Cleaning Granite Floors In The Winter

A reader comments: “We have a new hospital with granite floors. How do I clean and maintain granite floors in Alaska’s harsh winter environment?”

I am not sure what the texture of the floor is (polished or rough). In Alaska, you face a range of challenges from winter ice melts, snow, dirt/grit and a host of soils, you will need to adapt your cleaning to the season and weather. Also, there are other questions that might affect my answer if I knew more about your situation, so please consider these points as suggestive only. I have other published articles on this subject that might be of help. One very important point is to always test a small area before initiating any new process just to be safe. There is a lot to learn that I cannot cover in this brief response. Note following points:

1. Granite is a relatively hard natural stone but can be scratched and damaged by tracked in grit as well as some chemicals. A polished floor may require different attention than a rough, textured floor.

2. The grout may be cement based or a synthetic.
a. Please research the difference and maintain according to manufacturer’s directions.
b. Note that cement type grout can be sensitive to acids so always rinse and neutralize.
c. Repair/patch any cracks or missing grout promptly utilizing the same product and color to maintain consistency.

3. If you are generating a haze, it may be a chemical reaction due to residue or the salts/minerals being tracked in. Make sure your mops are clean and you are using clean solution.

4. Research what the installer of the granite suggests for maintaining the floor. Although they will oftentimes simply say to use water there may be other products they will recommend against.

5. The product you named should be safe and effective for this type floor. Since this is an entranceway that encounters a lot of different soils you may need to rotate it with something stronger to deal with the grout soiling. Always rinse to be safe.

6. Your goal should be to keep the floor clean and safe to walk on since disinfection is more important in protecting touch points, not the entrance floor.

We will continue this subject in a future article. Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net