It might be hard to imagine, but years ago building lobbies were actually quite rare. It was not uncommon for many facilities — including hospitals, apartment buildings and schools — to simply have an entryway connected to hallways. However, today most public facilities have some type of lobby or "welcome area," and usually they are considered the first — and often last — impression visitors have of a facility.  

Because of their high visibility and because they typically receive the greatest amount of foot traffic in the facility, lobby floors deserve and require top-notch cleaning and maintenance. Here, Powr-Flite Floor Care offers suggestions on the cleaning and maintenance of lobby floors.
 
"Lobby floors are actually transition points between streets and parking lots," says Mike Englund, a custodial trainer and floor care expert at Powr-Flite. "Because of this, keeping lobby floors clean prevents outdoor soils from being tracked into other areas of the building."

To that end, facilities experts are encouraged to install 10-to-15 feet of matting at the building entry. Outdoor areas such as sidewalks should also be swept and pressure washed on a regular basis.

"The goal is to remove as much outside soil as possible so less has a chance to come inside," says Englund.
 
Other suggestions include:
• Vacuum entry matting throughout the day.
• Dust mop, damp mop and/or vacuum lobby floors throughout the day.
• Perform heavy wet-cleaning using a neutral detergent to protect the floor's finish—after business hours each day.
• Using a restorer, buff or burnish lobby floors daily; this removes scuff marks and rejuvenates the floor's finish.

"An automatic scrubber should also be brought in," adds Englund. "How often will depend on foot traffic and the condition of the floor, but regular cleaning with an automatic scrubber can help reduce refinishing cycles, making it a major cost savings help reduce cleaning's impact on the environment as well."