I think one of the most overlooked items by many individuals today when it comes to floor care is controlling the dirt that enters there store or office building. The majority of the filt that deteriorates your entrances and lobbies are caused by what is under the shoes of visitors and workers. As the owner of Servco Industries for the last almost 35 years, I fully understand and have coached many retail store managers and facility managers on how to keep there buildings looking its best.
When we think of the elements carried under our shoes it is no mystery as to why we have a tough time keeping our floors brilliant in appearance without restoration work. Stripping and waxing of floors and carpet extraction is an expensive and messy proposition. Eliminating the frequencies of these types of services have always been a key ingredient with cutting costs. Items like chewing gum, tar, grease, sand and rock salt all play havoc in keeping floors in pristine condition. A simple preventive solution is trapping as much of this dirt prior to it getting inside your facility. Often walk off mats, or better known as foul weather matting can dramatically reduce the amount of dirt and foreign matter from entering a retail center or lobby.
When foul weather mats are utilized during inclimate weather, maintenace cost for restoration work decreases because the dirt is trapped on the carpets and not on floor's surface. Mats are often overlooked and even when used, it is rarely used properly to maximize the results. Placing mats at entrances is crucial but allowing it to sit on the floor sopping wet and never picked up can be even worse then no matting at all. Your cleaning contractor should be exchanging the matting with a spare set you have left for them. In between those cycles, while the mats are exchangesd they need to be dried and then vacuumed and extracted in prepartaion for the next swap. Each building or entrance should typically have 3 sets of foul weather mats. They should have a rubber backing to prevent them from sliding around under peoples feet as they walk across them.
Another helpful solution is keeing the outside entrances freshly swept and free of debris, rock salt and sand. This is particularly important during winter months in climates where snow treatments are used. It is typically thrown eveywhere on sidewalks and parking lots in over abundance. Regular sweeping and periodic hosing or pressure washing these areas will stop the dirt from entering your building. We teach our cleaners here at Servco Industries to always sweep the exterior of the building each day to prevent these destructive particles from getting dragged under eveyones shoes and shopping cart wheels. Even worse when these particles get under the high speed propane burnishers they powder the finish, resulting in dusty fixtures caused by powdering floor finish. Your cleaning contractor or in-house cleaners should always be sure that clean pads be used in conditions where abrassive items are potentially on the areas to be cleaned. Curb appeal is an important ingredient and those that vist your building or shopping center will surely notice trash pails overflowing and a sidewalk with enough sand to start a private beach. Often many shoppers judge there shopping experiance based on the conditions of the floors and upkeep of restrooms. Don't give them a reason not to return!
Good maintenace programs start with preventive maintemnace programs. If you want to know more about how we can help you keep your facility clean please contact me at charlescestaro@servcoindustries.com or vist us ar http://www.servcoind.com/
