Techniques To Protect Floor Finish

Minimizing floor maintenance costs by maximizing time between stripping


It’s important for staffs to protect floors once finish has been applied. Prior to opening for traffic, clean or new walk-off mats need to be installed, and properly maintained. Walk-off mats can only hold so much soil and for only so long before the soil is tracked onto the floor, spreading through the building. Vacuuming the mats daily is an excellent way to keep dirt, dust, water and oils from being tracked onto floors. The next step in protecting the new floor is dust mopping.

Train staff to dust mop the entrances and other “A” areas — outside entrances and any other high traffic areas that show initial wear — twice a day using a clean, non-treated microfiber dust mop. Keep the dust mop clean with proper laundering, or using the hose attachment on the vacuum to collect debris. Clean mops will work better at removing particles from floors.

For wet cleaning, match the cleaning procedure and products to the soil load. For example, the third floor of a class A office building will require different cleaning than an elementary school cafeteria. These decisions can be made easier with the support of the distributor or chemical representative, but the goal to keep in mind when making these decisions is to maintain the floor so as to prevent impacted soil. Doing so will further reduce the need for frequent stripping, which comes with added perks.

Hospitals, schools, universities and many other facilities are already implementing floor care programs that extend the time between stripping. And these facilities are enjoying huge savings in material costs, labor hours and reduced risks to staff. Another added benefit is the improved sustainability — savings on water, electricity, chemicals, etc.

Daily cleaning can go a long way to extend the time between stripping and finishing floors, but it wont eliminate the need completely. Stripping is still a necessary part of floor care programs, but there are clear benefits to reducing the frequency of the task.