One- Sand. It's just tiny microscopic rocks. It's the stuff they use on sand-paper, right? You get it on your feet, track it across the floor and it wears the floor like sandpaper. Dust mop daily and use high quality matting at entryways, vestibules, and main traffic areas. Use winter matting just outside main doorways to remove snow and moisture and especially salt, another floor care enemy.
Two-Mopping ABC's- A- What not to use---any household cleaner, bleach, ammonia's,degreasers, dishsoap, laundry soaps, well anything with the word "soap" in it, toilet cleaners, window cleaners etc... These attack the floor finish and make it soft and sticky , which attract and hold dirt like a magnet. If you don't have the proper cleaner use WATER ONLY...sorry for shouting but it's Important......Well , ... only if you want your floors to stay clean and looking good.
B--What you should use--A PH neutral cleaner specifically designed for finished floors. Almost any janitorial supplier worth their salt will have one. These do a good job of cleaning and don't leave those mopping "streaks" you see after you have mopped sometimes. Some health care facilities, and I include veterinarian clinics in this, want or need to disinfect. Remember part "A" where I said no bleach? That creates a predicament...Bigger janitorial suppliers will have a "PH neutral cleaner that also disinfacts" If you must use a disinfectant of a standard type , for example one that kills Parvo for canines, try to use it sparingly, and never more than the amount per gallon on the containers instructions. These are very powerful cleaners and if used daily WILL attack the floor finish killing the shine and durability.You know someones over-mixing the product if the floor is sticky. Take a moment , review what the container says, share it with cleaning staff, and make sure they have a proper measuring cup. I have seen many floors ruined by the "Glug-Glug" method. They think of it as soap, more is better right?---make sure they know better. Think of the money you paid to have your floors done, a few minutes to review this with your staff, seems worth it now doesn't it?
C---Mopping--No, you cannot wash bleach and ammonia's from old dirty mopheads. They will streak and contaminate you fresh wax. Start with a fresh new one. When mopping you probably dip in the bucket [with your cleaner mixed properly of course] , wring the mop, then drag it across the floor in a back and forth motion. There it's clean , right? Nope, think about it you just gave the cleaning chemical approximately a millisecond to work. And you wonder why the floor isn't coming clean?
Give it at least a minute to work. Dip the mop, don't wring it completely and apply the solution to about a 6 foot by 6 foot area. Then wring your mop well and mop up the solution. This gives it the dwell time it needs to actually work.
Three--- Call us to touch up your floors BEFORE they get awful. If caught soon enough we may be able to scrub and recoat instead of the expensive stripping. We have some facilities we buff every 4 to 6 weeks. They take a lot of pride in what they do and want the place to look good, all the time. Your needs may be different.