Floor care is essential to maintaining a facility's image and safety. It's a big task year-round, but it can be challenging, particularly in the winter. Slush and salt can make for an unpleasant walkway, turn people away, lead to slips and falls, and cause significant damage to your floors.
To make winter floor maintenance more productive and improve the life and safety of your floors, here are some DOs and DONTs to keep in mind.
Outdoors
(For this article's sake, sidewalks and parking lots count as flooring!)
DO use ice melt to prevent slips and falls. Environmentally responsible options like Swish Clean & Green® Ice Melter are effective and safer for surfaces, animals and vegetation.
DO use the right size and type of ice melt. Using a coloured ice melt allows you to see it better on the ground and not overuse it, and if the pellets are too small or big, they won't work correctly.
DO err on the side of caution. It pays to be prepared and aware. You may not think it's that slippery outside, but someone may be wearing worn shoes and slip easily. Putting ice melt out just in case can save you from hefty lawsuit fees.
DON'T use ice melt in place of shovelling properly. Preparing the pathways allows the product to do its job correctly, and clear paths are vital for safety.
DON'T just pour out the ice melt. You have to spread it evenly for better surface contact. Consider using a push or hand spreader, like the Push Pneumatic Spreader helps you avoid overuse and unnecessary wastage.
Entrance ways
DO have entrance matting. Trap 80% of dirt, dust, and moisture in well-placed 3-step matting so it doesn't get tracked further into your facility. An effective matting system includes a scraper mat outside to remove the larger particles, a wiper mat just inside the doorways to trap moisture, dirt and salt, then a wiper mat to remove the finer dirt and particles.
DO use entrance matting as floor protection. It's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a carpet than it is to strip, recoat, or replace the flooring. Learn more about matting options here.
Do customize your entrance matting to enhance your facility's appearance. First impressions count, and creating a consistent branded quality experience starts from the floor up. You can get colours, logos, or messaging made into matting, so your dedication to floor care and safety is on brand while you make an impactful impression.
DO tend to that area several times a day to ensure that the facility always looks its best and that there are no opportunities for accidents.
DON'T just use any sized mat. 15 feet lengthwise is the recommended size to capture most debris/moisture, but the bigger, the better.
DON'T use a regular vacuum to clean your dirty/wet mats and entranceways. Due to snow or slush, you'll need a wet vac. The moisture creates a breeding ground for bacteria, mould and odours in the regular vacuums. Having an air blower to dry carpets/floors faster is also a good idea. A great wet vacuum for smaller spaces is the NaceCare WV370 Wet/Dry Vacuum w/ A11 Kit - 4 Gal.
Inside your facility
DO use the correct products to safely remove any white salt residue from floors, carpets, and metal frames.
DO include a traction enhancement restorer in your arsenal of winter floor care products to improve traction, reduce slip and fall accidents and achieve clean, safe floors. We recommend Enviro-Solutions® ES95 Restoration Wash, Gloss, Traction & Buff.
DON'T leave floors/carpets wet, no matter how close to the doorway, as this could damage the floors or lead to slip and fall accidents.
DO use the right tools (double cavity mop bucket, wet floor sign...) when dealing with wet floors, so you remove the hazard quickly, safely, and without spreading dirt and contaminants around unknowingly.
DO use a floor scrubber instead of a mop/bucket (assuming you have the space) to increase productivity. Find out more about the benefits with Scrubbers 101.
For more winter floor care information or to obtain any of the suggested solutions, contact a Swish "How-to" Expert. We're here and ready to aid in any winter challenges you may have, and our goal is to create clean, safe and healthy environments. We are floor care experts and can help you maintain any type of flooring year-round.
Learn more about winter floor care options.
