When you walk into a high-end commercial building, the shining floors attest reputation and class of its owners.
The impact of the flooring material on a building is often undervalued but imagine what message a dirty or dingy floor in a workspace sends to your staff or customers.
It might be time to reconsider your commercial floor cleaning routine.
Different types of floors require different cleaning methods as well. Also, due care has to be given as we don't want your hardwood to warp because of excess water used in cleaning. An acidic cleaner might ruin your nice marble floors.
To prevent such accidents with your floor, we're outlining the best ways to clean each type of commercial floor.
Best ways to clean floors by types of flooring
Before taking on a project, determine the type of flooring. Each type of flooring requires a different set of cleaning needs. Take a look at your floor and determine what type it is.
1. Cleaning Hardwood floors
Dust and dirt easily get embedded into the porous surface of your hardwood flooring.
Especially in a high-traffic place like a busy office, hardwood floors are more prone to damage. So it becomes too important to exercise due care, like using a protective sealant on the space so that the floor can last long.
Here are the supplies you are going to need for cleaning hardwood floors-
- Auto scrubber
- Vacuum
- Mop
- Bucket
- Auto scrubber
- Air mover
- Liquid cleaner
Polyurethane and wax- are two types of hardwood finishes. If a smudge appears when you rub your fingers across the hardwood surface, it has a waxed finishing.
The urethane or polyacrylic coating on sealed wood floors protects them from water damage and stains as well.
To clean the floor, mix one-fourth of a soap( pH-neutral) with water in a bucket. Use a microfiber cloth to mop the floor. Hardwood floors require to be cleaned with mops soaking no excess water, so wring out the microfiber cloth, which is quite easy to do. Clean the floor with this barely damp mop. With the help of an air mover, it can dry very quickly, so you can step into your space sooner.
For high-traffic areas like the kitchen, cleaning the floors can be done once a week, and for less attended areas, clean the floors 1-2 times a month.
You're off the hook if the commercial floors in your space have a waxed finishing. Even a little amount of water can be detrimental to the waxed wood floors, so you need to avoid the damp mops. What you can do instead is to dust, mop, sweep or vacuum regularly.
2. Cleaning commercial tile floors
Commercial ceramic tiles are a popular choice for durable and aesthetic commercial flooring.
Since the tile floors last longer, they are low maintenance as compared to the other types of commercial flooring. But without due care, the surface of tile floors gets dull and starts weathering while also creating unsanitary conditions.
To clean the tile floors in the best possible way, you'll need to gather the following supplies before starting the work:
- A neutral cleaner( pH of seven is preferred but choose the ones based on the business, as a restaurant would need to remove more grease than an office would)
- Large water bucket
- Water
- Mop
- Drying fan
To clean the tile floors, reach every area of the flooring, and don't forget the corners that are more prone to dust and dirt buildup. You can either sweet the floor by yourself or take the help of a vacuum cleaner which would make it more effective.
To mop the floor, prepare a mixture of mild detergent in hot water. For deep cleaning, you can add a quarter a cup of low-sudsing detergent or a little commercial floor cleaning powder in a gallon of water.
Mop the floor with the same pattern and be careful not to leave any area dirty as you might have to repeat the process again.
If there are grouts on the area, spray on a cleaner, and wash them off after a while. You can use a mild bleach solution as an alternative. For deeper stains, wait for a little longer and scrub off the grout before rinsing the area entirely.
Use a professional air mover to dry the floor.
Also, put wet floor signs to prevent slip and fall accidents.
3. Cleaning vinyl floors
Commercial vinyl floor cleaning is somewhat slightly different from the normal cleaning, provided the supplies used. Since you do want to ensure that the floor does not lose its polished finish, make sure to use these vinyl floor cleaning materials:
- Gentle floor cleaning detergents
- Brooms with soft bristles or oil-free mop
- Vacuum cleaner
- Mop and pail
- Power buffering machine
- Air Mover/ floor drying fan
- Floor finish
For routine maintenance of the vinyl floor, sweep or vacuum the surface to prevent the settling of dirt and grim particles over time that may accumulate and fade the shine.
Now the perfect way to clean the surface is firstly dampening the mop with the non-acidic neutral detergent and wiping the floor using a figure 8 motion. Now when you have wiped the floor with the detergent, clean your mop off with clean water without detergent. Once you've done this, wipe the entire area to clean off the detergent.
If the floor is left damp, turn on the air mover and let the floor dry thoroughly. Once it is dried, you can do dry-buffing and if you want a shining surface, apply two to four coats of acrylic floor finish.
Doing these simple methods routinely saves the amount of time and the resources you need to use to clean it.
4. Cleaning concrete floors
The demand for concrete flooring has been on the high rise and is most popular in commercial buildings. It is hard and long-lasting, and when sealed and polished, concrete can almost have the same effect as marble flooring has on your building.
Due to its porous nature, it's important to have it scrubbed, sealed, and polished on a pretty regular basis. It also gets easily discolored by spilled drinks or chemical mishaps, and therefore sealing prevents discolorations from ruining your floors.
