Page 14 - School Planning & Management, June 2019

FACILITIES FLOORS NEED SPECIAL CARE
protected and require less care. If you do have matting, periodically have it inspect- ed and deep cleaned. Both scraper matts on the exterior of the building and scraper and absorbent matting can capture these soils and stop them from destroying
your floors. Regardless of your climate or environment, entrance matting through a well-designed plan can be an attractive addition to your flooring design, reduce labor costs of maintenance, and provide extended life and beauty to your floors throughout the building.
Routine Maintenance of Your Floors
All things are relative. So, when it comes to daily soil load on your floors, some soil comes from foot traffic or the users of the building, and the other soil comes from atmospheric deposition or the airflow through your building. The higher the volume the greater frequency
required. This starts with basic dry soil removal. The typical dry soil removal on carpeting comes in the form of vacuum- ing. The Carpet and Rug Institute has a rating system evaluating various types
of vacuums in the industry based on
their ability to remove soil. Some carpet manufacturers say that a system with a beater bar is required, however, the higher quality of carpeting today with high densities, improved fibers, and level loop patterns can be maintained sufficiently on the dry soil removal as long as the fre- quency matches the traffic load. So, when the building is occupied daily, vacuum it daily. If you have a very high density of population to building square footage, it may require multiple times per day.
Hard surface floors have multiple methods for dry soil removal. The typical dust mop can be selected, or microfiber dust mops, or vacuum sweepers, or even back pack vacuums. The though is to re-
Flooring today, has changed dramatically in its technology with claims of sustainability and durability that require a special knowledge of chemistry and processes to maintain.
move it before it gets ground into the floor. Frequency for dry soil on hard-surface floors is the same as carpeting. Match the frequency of dry soil removal to the volume of traffic and soil load.
Wet soil removal is the next process
in routine maintenance of your floors.
On carpeting, complete wet cleaning of carpets on a daily basis is not practical, either from a cost standpoint or from a care standpoint for the fibers. However, daily spotting of carpeting is essential
to proper carpet and carpet longevity. Although carpet fibers have become more stain resistant in more recent years, there are still those that can cause perma-
nent staining, that if taken care of in an expedient manner, can be removed with little effort. On hard surface floors, spot mopping can be used to remove spills and stains, but in many locations daily wet mopping is utilized to pick up spills and soils through the entire surface or production machinery is used that can do the entire area with greater efficiency and thoroughness compared to a spot mop process.
Periodic or Restorative Maintenance for Floors
On carpeting, this needs to take place to eliminate deeply embedded soils or stains. This can take place as little as once per year and is based on the ability to properly maintain or provide the preventive and routine maintenance throughout the year.
Looking good. Specialty cleaning and restoration is a science and an art. It requires a service provider that uses the most effective techniques, along with sustainable practices and products, to ensure the best results on your specific materials and finishes. Taking care of your carpets and floors protects your investment, your image, and anyone customer stepping foot into your facility.
14 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JUNE 2019
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