Did you know that every time someone walks into a facility it can cost 72 cents? That is the average cost to locate and properly remove soil when an effective matting program is not in place, according to ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association.

According to the study, if 1,000 people per day enter a building over a 20-day period where no matting is installed, they will track in about 24 pounds of soil. It costs, according to the study, about $600 to remove one pound of soil, which amounts to a staggering $14,400 just in this 20-day time period.

"Breaking this down further," says Adam Strizzi, marketing manager for Crown Mats and Matting, "over a 20 day period, this amounts to $720 per day and when we divide that by the 1,000 people entering the facility, it comes to 72 cents per person."

Based on these figures, facility managers have two ways to address this problem and keep cleaning costs down, according to Strizzi:  

— They can limit the number of people entering the facility, which is an unlikely option; or
— Managers can take preventive steps using mats to keep soils outside no matter how many people enter the facility.

However, in order for this preventive program to be effective, Strizzi says, "The types of mats selected and the length of the mats are very important. A small, three by five foot mat, which many facilities install, will not be effective."  

The American Institute of Architects reports that five feet of matting will capture 33 percent of walked-in debris; ten feet will capture 52 percent; and 20 to 25 feet can capture as much as 100 percent of soil on a building user's shoe bottoms, preventing the soil from entering the facility.

"It is also very important to have three types of mats installed at all building entries," he adds. "Scraper mats for outside; wiper/scrapers directly inside the facility; and wiper mats beyond that. This 'systems approach' to matting captures soil and can significantly reduce cleaning costs."