How to customise your floor care and maintenance solution in 7 steps

The longevity of any structure or floor depends largely on the quality of the material and its subsequent maintenance. Neglect leads to the breakdown of a building’s structure, infrastructure, and floors.

Every being or object needs care and maintenance regularly, for them to not just last longer but also function and serve their purpose smoothly and without becoming a hurdle or a reason for stress. Floors need to be maintained on a regular basis, with scheduled cleaning and scrubbing, depending on the nature of work and activity.

Cleaning and maintenance need to be undertaken in a systematised way for optimum results, minimal effort, and time. A floor cleaning machine can help a lot‌. Also, adhere to the following steps to maintain your floors and make them last longer.

7 steps for floor care and maintenance

1. Identify the requirements of the space: Commercial and public establishments have consistent traffic and activity, requiring dedicated maintenance routines and procedures. For instance, the hospitality industry, like hospitals, markets and malls, hotels, etc., requires different procedures and schedules for cleaning and maintenance than the industrial sector, which consists of manufacturing plants, storehouses, and so on. It is important to understand the requirements of your workplace to determine the maintenance requirements.

2. Determine the venues and the area: If your business has more than one venue, do a thorough inspection of the venues to determine the requirements based on the activity, the type of floor, the covered carpet area, and the condition of the surface of the floors. Once the requirements are identified, including the problem areas requiring special attention, you can now explore the cleaning and maintenance solutions available. Apart from floor cleaning and maintenance, you may also identify other cleaning requirements at the venues.

3. Knowing your floors: Floors are made of different materials, and every material requires a specific and specialised cleaning solution. Knowing the material of your floors will make finding solutions easier. Essentially, floors fall into three categories:

• Hard floors made of cement, concrete, or terrazzo
• Stone floors include all natural and artificial stone floors like marble, granite, travertine, blue stone, etc.
• Resilient floors made of PVC, linoleum, rubber, epoxy resin, etc.

4. Identify specific problems: Floors become stained or chipped over a period of time, depending on the density of activity and nature of work. The stains or damage need to be addressed specifically with specialised solutions. The nature of the damage will determine the specialised solution for maintenance.

5. Machines and procedures: Once the problem and requirements for your floors have been identified, you can consult with a reliable manufacturer to identify the procedures, machines, and cleaning equipment required for the job. Maintenance of floors can involve multiple solutions like deep cleaning, stripping, polishing, and renovation of cracks and chips in the floor.

6. Cleaning and maintenance tools: As mentioned above, floors not only need attention after being damaged but regular cleaning and maintenance are also important to save them from excessive damage. There are a large variety of cleaning tools available for you to procure that fulfil your requirements. Hiring a housekeeping company for regular and particular maintenance is a good idea, but apart from this, you will also require brushes, mops, floor cleaners, scrubbing pads, etc. to keep the workplace clean and safe for the staff and visitors.

7. Setting the cleaning schedule: Now that all necessary items and hardware have been streamlined and decided upon, putting them to use in a systematised manner is important for a satisfactory job. Based on the number of staff, the visiting footfalls, and the nature of work and activity, draw up a regular cleaning schedule. A stringent cleaning schedule requiring cleaning multiple times a day is mandatory in the hospitality sector. Similarly, an office area or factory has its cleaning requirements. Public spaces also require periodic deep cleaning and scrubbing of the floors. Places like hotels, malls, and hospitals may also require annual buffing and polishing of the stone floors.

Appoint a trained cleaning crew or housekeeping professionals who know how to use the cleaning machines and equipment, with a supervisor to supervise them. The area of your establishment or workplace will determine the number of cleaning staff and the cleaning and maintenance schedule.