Concrete is actually a material that requires less maintenance than carpet or hardwood. When properly sealed, it is virtually impervious to scratches and stains and doesn't collect dust or microscopic particles. Concrete does require some maintenance, though.
So, how can you keep your building clean and fresh?
- Dry mop the concrete floors on a regular basis.
- Ensure scrubbing and sealing every few years.
- Avoid the use of hard chemicals or acidic cleaners on a daily basis.
Work with a professional cleaning company that understands what's best for your building and the type of flooring you have.
At ARIA Commercial Cleaning Services, we take due care in our employee training program. With us, you don't have to worry about a thing as our personnel takes care of your facility in the best way possible.
5. Cleaning laminate floor
The laminate that you have used in your building may look like hardwood planks or natural- stone tile, but it does not eliminate the need to take care of it as a laminate.
Bill Dearing, the president of the North American Laminate Flooring Association, claims that very few things will harm a laminate floor, which is indeed good news for the house owners.
It might be due to the fact that, after all, the planks are made in the sun and light-resistant layers to maintain a like-new appearance for years. Moreover, we advise dry mopping or vacuuming the floor, making sure that the machine is on tile mode ( unlike the carpet mode) so the beater is raised.
Where there is a spot on the floor due to some spillings or any other reason, do spot cleaning with a slightly wet mop when necessary. Finally, never polish a laminate floor, and if the finish of a plank is gone or damaged, it would be best advised to replace it.
If you're wondering how to clean the laminate the floors, here are the tips:
- Before cleaning, do read the instructions that come with your laminate flooring.
- Don’t let stains settle on the floor.
- Never use abrasive tools.
- Mop your laminate floor after every two months with great care.
- Use a DIY laminate floor cleaner.
- Avoid the use of excessive water; slightly wet clean.
- Use furniture pads or welcome mats to prevent future damages.
6. Cleaning stone flooring
Stone floors, being natural floors, are one of the most sensitive floors, so utmost care is required while cleaning the stone floors. They, containing the properties of a mineral, could react adversely to non-neutral cleaners.
Whatever you do, leave the vinegar in the pantry as even a small amount of acidic liquid, bleach, or ammonia could damage stone floors.
Hence, it is advisable to use mop-sealed tone floors with a pH-neutral, non-chelating cleaner that would not react adversely to the minerals in natural surfaces.
Otherwise, if your stone tiles are unsealed, simply wipe the dirt and dust with a microfiber mop and hot water. For a stubborn spot or dust, use a steam cleaning.
Roger Hunt, the author of the Old House Handbook, asks for caution before you start. "Before remodeling an ancient stone floor, think it through thoroughly. Even though stone flooring may shift, break, and become uneven, they always look better with age. If the floor is raised and relaid or improperly cleaned, all these qualities are readily lost.
If the floor is constructed of dark stone or slate, we advise against vacuuming. They warn that scratches will be easier to see and that damaged vacuum heads can do a lot of harm.
7. Cleaning linoleum flooring
First of all, some of you do not get the term linoleum; is it synthetic or naturally occurring like stone floor? Linoleum is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil, pine resin, ground cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing.
Take care of this resilient natural flooring as you would cork. Add a few drops of dish soap and hot water to a spray bottle, mix it thoroughly, then spray the solution on the section of the floor you want to clean off and wipe off the area with the microfiber mop.
The floor should dry almost immediately, but if it is still damp or sticky to touch, just wipe it with another clean, damp microfiber mop or cloth.
Once or twice a year, deeper cleaning is required for the linoleum floors. Here are the steps to be taken:
- Sweep or vacuum the loose dirt or debris.
- Dot the floor with baking soda.
- Add one cup of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap to one gallon of hot water.
- Mop the floor with the solution, using the scrub brush to remove stubborn dirt.
- Wipe off once again to remove any traces of baking soda or soap residue.
- Dry the floors completely using old towels.
Do Your Commercial Floors Need Professional Maintenance?
A professional floor maintenance plan has many benefits starting with the budget; it saves you in the long run:
Cost-effective- Commercial floor maintenance increases the lifespan of your flooring. In large spaces, the replacement of flooring might cost you a lot.
Avoid accidents- A sticky or slippery floor in any area of your commercial building may lead to accidents. Without care, a tile crack or uneven finish may lead to falls.
So keeping your floor safe for people is the responsibility of a facility manager.
On-schedule work-
Cleaning in a large area needs a proper schedule and a plan. With commercial cleaning services, you don't have to worry about a thing.
Professional care
A team of professional care is trained to clean each type of floor depending on the flooring material. An inexperienced trial on your own might become a disaster for your expensive floors.
Moreover, the professional teams have a lot of experience in taking care of commercial floors.
Best supplies and equipments-
When you hire professionals from ARIA Commercial Cleaning Services, you can be sure about the use of only the best cleaning products and equipments for your building. You also save upfront charges of machinery.
Need the right plan for your commercial floor cleaning? Let our cleaning masters do a survey.
Get a quote now!