Knowing which methodology we must follow while cleaning a floor which is new to us or has very specific qualities and which products to use on it can sometimes suppose a real challenge. Additionally, your facilities may have two or more different types of floor with very different needs. This is one of the reasons why questions about how to clean your floors arise. If we want to perform the best cleaning of our floors, we must therefore know in depth the different types of floor which exist and the most effective way of cleaning.
IDENTIFYING THE TYPE OF FLOOR OR SURFACE
The first step is identifying the type or types of floor you have in your facilities, since this will determine the way in which we perform the different cleaning tasks. Every type of floor has its own specific needs, so it will be very important to know if we are working with vinyl or laminate, tile or wood, concrete… When we know this, we will be ready to choose the methodology and products which most adapt to the necessities of our floor.
CONCRETE
Concrete floors are hard, porous and mainly used in parking floors and industrial facilities. Since it is a porous floor, dirty and dust gets incrusted easily, hence, it is important to follow an adequate methodology when cleaning it in order to achieve the highest level of cleaning.
If we have a concrete floor, seal it using a pavement sealer and later on a self-shining product will avoid the absorption of stain elements such as spilled liquids or incrusted dirt. This will also help cleaning the lines thanks to the protection. Whether we are using a broom or a cleaning machine for the cleaning task, it is important to use rigid brushes able to lift dirt up.
If we are cleaning a concrete floor for the first time and we want to remove the waste of building or reform, we must clean in depth scrubbing with water and an acid product diluted in the exact proportion for this specific type of floor to clear it up later on using only water.
If we wish to remove dirt which has appeared over time, we will have to scrub the floor using an alkaline product diluted in water to clear it up later using only water.
Finally, if what we want to perform routine cleaning and maintenance tasks, the product to use will be that one with neutral PH.
VINYL AND LAMINATED
When facing vinyl or laminated floors, it is very important to reduce the quantity of product and water that we use for cleaning. Even a tiny excess of water can invade the joints producing bad odor with time and taking off the adhesive. This is why we recommend cleaning immediately any kind of liquid spillover on these type of floors, since laminates will expand if they absorb too much water. In order to keep these type of floors always with the best possible aspect is to carefully sweep and scrub regularly.
HARD WOOD
As it happens with vinyl and laminate floors, using too much water or products in wood will cause permanent damage in this type of floor. Wood is porous and it will absorb water if we use too much of it. Therefore, if we spillover any kind of liquid we must immediately clean it up with soft and absorbent cloth. In order to perform cleaning tasks, the most optimal method is to use light products specifically designed for hard wood using always soft microfiber, cleaning always in the direction of the joints.
CARPET
Carpets must be vacuumed in a regular basis. Using the vacuum twice a week may be enough in spaces without intensive traffic of people and dirt, but when facing spaces with high traffic, we must vacuum and clean carpets in a daily basis. Using our vacuum regularly to clean carpets will help us removing dust and dirt particles which could cause damage to carpet's fibers, but this type of floor needs more than this. We must also scrub with water and light products. Doing this by hand we will only achieve cleanliness in small areas, but this isn't enough for a deep cleaning. In order to achieve the highest level of cleanliness in this type of floor we must use specific cleaning machines such as carpet cleaners or extractors.
TILES AND CERAMIC
If we want to define the methodology and products we must use to clean this type of floors, we must first know what type of tile we are facing. Many floors are manufactured using a vinyl composition which requires non-abrasive products. Other types of tile do allow the use of more aggressive products, but their joints don't. In this type of floor it is very important to use a brush, machine or cleaning tool, since tiles and joints are in different levels and some traces may not be cleaned in the process.
CLEANING EQUIPMENT
As we've seen, many floors and facilities need specific cleaning machines to be cleaned, either due to their dimensions or the specific requirements of each floor. There is a huge variety of cleaning machines which adapt to your cleaning needs. The most used and demanded are scrubbers, vacuums, sweepers, burnishes and carpet cleaners. Sweepers are used to lift dust up and remove it. If what we need is to wash our floors to make them clean, the best alternative will be using a scrubber. If we are facing facilities with huge amounts of dust and we want to perform an exhaustive cleaning, we can use a sweeper in first place and then a scrubber, or we can use a more specific cleaning machine: the sweeper scrubber. All this machines are available in the walk behind and rider version.
The brush we choose is probably the most important factor when using cleaning machines. There are different type of brushes manufactured with different types of materials and designed specifically for a cleaning task or floor. Therefore, it is very important to choose the brush which best fits your needs. A porous floor, for example, will require more rigid brushes.
You have probably noticed already that floor cleaning is often reduced to asking oneself which machine and product we will use and what type of product. Manufacturer's specifications will help us choosing the adequate cleaning tools depending on the type of floor we are facing, hence, it is important to revise them while buying cleaning products and accessories.