You’ve invested money and time in your flooring, and protecting that investment takes regular cleaning and maintenance. Too often, winter takes its toll on our floors, but following these tips can keep your floors looking their best through spring.
Forgoing Mats
Floor matting is your first defense against moisture and salt. The right matting system can trap as much as 90% of debris before it hits your floors!
Choose a sturdy, coarse mat for outside your facility’s entrance. This allows guests and employees to stomp off snow and remove salt particles before stepping foot in your facility. Next, place a wiper mat directly inside doorways to catch any remaining moisture or salt. Finally, you may consider adding a third waterproof mat near select doors. This gives a place for heavy snow boots to dry.
Allowing Moisture to Linger
Ice, slush and liquid should be removed as quickly as possible by your maintenance team. Moisture creates a real slip and fall hazard and can also cause your floors to warp. For excessive liquid cleanup, opt for a wet/dry vac. Try to avoid using heat during the drying process, as it can lead to additional damages on your floors or their finishes.
Ignoring Salt or Ice Melt Debris
Salt and ice melt reduce the risk of slip-and-fall accidents, but they can also damage your floors. The rough texture of some ice melt products can abrade and scratch floor finishes if track into your facility, and some ice melts can leave behind a telltale white residue. Floor mats can help (see above!), but any debris that makes it into your facility should be vacuumed up immediately. Residue should also be promptly removed to avoid hazing and premature degradation.
Betco provides many solutions to safely remove salt stains. For most hard floors, we recommend pHerfect, formulated with a neutralizing agent and surfactants that remove tough soils while neutralizing common ice melt byproducts and ingredients. Click here to order in our online catalog!
