7 Steps to Clean and Maintain Commercial Hard-Surface Flooring

Commercial hard surface flooring offers a wealth of performance benefits, including ease of maintenance. However, as with any type of flooring product, proper cleaning is required to ensure long life.

As a flooring specialist Alliance Floor Covering in Phoenix Arizona, has helped thousands of customers keep their hard surface flooring performing at the optimum level.

Maintenance doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s a matter of establishing basic protocols and using the right products and equipment. Let’s work through some general information for treating newly installed floors, establishing a daily maintenance routine and conducting ongoing corrective cleaning.

We’ve Outlined 7 Steps For Cleaning and Maintaining Hard-Surface Floors:

1. Getting Started with New Commercial Flooring
2. Establishing a Multi-Step Maintenance Routine
3. Choosing the Right Hard-Surface Flooring Cleaner
4. Opting for Polish
5. Removing Polish and Reworking Finish
6. Selecting Proper Tools
7. The success is in following the process

Getting Started with New Commercial Flooring

Prior to starting on your floors, check the coasters and glides on the furniture that will be placed in the space. Install, replace or repair them as needed to prevent scrapes and ensure the load is evenly distributed.

Provide adequate walk-off mats at entrances that are at least as wide as doorways, 10-14 feet long depending on the amount of traffic and type of soil outside, and have a backing that won’t stain the flooring. Proper entryways help reduce the overall amount of soil spread throughout the space. Before doing anything else, make sure you have proper signage in place. Warning people about potential work areas should be a standard procedure to keep everyone in the area safe.

After your flooring is installed, check carefully for any excess adhesive residue and remove with mineral spirits and a clean rag. Follow up with water and a neutral pH cleaner. It is advisable to wait a minimum of five days before using a wet mop or any type of scrubbing device to ensure adhesives have enough time to bond and cure.

Cover all newly installed floors with protective coverings, such as ram board or similar if there will be trades working on top of the newly installed floor covering. This will help eliminate damage such as scratches and gouges to the newly installed floor.

Establishing a Multi-Step Maintenance Routine

Start by removing dust and grit by dry mopping. For tougher soil removal, use a microfiber dust mop. Make sure to remove the dust mop heads as needed when they become too dirty.

 For greasy or oily areas, use an alkaline cleaner with a pH between 8 and 10; for areas with hard water or high mineral concentration, use an acidic cleaner with a pH between 4.5 and 6.5. Never mix acidic and neutral or high pH cleaners together.

For smaller installations or light soil

Wet mop using a diluted neutral cleaner. Rubbermaid Hygen Microfiber Damp Mops or Rubbermaid Microfiber String Mops work well on hard surface flooring products. Change the water often and periodically wring out the mop.

For medium installations, heavy soil or corrective cleaning

Use a single disc/square orbital machine by first applying the water or cleaning solution then scrubbing in a north-south or east-west motion. Then, mop or wet/dry vacuum.

For larger spaces or heavily soiled areas

Opt for an auto scrubber and water or a properly diluted cleaner. Corrective cleaning or especially dirty areas could benefit from using an astroturf or microfiber pad.

For disinfecting commercial spaces

If you opt to use a quaternary disinfectant in a concentration that’s greater than 2 ounces per gallon, make sure to wet mop with clean water afterward. And again, never mix acidic and neutral or high pH cleaning products.

In each case, inspect the floor after it dries, repeat if needed and adjust the cleaning products and equipment accordingly. Aside from the right cleaning solution, it’s essential to always use the right pressure and pad for your equipment to adequately distribute the cleaning solutions and avoid damaging the flooring.