Commercial Floor Cleaning—How to Prepare Floors for Scrubbing

Commercial floor cleaning machines make it incredibly easy and efficient to keep your facilities looking inviting and safe. They’re far superior to traditional mop-and-bucket cleaning that simply moves dirt around and physically strains workers.

New walk-behind and ride-on floor scrubbers are much easier and more efficient to use than ever before. Factor in next-generation robotic floor scrubbers and commercial floor cleaning is being taken to an entirely new level.

But that doesn’t mean you can simply start commercial floor cleaning equipment with no prep-work. One of the biggest keys to maximizing efficiency and performance in your commercial floor cleaning program is making sure you’re correctly preparing your floors for scrubbing.

The following are simple best practices to take before using an automatic floor scrubbing machine:

Take Care of Mats & Equipment

Mats are the first thing your visitors see when they come through your entryway. They also help keep floors cleaner by catching the dust, dirt and debris that gets tracked in from outside. Make sure you roll up and remove all mats before cleaning your floors with your automatic scrubber.

Most automatic floor scrubbers are designed to work on hard floor surfaces, not carpet or rubber mats. If your automatic scrubber meets the edges of a mat, it could potentially damage the machine. Keep mats clean by removing them before scrubbing and washing them if necessary.

Always Pre-Sweep Floors

It’s obvious when large debris piles up on floors and you likely remove it before scrubbing. But unseen dirt and dust can also be on the floor so it’s a best practice to pre-sweep the cleaning path.

Problems can emerge from scrubbing a dirty, dusty floor. Solution from the scrubber can interact with dirt—turning it into mud that gets spread around the floors. Then, the muddy floors must be re-scrubbed. Small rocks, pebbles and other debris could be ground into the floor, damaging the floor’s finish. Debris can also be hard on the commercial floor cleaning machine itself, causing premature wear and tear.

Get Rid of Sticky Substances

Keep an eye out for any sticky substances like chewing gum or dried food that’s on the floor surface. These substances should be scraped off before using the automatic floor scrubber.

While modern automatic commercial floor cleaning equipment are powerful, they aren’t built to remove absolutely anything from your floors. Sticky residues may remain on your floors or get spread around, which can cause streaking from the squeegee.

Remove Obstacles from the Cleaning Path

Anything that can inhibit cleaning should be removed from the cleaning path. This includes obstacles like displays, shelves and furniture.

You want to clean the entire floor. You also need to clean efficiently and having obstacles in your path slows down the process.

Display Signage on Wet Floors

It’s better to be safe than sorry. Slip-and-fall incidents are a top cause of workplace injury, so extra caution is needed to ensure that people are aware of potentially wet floors immediately following floor scrubbing.

Post warning, caution or wet floor signs prominently to ensure anyone who encounters the floors—employees, customers and visitors—knows to tread carefully when floor cleaning is in progress or immediately after cleaning. Make sure you place signs in highly visible areas where floor cleaning is taking place.

Preparation is Key

Taking a little extra time upfront to prepare the floors before using your automatic scrubbing machine should be a routine best practice. If you follow these simple practices, you can protect and keep your floors shining longer while also maximizing the life of your commercial floor cleaning equipment.

Is your cleaning machine not working optimally? Get tips to help fix it.

Ready for a new floor scrubber? Consider reconditioned equipment from Tennant.

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