Keeping Winter
Floors Clean, Shiny and Safe
By SOFIA A.
MODESTO
Winter is almost
here and it can be tough on floors. Adverse weather conditions often amplify
floor care problems and make the need for a floor care maintenance program all
the more important.
Below are a few
tips to help keep your winter floors looking their best:
Grit Control: A
floor maintenance program should start with a “grit control” system. This helps
reduce labour time and prevents slips and falls. The most efficient way to
implement grit control is by employing high performing matting systems to help
collect and trap soil on shoes at all building entries. Interior matting is
also needed to remove moisture and additional soils.
Increase Cleaning
Frequencies: Snow and rain in winter months often mean that more moisture is
brought into a facility. Increase mopping or autoscrubbing frequencies helps
remove soil and prevent accidents. Also, make sure floors are adequately
cleaning before burnishing, especially during the winter months, or grit and
soil may be ground into the finish, marring its appearance and causing it to
yellow.
Understand Ice
Melters: Many areas of the country use chemical ice melters during the winter
months. Cleaning professionals need to be aware of the impact these have on
floors and safety. For instance, sodium chloride, a very common ice melter, is
abrasive by nature and can harm interior floors if it is not trapped on mats or
removed by cleaning. Calcium chloride, an alternative to sodium chloride,
absorbs moisture but turns it into a greasy film in warm buildings.
Autoscrubbing can be very effective in these situations, because it removes
grit and greasy residue, and helps prevent slips, falls and damaged floors.
Prevent
Finish-Adhesion Loss: A final winter floor care problem concerns finish
adhesion. A floor finish on marginally porous floors, such as quarry tile, may
produce a tough, high-gloss finish in warm months. However, the same floor may
suffer finish-adhesion loss in the cold and gritty conditions of winter. Again,
the best ways to prevent this are with mats that stop grit before it enters the
facility, more frequent cleanings, and with autoscrubbing. It may also be
necessary to recoat in the winter. Recoating should be performed when the floor
temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) or warmer. If it is
colder, cracks may develop in the finish, and more adhesion problems will
result.
Winter floor care
often does take more time and attention. Increasing floor maintenance programs
and mechanizing floor work as much as possible will help reduce the time needed
to maintain floors, decrease labour costs and keep floors looking their very
best. Floors can shine year-found. A proper maintenance program and effective
floor care equipment are all you need.
Sofia Modesto is
an engineer with Tornado Industries, manufacturers of a full line of
professional cleaning equipment.
