5 tips for cleaning and maintaining hard surface floors in the office

The hard surface floors throughout your office endure high volumes of foot traffic, dirt, leaves, water, and heavy furniture being dragged across it – all on a daily basis.

In order to keep your floors in a pristine and presentable condition, as well as, safe for all who use them, they must be regularly maintained and cleaned. Keeping up a regular floor-cleaning schedule will also prolong the life of your flooring and help prevent the need for costly floor renovations and replacements.

Hard floors regularly found in offices include: vinyl, laminate, wood, ceramic, marble, granite, granolithic or stone. As a specialist office cleaning company, here are our top tips to maintaining the hard flooring in your office…

1. Appropriate cleaning

Each type of hard floor covering in your office will have manufacturer recommendations for its maintenance. It’s essential to adhere to these recommendations for the longevity of the floor and for safety purposes. For example, too much water on wooden floors can damage and warp the wood; it’s also always advisable to be cautious when it comes to water on tiled floors, in case there is a danger of water seeping through on to buried wires. Granolithic floors are a safe and good non-slip option for an office and are excellent in washrooms and kitchens, however, you are unable to polish them and so they can become worn quickly – regular floor cleaning is essential to minimise their wear and tear. Avoid using harsh chemicals on natural stones and materials such as granite and marble.

2. Floor protection

From the moment someone steps through the office doors, dirt will be transferred from their shoes to the floor and trodden through the building. To help prevent damage to the hard floors, especially in intense foot traffic areas such as the office entrance, install heavy-duty mats. It is far easier and cheaper to clean a mat, or to replace them, than it is to fix damaged specialist hard floors. Entrance mats are also a safer option to help prevent slips and falls when the floor is wet from the rain, for example.

3. Regular Cleaning

By regularly removing the build-up of dirt and grit, you can help protect the office floors and keep them looking in excellent condition. Daily vacuuming will pick-up the worst of the dirt and weekly mopping will prevent dirt from becoming ingrained into the floor. The longer dirt is left on the floor, the deeper it will be trodden in, staining or even ripping surfaces – depending on the type of flooring installed. It is recommended to carry out deep cleans on hard floors to keep them protected from hard wear, thoroughly sanitised and looking their best. Deep cleans should be carried out every 12 – 16 weeks and every 4 – 6 weeks in high foot traffic areas or hard wearing areas such as kitchens and washrooms.

4. Stain Removal

Most hard floors can have stain protection treatments carried out to help prevent damage and permanent discoloration. The obvious prevention method is to clean up any stains and spillages as they occur. For offices without janitorial services, this may not always be possible, however, the quicker a spillages can be cleaned up, the less likely it is that long-term damage will be caused to the floor. Speak to your professional cleaning provider for specific stain removal services for chewing gum, grease and tar.

5. Furniture

Heavy and inappropriately stored furniture is likely to cause floor damage in the office. Heavy desks and items of furniture can be placed on floor protector pads to help prevent indentations and marks on the floor. Similarly you can install load-bearing castors to the feet of furniture to reduce the damage caused by dragging. With some items of furniture this will not be possible, but all members of staff should be advised on how to best (and safely) lift and move furniture, including chairs.

At Swift Office Cleaning Services, we offer specialist hard surface floor maintenance and office cleaning services as part of our janitorial solutions With over 20 years experience of cleaning offices, we understand the importance of quality hard floor cleaning – to not only maintain the high standards of your business premises but also for the health and safety of everyone who comes to work.

Speak to a member of the team about your daily office cleaning needs and specialist hard floor cleaning requirements. Call us: (717) 271-6366 or get in touch for a free estimate below.

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