The performance benefits that come along with installing Commercial Carpet Flooring include how easy it is to clean and maintain. However, in order to ensure a long life for any type of flooring product, it is necessary to clean it in the appropriate manner. Mannington Commercial, which has been in business as a flooring specialist since 1915, has assisted thousands of clients in keeping the performance of their hard surface flooring at its optimal level.
It is not necessary for maintenance to be complicated. It’s as simple as putting in place some fundamental procedures and utilizing the appropriate tools and supplies. Let’s go over some general information regarding the treatment of newly installed floors, the establishment of a daily maintenance routine, and the ongoing corrective cleaning that must be performed.
Getting the Ball Rolling on Brand New Commercial Flooring
Before you begin working on your floors, you should examine the coasters and glides that are attached to the furniture that will be moved into the area. Install them, replace them, or repair them as necessary to avoid scrapes and to make certain that the load is distributed evenly.
Make sure that the entrances have sufficient walk-off mats that are at least as wide as the doorways, 10 to 14 feet long depending on the amount of traffic and the type of soil outside, and have a backing that will not stain the flooring. Having appropriate entryways helps cut down on the total amount of soil that is dispersed across the area.
Before proceeding with anything else, check to see that the appropriate signage is in place. It should be common practice to provide people in the area with advance notice of any potential work areas. This will help keep everyone safe.
After you have finished installing your flooring, you should thoroughly inspect the area for any excess adhesive residue, and then remove it using mineral spirits and a clean rag. After that, clean the area using water and a cleanser with a pH that is neutral. In order to give adhesives sufficient time to bond and harden, it is best practice to wait at least five days before using a wet mop or any other kind of scrubbing device. This will ensure that adhesives are properly cured.
If there are going to be workers performing their trades on top of the newly installed floor covering, make sure to protect all of the floors with protective coverings such as ram board or something else of a similar nature. This will assist in preventing damage to the freshly installed floor such as scratches and gouges from occurring.
Creating a Routine for Maintenance That Involves Several Steps
To begin, dust and grit should be removed by dry mopping the floor. Use a microfiber dust mop such as a Rubbermaid Hygen to remove tougher soils from hard-to-clean surfaces. Be sure to replace the heads of the dust mops as often as necessary when they become soiled beyond use.
Moving on to wet cleaning options is the next step that needs to be taken. There are a few different neutral cleaners that have been shown to be effective (Procter & Gamble #32, 3M-3H, Rochester Midland Perfecto 7, National Chemical Laboratories Earth Sense pH Neutral All Purpose Cleaner, and EnvirOx), but it is absolutely essential that the product be properly mixed with a dilution of 1 ounce per gallon or less.
Use an alkaline cleaner with a pH between 8 and 10 to clean areas that are greasy or oily. For areas that have hard water or a high mineral concentration, use an acidic cleaner with a pH between 4.5 and 6.5 to clean those areas. Never combine alkaline, acidic, neutral, or high pH cleaning solutions in the same container.
When working with lighter soil or for installations of a smaller scale
Mop the floor with water and a neutral cleaner that has been diluted. Mop options such as the Rubbermaid Hygen Microfiber Damp Mops and the Rubbermaid Microfiber String Mops perform admirably on various types of hard surface flooring. The water should be changed frequently, and the mop should be wrung out at regular intervals.
When used on medium installations, when dealing with heavy soil, or when performing corrective cleaning.
Scrubbing in a north-south or east-west direction using a machine with a single disc or square orbital motion should be done after first applying water or cleaning solution to the surface to be cleaned. Then, mop or wet/dry vacuum.
For more expansive areas or places with a lot of soil
Choose either an auto scrubber and water or a cleaner that has been properly diluted and use that. Using an astroturf or microfiber pad is beneficial for use in areas that require more thorough cleaning or that are particularly dirty.
For the purpose of decontaminating public areas
After using a quaternary disinfectant in a concentration of more than 2 ounces per gallon, be sure to rinse the mop with clean water before using it again. To reiterate, you should never combine cleaning products with a low, neutral, or high pH.
In each scenario, the Modular PP Carpet needs to be inspected after it has dried, the process should be repeated if necessary, and the cleaning supplies and equipment must be adjusted accordingly. In addition to using the appropriate cleaning solution, it is essential to always use the appropriate pressure and pad for your equipment. This will ensure that the cleaning solutions are distributed appropriately and will prevent any damage to the flooring.
Maintaining optimal performance in heat-welded seams in high-traffic areas can be accomplished by applying a thin layer of seam coater pen in an even manner using the seam coater pen as an essential component of preventative maintenance and routine cleaning. In high-traffic areas or areas that require frequent cleanings that require a high level of maintenance, it is recommended that periodic inspections and applications be performed.
How to Determine Which Cleaner Is Best for Your Hard-Surface Flooring
There are a number of trustworthy manufacturers that produce cleaning solutions that can be used on your hard-surface commercial flooring. Many different things need to be taken into consideration before deciding which one will work best in your area.
The amount of foot traffic, the type of soil that is typically found in the area, the equipment that is available, the amount of time that is allotted for maintenance, and the budget for cleaning can all be determined with the help of a site survey.
Choosing to Use Polish
The following are the fundamental steps that need to be taken in order to complete the task of applying floor finish (polish) correctly if you have decided to use it on the floors of your facility.
Start with a fundamental cleaning as described above, just as you would with any hard-surface flooring, moving from dry mopping to wet cleaning, drying, and inspection at the end of the process.
It is essential to do an adequate job of preparing the surface of the floor before applying floor finish (polish) to the floor for the very first time.
On a swing machine, begin by selecting the blue pad. On Mannington Commercial flooring, it has been demonstrated that pads from Americo, Square Scrub, and Tuway, as well as swing machines such as those from Square Scrub, Clarke FM 40 Square Scrub, Windsor Bolt, and Korcher BDS 43/Duo C, are effective.
After applying water to the floor in an even layer while taking care not to flood the surface, agitate the water by moving either up and down or left and right. To get rid of the water, you can use a vacuum, a mop, or an auto scrubber that also has a vacuum. It may be necessary to repeat.
After ensuring that the floor is totally dry, apply three to four coats of floor finish (polish), the exact number of which should be determined by the amount of foot traffic in the area. For the best possible results, make sure to carefully read and adhere to the instructions provided by the product’s manufacturer regarding its application, temperature, humidity, and drying time, among other factors. Each product will come with its own unique set of suggestions.
