8 Floor Cleaning Shortcuts You must Avoid

Keeping the floors clean in commercial premises is of paramount importance, even more so if you’re operating in the food and beverage industry. To keep those floors clean and hygienic, the job needs to be done correctly with traditional floor cleaning methods. Taking shortcuts is something you should avoid and we’ll be having a look at some common shortcuts many businesses accept that they really shouldn’t.

Below are the 4 Shortcuts You must Avoid while Floor Cleaning

#1 – Some Companies/Employees Avoid Pre-Sweeping the Floors

In other words, the floors are scrubbed or mopped without being swept clean of debris before this. The first major problem to occur when workers avoid pre-sweeping is that the floors are not getting thoroughly cleaned. Mopping generally won’t pick up all of the debris and the action will more than likely just be spreading dirt around rather than cleaning it up. This debris getting spread around could also potentially harm the floor’s surface.

#2 – Failure To Disinfect the Floors

Aside from sweeping the floors clean of debris before cleansing and scrubbing, the process should also include thorough cleaning and disinfecting floors. Without adding a disinfecting process to the floor cleaning procedure, the floors might appear to be clean but they may not be very hygienic. Disinfecting needs to be done to kill germs and bacteria.

#3 – Don’t Vacuum Wet Or Damp Floors

Just because you might be short on time, you should never lose patience and attempt to vacuum a floor that is still damp. It’s just not going to prove very effective and if you’re using a dry vacuum, you could end up ruining your vacuum cleaner or possibly even getting an electric shock. Only use a wet and dry vacuum cleaner or carpet cleaning equipment on wet floors.

#4 – Failing To Protect and Maintain Floor Cleaning Equipment

Protecting floor cleaning equipment is just as important as cleaning the floors. If you don’t look after your gear, your equipment will lose its effectiveness and if you’re operating machineries such as a ride on sweeper or scrubber, your equipment could even break down if it’s not maintained. The cleanliness of your floors relies on the quality of the floor cleaning equipment used.

#5 – Using Too Many Chemicals

Some workers, when attempting to clean a particularly dirty floor, might be tempted to use too much of a floor cleaning chemical or decide to make a cocktail of different floor cleaning chemicals. Mixing chemicals can be dangerous if they react with each other and too many harsh chemicals used on the floor may damage the surface of the floor. Over-use of chemicals should be avoided and is not a shortcut worth experimenting with.

#6 – Avoiding Daily Floor Cleaning

No matter what business you operate, floors ideally should be cleaned daily. At the very least, they should be swept every day. If you’re operating in food or beverage production or service, floors need to be cleaned and disinfected every single day and possibly even multiple times a day.

#7 – Using Employees Who Have No Cleaning Experience

If you want your employees to do the floor cleaning duties rather than hiring professional cleaners, then they need to be trained in how to effectively clean and disinfect the floors. Without proper training, they will simply be guessing and probably end up doing many things wrong or ineffectually. It’s not rocket science but it does need to be done properly for the best results.

#8 – Clean the Floors Last

Things like desks and benchtops should be thoroughly cleaned of debris first before starting on the floors. If the floors are cleaned first, they’ll simply end up getting dirty again when other equipment and furniture are cleaned. You also don’t want people tromping all over a freshly-cleaned floor, especially if it’s still wet. The floors should be cleaned last but not forgotten about.

Contact ASC For Floor Cleaning Equipment and Tips

Australian Sweeper Corporation is an industry leader when it comes to supplying professional floor cleaning equipment to local businesses. Whether you need a walk-behind sweeper or a ride on scrubber, we have it all. You can also get in touch with us for handy floor cleaning hints and tips.