Cleaning floors can be quite tedious, especially if your space has different types of flooring in different areas. What’s more, floors receive quite a lot of abuse. From food spills to mud, floors get scuffed, scratched, and dirtied every day. They need some extra TLC to maintain their quality through the years.
Luckily, keeping floors shiny and clean in any commercial space isn’t such a terrible ordeal. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Hire Professional Cleaners
Let’s get this out of the way first thing: the most hassle-free way to preserve your floors is to hire professional cleaners to clean and polish your floors. This is especially true if you have specialty floors (such as hardwood) that need extra care. Staff can clean, mop, and polish floors to their satisfaction, but nothing can beat the high calibre service that the experts can provide. You’ll spend a little extra to get that quality output, but the investment is certainly worth it.
Vacuum Once a Week
You might think that dust is just dust and that it’s relatively harmless. However, it can actually scratch your floors. Dust can also ruin a floor’s protective coating, resulting in a dull-looking surface that’s more easily damaged. Health-wise, dust can also trigger allergies. In short, you need to get rid of dust regularly. Do this by vacuuming at least once a week, making sure to get into every nook and cranny. If you can, vacuum more often in areas like the living room and bedroom where people congregate and stay more often.
In addition, pick the right attachment when vacuuming. Some vacuum cleaners have brush attachments with hard bristles, which can scratch some floors. If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, use a broom to sweep the floor. Pick one with long and angled soft bristles.
Use the Right Tools and Cleaners
Not all floors are created equal. Therefore, you need to use different tools and cleaners to maintain them. Professional floor cleaners will know what to do, of course, but you can also do your own maintenance by following the basics below:
Hardwood
The cleaning method for hardwood floors depends on the finish. If you have wax-finish or untreated hardwood floors, washing is a no-no. Simply sweep, vacuum, or dust-mop regularly. For polyurethane-finish floors, the ideal cleaner is a pH-neutral soap. Dampen a mop with the correct soap-water mixture for cleaning, then run over with a microfibre cloth to dry.
Laminate
Laminate floors only need to be vacuumed regularly. Dusting or wiping with a dry mop or cloth also works. Don’t use soap-based cleaners or polishes because these will dull the surface. Waxes are also not recommended, since these will make the floor slippery. You can use a slightly damp mop or cloth if there are hard-to-remove stains, but don’t over-wet so that the moisture won’t seep under the boards.
Vinyl
A soft-bristled broom or a vacuum with a soft brush attachment is the perfect tool for keeping vinyl floors dust-free. For a deeper clean, use water mixed with some mild detergent. Dampen a mop with this solution, then “rinse” using a mop dampened with just water. Make sure to dry thoroughly.
Tiles
Tile floors are quite hardy. You can wait for your cleaner to do the job for you, but if you need immediate cleaning, you can use this simple homemade vinegar and dish soap solution that works wonders. Mix about 1/4 cup of white vinegar with a few drops of dish soap, put the mixture inside a 16-ounce spray bottle, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with warm water. Spray the solution on the surface and then use a microfibre cloth or mop to wipe away. For the grout, use the same mixture but mix it with hot water instead, and then let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing and washing.
Linoleum
For linoleum floors, dish soap and hot water will do the trick. Spray the mixture onto the floor and then mop or wipe it a couple of times. Alternatively, you can dampen the mop or cloth directly. Make sure to rinse thoroughly to prevent any stickiness. For daily or weekly maintenance, sweeping or vacuuming to get rid of dust and dirt will suffice.
Stone
Natural stone floors need pH-neutral, non-chelating cleaners. These will prevent any unwanted chemical reactions that can ruin the minerals in the stone. If you have unsealed stone tile floors, microfibre mops dampened with hot water will do; stubborn stains and grime can be removed by steam.
Have Mats in Entrances
Aside from tracking mud and dirt on your precious floors, your shoes can also transfer harmful bacteria like E. coli. One of the simplest ways to limit dirt from making its way into your office is to make sure that you have a mat at every entrance so that dirt from the outside goes directly onto the mat. It will also make the floor a lot easier to clean later.
Don’t Drag Furniture
Dragging your furniture can cause nicks, scratches, and divots on your floors. As much as possible, lift office furniture instead of dragging them. You may also want to buy anti-scratch pads to place on the feet of tables, chairs, and other furniture on non-carpeted areas. In addition, consider placing thick rugs or mats underneath plant pots and other heavy items. This will further minimise scratches that can dull and damage your floors.
Keeping your floors shiny and clean doesn’t have to be terribly difficult. Take note of these tips to make this task a breeze. For all your regular floor requirements in your commercial space, contact Crewcare.