The importance of industrial floor cleaning is often overlooked by many businesses who prefer to focus only on productivity or their bottom line. What many business owners fail to understand is the impact a lack of professional floor cleaning of their Ecotile floor can have on the success of their business both directly and indirectly.
Why it’s Important to Keep Your Ecotile Floor Clean
First Impressions Last
The cleanliness of your businesses interior and exterior floors are often one of the first things existing and potential new customers see when they visit your premises. A customer who sees care and attention to the floors of your business will make a natural association between this and the care and attention you apply to the work you do for them. Equally, dirty, dangerous, unkempt floors can send the opposite message and be very off putting for a customer.
Safety First
As a responsible employer it is your duty to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your employees. Internal and external floors that are unclean can be the cause of serious accidents. General sweeping and mopping of an industrial floor is not sufficient to maintain an acceptable standard of cleanliness and safety for your staff or your customers. Slippery or unclean surfaces can cause trips, slips and falls which can ultimately result in severe injury or an inability to work. At its worst it may result in damage to your personal and business reputation and some very costly law suits.
Floor Lifespan
Replacing your industrial floor is an extremely costly exercise and can cause major disruption to productivity. Over time through excess grime and dirt floors can become damaged and unsafe at which time you will have no choice but to replace them. However, by regular specialised industrial cleaning you can extend the lifespan of your Ecotile flooring significantly whilst keeping your employees and customers safe. Furthermore, you will delay the need for the huge disruption and expenditure that comes with replacing industrial flooring.
How to Protect Your Floor From Damage and Dirt
Regular, thorough cleaning will improve the lifespan, appearance and the safety of everyone that uses your floor. Other steps you can take include using pads under furniture to prevent scratches and damage to your floor as well as applying load bearing castors to heavier items to prevent indentations. We also recommend using mats at entrances; Waterhog high performance matting can eradicate up to 85% of water from fork lift tyres in addition to trapping debris and dirt so it is not dragged across your floor.
You should mop up any spillages as soon as they occur to avoid slipping and stains. When cleaning your floors daily it is advisable to follow our cleaning reccomendations which you can find attached to this article. These products are specifically made for the maintenance and cleanliness of Ecotile industrial floors.
There are also things you can avoid doing which will assist you in the cleanliness and maintenance of your floor and prevent long term damage. For example, prevent products that are silicone based from coming into contact with your floor as they can prove to be very slippery. This includes products like glass cleaner and furniture polish. In addition, some non Ecotile approved products used for cleaning industrial floors may contain damaging agents that will affect the appearance and performance of your floor.
Heat can also cause severe floor damage so it is best to avoid any hot items coming into contact with your floor such as cigarettes or sparks from welding. That being said, one of the great advantages of the interlocking tile system is that damaged or marked tiles can be lifted and replaced in a matter of minutes. In terms of furniture and appliances, avoid dragging or sliding them across your floor and lift them either manually or with the aid of a forklift wherever possible. If you’re using mats, it is best to avoid anything with a rubber backing or furniture with rubber feet as these are known to cause floor discolouration over time.
Our Recommended Cleaning Schedule
For optimum industrial floor cleaning and maintenance it is advisable to implement a regular cleaning schedule using our recommended floor cleaning/sealing products and equipment.
For day to day general floor cleaning, the Dr.Schutz general purpose cleaner is ideal as it repels dirt, is slip resistant and anti static.
For more ‘heavy duty’ cleaning of your industrial floor, Dr.Schutz’ heavy duty floor cleaner is designed to clean and strip any dirt, debris, grease or sealers off your floor without damaging it. This can include things like glue residue, building dirt or residue left from care products.
We strongly reccommend that you seal your floor for long term protection. You can find more information about sealer and finishes below.
Again, these products all come in the Ecotile floor care kit which also boasts the necessary Padmaster, heavy duty cleaning pad and furniture glide pad equipment to professionally apply these products. Get in touch with us today if you’d like to order an Ecotile floor care kit.
Use a Karcher Scrubber Drier – Industrial Floor Cleaning Machines
For professional results that will help you get the best from your Ecotile floor we recommend using a Karcher Scrubber Drier.
Karcher manufacture several powerful industrial floor cleaning machines that are perfect for all sizes of floor areas. The Karcher Scrubber Dryer can simultaneously clean and dry your floor making it ultra-efficient and ultra-safe. The Karcher has a special focused scrubbing function for tackling a variety of floor services including concrete, lino, tiles, marble and safety floors to name but a few.
It has a removable tank with an easy to clean water distributor strip and can be filled at any low wash basin. Its electrical components are easy to access and it is designed with the best in cleaning ergonomics in mind. It is easy to store and move with a variety of accessories including the ability to reduce the machine height with the push handle that allows flexibility to fold down in either direction.
Ecotile have an excellent partnership with Karcher Center Chemtec who will provide a 10% discount on machines if you are looking for a system to clean your Ecotile floor. Get in touch with Malcolm at Karcher Center Chemtec at 0345-890 3600 or contact us directly and enquire about a scrubber dryer.
Use a Sealer or Floor Finish
Sealing or finishing your floor is very important to make day to day cleaning easier and give long term protection.
A seal is different to a finish as a seal is designed to protect your floor by penetrating your floor and acting as a barrier to stains. A finish is different in that it creates a protective and invisible layer on the surface of the floor.
Sealing is a way of giving long term protection to your floor. There are several factors that will determine how often your floor will need sealing, for example, what the floor is made of, frequency and type of traffic, chemical and oils that may be present in the area. As time passes a sealant can begin to deteriorate which is why it is very important to maintain a cleaning regime that will protect the floor from harsh particles such as grit which can damage the seal. You can find our recommended sealer in our cleaning guidelines.
Replacing Tiles That are Worn Out or Damaged
As much as you use the right equipment and cleaning materials to protect and maintain your Ecotile floor, over time damage to the odd tile may occur.
Fortunately, Ecotile floors are made of interlocking tiles making it easy for you to remove individual damaged tiles and replace them with a new one without the inconvenience of having to repair or replace large floor areas.
If you would like to know more about maintaining an Ecotile floor or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us on 01582 788 232 or email [email protected]
David Bryant-Pugh is sales and marketing manager of Ecotile Flooring. A Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM), David divides his time between creating strategy and tactics for the modular flooring business, and meeting customers to better understand their needs and specific marketplace. Operating across multiple industry sectors (every business has a floor, right!) David’s experience ranges from manufacturing to retail, and everything in between.
Prior to Ecotile, David managed the marketing team at Argos for Business. He previously built a wealth of experience in the foodservice and construction industries as marketing lead. You can find David on LinkedIn
