Cleaning and maintaining floors in food service areas can be particularly daunting. The challenge is compounded because food service floors must be hygienically maintained to protect the health of the patrons, as well as to meet health codes and regulations.

To help address these issues, Powr-Flite offers the following tips and suggestions on keeping food service floors clean, sanitized and healthy:
• Before cleaning food service floors, make sure floor drains are unobstructed and working properly.
• Floors, which are typically quarry or ceramic should be sealed with a low-slip or anti-slip coating to foster proper sanitation and reduce the possibility of a slip-and-fall accident.
• All floor care work should be performed before food handling/processing equipment is cleaned; this helps prevent floor soils and debris from becoming airborne and landing on workstations or equipment.
• If using mops and buckets, they should be cleaned/changed daily. Soiled mops and buckets can spread contaminants across the floor.
• Use a squeegee to move moisture into floor drains for quicker drying.
• A 175-rpm buffer should be used at least once per week, or daily if necessary, to loosen soils, grease and oil that may build up on floors. Use a blue or green scrubbing pat along with a 17-inch or 20-inch floor machine; a smaller machine can better maneuver in and around counters and cooking areas in a kitchen.
• Mops, buckets, squeegees, chemicals, as well as all floor care equipment should be stored off the ground on shelves or racks. This helps keep the equipment clean and deters pests.

“Many food service kitchens now use approved anti-fatigue mats to help prevent slip-and-fall accidents and worker fatigue,” says Mike Englund, a cleaning expert and product manager with Powr-Flite. “It is very important that these [mats] be cleaned and sanitized at closing, allowing them to air dry before the facility reopens.”